Open Up To Love

Chapter 2

2

Blood gushed down the sides of the table like a river, dripping incessantly. The men behind him shuffled closer, their large bodies creating shadows that were wall-like in their effect.

“Get back!” Mateo Hernandez waved his gloved hands and then returned his attention to the boy lying on the table. Light blissfully returned and he focused on extracting the object that had become lodged in his patient’s side.

The tweezers locked on the stone-sized bullet and he glanced up, looking for the heart monitor before realizing that nothing was there.

Mateo discarded the bullet and checked the kid’s pulse with his fingers. The boy’s mahogany-colored skin was dotted with sweat and he was slowly regaining consciousness. Mateo winced.

He’d be in for a world of pain.

Acting quickly, he poured b over the wound and started stitching. The boy woke up and screamed his head off.

“Hold him down!” Mateo instructed.

The men rushed forward, but when they saw the needle pulling through skin, they squeamishly loosened their hold.

“He’s going to do more damage to himself if he doesn’t settle down,” Mateo said. Frustration built in his chest and he moved on his own, punching the patient solidly so he was knocked out cold.

Mateo finished his stitching and stood, arching his back to loosen the muscles that had become stiff. “Change the bandages to prevent infection and keep him from moving around too much so he doesn’t upset the wound.”

“Got it,” a voice said. A tall, thick man emerged from the shadows and clasped his hand on Mateo’s shoulder. “I knew I could count on you.”

“This is the second time, Jamal. I told you, I can’t keep doing this. Keep the kids out of your gang wars so I don’t have to stitch them up.”

“They’re too inexperienced. That’s why they always get shot. You should be thanking me. I could have left him on the street to die.”

Mateo narrowed his eyes and removed his gloves to wash his hands at the sink. “You could have taken him to a hospital so he could receive proper care.”

Jamal grinned. His white teeth were a stark contrast to his rich, brown skin. He wore a black shirt over low-slung jeans. “You know I can’t do that, Mattie.”

It was an argument that neither of them would win so Mateo chose to keep silent. He gathered his tools and deposited them into the black case. Jamal led him out of the dark room to the club outside.

The pulsing thump of the bass nearly shook the walls of the corridor and the smell of booze and cigarettes layered the stench of sweat and bodily fluids. He kept his head down as he walked through the crowded room.

“Stay!” Jamal hauled on his arm. “You don’t got nothing to do but stare at the walls in your empty house anyway.” “I’m tired, bro. Another time.”

“You’ve been saying that for years. What? Mommy and Daddy still holding you on a tight leash?”

“I’ve got a full shift tomorrow and somebody dragged me out of my bed while I was sleeping.”

“You were sleeping?” Jamal scoffed. “The night is young.” A group of girls, none older than nineteen, passed by in short skirts and low tops. “You want me to set you up with a honey?”

“Another time.”

Jamal slanted him a look. “Fine. Fine. Go back to your prissy neighborhood and your Chini-man pops. Tell him I said ching ‘ chong chang’.”

“That’s not funny, man.” Mateo shook his head. “I’ll catch you later.”

Jamal waved and ran after the group of girls. Mateo walked to the exit, nodding at the bouncer who let him out.

As he drove away, exhaustion pulled him down. Every time he left Jamal’s club, he felt burdened. His friend had managed to survive in the thug life for nearly thirty years, but his luck could change at any time.

If it hadn’t been for his mom, Mateo would have been right there beside Jamal or six feet under. Because the hand he’d drawn had won him a ticket out of that life and Jamal had been stuck there, Mateo couldn’t say no to his old friend.

He just never thought he’d say ‘yes’ to doctoring gunshot victims in the backroom of a club.

Mateo drove over the bridge connecting the South side to the North side and thought of the kid recovering from his first gunshot wound, recalling the pain from his own experience.

He’d been caught on the street when the shots started firing, just a kid riding his bike to the store for a pack of bread. The bullet tore into his side. It was only a nick, but he’d thought he was done for.

Mateo was glad Santi barely remembered that time. In his brother’s mind, all the bad things that happened to them before Mom stepped in were the wisps of a nightmare.

He parked in front of the small white bungalow with the red roof and tilted his head against the window. If he was completely honest, his life today felt like the dream.

Becoming a doctor, owning a home, feeling content, they were all constructs that his friends in the neighborhood would have laughed at. People like him… they didn’t ‘make it’. They hustled, they fought, and then they died.

He sighed and let himself into the house. Tossing his bag on the ground, he took off his shoes and plopped into the sofa. Mom and

Parker had left all the old furniture and Mateo quickly settled into his favorite position on the couch.

The adrenaline from working on the kid was still pumping through his system. He flicked the television to the nature channel to calm his mind and help him sleep.

Mateo wasn’t sure when he drifted off, but what felt like two minutes later he jolted up and saw sunlight flashing through his windows.

What time is it?

He scrambled to check his watch and panicked. He was late! Without stopping to change or brush his teeth, Mateo climbed into his car and sped to the Medical Center. Traffic refused to cooperate with him and he had to blaze through side streets to keep from being locked in the morning rush.

At last the boxy hospital building cropped up in his vision. Hopping out of the car, he thrust the front doors open and took the stairs three a time until he made it to the right floor. Breathing heavily, Mateo skidded into the foyer and took his place beside the other residents.

“And that is why punctuality is key,” Nick Lee finished his statement. His narrow eyes shrunk to the size of slits when he spotted

Mateo. “Nice of you to join us, Mr. Hernandez.”

“Sorry,” Mateo breathed hard, “I overslept and—”

“That’s enough. Everyone, start your rounds. Mr. Hernandez, see me in my office. Now!” The other residents sent him side glances as they scattered.

“Good luck,” Shanya, his friend, offered. Mateo nodded and followed the tall, broad-shouldered doctor into the office he shared with the other chief.

Nick opened the door for him and slammed it shut when he’d walked in. Mateo bowed his head and kept his gaze on the floor. “I know there’s no excuse for my behavior and I’m really sorry…”

To his surprise, Nick grabbed his shoulders and checked him over. Stunned, Mateo simply stood in place as the professor stared at him with worried eyes. “Is everything okay? You look exhausted.”

“Everything is… fine.”

Nick tilted his head. “Don’t tell me you went to that club to treat a patient again.”

“How did you know?”

“Please. I’m your uncle. Your parents are blinded by unconditional love, but I can see everything.”

“You can’t tell them. Mom and Maria will flip.”

“Are you kidding me?” Nick said. “Melissa will flip if she finds out I’m keeping something from her and she’ll tell Ida and Ida will tell

Parker. You might as well spill the beans now.”

“You’re no help.”

“You try living with your Aunt Mel and see how many secrets you can keep from her. It’s getting out eventually so don’t try to hide anything.”

“Fine. Are you really not going to scold me about being late?”

“Do you want me to?”

“No,” Mateo smirked. “I wonder what all the other residents would think if I told them how soft you are?”

“Don’t you dare.” Nick pulled the lapels of his coat. “It took years to build this reputation so go out there and pretend I really shook you up, alright? Cry if you need to.”

“I’ll try to summon the tears.”

“Thanks.”

“You bringing anyone Sunday?” Nick asked as Mateo walked to the door.

He snorted. “No.”

“Ida and Melissa are trying to set you up again so be prepared.”

“Thanks for the heads up.”

“See,” Nick grinned, “my blabbermouth works both ways.”

Mateo laughed and shook his head. He had a ragtag family filled with crazy individuals, but he wouldn’t give them up for the world.