by I. T. Lucas
Anandur got out, and after exchanging a few words with the doctor, he opened the back door. “I’m going to lift you up and place you on the gurney,” he told Brundar.
Brundar nodded.
“Wait, can’t the doctor give him something for the pain before you move him?” Callie asked.
Anandur hesitated for a moment, looking from the petite doctor to Brundar and back.
“Just do it.” Brundar leaned forward, then groaned and fell back against the door.
“Let me.” The doctor put her hand on Anandur’s bicep, motioning for him to move aside.
“Hello, I’m Doctor Bridget.” She offered her hand to Callie as if there was no injured man in the vehicle, waiting for her to alleviate his pain.
“Callie,” she said as she offered the doctor her hand, which the woman shook quickly. “I’m going to squeeze by you, okay?”
“Sure.” Callie cast the woman a puzzled look. Was she going to get inside and give Brundar a shot for the pain?
“Anandur, push the gurney up to the seat and adjust the height until it’s level with it. We are going to slide Brundar over.”
Callie lifted her hand. “Aren’t you going to give him a shot first?”
“No.” The doctor snaked her arm under Brundar’s back. “When I say go, Callie, scoot as gently as you can toward the gurney, one inch at a time. I’m going to push Brundar at the same rate, so there is no pressure on his knees. When you reach the end, Anandur is going to lift you together with Brundar’s legs. You’ll provide the support while I lift his torso from behind.”
Callie cast her an incredulous look. “How are you going to lift him?” The woman looked to be no more than an inch or two over five feet, if that, and delicately built. She could never lift a big guy like Brundar.
“Don’t worry about that. I’m stronger than I look. Just do exactly as I say, and we will have him on that gurney with minimal pain. Understood?”
Neither guy had argued with the doctor about her plan, so they must’ve known something Callie didn’t. Like maybe Bridget was moonlighting as a bodybuilder.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Small movements, Callie. On three. One, two, three!”
Chapter 3: Brundar
Brundar gritted his teeth as Bridget moistened his pants and then cut them off him, all without giving him anything for the pain. Was she punishing him for involving her in harboring a human?
“Bridget.”
“What?” She didn’t look up from her task of examining his knees.
“Can I trust you to keep Calypso a secret?”
“Anandur said he is taking her home as soon as I’m done treating her.”
“He is.”
“Then it’s all I’m going to say if asked. As a doctor, it is my obligation to treat her. But nothing more.”
“Thank you.”
“I need to knock you out to reset your knees, which I will have to do without the help of a nurse because there is a human here I can’t allow her to see. The bones are already mending, but not in the right way.”
“Can I have a local shot? I don’t want to be out completely.”
“Fine,” she grumbled. “You’re lucky that I just discharged Roni and no new patients have come in. I don’t know what possessed you to bring her in here. You’re aware that you can’t hide her for long. Even if she is hidden from sight, her scent and her heartbeat are going to give her away.”
“I know. But I couldn’t leave her alone after what she’s been through.”
“I’m still waiting to hear all about it, like how the hell the clan’s best fighter got both of his knees shot by a human. It’s not very confidence inspiring.”
He had never heard Bridget talk so nastily to anyone, let alone a patient.
“Why are you angry?”
She waved a hand. “I don’t have all night. Talk to me.”
By the time Brundar had finished telling Bridget a very condensed version of the night’s events and what had led up to them, the anger in the doctor’s eyes had subsided.
“Callie must be traumatized. Even if she hated the guy, his violent death must have been difficult for her. After I’m done with you, I’ll see if she needs anything for the shock.”
“Thank you.”
As always, Bridget worked quickly and efficiently. It had taken her about thirty minutes to administer the local epidural, reset his knees, and put them in braces to keep him from accidentally moving them.
When she was done, Bridget put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “Don’t even think about putting pressure on your knees until I tell you it’s okay. Your brother will have to carry you to the bathroom and back for a couple of days. After that, you can use a wheelchair, and crutches to the bathroom.”
“How long?”
“As long as it takes.”
Bridget was still in a nasty mood.
He rephrased his question. “When can I go back to work?”
“After your knees are fully mended, which should take about two weeks. I don’t want to have to re-break and reset them again because you didn’t listen to me.” She looked evilly at him. “I will do it the old-fashioned way, with a belt between your teeth to bite on and no painkillers.”
