Page 84 of Fixate
“You were supposed to protect him. What the fuck happened?”
I heard Preacher yelling in the background, though it wasn’t clear enough to make out.
“We were walking out together. Someone used the distraction of the fire alarm and a bomb threat to separate us. It all happened so fast.”
My voice caught with the last word as my emotions got the better of me.
Dante’s tone immediately shifted. “Is he going to be ok?”
“I… I don’t know. We haven’t been here long. They’re supposed to update me when they know more. I just figured you’d want to know even if I didn’t have all the answers.”
“That’s very true. I appreciate you calling. Things are a bit busy right now. We have multiple projects in the works, and I can’t really leave yet. Maybe soon though.”
“It’s fine. Come if and when you can. He’d be more upset if you put him before work,” I joked.
Dante chuckled softly. “Yeah, he would. Have things been ok aside from that?”
I thought of how we’d been together. How happy the two of us were. How we’d been finding our feet despite it not being the easiest thing given our work lives.
“It’s been great, Dante. He’s far more than I could have imagined.”
Maybe it was the way I spoke or simply because he knew me well, but Dante had to have picked up on my feelings because he said, “It’s going to be ok, my friend. He’ll pull through. He’s stubborn that way.”
I let out a watery laugh at his encouragement. Never would I have guessed he’d be the person to console me over this.
To be fair, it wasn’t like I had a ton of friends to begin with. And then there was the fact that I didn’t tend to get emotional. When Stasia fucked me over, I was more angry than anything.Not hurt or heartbroken. I simply hated that I’d been blind to her tricks.
But this was different.
It was a deep sort of pain I feared would change me if it continued to fester.
“I’m sure it will be fine. He is awfully stubborn.”
“Family of Ricardo Romano?” a voice called out.
I jolted at the words. “I’ve got to go, Dante,” I said before quickly hanging up.
The doctor nodded when I strode his way. He was older, with gray at his temples and wrinkles around his eyes and lips. I tried to read his body language, but there wasn’t anything to go off of. I appreciated his poker face even while I hated him for being able to shield himself from my observations.
“I’m Dr. LaFleur. Your relation to the patient?”
“Fiancé,” I replied instantly.
His brow raised, though he didn’t question me. There was no way I was going to attempt the blood family route. It wouldn’t hold up the second I saw him and kissed his lips. They’d question everything.
It was much easier to go with the semi-truth since I did intend to ask my boy to marry me soon. And I knew he’d say yes — though he might put up a bit of a fight just for appearance sake.
“His condition?” I asked when the man didn’t continue.
“Ah, yes. Well, he’s stable. It was lucky he wasn’t hit in a worse area. We did have to do some repairs. Our biggest concern wasn’t the wound itself, but the trace material found on the knife. That might be what made him pass out since it wasn’t the blood loss itself. We’re going to put him in a room upstairs. You’ll be able to see him soon.”
Before he could turn, I said, “I’d like a private room.”
“That’s not for me to decide, sir. You’ll have to speak with Admin.”
“What if you make it your business? I need to ensure my bo– partner is in the best situation possible. I can’t do that if he’s sharing a room with a stranger or on a floor where danger can reach him. This wasn’t an accident. Someone is trying to hurt him in order to hurt me.”
Dr. LaFleur stared at me for a long moment before nodding. “I’ll see what I can get handled. For now, you need to calm down and maybe take a walk. I understand you want your boy safe, but a good Daddy knows when to keep his cool.”
