Page 65 of The Prez
“Rafael. I would say it’s a pleasure if it weren’t three in the morning. Why the house call?”
He motions to the couch and the nurse looks at me, then at Kit. He has amazing bedside manner because he barely flinches. “You got ice?” he asks Raf over his shoulder.
“A few ice packs and a first aid kit.”
“Just bring me ice. I got everything I need right here,” he says, lifting his bag, but not taking his eyes off Kit. “I’m Hector Ruiz,” he says softly. “I’m an emergency room nurse at Mellbind General. I’m here to help. Can I come examine you, please?”
Kit looks at me and I nod. If Raf trusts him, I do too. Trust isn’t easy to come by with my man, so I know this Hector Ruiz is good people.
Dragging in a shuddering breath, Kit says, “Okay.”
Nurse Ruiz walks over, a slight limp in his step. I wonder at it, but it’s not my business nor what’s important right now. I slide over so I can give them both some space.
The handsome nurse opens the bag and pulls out a blood pressure cuff and a stethoscope. He makes quick work of checking Kit’s blood pressure and temperature. He has him sit up and listens to his breathing too, making him take several deep breaths. Kit winces with every one.
Then Hector raises his shirt and I hiss. There are bruises all over Kit’s torso, foot sized bruises that are turning colorsalmost before my eyes “Oh Kit,” I whisper, covering my mouth with my hand. “How bad are you hurting?”
“Not too bad,” he says huskily as Hector presses on his abdomen. He winces, tears flowing from his eyes, but he doesn’t otherwise move.
“Abdomen feels good, not rigid.” When Kit looks confused, Hector says, “A rigid abdomen could mean internal bleeding.” He goes back to his exam. “Ribs don’t feel broken, but I can’t tell for sure without X-ray equipment.” He lowers Kit’s shirt. He pulls a flashlight from somewhere and shines it in Kit’s eyes. “Might have a concussion. How do you feel?”
“I hurt everywhere. Head hurts where he kicked me.” Kit touches the contusions on his forehead. “I’m sore everywhere. I wanna sleep.”
Hector nods. “That’s understandable. If he kicked you in the head—” I hiss at those words, my heart hurting as I think about Brock hurting kit like that—“you should be checked out for a concussion. I’m gonna give you some meds to help with the pain. They’re from my personal stash. Take them as needed for the next few days. I’ll give you some now and you can rest. Take ibuprofen when you run out of pain meds. Got it?”
Kit nods, leaning back into me. “Thank you.”
“All good. Here’s my card,” Hector says, handing it to Kit. “Call if you have any questions.”
He stands and claps Raf on the back before he leaves. Raf hands me some ice packs and a towel before he grabs a bottle of water for me. I help Kit take the meds and he lies on my lap. I hold the ice pack to his forehead and hum to him as he cries softly. Raf sits on the recliner, watching us with those beautiful hawklike eyes. His eyes flick over Kit, a hard set to his jaw.
“Can you get me out of here today?” Kit asks. “You knowmy sister moved to Georgia. She’s in Savannah. I never told Brock where she lives. He won’t be able to find me there.”
I look up at Raf and he dips his chin, then leans forward. “I know you’re having a hard time right now,” he says to Kit, “trusting people and all. But my brothers would never hurt you. They don’t believe in beating on people for the fuck of it. I can call my enforcer and his boyfriend and they can take you to Savannah. Is that agreeable?”
“I know them,” I tell Kit. “Zeke and Shane are great people. Shane is a lawyer, so he can help you with any legal questions you have. Zeke is a teddy bear, but he’s fierce as fuck. He’ll protect you.”
Kit lets out a shaky breath. “Yeah, okay. Thank you, Rafael. That means a lot. Omari, I can’t believe you’re helping me after what I did to you. I’m so sorry. I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you. If you … if you want us to be friends again.”
I sigh, wiping my eyes. “I love you, Kit. You’ve been my best friend since we were kids. That’s why what you did really hurt me.” He drops his eyes. I’m not saying this to hurt him, but I want to be honest with him. “But I think in time, we can get back to where we were.”
He sobs again, hugging me tightly. “I’m so fucking sorry, Omari. You’ve always been there for me. Always helped me when I needed it and I couldn’t even believe you when you told me the truth. I don’t fucking deserve you.”
I wrap my arms around me, patting his back gently. “We’ll work things out, Kit. But right now, you have to work on yourself. Get better. Then call me, okay?”
He nods and lies back on my lap. “Okay.”
I put the ice packs back to his forehead and look at Raf. “Can you ask Shane and Zeke please? The further away from Brock he is, the better.”
Raf nods and makes the call.
Twenty minutes later, a cheerful Zeke and a subdued Shane step inside. “All ready to go?” Zeke asks Kit.
He rises from my lap, his eyes roaming my face. “I won’t forget this,” he murmurs, hugging me tightly.
“Take care of yourself. Let me know when you get there.”
He kisses me gently on the cheek, then gets to his feet gingerly. “I’m ready.”