Fuck, he’d been there, done that. It was easy to forget how bad it used to be.
“I promise you that I’m going to follow your instructions to the letter. Contrary to popular belief, I’m not into pain.”
That got a smile out of her. “Good boy.” She patted his shoulder. “Rest here while I treat your girlfriend.” Bridget stepped out of the room and closed the door.
A moment later it opened again, the irate redhead letting Calypso and Anandur in. “She wants to check on you first.” Bridget grimaced.
Calypso’s face looked bad. Splotches of purple and yellow and black covered most of it.
Had it gotten worse, or had he been in too much pain to notice it before?
“You need to let the doctor treat you, Calypso.”
“I will in a minute.” She walked up to his bed. “What’s the prognosis?”
“He is going to be as good as new in a few weeks,” Bridget said from behind her.
Callie lifted a brow. “I’m not a doctor, but even I know it’s impossible to heal from such severe injuries so quickly.”
Bridget put her hands on her hips and glared at the three of them. “I used a new experimental procedure that speeds up the healing process significantly. You have my word. In a few weeks, there will be no sign of the injury.”
Calypso smiled for the first time that night. “Thank you, Doctor. That’s the best news I’ve ever gotten.” She leaned to kiss Brundar’s cheek. “Now I’m ready to get treated.”
Behind her back, Bridget rolled her eyes and mouthed, “You owe me big time.”
He nodded. Bridget had lied for him. She sure as hell hadn’t enjoyed it.
Calypso pushed up and turned to the doctor. “Any chance you can pull a miracle treatment like that for me? Something to get rid of those bruises overnight so I can go back to work?”
“Sorry. That procedure works only on bones and tendons and cuts, not bruises.”
To Bridget’s credit, she handled Calypso with way more care than she had him, touching as gently as she could and apologizing for hurting her every time Calypso winced.
“Nothing is broken. I’ll give you something for the pain. How are you holding up emotionally?”
Calypso shrugged. “Surprisingly fine.” She tugged her T-shirt down. “Is there something wrong with me? Shouldn’t I feel something?”
“I’m not a psychologist. I guess that you didn’t have time to internalize what happened yet and that it will hit you later. I’ll give you some mild relaxant in case it does.”
The doctor walked out, returning a few moments later with three containers of pills. “The instructions are right here.” She showed them to Calypso, then waved her hand in Brundar’s direction. “Okay, people. It’s late,
and I want to get some sleep tonight. You’re free to go.”
Anandur pointed at the gurney. “Am I taking him up with that?”
“Unless you want to carry him in your arms, then the answer is yes.”
“I’ll take the gurney.”
“Smart move. Goodnight, guys. Call me if you need me.”
“Thank you, doctor,” Calypso said.
As soon as Bridget had left, Anandur closed the door behind her and walked over to the bed. “Am I taking Calypso home now, or is she staying the night?”
“Is that an option?” She looked hopefully at Brundar.
He didn’t want her to go. Not now, not ever. But that wasn’t on the table. The next twenty-four hours was the best bargain he was going to get. “She comes with us. You can sneak her out tomorrow night.”
“That’s what I thought.” Anandur leaned over him, lifting him an inch off the bed and repositioning him as far as he could go to the right.
“Up you go.” He motioned for Calypso to get on.
Brundar extended his arm, pulling her to him as soon as she climbed up. With Calypso pressed against him, he inhaled her scent, taking his first deep breath of the day.
Anandur grabbed a blanket, shook it out, and covered them both with it. “Not much of a plan, but that’s all I got.”
“There are no cameras in the clan’s elevators,” Brundar offered.
“True. This is just in case we bump into someone.”
As if a blanket would help.
Even if they managed somehow to mask Calypso’s scent, an immortal would immediately pick up on the additional heartbeat. But Anandur was right that there wasn’t much to be done about it. They were taking a risk.
His brother opened the door and then took up position behind the gurney. “Let’s roll, kids. May the odds be ever in our favor.”
Chapter 4: Callie
The painkillers Bridget had given her hit Callie on the way up to Brundar’s apartment. With the gurney sliding quietly on its wheels, and her tucked against his side, warm and safe, she closed her eyes and let herself drift off, waking up only when Anandur lifted the blanket.
She shivered at the loss of warmth and cuddled closer to Brundar.
“Up you go, Calypso.” Anandur showed her no mercy.
