Page 82 of Torment
“Yeah,” Nick says quietly into his phone. “We’re here now. Send him up.”
He hangs up and looks at me.
“Jerry just parked in valet. He’ll be up shortly.”
Good.
Jerry is Nick's personal doctor who moved out here when Nick did. He saw Parker after she had been abducted, and has patched up most of us up more than any hospital ever has. We trust him.
Ashlynn glances up at me from the couch.
“You didn't have to call another doctor.”
“Yes, I did.”
She rolls her eyes but doesn’t argue any further. That alone tells me how much pain she’s in. My hands fist slowly at my side.Because back at the warehouse, tied to a chair in a room that smells like concrete and fear, Tristan is still breathing. For now.
Parker returns with a mug of tea and gently sits next to Ashlynn on the couch. I’m not a tea drinker, but Ashlynn sometimes drinks it when she has a hard time sleeping, so I keep a cabinet stocked for her.
A knock at the door has everyone turning to look. Nick saunters over to open it and Jerry steps inside. Nothing about him ever changes. Early fifties, neatly kept dark hair threaded with some gray, dressed in gray slacks and a dark button up shirt. He grips the black bag slung over his shoulder as he shakes Nick’s hand. His eyes sweep the room once.
Maverick. Cole. Elias. Me.
Then they settle on Ashlynn.
“Well,” he says dryly. “I assume this isn't a social call.”
Nick shuts the door behind him.
“Afraid not.”
Jerry moves into the living room and sets the bag down on the floor before gesturing lightly toward Ashlynn.
“May I?”
She gives a small nod, shifting slightly under the blanket. Parker scoots aside so Jerry can take her place on the edge of the couch. He opens his bag with practiced efficiency.
“Let’s see what kind of trouble you’ve gotten yourself into,” he mutters as he pulls on a pair of gloves and a few other things out of the bag.
I stiffen at his choice of words. Jerry doesn't notice–or if he does, he doesn't care. His fingers are gentle but firm as he tilts Ashlynn’s head, examining the side of her face.
“Nick filled me in a little on what happened,” he says. “The bruising and swelling will go down in a couple of weeks. Ice it as much as possible.”
He moves carefully around her head, inspecting the staples.
“Clean placement. Whoever did them knew what they were doing.”
“The hospital,” Parker says quietly.
Jerry hums.
“Good. Make sure to follow their aftercare instructions to avoid infection.”
Grabbing the small pen light, he shines it briefly into Ashlynn’s eyes.
“Follow the light.”
She does, blinking slowly.
