Page 35 of Pocketful of You

Lucky winked at him before turning his attention back to me. "According to his substitute daddy in there, it was touch and go for a while, but the kid's gonna pull through."

"Substitute daddy?" I gaped in confusion. "Actually," I held up a finger, "Let's rewind. I'll deal with the daddy issues later. Why isn’t he in ahospital?"

"He was," Lucky replied.

"We took him," G added.

"Youtookhim?" I spluttered. "So, you just what, ransacked a hospital and stole apatient?"

G nodded unashamedly. "Amongst other things."

I rolled my eyes. "Let me guess; sachets of sugar from the nurses' station?"

"Drugs, kid."

I shook my head. "I can't believe you actually just confessed that to me."

"Listen, cowboy, you wanted answers and your friends back." Lucky shrugged, like that explained everything. "I got your answers and I got the broody jock and I even threw in a sweetener by bringing the dad." Scratching the back of his head, he added, "I'm still working on the cheerleader."

"And while I am most grateful for your generous and impeccable abilities in defying odds in the criminal underworld, I must stress the fact that not two minutes ago, you told me that my friend, 'the one you got'," I paused to make rabbit ear quotations with my fingers, "was shot. In the chest. As in, the area that homes theheart.He needs to be in a hospital, not some grimy, criminal cesspool of slime and body odor and degenerate – " G cocked a brow and I let my words trail off into a nervous chuckle. "I'm sorry, mister gangster man. Please don’t let my friend die. Or me…"

"Relax, kid, he's not going anywhere," Lucky said, completely unfazed by what was happening around us. Completely unfazed by everything, if I was being honest. Jesus, the man was made of ice and steel. "I've arranged for the best surgeon in Boulder to come take a look at him."

My eyes widened. "You have?"

At that exact moment in time, a sleek looking Mercedes rolled into the quarry.

"I could lose my license for this, Casarazzi," an attractive, dark-haired man in his early thirties announced. Climbing out of his car, he grabbed a bag from the backseat and walked towards us. "This is the last fucking time."

I stared blankly before shaking my head. "Okay, it's not often that I'm out of the loop, but please, can someone explain what's going on?"

"Presley," Noah said, coming to stand beside me. "Meet Nathan Cole. Resident cardiologist at St. Luke's hospital, Boulder, and my wife's cousin."

"Any criminal record?" I whispered.

Noah smirked. "Nope."

"Really. And no synchronized jail time?"

"Nope, just an honest, hardworking doctor."

"Well hello, Dr. Cole," I said with a grin.

"Just a verymarried,hardworking doctor."

"Typical." I sighed. "Just typical."

"Come on, cowboy," Lucky chuckled, throwing an arm over my shoulder. "Let me fill up that big brain of yours. You won't believe half the shit I've unearthed."

"I'd prefer if you filled my–"

"Don’t push it, cowboy."

"Okie-dokie."

15

Sketch

---