Page 23 of Fearless
I placed a hand on Dallas’s forearm and looked up at the big, protective man’s frown. “Don’t worry about me. Maybe keep the door cracked and just stay on the other side? If you hear anything except for normal conversation, come back in.”
“This is not a good idea, Mari.” His eyes shifted over to Python. “That sneaky fucker’s up to something. He’ll do whatever he can to escape Reaper’s punishment.”
“So watch us through the crack in the door, but I’ll be talking quietly to keep the conversation private.” I gave a gentle squeeze of his arm. “He might be scum, but he does have a right to medical knowledge about his own body. And that information is only his to share, if he so chooses.”
Dallas sighed heavily, stroking his beard. “The door stays open. I’m not taking eyes off either of you, but I’ll stay far enough to not hear the conversation. Deal?”
“That’s fine. Thank you.”
“If he so much as breathes at you in a way I don’t like, I’m coming back in.”
“Works for me.”
Sucking in a deep breath to steady the shaking of my hands, I approached Python’s bedside and set to switching out his IV bags.
“Okay, so what do you need?”
“Come closer,” he whispered, leaning over to look at Dallas watching us from the doorway.
“No. He can’t hear us, so just ask me what you need to know.” Python flinched as I took his arm and and re-stuck the IV syringe where he had ripped it out. “Better start talking before I leave.”
“Okay look. I just said that shit to make him go away.” He covered his mouth as he spoke. “But I figured out a way to get out of here and take you with me. You’ll have to steal a bike for me, though. Can you ride?”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I raised my voice so Dallas would definitely hear.
“Shush!” Python hissed. “Look, you don’t have to be my chick or nothing, but you’re a prisoner here too. You can be free!”
“You’re delusional.” Finished with him, I stepped away and crossed my arms. Footsteps behind me indicated Dallas had re-entered the room, which helped me feel a little braver. “I was being nice the first time you tried talking me into escaping, when I said I wouldn’t tell Reaper. Now? I’m all out of reasons to be nice. You have no one to blame but yourself for what happens.”
“Please!” He was shamelessly begging now, tears rolling down his face. “You’ve got to get me out! He’s going to feed my balls to his fucking dog!”
I turned to the door, Dallas following after me.
“I hope Hades finds them delicious.”
The confrontationwith Python had me so on edge, I blinked in confusion upon stepping back in my office to find Tessa waiting for me.
“Tess, honey. What are you doing here?”
She laughed darkly, running a hand over her 33-week-plus baby bump. “I had an appointment with you, silly. Did you forget?”
“Of course not! But I could’ve come to your house. You didn’t have to walk all the way here.”
“It’s four blocks. I’m pregnant, not an invalid,” she teased. Her smile began to fade as she looked down at her belly, still rubbing it protectively. “Besides, I wanted to get out of the house. I’m sick of being cooped up in there with endless messes to clean, and not just from mylittleboys.”
“Well, you’re welcome to come see me anytime.” I grabbed my stethoscope off the wall and quickly cleaned it off with alcohol wipes. “And not just at work. We should have a girl’s night with Noelle and Andrea soon.”
“Good luck coordinating that with all we’ve got going on,” she chuckled. “I’ve barely seen Noelle since she and Larkan have been all gaga for each other.”
“She’ll come around. It’s just exciting being with a new man. Lean back a bit for me?”
We rolled up some blankets behind her so she could recline comfortably on the exam table. After sticking the eartips in, I lifted her shirt and placed the chestpiece next to her navel to begin listening to the baby’s vitals.
“I’m sure you know that well,” she teased, her voice distorted while I had the stethoscope on. “It’s been so long, I can’t even remember what the start of a new relationship feels like.”
“Honestly, it’s overrated.” I moved the diaphragm over her belly. “Sure it’s exciting, but you’re also second-guessing yourself all the time. You don’t want to be too eager or too aloof. It’s hard to tell if your feelings are real or just infatuation that will fade. You over-analyze every little thing they do. It’s exhausting really. I can’t wait to get to where you are, knowing each other so well with years of memories together.” I closed my lips, choosing not to voice the next thought floating through my brain, but Tessa went there anyway.
“It’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” she whispered. “Years of being with the same person makes men bored. They start looking for what’s newer, prettier, younger.”
