Page 37 of Frosted Hearts

"No, thinking about it, Illeana. You have to know that you can do it," he demands. "Before you pour the alcohol, you need to have the needle and thread ready as well. You have seconds to begin."

"What about Grace? What's the hot water for?" I ask, trying to buy myself a minute to breathe and think this through.

"It's so she doesn't see what you're doing," he gives me a knowing look.

"Thank you," I mutter. I'm grateful that he thought about that. She didn't want to listen to me, so I'm glad she listened to him. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Good. Pull the towel away and pour the alcohol on the wound, then, when it's semi-clear, you need to begin thestitches. It's just like tying a shoe in some ways, or if you have ever crocheted. Start at one side of the wound and slowly make your way across and down to the other side. You're going to want to keep the stitches close together but not right on top of the other," Knox explains quickly.

Nodding, I place the phone on Steel's stomach and take a deep breath before I begin. Pulling the towel away, I let it drop to the ground and grab the bottle of alcohol from beside me, pouring it over his wound. I expected Steel to wake up or flinch from the burn, but he doesn't even move. Knox was right, as the blood gets washed away with the alcohol, more gushes out of the wound. Tossing the bottle to the ground beside me, I grab the needle and push the thread into the small hole at the top of the needle. Pinching his skin together, I stick the needle through and try to follow Knox's instructions. Before I reach the end of the string, I make sure to tie a knot so it doesn't pull through the skin. Over and over, I repeat the process of sticking the needle into his skin as I create a sort of shoelace pattern until I get closer to the end of the wound.

"You're doing that wrong," Grace states, as she sets the boiling pot of water on the ground beside me.

"Wrong?" I question. "Pick up the phone and show Knox. I'm doing what he told me to do." I swear if I'm doing this wrong, I may start crying again. Steel's life is literally in my hands and I don't want to fuck it up.

"You're not doing it wrong, Illeana," Knox's voice rings out over the speakerphone. "For someone who has never done stitches and is doing it on the fly, you are doing it correctly. We just need them to last for us to transport him and slow down the bleeding, it doesn't need to be perfect."

Glaring at Grace, I go back to focusing on my stitches, getting the last couple in. When I do, I tie off the stitch and begin togather all the supplies. "What about his two head wounds?" I ask, focusing on the next big problem.

"Head wounds?" Knox grumbles. "Maybe I should have asked you for a detailed description of all injuries before having you start trauma surgery on the dining room floor. Show me the other wounds," he sighs, shaking his head.

Doing what he says, I turn the camera around and point it at the laceration above his eye first. "That's superficial. A butterfly bandage is all he needs for that. What's next?" Moving the camera further, I tilt his head so Knox can see the wound at the back of his head. "Can you move his hair some? It's blocking the wound." Grace moves forward and does what's asked. "That's gonna hurt like hell, but it's not bleeding enough for us to be concerned with it right now. When I get him to the hospital, we'll get an x-ray and CT scan done. For now, there's nothing we can do about it. Are there any other wounds that we need to be concerned about?"

"No, I don't think there are any more. At least not that I can see. I'm sure he took a beating, I saw him in a lot of hand-to-hand combat and took some hits." I hate that his body suffered while trying to defend all of us. He should have let me help. I could have done something, anything.

"Okay, that's good. He can handle taking some hits; it wouldn't be the first time, and I'm sure it won't be the last time. Now, are either of you injured at all? Did any of the men get their hands on you?" he asks, his eyes getting serious and moving like he is trying to look both Grace and me over, or at least as much of us as he can see.

"Grace wasn't touched, I was slapped, grabbed by my hair, and dragged down the hall," I answer him, knowing a lie would do no good. "Is there anything else we need to be doing?"

"How are you feeling? I can see a bruise already forming where you were hit on your cheek. Make sure to put ice on it,"Knox instructs, pausing for me to agree. When I nod my head, he continues with instructions. "Just let Steel rest. Don't worry; he doesn’t look uncomfortable, he honestly isn't going to be feeling a thing right now. If he wakes up before we get there, then give him some pain meds, he'll know what to do. Now, no one should be there before us or our allies, at least not according to my intel, but clearly, that was wrong earlier, so I don't want to take any chances. Grace, I want you to go wait in the safe room, and this time, please don't come out until one of us gets you. Illeana, I need you to go around to all the bodies; gather all of the weapons and put them in a pile in the office. I'll handle them all while I get there. It gives you a pile of weapons to use, just in case someone does show up before we can get there. Just do me a favor, when the Chaos Brotherhood announces they arrive, don't shoot them. I'd rather not have my brother-in-law give me shit for you shooting one of his men."

