Page 96 of Day Shift

Braxton monitored the flow of blood, ensuring there were no air bubbles in the line. “He’s looking better already,” he commented, adjusting the flow rate slightly.

Then he maneuvered Nik’s leg so that I could clean both the front and back of his thigh. Now it was time to deal with the wound itself. It appeared that the combat gauze had done its job, but now we had to do ours.

I focused back on the wound. “We need to remove the combat gauze carefully. Hand me the saline,” I said. Braxton passed me the bottle, and I began to gently irrigate the wound, the saline washing away the dried blood and helping to loosen the gauze. The pink-tinged liquid flowed over his skin, pooling on the sterile pads Braxton had placed beneath his leg.

“Easy does it,” I muttered to myself, peeling back the gauze slowly. The edges of the wound were raw and inflamed, but the bleeding had slowed significantly. “We’ve got to clean this thoroughly before we do anything else.”

Once the gauze was fully removed, I inspected the wound again and used more saline to flush it. This cleared out any debris but also caused some bleeding to resume. “No major vessels were torn, and he’s lucky the bullet didn’t hit the bone, but even so, he’s lost a lot of blood,” I said to Braxton, who stood across from me.

“Cauterization next,” I said, reaching for the cautery pen he had readied. Once the device had hummed to life, I applied it to the areas of the wound that required it. The sizzling sound of burning tissue was accompanied by a distinctly acrid odor that I had never been completely able to ignore. “Hold him steady,” I instructed Braxton, who kept a firm grip on Nik’s leg.

After the cauterization was complete, I checked for any residual bleeding. Satisfied, I began suturing the wound. “We need to close this in layers,” I explained as I began to work. “First the deeper tissues, then the outer layers.” As the needle moved in and out of his flesh, the texture of the tissue beneath my fingers was a reminder of the damage the bullet had caused.

With the wound sutured, I cleaned the area again, applying a layer of antibiotic ointment to prevent infection. “Let’s get him bandaged up,” I said. Braxton handed me the sterile bandages, and together we wrapped his thigh carefully, securing the dressing in place.

Braxton nudged my elbow. “You did well, Conan. Atticus would be proud.”

“Thanks,” I said, heaving a sigh of relief. “I’ve spent years in the ED with him. Maybe I learned a few things. But damn, I’m glad I don’t have to do this every day. It’s stressful as hell.”

I glanced at the blood bag. “The transfusion seems to have worked. His color is so much better.” The monitors showed a steady heart rate and stable blood pressure. The bag of blood was nearly empty, and it had done its job. Once it had drained all the way, Braxton replaced the blood with a saline drip.

“We’ll need to keep the IV line in for fluids,” he said, adjusting the drip rate. “And we should give him something for the pain as soon as he shows signs of waking up.”

As he rested, Braxton and I cleaned up the area. Soon, Nik stirred, his eyes fluttering open. He mumbled something incoherent, his gaze unfocused. Braxton leaned in, speaking softly and brushing a strand of his hair off his forehead.

“Everything’s fine, Nik. You’re going to be okay. Just rest and get some sleep.”

Nik gave him a half smirk and closed his eyes again, his breathing even and deep. Braxton and I exchanged a relieved look.

“I’ll give him some antibiotics through his IV,” Braxton said. “Infection will be our biggest worry now. He’s responsive and stable, so that’s good. I’ll keep monitoring him. You should go check on Angel.”

I nodded, grateful for his support. “Thanks, Brax—especially for having my back on all this. I know it’s been a lot.” I gave Nik one last glance, ensuring he was resting easy before washing up and heading back to the living room to take care of Angel. “Let me know if you need anything,” I said on my way out.

She was still sitting on the sofa, wrapped in the blanket, staring off into space. Her eyes were distant. I kneeled in front of her, taking her hand gently. “Nik’s fine, my sweet Angel. He’s a tough guy. Good thing, too, because when this is over, I’m going to kick his ass.” I gave her a wry grin, trying to lighten the mood.

But she scarcely acknowledged me. I decided against telling her any of the details about Nik’s procedure. She’d had enough for one day. First thing I needed to do was get her out of that bloody dress. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up,” I said gently. She nodded, but her blank stare didn’t waver.

I lifted her into my arms, and her body went limp against me. The scent of blood was overpowering.

I remembered seeing a staircase earlier that led downstairs, so I headed in that direction. I hoped it would take us to a quiet place where she could get a shower, lie down, and rest. After carrying her down and turning to the right, I found a large bedroom. It was dark and quiet, which would help her sleep.

The room was posh. “Nice to see mobsters like living the good life and taking care of their safe houses,” I joked, but she didn’t react. Her gaze was fixed on her bloodstained dress.

I took her straight to the en suite bathroom and made sure she faced away from the mirrors. Just outside of the shower, I placed her on her feet and turned her around. The dress was a nightmare of fabric and fastenings. As I worked through the layers, she stood there, passive. Finally, I was able to remove the complicated gown, revealing the sexy lingerie underneath. A grateful thought crossed my mind—thank God she hadn’t ended up with Frankie tonight. This day could’ve ended in so many worse ways.

With sensitive hands, I removed the frilly pieces, doing my best to be respectful. I worked to focus on her well-being, not her gorgeous body. She was covered in dried blood and who knew what else. “Don’t look in the mirror,” I ordered gently, lifting her in my arms. She buried her face in my chest, and I cradled her while the water heated up. “Everything’s going to be okay,” I said, trying to reassure her, but I knew that no matter what I said, it wouldn’t make a difference at the moment.

I kicked off my shoes, shoving them aside, and stood her in the shower. The water cascaded over her, washing away the grime and blood. She stood there, with her head lolled forward, staring at the red rivulets swirling down the drain. The pungent metallic smell mixed with the steam filling the room, creating a dank odor of death. Angel stood there watching the water turn pink as I kept a steady hand on her, making sure she didn’t fall.

Without warning, she gagged, her body shuddering under the shower’s spray.

I didn’t hesitate to step into the shower with her. Still fully dressed, I soaped up my hands and began to clean her, ignoring the water soaking my clothes. I was desperate to rid her of all the bad things capturing her attention. Her skin was clammy, the grime clinging to her.

“Angel, focus on me,” I said, rubbing the soap into her skin. Tenderly, I washed her face, moving the soft cloth over her closed eyes, down her cheeks, and across her forehead. Each swipe revealed more of her natural beauty beneath the bloody crud. “There you are,” I murmured, rinsing the cloth and moving down her body.

I washed every part of her, my touch light and reverent, until no trace of the nightmare from the church remained on her skin. Her hair was a tangled mess though, sticky with dried blood. I reached for the shampoo and massaged it onto her scalp, the floral scent mixing with the steam, ridding her of the last remnants of the shootout. She closed her eyes and leaned into me. I worked the conditioner through her hair, my fingers detangling the knots. “You’re doing great, my Angel. Almost done.” I tilted her head back to rinse her hair, careful to avoid getting soap in her eyes.

When I was finished, I stepped out of the shower. My clothes were soaked, so I grabbed a towel and dried off as best I could. Then I drew her a hot bath, hoping that it might help her relax. Lifting her out of the shower, I placed her into the piping hot water. She sank into the tub with a sigh, eyes closing as the heat enveloped her.

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