Chapter 9
1016 Words
Jax sat down on the bed again, and she moved away from him, curling up and in on herself. He could see her trembling, and something moved in his chest: he hated to see her scared of anything, and most especially of him.
“Sarah.” Jax kept his rough voice as gentle as possible. “I’m not going to touch you, OK? I’m staying right over here… can you turn over and look at me? Let me see you?”
She shook her head, her face still buried in the pillow.
“OK, then. No rush. Just listen to me though, alright?”
She nodded.
“I know what the bunch of us looks like, but not one of us is going to hurt you. That is a promise, Sarah, from me to you.” He paused. “And Mac’s going to take good care of you. He’s a doctor, so he knows what he’s doing.”
That surprised her. She glanced over her shoulder at him, her blue eyes bright with tears. “A doctor?”
“Yeah.” He took this opportunity to get a good look at her face in the light, and he felt anger twisting his gut. Mac was right, he saw – she’d definitely need some stitches on her forehead. “He’s a real doctor, and if you want, it can just be you and him in here. The rest of us can wait outside while he checks you over, and stitches you up, and gives you something for the pain.”
She wiped the tears from those amazing eyes. “Shouldn’t I go to the hospital?”
“Let Mac take a look at you. If it’s just some bruising and cuts, it’s better if you stay here and sleep after. If we go the E.R., you may be waiting there for hours.”
She nodded in agreement. “That’s true.”
Relieved that she seemed to be calmer now, Jax took a deep breath. “So, let me get Mac back in here.”
“OK,” she said. “Just Mac, though.”
“No problem.” Jax stood up. “You decide what and who you want, doll. You’re in charge here – you tell us what you want us to do. And we’ll do it.
****
Jax downed his fourth whiskey shot of the night, and nodded at Aidan to pour him another one. His personal rule was to never have more than two drinks when he was working, but this night had been one of surprising firsts, so he figured he’d just carry right on with racking them up.
Mac had been in there with Sarah for more than an hour, and Jax was not a man known for his patience. It was taking most everything he had to not go bursting back in to the crash room, and demanding to know what the f**k was the hold-up here. It was only the fact that he’d promised her that she and Mac could be all alone that kept his ass on the stool, and tossing back the shots like they were water.
“You want to go easy on that stuff, man,” King said, watching Aidan pour out the fifth shot. “You’ll feel it like hell tomorrow.”
“Thanks for the advice.” Jax threw the drink back. “Now shut it.”
The door opened now, and Mac emerged. Jax got to his feet, waiting for Mac to join him at the bar.
“How is she?” Jax said.
“Sleeping,” Mac said. “And actually, it’s not as bad as it looked. The cut on her forehead was deep, and that’s where most of the blood came from. As soon as I stitched it up, everything got easier.” He accepted the beer from Aidan and took a grateful sip. “A few nasty gashes on her head, but way up in her hair. I cleaned them, and you won’t even be able to see ‘em. Some bruising and swelling around one eye, but the ice helped with that. All in all? I figure she’ll be healed up in about a week.”
“And the pain?” Jax said. “Is she hurting?”
“Yeah, and I think more than she was letting on. I gave her some ibuprofen, and that dealt with it, then I gave her a sedative. She was pretty upset about what that asshole did to her, and she was shaking pretty badly for a while there. I talked to her and calmed her down, and she fell asleep about ten minutes ago. I waited to make sure she settled properly. She’s out now, all the way.”
“So, what’s the plan?” Aidan asked Jax.
“I’m going to sleep with her,” Jax said.
The other men glared at him.
“You’re gonna what now?” Mac growled.
Jax sighed. “I mean, on the sofa in the crash room. I’m going to keep an eye on her.”
“Yeah?” King said, wondering if hell had frozen over, and Jax Hamill was developing a soft side.
“Yeah.” Jax shook his head. “Listen, this is partly my fault, you know. I’m the one who planted his dickhead face into the bar, and embarrassed him and pissed him off. I’m the one who didn’t click when he grabbed her like that. I didn’t make sure he left, didn’t escort her to her car safely. This is on me, guys. Not all of it, but part of it, for sure.” He rubbed his face. “I just want to make sure she’s OK. That’s all.”
“Alright, then,” Aidan said. “I’ll get you some bed stuff, you can set it up on the sofa.”
“Thanks, man. You all will keep an eye on things out here for me? Let Dillon and Curtis know what’s what?”
“You know it,” Mac said. “It’s all under control."
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