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Some of my tension eased away at the reassurance that Layla would be okay. But I was still worried.
“I want to stitch it up, but it shouldn’t take long to heal,” Patch continued. “You’ll be sore and a little stiff, but by the time we remove the stitches next week, you shouldn’t be in much pain.”
He tossed the gloves in the trash and turned to Amanda, instructing her to get everything set up so he could sew up the wounds.
“Need to talk to you for a second,” I told my brother. He nodded, and we stepped out of the room. “I want you to do a full workup on Layla. Use this shit as an excuse so she doesn’t fight me on it.”
Patch raised an eyebrow. “Worried about anything in particular?”
I shrugged. “She’s been looking a little ragged lately—tell her I said that and I’ll cut off your balls—and taking frequent naps. And I think her stomach is bothering her because she hasn’t been eating as much.”
It looked as if Patch was going to say something, but then he just nodded and returned to the room.
“I’d like to do a full physical and run some tests,” he told Layla with a reassuring smile. “Just as a precaution.”
Layla frowned. “I thought you said it was minor?”
“Only a precaution, Layla.”
She sighed. “Fine.”
“Great. I’m going to step out while you get changed.”
Amanda walked to a tall cabinet and opened it to grab a hospital gown from the top shelf. She smiled at me and cocked her head toward the door. “Why don’t you wait in the hall while I help her with this?” she suggested.
I snatched the fabric from her hands and growled, “I’ll do it.”
To her credit, she didn’t argue. Likely because she was familiar with our attitudes toward our women.
“She can leave her underwear on. Just crack the door when she's ready.”
I nodded and waited until she left to help Layla remove her clothes and put on the gown. When I opened the door, I saw Patch standing to the side talking to Grey. I raised an eyebrow when both men turned their heads in my direction.
“Find out anything?” I asked.
Grey nodded.
“I’ll get started,” Patch told me before disappearing into the exam room. I moved to stand in front of the door where I could see everything happening while Grey stood to the side so they were out of his sight.
“Dax and Patriot caught up with the shooter. Had on a Devil’s Jesters cut.”
My hands balled into fists, and fury engulfed my body. “He’s a fucking dead man.”
Grey nodded. “Agreed. But I think he was just the one assigned to the job. Pretty sure the order came directly from their prez. Mac’s gonna interrogate the bastard for any intel while I track down the motherfuckers in charge of those assholes.”
“I need to take care of my woman,” I said through a clenched jaw. “Then I want a crack at him.”
“Figured. Dax took him to The Block.”
The Block was how we referred to the building we used to keep…guests. It was where we extracted information and made them disappear. It was basically a set of cells and interrogation rooms. It was like a cell block, which was how it got its name.
I jerked my chin up, and he did the same before taking his leave. I stayed in place for a few minutes, keeping an eye on my woman while I tried to calm down. I didn’t want Layla to pick up on my emotions and stress when she needed to rest.
Finally, I felt in control and walked into the room.
“She’s all set,” Patch announced. “Make sure she eats, stays hydrated, and rests.”
Amanda popped in and smiled at Layla as she handed her a scrub top. “I didn’t think you’d want to put the bloody shirt back on.”
Layla returned her smile gratefully. “Thank you.”
I helped my girl get dressed, then argued with her for a full minute about letting her walk. Ultimately, I gave in, choosing to pick my battles carefully. I had a feeling there would be quite a few until she fully recovered. No fucking way would I budge if I felt like she was jeopardizing her health.
We were at the door when I heard Patch say my name. I turned to see him stalking over to me. He stopped at my side and spoke in a low voice so that Layla wouldn’t hear him. “If she’s in pain, she can have Tylenol. Nothing else. I don’t want anything stronger in her system until I get the results of her blood work back.”
My eyes narrowed. “You suspect something is wrong?” I managed to keep the fear growing inside from making my voice tremble.
“No. Just want to be sure, that's all.”
He seemed sincere, which calmed my nerves a bit, so I didn’t press him any further.
