Page 48 of Rett

“Let me get Cruz or Doc,” said Jax. He left the room, and she turned to look at the other woman. Casey smiled at her, trying to make her feel better.

“It’s okay,” she said calmly. “The surgery was successful. You’re going to look beautiful when all the swelling and bruising goes down.”

“D-don’t care about beautiful,” she said, a single tear sliding down her cheek. “Care about sleeping without fear.”

Casey wasn’t sure what to say but was saved the embarrassment when Doc walked into the room.

“Well, you’re looking pretty good,” he smiled. She slowly shook her head, more tears coming. “I know, sweetheart. It hurts, and it’s going to hurt for a while. But then the pain will be done. It will all be over, and you won’t have any more pain.”

“Can you give her something?” asked Casey.

“I’m going to give her something through the IV. Are you going to stay with her?” he asked.

“We are,” said Jax and Kegger, standing at the door. Jax just shook his head, smirking at the other man.

“I’m going to stay as well,” said Casey. “I don’t want her to be alone and afraid.”

Doc checked her vitals, giving her some additional morphine for the pain. She was able to communicate a little, but too much brought her tremendous discomfort.

Allowing Kegger to have his seat back, Casey took the seat on the other side of the bed, smiling at the older man. He seemed committed to keeping the woman safe while Jax, Doc, and Cruz loomed close by.

“When can we move her?” asked Kegger.

“Let’s wait until she’s fully awake. The morphine is kicking in now, so give it a few hours, and then we can take her out to the cabin,” said Cruz.

“Do you need me to get anything ready out there?” asked Casey. Kegger opened his mouth, then closed it.

“Fuck. Yes. I don’t think I have any sheets on the spare bed. Fuck.”

“Don’t worry,” smiled Casey. “I’ve learned that having Mama Irene and Claudette on speed dial is a good thing.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

A few hours later, Morgan was ready to be transferred to the other island with her new roommate and protector. Erin, Lauren, and the other wives got busy on Kegger’s cabin, putting fresh sheets, towels, and other things in the spare bedroom. They also filled the refrigerator, did a good cleaning, and left a note that Kegger needed to shed his bachelor ways.

With Morgan awake and able to be moved, they loaded her like precious cargo onto the boat and moved as slowly as possible to get her to the island. Once there, she was lifted carefully on the stretcher and placed on an ATV. Cruz barely went two miles per hour, trying to avoid any bumps or sharp turns.

Once inside Kegger’s home, she was placed in the spare bedroom.

“Do you think you can drink something?” asked Cruz. She gave a small nod.

“I’ve mixed a smoothie for you,” said Casey. “I made sure it was watered down a bit, so you won’t have to suck on the straw so hard. It should be fairly easy to get down. Plenty of antioxidants and some protein powder to help with your weight.”

She poured the smoothie into an insulated cup with a straw and held it to her lips. Morgan had some difficulty wrapping her lips around it, but once she figured out the comfortable position, she was grateful to have something on her stomach.

“Not too much,” said Cruz. “We don’t want you to get sick. That would hurt like a bitch if you started vomiting.”

“C-can I shower?” she asked. “Everything moved so quickly, I never got a chance to get out of those clothes and shower.”

“How about a bath?” said Cruz. “Casey can run a warm, not hot, bath for you and sit with you. Is that okay?” She looked at Casey pleadingly, and the young woman nodded.

“I’m happy to help, Morgan.”

“You handle that, Casey, and I’ll take Kegger into the kitchen and give him some instructions for her. Wilson is close by and will be coming over every few hours to check on her.”

While Casey ran the warm bath for Morgan, Kegger joined Cruz and Wilson in the kitchen to go over the medications she needed to take and what he needed to watch for.

“I feel so helpless,” she murmured as Casey helped her to lower into the big tub.

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