Page 54 of War Within
“Give me medical facts not visual, Maric.”
“My colleague brought over portable testing units earlier. She shows no signs of internal bleeding. But she will be sore for a while. She is mainly suffering from dehydration, which is why I have the IV still running.” He reached for her arm, pointing to the catheter. “She is malnourished and has three mildly fractured ribs.” He pulled out a tablet, running his finger along the x-ray results showing me the whereabouts of her injuries. “I gave some prescriptions and laid them on the nightstand for her.” He touched the bottles. “She will need to be on an IV for a while. It contains the fluids and medication her body needs. I will return to remove it and check on her in the morning. She may eat when she wakes up. She shouldn't be alone at all, but she shouldn't have visitors either until she is fully awake. She's pretty traumatized. She panicked multiple times during my exam.”
“Thank you.” I sighed, pulling my daughter tighter into my side.
He bowed his head once before exiting.
“I’ll see him out.” Emir quickly sped out of the room behind the doctor.
Valentina backed away unhurriedly, laying a hand on her head, pulling away bloodied fingers.
“Sorry.” I grabbed the extra gauze from the table, blotting my wounds.
She shook her head. “No, it’s okay. It’ll wash out.”
“What can I do to help?” She buried her face in her palms before wrinkling her brow, staring at me. “You need to clean your face. I can bring you some ice?”
“Sweetheart, right now I need to speak to Emir alone. I can clean myself up soon.”
“Ok, I’ll get him, then I’m going to go wash my hair.” She turned to leave but spun back around. “Oh, Marco never came back, by the way.”
I nodded. “I know.”
Head hanging low, she moped out of the bedroom.
While waiting for Emir, I marched to Jane’s side, perching on the edge of the bed. I wanted to touch her face but did not want to cause her more pain. Placing my hand on her thigh outside the blanket, I sighed.
“I need—”
“You wanted to see me?” Emir’s voice interrupted.
Nodding, I stood, striding to the other side of the room.
“Emir.” I folded my arms over my chest. “Thank you so much for everything.”
“You're welcome, sir.” He nodded once, a faint smile of gratitude on his face. His expression was soon replaced with concern. “You really should clean up and put pressure on the bleeding.”
“Soon.” The pain of my injuries was setting since I had returned and my adrenaline was wearing off.
“Who's going to tell Val about Marco?” He closed his eyes, dreading the moment my daughter found out her older brother was insane.
“I'm not sure she can handle anything else tonight.” I sighed dreadfully.
“Sir, I love your daughter more than anything. When the time comes to tell her, I’ll be there for her, and you too, of course. I know it’s hard having to do something you never think you’ll have to.”
Ignoring the latter part of his statement, I circled back around to the beginning, lifting my finger to my chin. “You love her?”
A sudden uneasiness emerged on his face. “Um, I should let you be with Jane.”
I lifted my hand causing him to flinch. Resting my palm on his shoulder, I tightened my gaze on his, forcing him to look me in the eyes. He gulped.
“Just take care of her. If you break her heart, I'll kill you. Am I clear, Emir?”
“Yes, I mean yes sir, of course. I promise not to disrespect her.”
Dropping my hand to my side, I feigned a smile. “I know you won’t.”
Averting his gaze, he quickly squinted back to the open door. “I'll be downstairs if you need me.”
