No Good Deed - Marie Sexton Page 0,83
hit any organs but—”
“You fucking crazy son of a bitch,” Gray swore from the hallway. “What the fuck were you thinking? You could have been killed! If you weren’t already bleeding, I’d strangle you.”
“I wasn’t letting him take Jonas.”
Cops swarmed into the space. There were too many voices for Charlie to focus on.
“We’ve got one down.”
“Get the medics.”
“What the hell happened in here anyway?”
Charlie looked up at River. “Smart of me to bring my own ER doc along, wasn’t it?”
River managed a smile. “I’ve seen plenty of gunshot wounds. They’ll want to run a few tests, make sure the bullet didn’t hit any organs, but I think you’re going to be fine.”
EMTs pushed into the room, trying to clear River and Jonas and everybody else out of their way.
“We’ll get you to the hospital,” one of them said. “Once the doctors clear you, the cops have a billion questions for you.”
Charlie sighed, closing his eyes.
“If I wasn’t ready to sell my house before, I sure as hell am now.”
Chapter 25
Jonas rode in the ambulance with Charlie. He hid his medical alert bracelet under the sleeve of his sweatshirt, hoping to stay with Charlie once they reached the ER too, but as soon as they arrived, Charlie told one of the nurses that Jonas had donated a kidney less than two weeks earlier. Jonas wanted to smack him. Typical Charlie, lying there with a gunshot wound but worried about somebody else.
“I’m fine,” Jonas told the nurses. “I got knocked down, that’s all.”
His protests fell on deaf ears. Charlie was wheeled off to God knew where while Jonas was sent to his own ER cubicle to be examined. He changed into the little robe as instructed and gave them a urine sample so they could check for blood. There was none, which Jonas thought should have been good enough.
“Maybe if you’d donated that kidney years ago,” the ER doctor told him. “But ten days? We should at least do an ultrasound.”
Except it seemed nothing in the ER happened quickly, and so Jonas was instructed to lie on the gurney and wait. He fretted, wanting to be with Charlie. When he asked the nurse, he was told only that Charlie was being evaluated. He was probably only a few cubicles away, and yet Jonas couldn’t get to him.
It was River who finally put his mind at ease, appearing in Jonas’s cubicle. They’d given him a scrubs top to wear, since his own shirt was now soaked in Charlie’s blood.
“They let you come back?” Jonas asked.
“This is my old hospital. I don’t have privileges here anymore, but the staff knows me. Your nurse, Karen? She’s fantastic. Trust me, you’re in good hands.”
“I’m sure I am, but this is ridiculous, River! I’m fine. Can’t you tell them to let me get dressed and go see Charlie?”
“Even if I thought that was a good idea, no, I can’t give orders here anymore. Besides, I think they’re right insisting on an ultrasound before releasing you.”
Jonas groaned in frustration. “Have you seen Charlie? Is he okay?”
River laughed. “You two are quite the pair. He’s exactly like you—insisting he’s absolutely fine and doesn’t need to be here at all, but that you’re the one the staff should be worrying about.”
“Me? He’s the one who got shot!”
“And you’re the one who just donated a kidney. Luckily, they don’t have to pick and choose. There are enough people here to take care of both of you.” He sighed. “Anyway, I wouldn’t be in too big of a hurry to escape. The cops are chomping at the bit to question you. They only let me leave because Karen lied and said she needed me.”
An hour later, Jonas was finally given the all-clear. Charlie had been taken off for another test, so the staff directed Jonas to the waiting room.
River had been right. Jonas had been better off back in his cubicle.
Several cops were there, milling about, muttering to each other. Gray paced the floor like a caged cougar, glaring at the knot of police officers, looking like he wanted to tear somebody apart. Warren leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, watching Gray—probably ready to intervene if Gray decided to punch somebody. A security guard had his eyes on them as well, looking none too pleased with the situation. Phil, Avery, Taylor, and River sat together in the corner of the waiting room. They came to their feet as one when Jonas arrived.
“Are you okay?”
“What’s going on?”
“How’s Charlie?”
But before he could even