in my life, but not at the cost of neither of us ever having a clear conscience again.
He had come in as my patient, and that was how I had to treat him. No more, no less.
“Since he’s out of surgery, you remember you have to go check in on him today?” Hunter asked.
“I know.” I’d rather have gone in for surgery myself than to pretend to give a fuck about that asshole’s wellbeing, but I had a job to do. “I’m going to go now before our sessions start. We’re pretty much set up for now.”
“That we are,” he agreed before cocking his head and narrowing his eyes at me. “Do you want me to come with you? Just in case you decide to unplug him or something?”
I snorted. “Nah, I’ll be fine. I received some news earlier that will make it easier to deal with him.”
The news I’d received had been something I’d expected, given the scent that had been coming off Craig when I’d worked on him, but it had only been confirmed this morning. The knowing look on Hunter’s face told me I didn’t even have to share the news with him. He already knew what it was.
“Grit your teeth and bear it then.” He grinned. “I’ll see you when you get back.”
I nodded and decided to get it over with before I changed my mind. If I went now, I wouldn’t have it hanging over my head for the rest of the day.
Craig was lying in one of the smaller rooms at the end of a corridor. It was literally the farthest away the nurses could have put him from their station, and I wasn’t surprised. April was a sweetheart around here. Being on her wrong side meant you were on everyone’s wrong side.
They would take care of him just like I had, but no one would be doing him any favors. He looked up when I opened his door, his face bruised and swollen. Without the dark hair, he looked more like a cue ball than ever, especially since most of his features were swollen into a big blob.
His dark eyes might be slits, but even that couldn’t hide the venom in them when he saw who had entered his room. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
I strolled in casually and lifted the chart at the foot of his bed, checking over everything I had to. “I’m required to check in on patients I’ve treated. I’m checking in on you just like I’m required to do.”
What little color he had regained in his cheeks drained away again. “You’re the one who saved my life?”
“Unfortunately.” I shrugged while signing off on the form left for me by the surgeon. “How are you feeling?”
He grunted instead of answering my question. “Why didn’t you let me die? If I was you, I would have.”
“You’re not me.” I finished going over the chart before letting it drop with a clatter on the table over his bed.
“What? You’re so much better than me?” The effect of his words fell flat with how purely pitiful he looked lying all beat up, all alone in a room where no one had even opened his blinds.
“No.” I walked over to the window and started rolling them up. Heaven forbid we got a complaint of mistreatment from the asshole. “Letting someone die is the same as killing them as far as I’m concerned.”
“So?” He dropped his head back on the pillow and groaned. “I’m sure you’d much rather have seen me dead.”
“You’re not worth it,” I said honestly. “It came down to knowing that I could help April at the expense of my morals or I could save a life. April didn’t need that kind of help. She’ll win at court without breaking a sweat.”
“So you did it for her?” He scoffed. “We may have gotten divorced years ago, but I still know her. I doubt she agrees with you on that one.”
“What we agree or disagree about is none of your concern.” I wound the beaded chain around its hook and turned to face him again.
The early morning sunlight now streamed in, making him look even worse. I didn’t particularly enjoy seeing anybody in pain, but I didn’t have much sympathy for him either.
“The police came by to see you last night,” I said. “Your blood alcohol level was off the charts. As soon as you’re stable, they’re coming back to take you in for drunk driving.”