husband’s briefcase?”
The medicine Doc gave me starts to hit and everything around me blurs, goes into focus, and then blurs again.
“Your husband worked for the Ruthless Kings Atlantic City Chapter; it seems.”
“That worthless piece of shit,” my mom sneers and reaches for the gun Rusty has holstered on his hip, but he stops her by grabbing her shoulders.
“He’s already dead, Rachel.”
“Like I give a damn, Rusty. I want to kill him a hundred times,” she starts to cry and Rusty pulls her into a hug, rubbing his hands up and down her back.
What? My dad? Working for a biker club? I must be dreaming already. This medicine is strong and working wonders.
Mom presses her finger against Rusty’s chest after she pulls away and sniffles. “You better—”
“Mom?” I slur and reach out my hand for her to take.
She spins around quickly, drops to her knees, and takes my hand in hers. “Everything is okay, rest, baby. We are good. I’m going to take care of everything.” She presses a kiss against my forehead, and I can’t fight the medicine for much longer.
I’m not sure if I believe in good anymore.
I think the only aspects that exist are wrong. Not right, not good, not bad, but… wrong. And it’s how people choose how wrong they want to be. There isn’t a good path or a path less traveled. When people say that, it’s a way to cover up the selfishness that controls them.
There are choices.
Bad and worse.
My mom has made a bad choice to be friendly with this group of guys, but my dad made a worse choice in hurting me. Now, who knows what my mom has to do in order to return the favor. They don’t seem like the kind of men who accept freshly baked cookies as a payback.
I’ve never felt more confused in my life, but I know one thing. The only love that exists is a mother’s love. It’s the only one powerful enough to change an outcome, to protect a soul. My mother’s love is a shield, and today, she saved my life.
She’s a knight in shining stilettos.
What other love is that fierce?
None.
Everyone else’s can go straight to hell.
Present Day
I’m putting tilapia skin dressings on Moretti to give this experimental treatment a try. I have to do everything to make sure his injuries are slim to none. I’m not trying to have a mafia boss wake up and order my throat slit because I didn’t do everything in my power to make sure he looks his best.
There’s a ton of research that says the properties in fish skin are a very effective and efficient way to reduce the burn scars and help them heal quicker.
“It smells like pussy down here,” Bullseye says as he climbs down the stairs.
I stop what I’m doing and sigh in annoyance. I hate it when people come down here when they know I’m busy. I’m wearing a mask, gloves, gown, and face shield and while yes, it smells like fish, saying it smells like the space between a woman’s legs is rude. “I don’t know what pussy you’ve been around that smells like this, but if it does, as your doctor, I suggest you stay away from it.” Not that Bullseye would. The guy loves to have sex with the cut-sluts, sometimes making it a threesome, foursome, even.
And today must be his STD screening that he takes every three months. He might have sex with everything that walks, but at least he’s responsible.
“Oh, shit, Doc! What are you doing to Moretti? That’s nasty.” Bullseye runs toward the side of the hospital bed and peers down, watching me place a piece of silver scaled skin across Moretti’s neck. “It reeks, Doc.” He waves his hand in front of his nose, and another huff of annoyance leaves my lips. I straighten my back and give him a look that tells him to shut up.
“Sorry,” he mumbles.
“I don’t know if this will work. It’s been months, and his body has already healed so much. The scars can’t get much better, but I’m not going to give up.”
“I like that about you, Doc. You’re a good guy.”
There’s that fucking word again. Good. I hate that word. It’s nothing but pretentious and fake. No one is good. There isn’t anything someone decides to do that doesn’t involve selfish gain. Want to feel good about yourself? Donate, volunteer, be a doctor, save a life. Don’t get me wrong, I love being a doctor. At least, I know