Before I get out, I remove all my weapons, ignoring the pain radiating through my arm. We walk into the emergency room a bloody mess, but we ignore the shocked and curious looks. I scan the crowd, immediately spotting my brother in the corner. Nina’s arms are wrapped around him, and I can tell she’s been crying. Ilya, Nikolai, Andrei, and Svetlana are sitting down next to them. Their faces say it all. Shocked and devastated, they look like they’re still trying to accept what’s happened. I feel the exact same way.
“Oh my god,” Nina says when we walk up. “Are you okay?”
“Maddie needs a few stitches and to make sure she doesn’t have a concussion. I’m fine,” I wave off her concern for me and look at Vasily. “Any news?”
He scrubs a hand over his face and shakes his head. “He lost a lot of blood.” He’s about to say more, but he can’t get the words out and just shakes his head again. The utter despair in his eyes is mirrored in my own. This family doesn’t work without our baby brother. Losing him is not an option.
A nurse finally spots us and rushes over, ushering us to the counter to get signed in. I let her lead me over because I know Maddie needs to be seen. We get signed in, but I refuse to leave Maddie’s side. The nurse finally gives up and brings us both back to a room. She looks to be mid-forties, with a no-nonsense air about her that speaks to her years as an ER nurse. I’m guessing not much gets to this woman.
“My brother’s in surgery. Can you find out how he’s doing?” I ask her as she inspects the damage the bullet did.
She raises a brow at me. “What exactly happened to your arm?”
I shrug. “I can’t remember.”
Her lips thin, and I can tell I’ve pissed her off. She glances at Maddie’s beat-up face and steps between us, putting her back to me, and for being five-foot-nothing, she’s got balls of steel.
“Did he hurt you?” I hear her whisper to Maddie.
I’d be offended if I wasn’t so impressed.
Maddie’s grey eyes widen. “No, god no, he’s the one who stopped this,” she says, motioning to her swollen face.
“What the hell happened to you two?” the nurse asks again.
Maddie gives a small shrug and says, “Can’t remember.”
She’s the only person on the planet who could make me smile at a time like this, but I’m so goddamn proud of her. When she looks up and sees my face, she gives me a wink, and I’m so overcome with love for her that I can hardly breathe.
The nurse gives up and tries to work on me, but I tell her she has to do Maddie first. After giving her a couple of stitches in her eyebrow and making sure nothing is broken and that she doesn’t have a concussion, she turns to me.
“Can you please find out about my brother?” I ask while she’s busy disinfecting my arm.
“I will as soon as I stitch you up,” she promises and then sets to work. Maddie comes to stand beside me, and I wrap my free arm around her, pulling her close while she runs her hand through my hair and kisses my head. I breathe in the familiar scent of her, using it as my anchor to keep the fear of losing my brother at bay.
After she’s bandaged my arm, she leads us back to the waiting room, promising to go and check on Valeri. I sit in the chair next to Vasily and pull Maddie into my lap before lightly running my fingers over her face.
“How bad does it hurt?”
“It’s fine,” she says, giving me a smile. “I barely feel it.”
I know she’s lying, but at least the nurse gave her some painkillers to help.
“How’s your arm feel?”
I kiss her forehead and pull her closer. “Nothing but a scratch,kiska.”
She settles into me, letting me hold her as tightly as I need to while we wait in silence for the nurse to come back. When she does, all she can tell us is that he’s still in surgery and to take that as a good sign. Her eyes run over our small group, taking in every detail, noticing the tattoos and worried faces, before sizing up the three women and the way they’re being held and comforted.
Coming to a decision, she steps closer and says in a low voice, “I made a note in your file that you and your girlfriend were doing some home remodeling and you were cut by a rusty nail when she fell off the ladder.” She pauses and adds, “We’re required to report anything that’s not accidental.”
I meet her eyes and give a small nod. “Thank you.”
She walks off without a word. I’m not sure why she decided to do it. Maybe she knows it’s a waste of time and doesn’t want to bother with it, maybe she realizes that whatever happened tonight was necessary, I don’t know, but I’m grateful for one less thing to worry about. Valeri’s gunshot wound will get reported, but I know he won’t say anything. It’ll go down as him being in the wrong place at the wrong time. A case that everyone knows will never get solved.
After another tense hour where no one says a fucking word, and it’s only the feel of Maddie’s heartbeat against my chest that keeps me going, the surgeon finally walks out. We all stand and wait for him to speak. My arm is wrapped around Maddie, holding her close, and when the doctor smiles, I nearly sink to my goddamn knees.
“He’s going to be okay. I had my doubts there for a little while, but he’s a fighter. He’s still sedated and won’t be waking up for several hours.”
