“She’s going to recovery. We typically would like to monitor both her and the baby for the next twenty-four hours at least. I don’t advise?—”
“I’m not asking what you advise, Dr. Williams. Make sure her discharge papers and post op care are ready to go within the hour.” Audiemar nudged Bee along to join Moose and Kong.
The doctor lingered a bit longer, mouth still partially open before turning to address the nurses at the check-in station. He got the feeling that the forceful, formidable man he’d just dealt with held some type of power, and he didn’t want to risk going toe to toe with anyone who had that kind of impact over the hospital. The Blackmoors had in fact become benefactors over the years, and Desiree served on the board of directors.
“Audie, are you sure—” Bee tried to object.
“Trust me on this, Bee,” he told her, pausing to form a circle with Kong and Moose.
“What’s the word on Mozzi?”
“Nothing yet,” Kong replied.
From a door further down the hall, another doctor emerged. A brown skinned black woman with sandy brown hair and weary brown eyes. She didn’t wear a drop of makeup, but her skin was flawless and practically blemish free. Starting toward them in her navy scrubs, she removed her cap from her head as the elevator doors dinged once again. Kong watched a team wheel a woman in on a gurney, disturbing the hallway calling out jargon and other details to each other.
“What do we got?” Another nearby surgeon stepped up.
“Black female. Thirty-one years old. Suffered trauma to her frontal lobe during a car accident. Shots fired over on Shandon, multiple injuries. From the initial exam she didn’t seem to have any other injuries, she has not gained consciousness. BP is 128 over 65,” one of the trauma nurses called out.
Kong’s gaze landed on the face strapped to the gurney. His next breath temporarily robbed from him when Nayelli’s battered face came into view as they passed.
“The fuck?” Moose uttered, eyes glued to the turn of events right along with Audiemar.
Swiping his beard, Kong’s pulse throbbed in his eardrums, and the hospital lights suddenly seemed a hell of a lot brighter.What the fuck was happening? Was it a full moon, or some sinister shit in the air?When Audiemar’s eyes locked on him, a glacier of ice passed between them.
“I’m looking for the Blackmoor family,” the attractive brown skinned doctor announced.
“How is my son?”
“Lucky to be alive,” she voiced, stern and seemingly irritated as she massaged the back of her neck. “He refused anesthesia during his surgery and gave the surgeon a black eye before someone finally managed to sedate him.”
“I need him released, now.” Audiemar went into his pocket for his cell phone when it vibrated with a new alert.
“I cannot sign off on that.” She shook her head. “He suffered blood loss, and we just got his BP stabilized. I want to monitor him at least overnight to make sure there’s no clotting or other complications.”
“Sid. I’m at Ree Heights Memorial. Please tell Dr….” Audiemar paused long enough to lift the badge off the pocket of the doctor’s scrubs and exam her name. “Carmen Simpson, that Mozzi and Bee’s niece, Coast, will be released into your care thisevening. Meet me at the estate within the hour.” Audiemar held the phone out to Dr. Simpson, who scoffed, slid her eyes back in her head with annoyance, and grabbed the iPhone from his hand.
“Hello, yes, this is Dr. Simpson.” She didn’t have much room to say anything else.
It was obvious everything that needed to be said had been established when she handed the device back to Audiemar.
“We’ll get everything faxed over to Dr. Roche for both patients.” She complied.
“Thank you.” Audiemar looked into her slanted brown eyes and pocketed his phone. “Bee, let’s go downstairs. You two stay up here until they are released. I’ve got Brim and company coming to the back exit so we can get them out of here.”
Moose and Kong nodded and remained in position until they were told where to find Mozzi and Coast in recovery. Both were allowed back, and the staff was smart enough to have them moved side by side. The curtain beside Mozzi was pulled around his bed for privacy. He sat up on the edge, slumped over, panting heavily. When he tried to slip into the button-up shirt one of the nurses had provided from lost and found, he winced. His wound was freshly bandaged, and his arms still felt like they were full of lead when he moved them, but he was determined to get the fuck out of there.
“Bro, take it easy.” Kong moved closer to him while Moose hovered at the foot of Coast’s bed.
Cloaked in that dingy, thin hospital gown, head turned into her pillow, she slept, breathing lightly as the steady rhythm of the machine beside her bed climbed up and down with numbers. It struck something familiar in his chest. Jane. Coast reminded not only Mozzi, but Moose as well of their late mother. Full of fire. When she was laid out like this, it was a disservice to the world. She brought the party wherever she was.
“We gotta get the fuck out of here.” Mozzi had already yanked his IV out.
He reached into the plastic hospital bag with his belongings and found his jacket. Kong helped him into it, and Moose grabbed Coast’s bag.
“What the doctors say about the baby?” Mozzi queried.
“The OBGYN checked her out, said her and the baby are stable,” Kong responded.
