The Mafia's Nurse

Angel & Ace

Prologue

He expected pain.

The kind that burns through the blood and spreads fast. Anticipated the metalic taste he would wake up with and a dry sandy throat.

However, instead he is greeted with soft cotton against his fingertips. Although his body is stiff and there is an ache that he can't ignore pulsing in his chest, he seems alright.  Which only seemed to confuse him more.

For a second, alarms went off in Ace's head. He was shot for fucks sake he should be on the hard metal table that he's had more than one intimiate night with and a med students hands glueing him back together.

It's then he notices the sway in the corner of his vision as he tries to focus his eyes. The beeping  of machines and the smell of vaseline are now just reaching his sense.
Hospital. He's in a fucking hospital.

"You're awake," A voice announces and its the first clear sound hes been able to make out.

Ace turns his head towards the soothing sound just as he feels the presence of someone step closer to the bed. Instead of responding he begins to push himself to sit up, but soft, small hands are at his bicep and shoulder pushing him back down.

He should have been annoyed by the strangers attempt at restraining him, but the bolt of electricity he felt from her warm skin stopped the insults and curses from leaving his chapped lips.

His gaze finally focuses up to watch as sunlight outlines her body, how her skin seems to be made of silk and her soft wavey hair is pushed back in an attempt to control the long brown waterfall.

An Angel. Ace realizes he is in the presence of an angel.

Her dark full lips pull back into a smile that she was trying to suppress, "oh I'm no angel," she assures him.

It seems he spoke his words aloud, but he can't find it in him to care. Quite the opposite. He's glad she knows just how beautiful he thinks she is. 

Once more Ace tried to move his body which causes a groan of pain to leave his lips. And again her soft palms and slim finger tips touch his body to press him into his bed. She needed to lean forward to use her weight against his. Even sedated he is strong.

"You really shouldn't move," she recommends and he just groans again in protest this time.

"I don't speak caveman. You're going to have to use real people words," she mumbles and Ace's lips tilt into a lollipop smile. One he has never worn before.

"I want to sit up," his voice is hoarse and sounds like sand paper. But for some reason it still makes her shiver.

"I'm sorry but that isn't going to happen," she warns. Her tone sounding like she was used to telling people no.

"What if I say please?" whether he sounded sarcastically slow or just slurred he didn't know but judging by the way she shook her head with a small smile the angel thought he was funny.

"Something tells me you don't say please often," she says as her grin grows making him even more sure that he did die and is in heaven.

He gives a weak attempt of a shrug as she stays close hovering over him, "For you I would say it everyday."

She throws her head back without warning and lets out a laugh. Lines gather at the corners of her eyes and around the outside of her lush lips as her thin fingers hover over her mouth. Something about the display screams that she needed this maybe because he's convinced she's his guardian angel and now she won't worry anymore because he's finally joined her.

A sudden fear grips his stomach, maybe this wasn't heaven but hell and in some kind of twisted nightmare wear he finds his women but can't actually have her or reach her.

Without a second hesitation he reaches his hand out and gently runs his calloused finger tips from the bottom of her forearm to the tip of her bicep as far as his hand can reach, before slowly dragging them back down her arm. Watching the goosebumps rise against the warmth of his skin.

"Are you always this charming when heavily sedated?" She asks trying to seem light against the intensity of his touch and his stare.

He grants her a light response but doesn't remove his hand from her skin, "you must bring the best out of me."

And again she lets out a care free laugh that makes his heavy mind feel light as if it's flying.

"My god that laugh," he murmurs. "It's something out of a movie. Like Julia Roberts."

This grips her attention and although she knows the questions she should be asking are if he feels any pain, or what was the last thing he remembers... she finds herself defenseless against him and allows him to lead her through the strangest conversation she's ever had with a patient on morphine.

"Let me guess," she begins with a secretive smile, "Pretty Women is in your top ten favorite movies."

It's his turn to let out a load laugh but when he cringes from the pain both are brought back to the present. Where he is a gun shot victim and she is a graveyard trama nurse. But he doesn't remove his hand from her soft skin and she still reaches out to stroke the pain lines out of his forehead in an attempt to sooth him.

He breathes in and out a few times trying to suppress and focus but between the pain and the meds he feels himself falling.

"What's your name," her voice is softer now and he leans into her touch, eyes closing, as she continues to run her fingers softly against his cheek.

It was then she decided it was unfair how beautiful he was. The combination of dangerous and beautiful seemed to be why she couldn't walk away from the strange attraction she felt.

"You don't know,?" he asks, expecting himself to feel guarded but was completed relaxed under her curious gaze.

She's shakes head before realizing he can't see her anymore with his eyes closed, "no you were charged as a John Doe. No ID."

"You want my real one?"

This makes her pause.

"Is it safe to know?" She knows the type of men that come into her hospital with dazzling good looks and bullet holes in their bodies are not the type of men that kept their birth name.

As he tries to open his eyes he realizes he no longer can. Exhaustion hits him like a train and commands his muscles to melt against the bed, but he still finds it in him to answer, "for you, yes."

"Then tell me," she whispers watching as he fights against his bodies need to sleep. Feeling disappointed their time was running out. Once he was asleep she would be switching places with Nikki again. Meaning never seeing him again. Covering for that girl was becoming more and more work, but for the first time she was thankful for her lazy coworkers noshow.

"Liam," He hums softly before he is taken by sleep and never to see his angel again.

For when he wakes up she is gone and another, more familiar, women stands there offering him a sickly sweet smiling and asking him for his name.

This time he answers with the cold glare that he's known for with his boys.

"Ace," he sits up ignoring the pain, "now cut the crap Nikki and get me out of here before the cops come sniffin'."