Page 21 of Enzo
In increments, De Luca begins to stabilize now that Doc’s taken care of the issue and is no longer feeling around in his insides. “Kail, switch places with Rose. You’re better at sutures,” Doc orders.
In a dance Rose and I have down perfectly, we switch, and I help Doc close De Luca up.
Soren grabs another bag of blood. “This is the last unit,” he says absently.
“Murry should be putting together an emergency kit for us,” Doc responds. “I’ll give him a call and ask for an update before I head over to the clinic to check on who survived.”
My attention is piqued, and I can’t wait to be done with this to ask how we came to have Carter Amato’s father on our table.
“Soren, I’m finishing up here, so go on out and update the Boss,” Doc says. “Let him know we’ll be taking turns keeping an eye on this fucker. I’m worried about his lung collapsing, so we’ll keep him here for a while to make sure he doesn’t die on us.” Doc looks up and meets Soren’s gaze, and something seems to pass between them—remnants of the time they spent together this evening?—before Doc’s professional mask slips back on. “Carter will probably want to come sit with him. Not because he cares, but to make sure the fuckface doesn’t die. Kail will get the PPE gear together for anyone who’s not us. Rose is going with me to the clinic.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Check my phone before you go out there. See if there are any updates from the clinic.”
Soren washes his hands and grabs Doc’s phone from his pocket, and before he can ask, I rattle off the passcode. Surprisecrosses the other man’s face for a moment, but he doesn’t let it stop him from unlocking the phone, and reading out the texts from those at the Amato-run clinic outlines just how bad the attack was.
When he’s done, Soren puts the phone back in Doc’s pocket, and I carefully watch how he steels himself to go out and give the Boss an update on his father-in-law. I feel bad for the guy, as this is his first time. But then again, this is how we learn to take no shit from anyone, even hardened mafia Bosses. Not that I have doubts about Soren’s abilities; the Bratva isn’t exactly a place that cultivates weakness. Still, hell of a first time to stand in front of the Boss. Of course, that’s why Doc asked him rather than me or Rose. We all have to learn to swim without a life vest at some point.
The door closes behind Soren as he steps into the hall. “Think they’re going to eat him alive?” Rose asks.
“He’s tough. He can handle it,” Doc replies. “Get him cleaned up.” He steps back and watches carefully as I gather the bandages and Rose pulls out the basin and washcloths so we can wipe the blood off De Luca and dress his wounds.
Soren comes back in from updating the Boss and Carter, still in one piece, so there’s that.
“How’d it go?” Doc asks.
“I relayed the information and neither seemed particularly interested in seeing him tonight.”
“Not surprised. If Carter allowed it, I would have let the bastard die on the table,” Doc tells him as he goes to wash up at the sink.
Mild surprise crosses Soren’s face, so I say, “Calling Carter estranged from his father is an understatement. De Luca’s only alive still because Carter wants him to see how successful he is, despite everything he was put through. One day, he’ll kill him,but until then, we gotta keep this fucker alive.” I wrinkle my nose in distaste, even as I gently wipe the blood from De Luca’s skin.
I wonder how much of what’s gone on the last decade or so has hit the Bratva’s ears. Everyone in the Family knows Carter Amato has nothing to do with his father, not after all the abuse he put him through as a teenager, and that includes allowing Carter’s older brother to abuse him and use him for his own purposes—all so he could hopefully get his bastard of a son killed.
It’s one thing I find hard to stomach about this life. I love my family and would do anything for them, and I know the same can be said for them. To think they could go out of their way to try to kill me…simply because of a circumstance of birth? No, it’s something I couldn’t ever do.
That’s why I love working for Doc and the Amatos, though. They’re unlike any other organization in this world, and I know they actually care…see us all as family, even if we’re not part of the main Family.
“Get him onto the bed, and decide who’s taking first watch between you and Soren,” Doc tells me.
I nod and pat De Luca dry before setting the towel down. “Soren, daydream in your own time. Come help us move this fucker to a bed,” I comment lightly when it seems he’s deep in thought.
He snaps into action. “I’ll take the first shift,” I tell him as we get De Luca situated in a comfortable position. “You look like you need sleep more than I do.”
He doesn’t try to argue with me—not that he would win. I’ve had a lot of practice being stubborn. “Thanks,” he says with a grateful smile.
“We’ll make sure you’re set here before we head out,” Doc says. He sets a hand on Soren’s shoulder, and I watch the way the younger man leans into the touch.
I have no idea what those two got up to earlier in the day, but as settled as it’s made Doc, it seems to have done Soren good as well. Of course, as isolated as I am in Doc’s house, I have no baseline to go off. I’m definitely going to need to find time to get the tea from Rose…see what she’s noticed about them the last few weeks.
I’m curious to learn more about our new co-worker—both to settle my own curiosity, and to learn if he’s really good for my friend and boss.
“I’m fine here,” I reassure Doc. “I need to message Enzo and let him know I won’t be back tonight, but other than that, I’m good. Go. Do what you have to do at the clinic.”
“Thanks, Kail.”
The three of them help me clean up a little more before they take off, leaving me and De Luca alone. Sighing, I finish straightening up, tossing out everything I need to and putting both the closed and tied-off trash bag and the biohazard box out in the hall for the staff to take care of later. I wash up everything in the sink, change into a clean pair of scrubs—putting my bloodstained ones in a laundry bag and also setting that in the hall for the staff—then drop heavily onto the cot in the corner of the room.
