Chapter 35

"You're sure you don't want painkillers?" the nurse asked as she began cleaning out the wounds that needed stitches. "We're going to be here for a while."

"No painkillers," I stated as I looked the nurse in the eyes. "I've got to head home after this."

"Your funeral," the nurse shrugged as she began stitching the massive wound on my side shut with deft movements while I bit down on a piece of cloth, the wound radiating pain as it was being pulled back together. "You still good?" She asked as she reached the halfway point.

I just nodded, my teeth still clenched tight as time seemed to slow down while the pain increased for a short bit and then tapered off to a dull ache as the nurse tied off and cut the stitches.

"There, all done with the big one here, you've got some others that could probably use stitches," the nurse shrugged. "But we could probably superglue those shut with no issues as well, your choice."

"I'll take the superglue," I said as I massaged my sore jaw. "I'm good to sleep with my concussion right?"

"As long as you have someone else in your home to help monitor you for any seizures or anything else," the nurse said. "Now, we'll get a doctor in here to double-check everything and then you'll be able to go on home."

"Thanks," I said as I slipped my shirt back on. "I know that I'm not always the best patient."

"You weren't awful," the nurse smiled. "Most people want the painkillers though."

"Alright, I'll hang out until we get the doc back here," I laughed. "Not like I'm going anywhere else while I wait, my ride isn't here yet, after all."

The Nurse just smiled again before exiting the room ad hanging up my chart on the door. Leaving me to lean back onto the hospital bed and close my eyes for a moment.

"Damn I need my bed," I sighed as I felt the hard mattress underneath me. "I'm wiped."

"Not too wiped, I hope," Doctor Oswald Smith entered the room with a smile. "Alright, you seem to be pretty beaten up, but it looks like Nurse Russel took good care of you."

"I'm ready to go home and sleep in my own bed," I said with a pained smile.

"Well, I'm going to prescribe you some painkillers, nothing narcotic, because I know you won't take them, but if the pain gets too bad I want you to take some anti-inflammatories, just to make sure that any swelling on the stitches goes down properly."

"Alright," I nodded. "Any tips on going to sleep with this?" I gestured toward where I had the wound.

"Yeah, make sure there's a pillow in place to prevent you from rolling over onto it at night," Doctor Smith said with a shrug. "There's not much else I can tell you."

"Just wait here for a bit and Nurse Russel will be over to help you get checked out," Smith said as he stood up and made a couple of notes in my chart. "I assume you have a ride?"

"Give me a minute to see if they're available," I said as I reached for the hospital room's phone.

Hitting the handful of digits that I had memorized, I waited for the phone to be answered.

"Valentine," a female voice answered.

"Yeah, it's Mark," I replied. "I'm finished getting stitched back together and I need a ride. My car's still at the HQ, and I'm not walking either to Jack's or home in this state."

"Give me fifteen," Jill said with a sigh. "Wait, make that thirty, I've got to dry my hair and then fight traffic."

"That's fine," I said. "Just get here when you can."

–

–

"So you're going to have a pretty gnarly scar there," Jill said as she watched me struggle to buckle up in her beat-up Toyota, the pain finally setting in and causing a deep soreness.

"Probably," I said as I settled down. "So, I'm out of the loop, we going to Jack's Bar tonight or some other time?"

"We're all heading home," Jill said as she slowed down at a red light. "Get some rest for the next couple of days, we all agreed that we should probably wait for Kenneth to be able to at least hear some of our conversation before we meet up."

"Kenneth is going to have some hearing restoration by Friday, but it won't be perfect," I said as I recalled what his wife had told me while we were at the hospital. "He's in pretty solid condition aside from that though."

"So I'll drop you off at your apartment," Jill said as she began to accelerate. "It's a good thing that you're so close, otherwise I'd have been tempted to leave your ass at the hospital."

"Yeah, yeah," I snarked back. "You'd have come because this makes us even."

"Does it really though?" Jill asked as she finally eased into the area where both of our apartments were. "Because last time I checked you owed me."

"No, I settled that score when the gangs were fighting, that time I literally took a bullet for you, remember?"

"No, that's not how it happened," Jill argued with a good-natured smile on her face. "There was plenty of stuff going on during that time period."

"Even?" I asked as I opened the door and held out my fist for her to bump.

"Even," Jill smirked. "Until I save your ass again."

"Please," I said as I straightened up. "I'll save you first."

And with that parting word, Jill drove off toward her own apartment a couple of blocks away, leaving me to make my own way in.

Reaching for my keys, I dropped them by the door before noticing that the front screen door was cracked open a bit. Reaching behind my back, I pulled my P226 out of its concealed holster and frowned as a small wave of pain shot up my side before I suppressed it and got ready to open my door. Pushing my key into the lock quietly, I turned it, and the handle before throwing the door open to point my pistol at who or what was inside.

"Shit!" Rain said as she dropped the bag of trash and backed up. "You scared me, man!"

"Sorry," I said as I lowered the handgun and moved fully into my house, closing the door behind me. "It's been a helluva long couple of days."

"I'll say," Rain said as she looked me up and down. "You look like you got into a fight with an alligator, and lost."

"That sums it up fairly well," I said as I set my pack down on the kitchen counter, making a mental promise to clean everything up tomorrow. "Now, I'm taking a shower and then crawling into my bed. Please don't wake me up for anything short of the police showing up."

Moving to my shower, I quickly rinsed off the dirt and grime of the last couple of days, being sure to avoid getting my stitches soaked before stepping out, grabbing a towel and fresh pair of underwear, and making my way to my bed. Seeing a blond figure curled into my blankets, I nearly turned around and headed for the couch before shrugging and moving into my bed anyway, everything going dark as soon as my head hit the pillow."