Page 8 of Lines Drawn
I shake my head. “There’s too much to do. I have to somehow find a way to order parts and build a new rig?—”
“Leandro is already on it. He’s been talking to H and they’ve ordered everything you need, and the Martellis said you can use their computers until then.”
“It’s not the same.”
“It’s what we have right now, Amore Mio. Go to bed.” He holds up a hand when I try to protest. “No, you need your bed. I’m here. I’m sure Cristian will be back down here soon, once he’s able to escape Carter. Tennant allowed himself to be bullied to bed by a mouse, but you and I both know that’s only going to last an hour or two.
“So, you can take some time to regroup. I’ll be fine for now, and Ignacio is still waiting.” The literal sign for chaos that Jude’s chosen for Ignacio’s sign name is still amusing, even if I can’t find the humor in it right now.
“You think you can tell me what to do, Agnellino?”
“Yes,” he says simply. “Roman isn’t going anywhere. Our enemies aren’t going anywhere.” His lips twist in distaste as he signs. “Everything can wait until we’ve gotten some sleep and have our heads on straight.”
“If I leave him…”
“No one is going to leave him alone for a second. I highly doubt he’d appreciate waking up fully and finding himself surrounded by exhausted, pissed off, bloodthirsty lovers. He’llbe the first to remind us he’s not made of glass and can take care of himself.”
I snort. “Yet he keeps getting hurt!”
Jude’s features soften. “Yeah… I know. But that’s true for Ten, too.”
I grimace. “It makes me want to kidnap you all and keep you safe.”
“Lio, too?”
“Especially him. He might be Il Padrone’s Death, but that terrifies me as much as Roman’s reckless arrogance does.”
Jude reaches out and tugs on my hair, forcing my head back. He leans down and presses a gentle kiss to my lips. “You can’t wrap us up in a bubble, Hol. Especially those two, but you can be there to love us through anything and everything that happens. But not if you’re so beaten down that you can’t even function. Got it?”
I groan, and even though he can’t hear it, he raises an eyebrow and stares at me without blinking.
Cursing under my breath, I get out of the chair when he moves away. Leaning over Roman, I press a kiss to his forehead and then his cheek. He moans and shifts in his sleep, but the drugs they gave him after he woke up from surgery keep him under.
Still, I look over at where Soren is sitting in the corner of the room, offering us as much privacy as he can while still monitoring Roman.
The nurse gets up and comes over to check Roman’s vitals, then he fiddles with the IV they’re using to administer his pain meds. “He’s fine,” he signs. “I don’t think he’ll wake for a while yet.”
“Who’s on shift next?”
“Dr. Ranlen. And if she’s anything like Doc, she’ll be pissed that you’re not getting proper sleep.”
“Fucking doctors,” I mutter.
Soren huffs a laugh. “Go to bed, Roman will be fine.”
Every instinct in me is screaming to not leave, but then there’s the part of my brain that needs to do something, yet knows I can’t. Armed with only my phone and tablet, there’s only so much I can do. I’m good, but I am notthatgood. Not for the level of work I need to run through.
Suddenly, everything feels too…hard. Too exhausting, too much…just too everything.
“I’m going to bed.”
Stepping away from Roman, I kiss Jude. Letting the feel of him ground me to reality, even though every little touch makes my skin ache.
“Don’t stay too long,” I tell him.
“Just until Ten or Cristian comes back,” he assures me.
Trusting that Jude has more sense than the rest of us, I choose to take him at his word, pressing one last kiss to his mouth before leaving the medical suite.
