Page 75 of Ryder
My legs weakened, and Ice guided me back into a chair, sitting beside me.
“This isn’t your fault. Stop beating yourself up, and focus on what’s happening right now,” Ice muttered. Someone shoved a drink in my hand. A large shot of vodka. I drank it in two gulps, and cradled the glass in my hand.
“She’s gonna be okay, brother. She’s a fighter.” Stitch had crouched beside me, and he poured me another shot of vodka.
“Drink. It’ll help clear your head.” I stared at the glass. I’m sitting here drinking vodka, while she fights for her life. I clenched my hand, and considered throwing the glass. I wanted to throw everything I could get my fucking hands on.
A tight grip on my wrist distracted me.
“Calm the fuck down, brother.”Torch.
“Why the fuck did I have to hear about this from a fucking prospect?” He snarled, leaning against the wall on the other side of me.
Stitch nudged the glass in my hand, and I drank the vodka. It helped a little to sharpen my mind. We were all just sitting or standing around watching, as Doc and his two minions tried to save the woman I was falling in love with.
Did I want her for my old lady? Yeah. I didn’t have to wonder anymore. It shouldn’t have taken me so fucking long to realise it for sure, but then… she’d raped me. It wasn’t like I met her at a bar, and we had a hot session together, and… actually… fuck it.That’s exactly what it was, in a roundabout way. I picked up a chick at a bar, and I had a fucking session with this woman, and I couldn’t get her out of my mind. Any way you look at it… she was the fucking one.
I lurched up out of the seat, feeling several hands grab me at once.
“How’s she doing?” I called out to Doc, who glanced at me over his shoulder for the briefest moment.
“She’s gonna need a transfusion. Her medical records state she’s O positive, which is a fucking relief, because so are a whole bunch of you, and that’s even if I ignore the ones taking illegal substances. Torch, get Has-Been and Dodger up here. Ryder, you’re up too. The three of you are donating.” He turned to one of the prospects helping him. “You can do the blood collection. Go. We’ve got this.”
I moved straight to the bed the prospect pointed to. Nick, I think his name was.
“Uh… I’m clean, I don’t take anything,” I muttered pointlessly at him, because Doc wouldn’t have suggested me if he thought otherwise.
I barely paid any attention, as Nick drained my blood like a fucking vampire. I was too busy trying to watch what they were doing to Tori. When he pressed something against my arm, and said he was done, I blinked with surprise. It had been quicker than I’d expected, and I’d barely felt it, with my focus fully on my woman.
Torch had done his brother-fetching duty, and Has-Been and Dodger had also been seated, and were being drained of a pint too. What a fucking relief that she wasn’t some crazy rare blood type, because we’d have been screwed.
Doc had more kit than I’d realised before, having Tori hooked up to IVs, and even machines that beeped rapidly. Jesus, was that her heart? I stood up, moving closer to her.
“Give them room, Ryder.” Reacher dragged me back over to sit by Ice, who had an odd look on his face.
“I feel so fucking useless,”he muttered, as I stared at him.
“Why? I’m guessing it’s thanks to you that we even have her medical records?”
He nodded, gesturing to the others.
“But if I wasn’t such a fucking junkie, I could have given blood too.” Oh. He’d never talked about his habit like he saw it as aproblem before. Was he starting to see how deep down the rabbit hole he was sinking at last?
Doc cursed, and the beeping sped up to a dangerously rapid rate. Shit!
We all stood up, and Doc started barking orders, the first of which was for all of us to get the fuck out of the infirmary. We were all ousted, the door slammed in our faces, and we stood in that hallway, staring at each other, with horror and shock on all of our faces. Reacher was speaking, and there was some response to his voice, but I didn’t hear any of it. All I could hear was that rapid beeping, which might even be inside my head now.
“Brother?” I blinked, turning to look at Reacher, and somehow we were alone in the hallway.
“She’s gonna be fine. Doc’s the best at what he does. Just give him some space to do his thing, and he’ll call us in when she’s stable.” My legs were shaking, and I would have been on my ass if not for that wall.
“I fucked up. I should have realised she’d try something like this.”
Reacher tutted at me. “How the fuck were you meant to know that?”
I closed my eyes. “How could I not see it, Pres? She was fucking raped. Cut up with a fucking knife, by a guy who did this all to her years ago, and who was planning to keep her, and keep doing it. Why the fuck wouldn’t she try?”
He leaned against the opposite wall; his arms folded.
