Page 9 of The Enforcer

“I told you it was going to be a crazy night,” Emily said.

“Yes, you did. Handle the other injured victims when they arrive. Rooms five and eight.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

Seconds later, the tech rolled the gurney toward me. He was holding a non-rebreather mask over the man’s face to provide oxygen.

I could tell by the pallor of his skin I needed to work quickly. After he was transferred to the portable hospital bed, nurses began their work removing his tie, ripping open his shirt.

“Shit, he’s obviously lost a lot of blood. I need to see if there’s an exit wound.” I slapped on gloves, waiting as an IV was added.

The nurse was careful as she rolled him over. “No exit wound.”

“Okay, ladies. Let’s get to work saving this man.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Does he have identification?” I assessed the wound. This wasn’t good at all.

“One of the men who brought him in said his name was Christos Nomikos. And he’s not from this country.”

I jerked my head up, finally allowing myself one quick look at the man’s face.

“Shit,” I muttered. “Don’t worry, Christos. I’ll make sure you’re okay.”

It had taken an hour to get him stabilized, another three to remove the bullet fragments and to repair damage to his heart. I yanked the cap off my head first, the bloody gloves second. He’d lost a significant amount of blood, but by the grace of God and the fact a cardiologist was on duty when he came in, the man would live.

After washing up, I moved from the main doors, immediately accosted by two men in dark suits and there was no doubt they were both carrying weapons.

“Doctor Laurant. How is Mr. Nomikos?” One of the huge men had the nerve to force me again the wall with just his ominous body language.

I wasn’t in the mood nor was I the kind of woman who could be intimidated by anyone. I threw my hand against his chest. “Back the fuck off. Now.”

One looked at the other, but at least the larger of the two stepped away, giving me space. One I recognized from inside the hotel. From what I could tell, he didn’t recognize me with my bloody scrubs on and my long hair in a bun. I preferred it that way given the tactics they were using.

“How is Mr. Nomikos?” the second man asked. At least his tone wasn’t accusatory.

“He’s lost a lot of blood. I successfully removed the bullet fragments and repaired a damaged section of his heart. He’s stable.”

“When can we get him out of here?” the first one asked gruffly.

No one had ever said that I had patience and when idiots acted as if life could just return to normal after something of thisnature, I was instantly driven into a cranky mood. “Your friend or boss or whatever he is was almost killed tonight. If that bullet had hit only a few centimeters to the right, he’d be lying in the morgue. He had open heart surgery. He is not going to be released from this hospital until I allow it and I assure you that’s going to take some time.”

Both men bristled, but the nicer of the two threw his arm in front of the bully. “What about our other friend who came in with Mr. Nomikos?”

“I’m sorry, gentlemen. He was DOA. There was nothing I could do. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to arrange to have one of the administrators come and talk with you to sign the admittance papers.”

They said nothing. Why did I get the distinct feeling they would try to take him from the ICU?

“And don’t even think about attempting to check him out of here. He’s the victim of a gunshot and the police will want to talk to him. The girl at the front desk will direct you to the ICU waiting room. Go there.” I looked from one to the other, giving them stern looks.

Finally, they backed away and did what I asked. I took a deep breath as soon as they did. I leaned against the wall, the rush of adrenaline I’d felt earlier already starting to fade away.

“Wow. You were tough. I’m impressed.” Emily moved against the wall with me, looking every bit as exhausted as I felt.

“What about the other two vics?”

“Unable to save them.”

---