Page 18 of Bodyguard My Heart
“I want to ensure that you understand the risks and potential benefits of the surgery and the blood transfusion. Do you have any questions or concerns before we proceed?”
“No,” I replied. The nurse handed me the consent forms, and my hand trembled. I was terrified but certain I was making the right decision. I glanced around the room at everyone. All eyes were on me. I understood the urgency of this. We all needed him to be okay. We needed him to come out of this. I took a deep breath, steadied my hand, and etched my name at the bottom of the paper.
Now, it was time to wait, pray, and trust the doctors. I looked around. Polo and Royale were whispering to each other in the corner. The looks on their faces told me they were handling business. I stood and walked over to the recliner chair in the corner and made myself comfortable. I was going to be there for a while. Pulling out my phone, I opened up the hidden picture thread of Demetrius and me. I swiped to the day we’d gotten married. I didn’t think we should take any pictures. After all, our union was fake, but Demetrius insisted. He said fake or not it was my wedding day, and I should remember it. A smile formed on my face as more tears dropped. If he died tonight, I knew I would regret every time I told him we couldn’t be as I rested my head on the recliner as minutes turned to hours.
No amount of time joining Royale in the operating room could prepare me for the stress that came with waiting for theman I loved to come out of surgery. We’d been waiting on an update on Demetrius for so long the sun was now coming up.
“He’s out of surgery!” Polo yelled from where he stood at the receptionist’s desk. He’d been harassing these people for hours, trying to get an update. “The doctor is on her way out to talk to us.”
I sat up. Suddenly, the door opened, and Dr. Smith entered with a warm smile on her face. Relief immediately coursed through my body at her facial expression as I stood and approached her. Polo, Royale, and Monroe all did the same. Surely, she wouldn’t be smiling if he hadn’t made it.
“I’m so pleased to be able to tell you all the surgery went excellently,” she began, her eyes finding me. “Your husband is recovering in the recovery room and doing surprisingly well. We weren’t able to repair the spleen laparoscopically, so he does have an open wound. Only a small portion was removed.” We all collectively released a sigh of relief.
“We’ll closely monitor your husband’s progress in the next few days. Pain management will likely be the most crucial aspect of his recovery process.”
“Can we see him now?” I questioned.
“Once he’s moved to a private room, you all will be free to see him. It won’t be much longer.”
I nodded.
“When can he go home?” Royale questioned.
“Three, maybe four days. It depends on how well he is recovering,” Dr. Smith replied.
“Is there any way we can continue his recovery at home? I’m a doctor and could monitor his care,” Royale stated.
“The main thing is to ensure that he is comfortable because he has an open wound that will need monitoring.”
“I’m a plastic surgeon. I know all about wound care.”
“Do you want to continue care at home, Mrs. Augustine?”
I stared at Royale. I wasn’t sure I wanted Demetrius to go home, but I knew that would be what he wanted.
“Yes, I'm also a NP. I think between me and my brother, we can manage his aftercare.” Dr. Smith nodded.
“In that case, we’ll monitor him for a few hours and then get him released. I’ll have a list of all the items you’ll need for his care.” Dr. Smith turned and exited the room.
“When Meechie is released, we’re moving you and Monroe to the safe house.” Royale turned and looked at me as soon as Dr. Smith disappeared.
“Safe house?” I was puzzled. Why would I need to go to the safe house? Then it hit me all at once. “Wait, this was an attempt on his life? Somebody was trying to kill him?” The words sounded as heavy leaving my lips as they did in my brain.
“Yeah, this was an assassination attempt,” Royale confirmed. “Someone sent an empty, driverless, eighteen-wheeler racing down an intersection. It’s only right to assume it was with the intention of taking out Demetrius.”
Everything around me seemed to move in slow motion. In the shuffle of everything, I’d forgotten that Demetrius was Capo. I thought this was just a regular car accident. I should have known it was cartel related.
“You said me and Monroe were going to the safe house? Where is Demetrius going?”
“With Polo and me. Hurt or not, we got business to take care of.”
“I'm not leaving Demetrius so he can work. He just had surgery. He almost died. Hello!” My voice was growing louder.
“Samara, don’t make this difficult. You knew what you were signing up for when you secretly married this nigga.”
I stared at my brother. We joked all the time. The usual brother and sister banter, but we hardly ever had a real fight. Hewas holding so much animosity toward me. Finding out I was married to Demetrius bothered him.
“You’re right. I did know what I was getting into when I married him,” I blurted. “An agreement that would keep my brother from having to take over the cartel so he could follow his dreams of being a surgeon.” My eyes locked on Royale’s. “I married Demetrius behind your back to benefit you. We did this for you!” I screamed. The stress of the situation was evident.