“We know it’s not,” Verona says softly. “Avery had one shot to kill Rosa, and it didn’t work. She can be as curious as she wants to be about our girl, but she will never be able to get closeagain. Between guards and her pack, she’s always going to be well guarded.”
“I hate that she knows where we live,” Nico whispers.
Dropping my head back, I think about children and if it’ll ever be safe enough for us to have them. We are a long time off from this happening, but fuck. It’s something to think about.
The door opens to the room, and we all scramble up and rush inside to join them.
“It wasn’t that long,” Dr. Walsh admonishes.
He may say that, but Nico’s fingers still tremble as he shoves them in his pockets. We were in the hallway for forty minutes. Closing the door shut his ability to see her, which caused issues for him.
He’s always going to struggle with bond sickness. It’s just a fact of life for him.
“So what did he say?” I ask, ending the doctor’s scolding.
“Dr. Winters wants to take the case. He says she’s healing well and would like to book an operating room next week. I told him there will be guards at the hospital and at her room, both of which he took in stride,” Dr. Walsh says. “I am feeling optimistic about this. Nico, this is the list you asked for, along with phone numbers and emails. You can tell them I recommended them.”
Nico perks up as he takes the papers, and I take a deep breath before I squat beside Rosa’s face.
“How are you feeling about this?” I ask her.
“I asked the doctor if fake skin could be tattooed,” she giggles.
“I increased her pain medication,” Dr. Walsh admits. “I was really digging at her back today, and I try not to be an ass if I can help it. It’ll make her feel a little silly while it works, but it’ll help with the residual pain from what I did. I’ll decrease it again once I know she’ll be alright with the pain level.”
“Can it be tattooed?” I ask, nodding in the doctor’s direction to show I heard him.
“Mmhmm,” she says. “He said to wait at least three years, and that he wants to check in regularly as it heals. Dr. Winters works primarily with patients who have been victims of violent crimes and trauma. He does a lot of pro bono work as well.”
“I think I might like him,” Nico murmurs.
“I’ll never be able to forget what happened, but maybe I can create something beautiful from it,” she whispers before her eyes close.
“She’s sleeping a lot,” Dario says worriedly.
“Healing is hard work,” Dr. Walsh grunts. “She won’t be allowed to move much at all once the surgery happens. I know she’s feeling antsy, but the more she sleeps, the better. I’m going to review some of the data from her vitals since I went home. I’ll be upstairs.”
He has certainly made himself at home.
We are very lucky that the obstinate doctor has refused to leave Rosa. None of us have medical backgrounds, and he genuinely cares about her.
As he leaves, the six of us sit on the ground around her and take our own naps. One day, our lives will have some kind of normalcy, until then, we just want to be where Rosa is.
Chapter Forty-Three
THREE DAYS LATER
ROSALIA
I thinkI prefer laying down to sitting up. Dr. Walsh is not only my doctor, but personal torturer as well. I can wear lightweight clothing that won’t stick to my skin now, and he wants me to spend a few minutes at a time sitting up.
This means using the Log Roll technique to get out of bed and then using my arms to sit up. The idea is that I don't strain my back at all so I won’t pull anything.
It sucks.Breathing hard, my fingers dig into the soft material of my sleep shorts as I sit up straight. My feet press into the ground as I drop my head back, and my heart pounds in my chest as I congratulate myself on a small win.
“I don’t like this,” I mutter, feeling lightheaded. The monitor I’m still connected to complains, and I decide my next milestone will be to no longer need that fucking thing. The entire beeping thing overstimulates me.
“Ten minutes,” Dario says, his hands covering mine as he gets on the ground in front of me. “Verona set a timer, that’s all you need to sit up for, okay?”
