Page 79 of Mob Star

“I’m sending Sean.” Something muffles the phone. “Sean!”

“You don’t have to send anyone else. Ted is fine. I’m certain?—”

“Do not finish that sentence, cailín. I’m sending my brother because this shite is fecked-up. And I trust Ted, but only for now. I always trust my brother. I can’t come because I’m in the middle of something, but Sean can. I want Sean on the same floor as you until Cormac or Seamus can relieve him tonight.”

“They’re going to be super bored.”

“I don’t give a flying feck. This is not normal, Thea. Accept my brother and cousin or call out sick for the rest of your shift. You are not staying there without a family member guarding you.”

“Ted is your family.”

“You know what I mean. Please, trust me about this.”

I sigh. “I do. I’d feel way better if your brothers or cousins were here. But I feel guilty making them babysit me when they’ll just sit around for hours in an uncomfortable waiting room.”

“They are not babysitting you. They don’t see it that way. I don’t see it that way. You shouldn’t see it that way. Little one, I take this as a threat to you. Maybe it’s nothing, and I’m being unreasonable and completely overreacting. But I won’t chance it. You mean too much to me to ever ignore something or someone who could harm you.”

“Thank you, Daddy. I appreciate it.”

“Always, cailín. Hang on for a sec.”

I hear more muffled voices, so I assume he’s speaking to Sean. He uncovers the phone, but not before I hear a language I don’t understand.

“You still there, little one?”

“Yeah. What were you just speaking?”

“Irish Gaelic. We’re all fluent.”

I didn’t expect that. But it doesn’t take a genius to figure out why they’d speak a foreign language, and especially one that’s sorta obscure. How many people in America speak Irish?

“Useful. Please tell Sean I should be on the fifth floor when he gets here. Have him call or text if he has any problems getting in.”

“I will. I’ll make sure he lets you know when he gets there.”

“Thanks. And I’m sorry I started the conversation the way I did. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I know you didn’t. I’ll try not to stop you going places or doing things you want. I never want you to feel suffocated or controlled outside of sex, but there might be times when my protectiveness is over the top. Just know it’s because I have a good reason.”

“I know. I’m still new to this, so I’ll follow your lead. It’s why I called you.”

“I’m glad you did. Call me back if you need anything else.”

“Okay. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.” I feel better.

Or rather, I’m minimally uneasy now that I’ve spoken to Finn. I still feel badly that Sean’s going to be bored out of his gourd. But I know he’s been a bodyguard for the other women in the family. He’s probably used to it.

“Medical Alert, Code Pink, fifth floor, postpartum, bed six.”

What the fuck?! That’s my patient.

I yank open the door and look around. The sirens and lights are flashing, and hospital armed security burst through the door. Code Pink is newborn abduction. The babies are basically Lowjacked. They have a bracelet around their ankles with a sensor that alerts the charge desk if a baby passes through a unit doorway. You can’t just take a baby anywhere. The nursery is only for special cases short of going to the NICU, which is down the hall from where I am now. Babies room in with their mothers. There’s no reason for an infant to leave this unit unless they are going for a special procedure or going home. Their alerts don’t go off for that.

“Suze, what happened?” I yell over the sirens when I spot the charge nurse.

---