Taking the clear dismissal, I stand. “Thank you for hearing me out.”
They both nod. “We know you care, Doc,” Hollis slowly signs. “We do appreciate that, current circumstances notwithstanding.”
Well, that counts for something, I suppose.
Leaving the office, I hold my hand out for my water bottle. Even though I didn’t speak aloud the entire meeting, it was long enough that I feel drained. James hands me the bottle and follows me silently through the house, to the medical wing.
“Do you need anything else?” he asks when I hand the bottle back.
I shake my head. “Daddy and I had a late lunch with David; I’m fine for now.”
Even though we’re operating on lockdown due to the situation with Cole, Daddy somehow managed to convince Jude and Tennant to let us go through with our plans of taking our day off out of the house. Spending time with his uncle and cousin was a much-needed reprieve, even if it didn’t last nearly as long as we were promised.
Focusing on the situation at hand, I knock once on the partially open door and then stride into the room. Roman is, unsurprisingly, curled up next to a still-sleeping Lio.
Tennant is also in the room, and his eyes are cutting when he glares at me, but I ignore him. Grabbing Lio’s chart, I go over Sarah’s notes, before doing the same with Roman’s.
“How are you doing, Roman?”
The boy shrugs. “Been better. When will he wake up?”
“From what I just read, he was given a strong dose of sedatives, so probably not until tomorrow morning. They’ll wear off soon, if they haven’t already, but that heavy a dose will take time to come back from. He’ll be okay, though. I promise.”
Roman smooths Lio’s hair back and looks at him with such a loving expression, if I didn’t know better, I’d think they were more than friends…
Clearing my throat, I say in a soft yet no-nonsense tone, “I need your knife, Roman.”
He looks up. “What knife?”
“Don’t play dumb with me. Neither you nor Lio are allowed weapons right now.”
“I already liberated Emilio’s,” Tennant says.
“Good,” I reply. I don’t take my eyes off Roman. “I know you only want to help Lio, but he needs more than a few days on his meds, and actual therapy, before he can be trusted with a weapon again. And…I don’t feel safe with you having one either, not with how close the two of you are.”
Roman’s eyes fill with tears. “But…it makes us feel better.”
“I know,” I say gently. “I know it does. Believe me, I know exactly how safe you feel with a knife on you all the time; why do you think I carry a scalpel? It’s not simply because of who I work for, but for the longest time, I couldn’t sleep without a weapon in my hand—even when I didn’t know how to use it.”
Tennant snorts. “Still amazed you didn’t accidentally stab yourself in your sleep.”
I ignore him. “I promise, I will defend you with my life, Roman; you don’t need to be the strong one all the time. It’s okay to let us protect you.”
He looks down at Lio and whimpers a little, before lifting his shirt and pulling out the knife tucked into the band of his skirt. He hands it over to Ten, and I let out a silent sigh of relief.
“Thank you. I don’t want to go through this again, okay? Whoever gave you the knife? Please, don’t take any more from them. It won’t help you or Lio.”
“Okay…” he whispers, before laying down, indicating he’s done with this conversation.
I look at Tennant, both of us aware he never promised a damned thing. Sigh. Looks like strip searches and pat downs are getting added to their routine.I need a damn vacation.
It’s damn near the end of my “day off” when I finally get to our bedroom. Daddy is reading one of my books in bed, and I smile at the sight of him.
His pale blond hair is like a shining halo in the light of the bedside lamp, and his pale skin could be fucking marble.God, I’m one lucky brat.
“How’d it go, Baby?” he asks.
“Fine. Sorry I’m later than expected. I ended up going over the schedule with Dr. Ranlen and Kail. Not having Rose has stretched us thin, and I might need to either steal someone from the clinic or hire someone completely brand new to help out, especially with Sarah leaving eventually.”