"Who, what is the Chaos Brotherhood?" I ask, rising to my feet to begin doing what Knox directed. I'm intrigued to know more about what Knox is talking about and who he is sending to keep us safe until he gets here. I feel so naive in this world and I don't like it.

"The Chaos Brotherhood is a motorcycle club. They will protect you both but don't think they aren't dangerous. They are one-percenters, which means they go against the law. They may be family through me but don't piss them off. Follow their rules and everyone will be fine. They are there to protect you both, not be your friends, okay?" I can see the worry in his eyes as he talks. Why would he send dangerous people to protect us, who are family, if he is worried about them being around us?

"What about Steel? If this Brotherhood arrives, will he be safe?" I glance to look at where the unconscious man that I'm pretty sure I'm in love with is lying.

"They won't hurt Steel. Hell, I'm pretty sure half, if not all, of that motorcycle club likes him more than they do me," he chuckles. "Now, hang up with me and go gather all the weapons. I'd prefer it if you went to the safe room with your sister, but I understand not wanting to leave Steel unattended. I'll leave you to make up your mind on what you wish to do. Just be safe. This fight isn't over yet. Oh, and if Steel wakes up, tell him not to overexert himself. That man definitely will try to."

"I will. Thank you, Knox. Really. You helped me save his life." I give him a soft smile before we both say our goodbyes and hang up. With another look at Steel, I go back to collecting all the weapons. Some of these men seem to have a whole damn arsenal on their bodies. I'm careful to only grab the knives and guns. The grenade-looking things I found I didn't touch. I'll leave those for someone who knows how to handle them. I'd rather not accidentally set one off and have even more of a mess to deal with. When I've checked both floors of the house, I put on my winter coat and head outside. Knox didn't say to grab the mens outside as well, but I figure it's safe enough to do.

Ifeel like I've been run over and then tossed into a blender. I know it's because I got my ass kicked, but damn, it's been a while since I've been this beat up. I can't even open my eyes yet; my body hurts so much. It's like I'm fighting to reach the surface, and every breath I take is like I'm fighting for my life. I knew I was injured but I didn't think it was this bad. It takes me a couple of tries but I finally manage to open my eyes slowly and groan when the light hits my eyes.

"Oh my God! STEEL!" I hear Illeana shout from beside me in a panic. I can't even form the words telling her to keep it down before I see her face blocking out all of the light around me. I definitely need to remind her to not shout when she is talking to someone who just woke up after being unconscious and probably has at least one head injury, if not more. "You're awake!"

"Shhh," I mutter, raising my right arm to my forehead to rub my head. "Mind helping me sit up?" I could probably do it on my own if I really tried, but it'll be easier if she just helps me for now until I can get my bearings.

"I don't know if that's a good idea," she hesitates, biting her lip. "I stitched up your side, but it's not perfect, and who knows what other damage there still is."

"It's fine, Illeana," I grunt, trying to push myself up. My side where I was stabbed is absolutely throbbing. "Can you get me some pain meds?"

I watch her hesitate, debating between stopping me from moving or helping me before she finally makes a decision. Reaching out, she helps me sit up slowly, mindful of my wounds, and when she's positive, I'm not going to fall over or anything, she rises to her feet to grab a glass of water and the pain pills I asked for. I'd prefer something stronger, but she shakes out two ibuprofen from the bottle. Groaning, I shake my head. "More," I mumble, holding out my hand for the bottle.

"But the bottle says two is the serving dose for adults," she squeaks as she hands me the bottle.

"Princess," I sigh, trying not to take my pain out on her. "I just killed who knows how many men, got in multiple fistfights, and was stabbed. Then you stitched me up. Two pain pills are not even going to touch the pain I am feeling. It won't kill me to take more." My teeth grind together as I try to push back the pain. "How long was I out?" I need to know how much longer I need to stay conscious before help gets here. I don't want the girls unprotected, not like I'm going to be able to do much, but I can shoot if I have to.

"You've been unconscious for almost twenty minutes. Knox said someone called 'The Brotherhood', I think it was, were on their way, and he wasn't far behind them." Her eyes shift between watching me and checking the door as she talks. I can tell she's terrified but is putting on a brave face as best as she can.

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