When Ava pulled the door open, she'd wished she'd checked the peephole first.
Why was he here?
"Your refill's not due for another week," she informed Reese, though it came out more like a question. She cast a quick glance at the calendar hanging above her desk just to make sure. It was definitely still Wednesday.
Reese didn't seem to care either way. Pointing a thumb over his shoulder, he shoved right past her and strolled over to the waiting area that consisted of two leather chairs. Unzipping his jacket, he threw himself in a seat, before pulling out his phone.
Ava brought her attention back to the man who was quite literally bleeding on her doorstep. Pedro stood bent over, clutching the right side of his lower abdomen. Blood spilled out from around his fingers, staining his undershirt and the tarnished surface of his silver rings.
He could at least help the man in. He's practically bleeding out from that wound.
Ava assisted Pedro inside herself, lifting him onto the examining table. Once she helped him shrug off his jacket, Reese spoke up. "He took two bullets to the side. From what I can tell, they shot clean through."
"Shouldn't you take him to the emergency room? The best I can do is check his vitals and give him stitches, but there might be damage to his internal organs."
"No. Just close him up and we'll be on our way."
Before she could stop herself, Ava found herself blurting out the first thing that came to mind. "For someone who barged into my clinic, you seem quite sure of yourself. Maybe you should come here and check the wound yourself." She crossed her arms over her chest but dropped them just as quickly. The impending silence that followed made her regret her words entirely.
Slowly, Reese stood up and stalked over to her. But before he could get close enough, Pedro jumped down and stood in between them, shielding Ava from the looming tower of dark energy.
"Pedro," Reese warned.
"Now listen, Boss." The shorter man placed a hand on Reese's shoulder, steadying himself from the pain shooting up his body. "The Doc has a point. Not the part about you being conceited," he reassured, swallowing back the fear that caught in his throat. "But maybe we should head over to the hospital, instead."
Reese seized him by the collar.
"Are you out of your f*king mind!?"
Ava stepped forward to help the injured man but froze as soon as Reese's eyes darted to her.
"Don't worry Doc, I'm fine. Let him speak his mind."
Reese averted his eyes back to Pedro. He lowered his head to the man's height and clenched his jaw before continuing in a low whisper. If Ava weren't standing so close to them, she would've barely heard a peep.
"You know why we can't go to the hospital. Or did you need a reminder?" A strange look washed over Pedro's eyes before he shook his head gently. Somewhat calmer, Reese continued, "Not to mention the bills. Who's going to pay the costs afterward, huh? I know full well you can't, and I sure as hell won't be spending a single dime on some stupid mistake you could've avoided."
Ava had no idea what was going on. What she did know, however, was that her patient was still losing blood by the second. And she had to do something about it. She didn't know what gave her the courage, maybe it was simply Pedro's presence beside her. But whatever it was, she gave Reese a hard shove, sending him stumbling back.
"Stop, your hurting him." She avoided his eyes, instead, pointing to some chairs behind them. "Go sit down over there. I'll see what I can do."
He didn't say a word, only narrowing his eyes and shooting her a glare so vile, Ava's soul practically lept out in fear. While Reese grabbed one of the anatomy books off the shelf and sat back, Ava took a deep breath and stepped toward the makeshift examining table.
◆
"Alright then," Ava dusted her hands as she stood back. "Can you sit up for a moment? I need to examine the exit wound."
The bare-chested man lying faceup on the table gave a grunt of approval. He pushed himself off the makeshift bed with the help of his elbows, but only managed to make a couple of inches worth of progress. Unable to hold his weight for a moment longer, he fell back with a breathless thud.
Ava could see the sweat beading along his hairline, his eyes squeezed shut as the pain coursed through his body.
Although she had thoroughly examined almost every wound on his body for the last hour and a half, she couldn't begin to imagine how much pain it all really accumulated to. Her eyes flitted to the purplish bruises that lined his knuckles. What were these men up to lately? She shuddered at the unspoken possibilities. With each passing day, she felt herself agreeing more and more with the words of a certain someone.
Trust me. The less you know, the safer you'll be.
After a few moments of lying still, the man opened his eyes to gauge her response. Pedro looked vulnerable in this state, an expression she knew few got to see. "It's no use, chiquita," he sighed. "I've got no upper body strength left."
Ava shot him a weak smile. "It's my fault for assuming. Here," she threw his arm over her shoulder. As she leaned forward to pull him up to a sitting position, she could feel two eyes burning into her back. Risking a glance, she found Reese twirling a pocket knife between his fingers, watching her from the unlit corners of the room.
She ignored him for the time being.
Once Pedro was seated, she made a move to pull back, but his burly arms stopped her. "Por Dios, give me a second to rest," he breathed, resting his pointy chin on her shoulder. Ava nodded and stood patiently, trying to ignore the rustic odor of blood that combined with the stench of sweat and alcohol. To her right, she heard Reese's knife snap shut. His approaching footsteps soon followed.
When Pedro finally shifted, Ava found herself counting her blessings, grateful to have his weight lifted from her. He was quite a big man.
"Strange," Pedro noted. "And here I thought you'd smell like peaches n' cream. All I smell is antiseptic and my Tita's old medicine cabinet." Ava didn't know how to respond to that but she could hear the disappointment in his voice.
"Sorry," she chuckled. "Okay, sit tight for a second." She ran over to her cart of tools, picking up a pair of long-nosed tweezers and cotton balls. While soaking them in disinfectant, she felt a presence looming over her shoulder.
"It's not a bad smell," Reese stated, pocketing his knife. He seemed much calmer since the earlier outburst.
Both Ava and Pedro's head snapped to the man. "No one said it was, Boss," the injured man assured him, holding back a smile.
Shrugging, Reese pushed the cart behind Ava, following her to the examining table. She noted how she liked it better when he was standing at the far end of the room. His watchful eyes at this proximity only unnerved her, chancing the risk of a rookie mistake.
Ava took a deep breath and focused on cleaning the injured man's wounds.
She was interrupted by a knock at the door.
