Page 90 of Caught By Menace

All around him, there were sighs of relief. Vicious clapped him hard on the back.

The surgeon gestured in the direction he’d come. “If you’d like to come with me, Menace, I can let you see her. We’ll move her out of recovery into a private room in a few hours.”

Menace glanced at his friends. Vicious sent him an encouraging smile. “Go. We’ll be here if you need us.”

In lockstep with the doctor, Menace walked to the double doors leading to the surgical unit. Once they were inside and away from his friends, the surgeon began to give him more facts.

“It was touch-and-go in the beginning. We were able to gain control of the bleeding and repair all of her injuries. She responded well to treatment in the operating room. We’re holding back on administering accelerated healing drugs. I worry that the shock to her fragile and very small system might be too much at this point. We hope to begin a slow, steady infusion in the next two or three days.”

“Whatever you think is best,” Menace croaked, his voice thick with worry. He glanced around the recovery ward. The rooms were large and filled with beeping, hissing machines. Medics sat at computer consoles outside each room and monitored their patients’ vital signs.

The surgeon stopped outside a room. He gripped Menace’s shoulder. “You should know that one of her ovaries was damaged beyond repair. We were forced to remove it and the attached fallopian tube. Her uterine artery suffered a nick, but we’re extremely confident in its repair. She will be able to have children, possibly requiring the help of some medical intervention, but not for some time.”

Numbness spread through his chest. His stomach lurched painfully. How was he going to tell Naya? Even though she hadn’t wanted to start a family immediately, she’d made it clear she wanted children. The thought of her losing out on that dream because of this clusterfuck sickened him.

“I’ve recommended that she be fitted for a contraceptive device before she’s discharged. If she chooses to stay,” the surgeon amended. “I understand that her status is still in question?”

Menace’s jaw hardened. “Yes.”

The surgeon didn’t ask him to elaborate on the situation. Instead he left Menace alone. Reluctant to see Naya’s battered body, he entered the hospital room with some hesitancy. She looked so small and pale in the big bed. Tubes and wires snaked out of her limbs and mouth. A ventilator breathed for her while they kept her in a medical coma to heal.

He made his way to the chair next to her bed. Desperate to feel the life coursing through her, he reached for her hand and softly stroked her skin. His fingertips drifted to the underside of her wrist. He felt her reassuring pulse. For the first time since rescuing her, he believed she would live.

Touching his forehead to the bed, Menace let his tense muscles relax. He tried not to let any of the troubling what-ifs invade his mind. Right now he could only focus on sending her the most positive healing thoughts. He prayed that she could feel his love wrapping around and cradling her broken body.

The medics and doctors who came in and out of the room did their best not to disturb him. They adjusted her medications and refilled her IV fluids. When she’d proven stable enough to move to a private room, the switch was made quickly and efficiently. His confidence in the medical team on theMercygrew exponentially.

Half an hour after settling her into a private room, Menace heard a knock on the door. Hallie poked her head inside. “May I come in, Menace?”

He nodded. “Please.”

She stood at the end of Naya’s bed and stared at her friend. He read the sadness on her face. “Gosh, this brings back memories.”

Menace chuckled softly. “Except you were the one in the bed that time.”

“Yeah.” She came closer and rubbed his upper back. “Look, she’s going to be sedated for a day or two. She’s stable and doing well. Why don’t you go back to theValiant? You can take a shower, get a hot meal and pack a bag. Take a nap if you want. I’m happy to stay here with her until you return.”

If anyone else had made the offer, he would have turned it down. Knowing that Naya shared such a strong bond with Hallie made it easier to accept. “Thank you, Hallie.”

Menace kissed Naya’s forehead and smoothed some of her hair out of the way. He lowered his mouth to her ear. “I love you.”

Out in the hallway, Menace found Venom, Raze and Vicious waiting for him. Vicious gestured to the closed door. “Raze has agreed to stay here in case Hallie needs something or you need to be reached.”

“And you and Venom?”

“We’re coming with you to settle a score.” Vicious’ tense features said it all. “We’ve had the sparring room cleared. Terror is waiting for you. Pierce and Torment will stand with him. Terror agrees the old way is the only way.”

Though brutal and violent, the Harcos way of settling feuds worked. Bloodlust exploded within Menace. By the time he was finished with him, Terror would need a bed onboard theMercy.

***

With a long,slow inhale, Naya surfaced from the heavy weight of sleep. She gazed at the strange silver ceiling for a few seconds before finally remembering where she was. She’d been in and out all day, never able to stay awake for longer than a minute or two before being dragged back down into the warm embrace of sleep.

Her brain worked overtime to piece together all the clues. She’d been shot—by her mother. That memory was crystal clear. She remembered the full-on assault and the firefight. Menace came to her rescue—with Terror of all people! The wonderful sensation of Menace’s fingertips gliding over her face and his deep, husky voice confessing his love for her spilled over Naya like sunshine.

He loves me. He came for me.

Warmed by that thought, she glanced around the room. She was in a hospital of some kind. A dull ache throbbed through her entire body, but there wasn’t any real pain. The machines beeping and swooshing all around her probably had something to do with that.

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