Page 83 of Whatever You Need

“He’s in surgery now. They brought him to HUP. Text me when you’re close and I’ll meet you in the main lobby of the hospital.”

“I’ll be right there.” My entire body was shaking as I ran around Ava’s house gathering my things. “Holy shit! Marco’s been shot.”

Ava grabbed me by the arms and spun me around. “I’m coming with you.”

I shook my head, feeling tears spill from my eyes. “No, please stay here. I’ll call you if I need you.”

“You are in no condition to drive. At least let me call you an Uber.”

“Okay.” I held my bag to my stomach. My entire body radiated with fear from the inside out. This can’t be how our story ends. It just can’t.

* * *

As soon asthe automatic doors slid open, Logan was waiting for me. “How is he?” I asked as he got close. The lobby was flooded with cops.

“He’s still in surgery. We’re still waiting for an update.”

“Where was he shot?”

“His left shoulder.” He looked down at the floor and brought his eyes back to mine. “He lost a lot of blood.”

“Take me to the waiting room. I need to be there when he gets out of surgery,” I said, not giving a damn about anything other than making sure that he was alive.

Logan grabbed my hand and led me to the elevators. The harsh lighting illuminated the hallway as we walked past the cluster of doctors and nurses gathered around computers on wheels, reviewing patient charts. The sounds of the busy hospital blurred into the background. The only thing I could focus on was getting to Marco’s side. We rushed down the hall into the small waiting room at the end.

Now that I was here, the reality of everything finally caught up to me. I slumped down into the first available chair and threw my head into my hands. My sobs came in uncontrollable waves as Logan placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. Strangers stared at me with pity, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.

I spotted Quinn across the room, talking to a group of officers huddled in the corner. They all looked anxious and it was staggering to see all these badass men so torn up over one of their own.

Time seemed to tick by in slow motion. All I could do was stare at the door and every time a doctor would come out, I would hold my breath and hope they were here to bring us good news. But as time passed, my mind conjured up the worst-case scenarios. I wanted to fall to my knees and pray—something I haven’t done in years. I would promise anything to have him be okay.

Finally, the door opened, and everything seemed to happen in slow motion. A surgeon in blue scrubs entered the room. He stepped forward. “Rubintino family?”

Logan helped me out of my chair and walked me over to the doctor.

“I’m Doctor Awayda.” He shook Logan and Quinn’s hand while I waited on bated breath for him to deliver us the news. “The surgery went smoothly. He was very lucky. The bullet just missed the brachial plexus which means he won’t have any nerve damage. We were able to remove the bullet and stop the bleeding. There was a small piece of shattered bone that we had to reattach, but other than that, there was no damage to the surrounding tissue or organs.”

“Thank God.” Logan sighed. “What about blood? He lost a lot of blood.”

The doctor nodded. “There was no life-threatening bleeding. He did not need a transfusion.”

“So, he’s going to be okay?” I asked for confirmation. Dr. Awayda was a Middle Eastern man with a heavy accent. Even though his English was good, I just wanted to be sure I heard him correctly.

He gave me a kind smile. “With some intensive physical therapy, I expect him to make a full recovery.”

“When can we see him?” I asked, eager to see him with my own eyes.

“He’s in recovery now. They are removing the breathing tube and bringing him to ICU. Just sit tight for a bit and we will get you there.”

A couple of officers walked in holding coffees and waters. By the amount of people that were taking up space in the waiting room, it made me wonder who was out protecting the streets of Philadelphia.

“I need to call Marietta and Matteo.”

“They are on their way,” Quinn said, pocketing his phone. “They are going to be awhile though, because they are driving in from Delaware.”

His mom had to be going out of her mind with worry. I was thankful that Quinn handled that call personally. I would not want to be the one to deliver that news.

I spent the next thirty minutes pacing the long narrow hallway. I thought about going down to the chapel and lighting a candle, but I wanted to be close by for when they brought him to his room. My patience was running thin, so I walked over to the nurse’s station to get an update.

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