Page 37 of Stone

“The Doc’s here,” Cub announces when I cut the call with Smoke.

I’ve managed to dress both Oriana’s hands while on the call. I’ve now gone on to clean away some of the blood smears and black smudges of her run mascara from her delicate skin. I keep her chin tipped up using my index finger while I run the damp facial cloth across her cheeks. Every time she closes her eyes so I can gently wipe across them, I prompt her with a little “oy” if it looks like she’s drifted off into sleep.

“Hey, Doc. Thanks for coming.” I go to get to my feet. Oriana’s eyes widen, her hand grabbing mine, holding me back. “It’s okay, sweetheart, this is Doc Jones. He’s a long-time friend of the MC, so you can trust him.” She hesitates, but slowly pulls back her hand and gives me a gentle nod of permission. Stepping back, Doc crouches down in front of her, taking my place. I’m hit with a feeling of helplessness along with the same need to protect that I’d felt when I first saw her sitting terrified on the sidewalk.

“Hi Oriana, can you describe to me what happened when you fell to the ground?”

I take hold of Cub’s arm and bring him with me over to the kitchen, so Oriana can talk openly with the Doc. I pull open the refrigerator door, and despite craving something stronger, I grab a couple of bottles of water, throwing one over to Cub.

“I’m sorry this has happened, Stone,” Cub shows real concern, my prior anger towards him, under the circumstances, now irrelevant. “Not only for Sasha and Oriana, for you, too. You’ve had a lot of shit to deal with over the past months.”

“Thanks, but if Smoke is right, there’s worse to come, which will make this clusterfuck seem like a kindergarten playground scuffle. We need to be on our guard, because if this wasn’t the Irish, then we’re still going to be facing a fuck-ton of trouble before the feud with them is over.”

“Stone,” Doc grabs my attention, a flick of his head beckoning me over.

“You can take off now Cub, I’ll let you know if I need you for anything else.” He gives me a weary smile then turns to walk towards the front door. “Thanks for your help,” I shout after him, and a raise of his hand tells me that he heard me.

“Is she okay, Doc?” I ask when I get back to where he stands in front of Oriana.

“The cut to her head is not too deep, but I’ve sealed it with some medical grade glue. You just need to keep an eye out for any aggressive swelling and make sure the wound stays as dry as possible for the next couple of days. I still need to check her over fully, but my main concern is the symptoms she’s described to me tell me she likely has a concussion.”

“Tell me what I need to do.”

“First of all, we need to get her more comfortable, somewhere where I can examine her properly. The next twenty-four hours can be telling so you’ll need to keep a close eye on her. She shouldn’t be left alone for any length of time. You can let her sleep, but wake her every couple of hours, check that she’s responsive.”

“I thought it was every hour with a concussion?” I eyeball him, puzzled.

“That’s a bit outdated. Some doctor’s advice is to leave them to sleep, but personally, I suggest maybe three or four hours, then wake them. Check that she’s coherent, her pupils are even. That way, any deterioration is picked up in good time. If that does happen, then don’t hesitate. Take her straight to the nearest hospital.”

“Got it.” I move over to Oriana and lift her into my arms. “Let’s get you into bed,” I tell her. Moving around the couch with Doc following close behind, I head towards the steps.

Suddenly, her arm whips out, her head flipping back as she points and looks in the direction of her room. “We need to go that way,” she mumbles. If it wasn’t for my quick reactions, her unexpected jerking could have caused me to lose my hold on her. Last thing she needs is another bang to the head.

“No, sweetheart, you’ll be sleeping in my room tonight.”

“Oh… really?” her face pinks, and my unsympathetic dick twitches. You’d think under the circumstances, Oriana being hurt, that it would give me a fucking break.

Doc stays close behind, only stepping forward when we get to my bedroom door so he can snag the latch and push it open. My room is cool, exactly how I like it, so I make a mental note to hike up the heat as soon as I get the chance.

I place Oriana on the edge of the bed and turn to Doc, wondering what to do now.

“I need to check her over fully, see the extent of any bruising. Might be an idea to get her out of these clothes. Do you have something she can wear instead?”

I take the few steps needed to get to the drawer that holds my T-shirts. I pull out a crisp white YOMC tee that will be long enough to cover her up, and go back and drop it on the bed beside her.

“Okay, Oriana, let’s get you undressed, give you a quick check over and get you into bed.” When Doc starts to help her remove her hoodie and her arms come free, I see the red marks on her upper arm, comparable to being manhandled.

“The fuck,” I growl with rage. I step forward, the need to touch, soothe, reassure her like it’s a natural reaction. The other part of me wants to go against my president’s wishes and slaughter the person who’s touched what is mine.

Wait. Where did that come from?

“Time for you to step outside, Stone. Give Oriana a bit of privacy while I complete my assessment of her injuries.”

“I’m staying,” I demand. “It’s not like I haven’t seen it before.” That’s a lie, but a wet, transparent white two-piece that didn’t cover shit is not so far from the truth either.

“That is none of my business or relevant,” he counters. “Come on, Stone. Get the hell out of here and let me do my job. The sooner I get it over with, the sooner poor Oriana can get some well needed sleep.”

Despite me casting him a glare that clearly shows I’m not good with this, I turn and move to the door. I’m not comfortable leaving her alone with him, not that I’d ever think he’d fiddle with her inappropriately. He wouldn’t dare. Whether we had a long-standing relationship with the Doc, doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t gut him if he stepped out of line, and he knows it. I just want to protect her.

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