Page 47 of Chasing Hope

If he lived through it, it would make for a great bar story. Ethan moaned and ventured to move his injured leg. In the acute pain, stars danced behind his closed eyes. The enclosure of the car was making it difficult to breathe. Ethan slowly opened his eyes, pulling in long, calming breaths. His attention was drawn to his eye mask. It hung limply on the head rest as if it had had enough for a lifetime. Ethan shut his eyes and his shoulders slumped.

Regret washed over him. ‘I’m sorry sweetcheeks, I shouldn’t have lashed out at you. The pain must be making my brain numb,’ Ethan said. ‘Anyhow, since my brain cells are weak. I’m giving you your job back. You did a swell job tonight.’ A wary smile surfaced on his lips. ‘But just to be clear, in case I do bleed out here, remember, I loved you till my very last breath.’

‘You sadistic bastard…’ Ethan’s heart frolicked as Hope threw at him some colourful cuss words. By this point Ethan was too tired to partake in the duel. Exhaustion took over and it felt like every last ounce of his energy was being sucked out of him.

***

Hard fists thudded the door as Ethan waited at the foot of the stairs. ‘I’m coming, man. Hold your fucking horses,’ Aarav shouted from inside his home. Loud footsteps thudded down the internal staircase. In seconds the door flew open. ‘Jesus Christ, man. I just hit the sack—’ Aarav cocked a brow in surprise. ‘Hope, what are you doing here? It’s—’

‘Ethan’s been shot.’ Dismayed, Aarav’s gaze darted to him.

‘Un-bloody-believable, man. Trouble and you are like two balls in a nutsack.’ Aarav barged down the stairs, concern burnt in his eyes. The four steps to the main door seemed like a monumental task. Aarav lent him a shoulder and Ethan sagged against him. He had never felt this weak in his life. The colour drained from Hope’s face as Ethan limped his way through the reception area of Aarav’s clinic.

‘Looks like he’s in a lot of pain.’ Tears gathered at the back of Hope’s eyes. Having someone else to share the load with, she finally broke down. Aarav looped her in a hug as she wept into his chest. He gave Ethan a look designed to peel his hind. Ethan barely resisted the urge to fidget under Aarav’s fiery stare.

Ethan felt like a dick for causing her so much stress. As soon as he was able to stand without swaying he would make it up to her. He took solace in the fact that he fulfilled his promise to her. They saved the girls from being trafficked. And he hoped that this would cripple Himesh’s inhumane operations.

After a moment's silence, ‘Finally,’ Aarav said, his voice frigid as the tense atmosphere. Hope’s gasped loud enough to frighten the sleeping dogs in the kennel at the back.

‘Finally?’ Ethan and Hope said in unison. If Ethan had the stamina, he would punch the smug asshole.

‘Yes, finally,’ he said, giving Hope’s shoulder a comforting squeeze. ‘This should teach the arrogant bastard he isn’t invincible.’ Ethan exhaled and grabbed the handle of the door before he collapsed to the floor.

‘I’m not here for a fucking lecture, alright? Either you treat me or I’ll find another way out.’ With a superior tilt of his brow Aarav challenged him to follow through. And here Ethan thought they were best friends.

‘Stop it, you guys. This is not some Alpha male ego competition.’ Hope lamented. Ethan grunted and somehow managed to reach the examination room.

Fatigued, Ethan blew out his cheeks. ‘Lie down here.’ Aarav gestured to a steel bed and Ethan felt the floor disappear from underneath him. Flat on his back, the overhead bulb swirled and Ethan swallowed to hold in his bile. ‘Quick, sanitise your hands and wear these gloves. I’ll need you to assist me,’ Aarav instructed Hope. Hope tugged off her hood and did as told. The strong stench of alcohol assaulted his senses. Drained out, Ethan closed his eyes and sucked in deep breaths. ‘You do realise I treat animals? You’re the first human I’m operating on.’ Aarav sounded nervous.

A smile spread across Ethan’s face, deepening his dimples. ‘I have full faith in you,’ he said, with his eyes closed. ‘My life is in your hands.’ He gave a dramatic pause. ‘No pressure.’

‘I did not bargain for this shit, man.’ Aarav slipped on a pair of surgical gloves and got down to business. With the help of a pair of scissors he cut open the fabric of Ethan’s joggers. ‘Dammit, my hands are shaking.’ Aarav closed his eyes to regain his composure.

‘Get on with it, man. You don’t want my death on your hands.’

Aarav ground his jaw. ‘Hand to God. You give me so much grief. You’ve singlehandedly shortened my lifespan. Try another stunt like this and I swear you’ll be sporting dentures.’

A somewhat gruff chuckle left Ethan’s chest. ‘I love you too, man.’ Aarav cursed under his breath and gently ripped off the last of the fabric.

‘Oh my God.’ Hope gagged at the sight of the bloody wound. It looked angry with gore.

Aarav let out a sigh of relief. ‘You’re one lucky son of a bitch.’ Their opposite reactions confused the shit out of Ethan.

‘I beg to differ,’ Ethan said, through clenched teeth. It felt like someone ran a truck over his heart.

‘The bullet has grazed the lateral aspect of your mid-thigh. Due to the high velocity the bullet has torn past your muscle without any major damage.’ Aarav lightly pressed the wound to further examine it and Ethan felt he would die from the pain alone.

‘Are you certain the bullet is out?’ Hope asked, her expression doubtful.

‘Sweetcheeks, he’s all we’ve got. We’ll just have to take his word for it.’ Ethan chuckled. ‘I’ll admit he comes across as a circus clown. But relax, he knows his shit.’ Unfortunately no one else was in the mood for jokes. Ethan sighed and left his fate in the hands of God. God must be surely mocking him.Ha! Now you remember me?

‘I’m certain. The bullet has passed through the entire thickness of his thigh and the cut is around six to eight centimetres.’ Aarav sounded proficient, which seemed to reassure Hope. ‘There is a deep gash through this part of his thigh right here; the muscle is involved too. Since the muscle fibres have suffered injury, thus the massive bleed, the wound will require debridement followed by closure in multiple layers.’

‘You speak gibberish?’ Hope said, trying to lighten the tension.

Aarav chuckled. ‘Sorry. The crux is, it’s not a life-threatening wound.’

‘Praise the Lord.’ Hope pulled out her chain and kissed her cross.

---