Page 42 of Capturing Perfection

Logan looked behind him. He figured the obvious choice would be Matt. In case the news was bad, he would need the man’s help, but his eyes drifted to the left, and immediately, he knew his choice.

“Trevor?”

The younger man’s head jerked up, and his eyes widen.

“You want me?”

“Please. You were there in the beginning. I’d like for you to be there now.”

Trev smiled and nodded his direction. Together, they followed the nurse behind a set of doors and into another smaller waiting area. A small round table, chairs, and a water cooler occupied the corner.

“Dr. Clinton will be with you shortly.”

Logan couldn’t sit and prowled around the enclosed area. Trevor slouched in one of the cushioned chairs, his presence soothing and unobtrusive. The door opened and Logan held his breath. Vic walked in, followed by Chase.

"Did you find out anything?"

"We did."

"You didn't hear this from us, but the surgery is going well. They were able stabilize him. Hopefully, it won't be too much longer. Do you want us to stay, in case you have questions?" Chase asked.

"Or in case we have questions you may not think of?" Vic added.

"Yes, please. Thanks guys. Oh, sorry this is Trevor. He's a friend from work."

Chase smiled. "We met out in the waiting area."

"Oh right. Sorry, my brain is a little scattered."

Vic took Logan in his arms. "Understandable. I'm a doctor, and I'm not supposed to make guarantees, but he's going to be fine, Logan. Clay's strong and he's got a lot to fight for."

The door opened again, and Logan stepped away from Vic. A man dressed in obvious hospital garb entered and sat at the table. He had a tablet in his hands and kept scanning and tapping on the screen.

“Please have a seat. I'm Dr. Clinton.”

Logan complied. Trevor, Vic, and Chase moved over to the table to sit beside him.

“I understand you are Detective Phillips’ domestic partner. Is this correct?”

“Yes, sir. And this is my friend Trevor and Drs. Burns and Pruitte." The doctor continued to look down at the tablet and play with the screen. “Dr. Clinton? I understand you’re busy, but please look at me when you speak.”

The doctor looked up with an expression of vague impatience until he spotted Logan’s processors.

“I apologize. First, let me assure you that Detective Phillips came through the surgery just fine. He should make a complete recovery. The bullet, a nine millimeter jacketed hollow point according to police, passed through his vest between his fourth and fifth rib. It nicked the top edge of the fifth rib and lodged in the middle lobe of his left lung. The projectile created a perforation in the lung and caused it to collapse. We removed the bullet and inserted a chest tube to re-inflate his lung, then closed the tears. Detective Phillips was fortunate that the bullet didn’t damage his heart or any major arteries.

Logan's mind was spinning. Clay had been shot. They'd cut him open and had to sew his lung closed? Logically, he knew injury was a risk that came with the job. As a Ranger, he'd faced that every day and even worked through the loss of teammates. But none of them werehisClay. He'd never laid on their chest and felt the thud of their heart beating. It was a very different reality. He knew he should ask questions about Clay's care, but couldn't seem to form a complete sentence. He looked over at Chase and Vic.

"How long will you keep the chest tube in?" Vic asked.

"I'm sorry, who are you again?"

"I'm Dr. Vic Burns. I'm the director of musculoskeletal imaging and intervention over at Mass General. This Dr. Chase Pruitte. Plastic and reconstructive surgeon."

"I see. As soon as we're sure the pneumothorax is decreasing on X-ray, we'll take out the tube."

"And, I assume you've put him on IV antibiotics. God knows what kind of bacteria were introduced from the bullet." Chase said.

"Of course. We also have him on pain medication." He looked at Logan. "Your partner should regain full function six to eight weeks. Maybe sooner. If all goes well, we will release him in four to five days."

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