Page 96 of Doc

“Your faith in me is astounding,” I snark.

He rolls his eyes and moves on to the next point on his agenda. “Your…partners haven’t left your side much. I finally managed to convince them—along with your Boss—to get some actual sleep. I suspect they’ll be back in here soon, but I’ll stay and make sure you’re not overstimulated.”

Swallowing around the dryness in my throat, I look Murry in the eye as I say, “Thank you. For everything.”

He scowls at me. “Don’t make this a habit of yours. There are only so many times I’m willing to save your life.”

I laugh, ignoring the pain rushing through me, but Murry must see my wince as he sighs and reaches for something off to the side.

“Here, you should get some rest. You have a lot of people waiting for you to be up, and I don’t want you to overdo it.”He pushes what I assume are painkillers through my IV before reaching again for the cup and straw.

Grateful, I take more slow sips before he pulls the cup away. The water is soothing after all the talking, and the meds don’t take long to work, dragging me back under.

The next timeI open my eyes, it’s easier. Looking around, I meet Roman’s wide, dark green eyes. He gives me a wobbly smile. “Hey, how are you doing?”

“Zero out of ten. I don’t recommend getting shot,” I reply.

He laughs. “Yeah, it’s not fun.”

“What are you doing here?”

He shrugs. “Someone had to sit with you. Dad is making James and Soren eat, but they should be back soon. That doctor friend of yours is kind of scary, otherwise, they totally would have stayed here.”

“He's not my friend, but good. I’m glad you’re taking care of them.”

He gives me a look that my pain-addled brain can’t decipher. “Of course we are. You’re family, Doc, and they are, too.”

Before I can respond, the door to the office opens and I have just enough energy to turn my head and watch Soren walk in, with James trailing close behind.

As soon as our eyes meet, Soren makes a distressed sound and crosses the room. “Fucking hell, baby. You took about twenty years off my life.”

I give him a small smile. “I’m fine, Daddy.” My voice is rough, my throat once again is dry.

Daddy reaches for the water and helps me take a few sips before he takes a seat on the bed near my hip. His hand finds mine and he brings it up to his mouth, pressing a kiss to my knuckles.

“You’re not allowed to scare me like that again, Ashby,” he mutters. “Got that?”

Swallowing around the sudden lump in my throat, I nod. Tears prick the back of my eyes, but I don’t let them fall. “I’m sorry I scared you, Daddy.”

“You should be,” he says in a rough voice. Leaning over, he presses a kiss to my forehead. “I love you, Ashby.”

“Love you too, Daddy.”

Roman makes a snort-like noise on my other side and we both look at him. “Really?” he asks. “Your name is fuckingAshby.” He laughs before covering his mouth with a hand. “I’m sorry,” he mutters. “I… This is serious, but,” he removes his hand and asks, “Did your parents hate you or something?”

I groan and turn to look at Daddy again. He has the good grace to grimace.

“I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t think.”

“I…it’s fine.” I turn back to Roman. “If you ever call me that, I will gut you. Understand? And don’t go running your mouth either.”

His lips twitch but he nods. “I’m a little shit, as Tennant says, but not an asshole,” he replies. “I promise, your secret is safe with me.” He stands and straightens his skirt before saying, “I’ll leave you alone for now, go check in on Hollis or something. Call me if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Roman.”

He gives me a bright smile and reaches down to squeeze my hand. “As I said, you’re family, Doc. I care about you, even when I’m bitching about you.”

I laugh and pain flashes through me. Everyone looks at me with concern, but I wave them off. “I’m fine. It’s going to keep happening, you can’t jump every time it even looks like I’m hurting.”

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