Page 25 of Steal

I sigh as I open the next patient folder, hoping it’s not a big case so I can go and pick up my girl, who is now three, but my eyes widen when I read the notes.

“What hour are you on Cassidy?” a voice asks to my left and I turn and make eye contact with Dr. Carmichael, who has become a father figure to me.

I blink in shock and murmur, “Fourteen. I was just about to take my final patient, but I, uh, I think I’m going to need help….”

He frowns, clearly not used to me being this perplexed, but damn….

Without a word, I show him the file, and he reads it before his eyes widen in shock, and I nod numbly.

He clears his throat and shuts the folder before shaking his shoulders and says, “Right, we’ll go in there, and we’ll act professional….”

Professional, right….

I wince and admit, “Uh, Dr. Carmichael, I’m not sure I can go in that room and treat this couple with a man I see as a father….”

I hear the Hannah snort but cough to cover it while Dr. Carmichael raises a bushy white brow, and states firmly, “Well, tough shit. Get your ass moving, Brody!”

I shake my head with a small smile.

It took him a while to get used to me changing my last name, and I know he believes it’s because of the assault, and he is partially right, but it’s not my attacker I’m hiding from, it's his family.

I knowheisn’t out to get me because he’s dead. I saw the paper of the bike parade the brothers did to the church and then the cemetery on the other side of Brooklyn from Dad’s gym.

I wonder if they would have still given him that honor if they’d known what he did….

Probably.

Sucking in a deep breath, I turn and head for the cubicle the couple is in and, despite reading it in black and white, seeing it in person is shocking.

The man with black hair and perfect white teeth winces at our reaction, and asks, “I take it you don’t see this every day?”

I clear my throat and reach for the gloves, admitting, "Uh, no, we don’t, but we’ll help you both.”

The guy on his knees gives me a slight wave, and I send him a reassuring smile as the doctor follows me in.

After gloving up, I walk over to the couple, trying to ignore the man’s member, which is hard, I look at the tongue piercing that is stuck on his Prince Albert.

“Can you fix this, doc?” the guy sitting above me asks with a tremor in his voice, and I tilt my head.

“Actually, if I just….” I start but look at the man, then the one who’s tongue is stuck, and I ask, “Do I have your permission to touch?”

Both men nod, but the man sitting above me grunts, feeling the motion from his partner, and I wince, really hoping he doesn’t ejaculate, because then he’ll most likely rip both piercings out, and we’ll have a bigger problem.

Swallowing hard, I gently take the tongue in my hand, then the tip of the penis with my other to keep it still. Without jolting either man, I slowly twist the tongue to the side, then move it up, disconnecting the piercings before letting go of both men. The guy on his knees sighs with relief as he moves back and removes his tongue piercing, making me snort.

He grins my way. “You’re a lifesaver, sweetheart.”

I shake my head with a smile and stand before grabbing the blanket and covering the guy on the bed.

He sighs. “Thank you, doctor.”

I nod. “No problem,” I reply before turning to my mentor, who grins wide at me. Laughter shining in his eyes makes me narrow mine toward him as I grab the chart from him.

“Nice work,” Dr. Carmichael mumbles, and I stick my tongue out at him. I complete the paperwork so these men can leave and get back to what they were doing, which hopefully, now thatthe tongue piercing has been removed, won’t send them to the ER again.

After collecting my bag and saying goodnight to some of my co-workers, I head to the fifth floor and as always, with my sister on my mind.

I wonder what she’s up to, if she’s graduated from college.

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