Page 40 of Beautifully Savage Butterfly

“We’re doing our best. Now, why don’t you go have a seat and I’ll see if I can answer any more of your questions after I finish the procedure.”

Orion gives another jerky nod, and Doctor Ross leaves us in Jack’s empty room. His tennis shoes squeak against the tile floor as he shuffles inside and plops down heavily into the same chair that I’m assuming he’s been sleeping in for the past few nights.

“Will you be okay for a few minutes, Boss?” I ask.

“Yeah,” he murmurs, barely looking at me, staring at the empty bed and the silent monitors instead.

I walk quickly back down the hallway, not wanting to leave Orion alone any longer than necessary. I haven’t been to the ICU here before, but luckily there are enough signs that I manage to find my way to the emergency department without getting lost. The nurse behind this desk looks like she’s seen some shit, and probably hasn’t had a night off in at least a week. Her eyes sweep over me as I approach, and her face sets into a no-bullshit kind of sternness that makes me like her, even though I know I’m about to piss her off.

She sets a clipboard down hard on top of the counter and shoves it towards me.

“Fill out the forms and bring them back. We triage by severity, so don’t expect to be out of here any time before dawn. Any complaints about the wait can go directly to the complaints department.” She points at the trash can behind her, and I chuckle.

“Cute.” I nudge the clipboard aside and lean on the desk. “Do me a favor and go tell Doctor Anderson that I need a minute of his time.”

“Should I go ahead and mark down ‘hearing problem’ on your form? Or is it more of a comprehension problem?”

I let my friendly grin fall, replacing it with a cool mask that never fails to raise the hairs on the back of people’s necks. She sits up a little straighter but doesn’t drop the attitude from her face.

“I can hear just fine,” I assure her. “Now, let’s see how your comprehension skills hold up, huh? Go get Doctor Anderson and tell him Elio Moretti needs a quick word with him.”

She rears back like I slapped her, eyes going wide. It takes all of five seconds before she’s up out of her chair, murmuring an apology. She disappears through a set of doors to do as I asked. And it’s even less time before the tall, rugged doctor, who enjoys all the benefits of being on the Moretti payroll, steps through the same swinging doors with a nervous smile on his face.

“Mr. Moretti,” he says cordially.

“Doctor Anderson, glad you could spare a minute.” I push off the desk and straighten myself up.

“Of course. Why don’t you come to my office.” He holds the door open and tilts his head. “What can I do for you?” he asks as soon as we step into his cluttered office, the door closing behind us to barely muffle the sounds of the emergency room.

“Doctor Ross, is he any good?” I ask, getting straight to the point.

Confusion flickers over his face. “He’s not in my department.”

“But I’m sure you’ve heard nurses talk,” I press.

“Sure,” he agrees. “Doctor Ross is a fine doctor.”

“Fine, not great?” I raise both eyebrows, impatient to get past the bullshit and find out what I need to know.

“I guess it would depend on the situation. He’s a board-certified intensivist, so he’s focused on stabilizing critical patients.”

“Okay, so, say I need the best doctor in the country to treat a patient with quadriplegia and pneumonia.”

Anderson scratches his chin and thinks for a second. “Elaina Hopkins is a pulmonologist who’s been doing a lot of work with complicated cases of pneumonia. She’s probably your best bet.”

“Perfect.” I reach into my pocket and pull out my wallet. “Call her and get her here. She’s going to make sure Jack Barros leaves here healthier than he came in.” I take out five crisp hundreds and set them on his desk. Anderson eyes the money before picking it up and stuffing it into the breast pocket of his coat.

“I’ll see what I can do,” he agrees.

“Don’t see, get it done. Understood?”

He tenses and then bobs his head. “Understood. I’ll take care of it.”

“Good.” I rap my knuckles on his desk and then see myself out.

Orion is in exactly the same place I left him in, still staring at Jack’s bed. I grab a second chair and drag it across the floor, sitting down next to him.

“You know what’s fucked up?” His voice is jagged around the edges.

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