Page 5 of Viper
Growing up in club life, you learn a few things. One, how to put the family first, two, the brothers love women way too much, even the ones who have claimed an old lady still cheat on them. Lastly, three, all women are the same – patch chasers – especially the ones birthed from clubwhores.
Like mother, like daughter, heck, look at Angie, my mother, dead in the ground because she wanted a lavish lifestyle.
Like Jax, I’ll never have an old lady, never fall in love.
Chapter 1
Lake – Age Twenty Four
“Oh god I’m going to die aren’t I?” the teenager with wild ginger hair cries and I bite my tongue to stop my laughter. My colleague turns his head to hide his, though his shoulders shaking kind of gives him away, so he’s lucky the girl’s green eyes are on her foot instead of him.
Mary is our fifth call this morning and by far she’s the most dramatic and honestly, I love my job, I really do. Helping people is a passion of mine since I was seven and my dad cut his hand open at work and I got to try and bandage it up for him. I thought being an EMT would be the perfect way for me to gain experience before looking further into going to medical school but it’s patients like these that really test my loyalty to becoming a doctor.
She’s eighteen but is acting like an eight year old right now.
“You’re not going to die,” I say professionally before clearing my throat, my chuckle really wanting to come out as I gently peel off the tissue she’s placed on her big toe and see her nail barely hanging on, a little bit of blood surrounding it.
Apparently she slipped on a crack on the side walk and ended up pulling her nail up from where her big toe had caught on the crack.
This kind of injury, she could have gone to the local doctor but the woman is clearly a hypochondriac, a dramatic one at that and called 911 claiming to be bleeding out. Imagine our surprise that this is what we pulled up to with sirens, flashing lights and all our equipment.
“How do you even know, you’re only an EMT!” she snaps.
Ouch.
“I know because your bleeding has already stopped and the fact I’ve just completed my degree and am getting ready to start medical school in a few weeks,” I reply calmer than my partner is looking right now, his brown eyes narrowing at the woman’s, his laughter gone.
I love my job, I repeat in my head before I continue, “You’ve managed to rip your toenail off but it will grow back. Now, because the nail is just hanging on, I’m not going to touch it. It needs to fall off on its own but I want you to watch for infection which will be signs of increased pain, swelling, or pus. If you have any of that then you need to seek medical attention from your local doctor,” I look at her as I finish, “Okay?”
She glares at me then snaps loudly, “I want to go to hospital right now and see a professional!”
The people in the street that are walking past hold in their chuckles while I just tilt my head at her wondering what planet this woman actually lives on.
I don’t take her, she makes a complaint, I do take her, the hospital will be pissed.
Hmmm, decisions, decisions….
“Alright,” I say as I stand and Callum stutters, “Wait Lake –“ but I cut him off and say to a smiley Mary, “Can you confirm that you have health insurance please?”
Callum snorts but coughs to cover it seeing where I’m going while the patient’s face pales.
“Are you on your parents?” I push and she swallows hard then stammers, “I-Insurance?”
I hum and reply, “Yes insurance because without it, the ambulance coming out to see to you is over four hundred dollars already, add in a ride to the hospital then the bill after you’ve been seen by a ‘professional’ who will tell you exactly what I told you would push the bill up in the thousands.”
Callum begins packing up the equipment knowing we are not taking this girl anywhere while trying to hide his laughter. Mary swallows, her throat visibly bobbing before she quickly grabs her phone out of her bright pink hang bag and I cross my arms over my chest waiting as she presses on the screen a few times then puts the device to her ear.
“Daddy, I uh, am I on your insurance?” she stammers a few seconds later.
I hear, “No darling, we’re currently switching providers why?”
Uh oh.
Callum chuckles seeing her freeze as he passes us and she admits, “I fell and-and tore off my toenail.”
“Please fucking tell me you didn’t go to the hospital for that?” I hear him snap and she swallows again before admitting, “No, I-I called an ambulance out.”
She pulls the phone away from her ear as her dad shouts while mine beeps and I quickly check it.