Brundar was as reluctant to let her go as she was to get up. “Can we sleep here?” She grabbed for the blanket.
Anandur yanked it off. “You’ll be more comfortable in the bed, and I bet you would like to shower first.”
Right. She vaguely remembered being dragged over the pavement. Her clothes were covered with dirt, and her hair was all tangled up. Going to bed without a shower was not happening no matter how exhausted she was.
As Callie waited for Anandur to pull down the railing on her side of the gurney, she took a look around the apartment. It was a typical bachelor pad, complete with a big screen, correction, a huge screen, open boxes of pizza with
leftovers sticking to the cardboard and empty bottles of beer and whiskey galore.
In short, it was a pigsty.
“Don’t look at the mess, Calypso. All of it is Anandur’s doing. I refuse to clean up after him. I’m not his maid.”
Anandur humphed. “Yeah, as if I was eating pizza and drinking beer by myself. Half of this mess is yours.”
Brundar ignored his brother. “Come to my room, and you’ll see. It's spotless.”
Frankly, Callie couldn't care less about the state of cleanliness of their bedrooms, what she cared about was the bathroom. She was too tired to start cleaning it, but if the brothers were as disgusting as Shawn had been, and the toilet was covered in pee, she would have no choice but to clean it first.
“Can you guys point me in the direction of the bathroom?”
Heck, she needed a clean towel and a change of clothes as well.
Brundar must’ve noticed her despondent expression. “You can use my bathroom, and I have brand new T-shirts and underwear you’re welcome to.”
“Thank you. What about you? How are you going to shower?”
Brundar glanced at his brother.
Anandur patted his shoulder. “It won’t be the first time I had to wash his ugly butt.”
“And I washed yours, more than once. I think we’re even.”
“Yeah. When you’re right, you’re right. Come on, Calypso, let me show you where he keeps his underwear.” He took her elbow and leaned to whisper in her ear. “I wonder if he keeps his lacy thongs in there too.”
Callie laughed. Imagining Brundar wearing women’s panties was hilarious, but Anandur deserved some of his own medicine back. “I bet his butt looks better in a thong than yours.”
Anandur waggled his brows. “There is only one way to find out. Should I demonstrate?”
“Over my dead body!” Brundar called out from the living room.
The guy really had bat ears.
She took the pack of T-shirts and another one of boxer shorts Anandur had handed her. “I don’t know how he does it. He hears everything.”
“Maybe he is a mutant,” Anandur deadpanned as he opened the bathroom door. “There are extra toothbrushes and soap in there.” He pointed at a tall cabinet. “As well as clean towels.”
“Thank you.”
Thank God the bathroom was spotless, and she didn’t need to clean a thing. Avoiding her own reflection in the mirror, Callie took off her clothes and folded them on top of the vanity. A glimpse of her face in the clinic’s bathroom had been enough.
Awful didn’t begin to describe it.
Stepping into the shower, she was relieved to find that Brundar had great hair products, including conditioner. Her scalp was tender from having been dragged by her ponytail. Even after the double dose of conditioner she’d applied, and the ten minutes she’d let it sit and work its magic, combing her hair out hurt like hell.
When she was done, she put on one of Brundar’s plain white T-shirts and a pair of his boxer shorts. It was long enough to cover her butt, with only the small part of the shorts showing, but regrettably too sheer to forego the bra.
“Here you are,” Anandur greeted her as she walked into the living room. “Come grab something to eat.”
The guy had been busy.
Gone were the empty pizza boxes and beer bottles. He’d even wiped down the coffee table, which was topped with readymade sandwiches, an assortment of pastries, and a coffee carafe. She wondered where the food came from. Only gas station minimarts and Denny’s were still open this late at night.
Brundar, who looked showered, was sitting in an armchair with his legs propped up on an ottoman and eating a sandwich.
“The coffee smells divine.” She walked over and poured herself a cup, then debated where to sit. Next to Anandur on the couch, or try to squeeze next to Brundar in the armchair, which was what she wanted to do?
“Come sit with me,” Brundar said.
“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
“You’re making me uncomfortable just standing there. Come.” He lifted himself by bracing his arms on the chair’s armrests, then moved over to make room for her.
Callie grabbed a muffin and her coffee mug and squeezed her butt into the tiny space, nestling against Brundar. As he wrapped his arm around her, they uttered a simultaneous sigh of relief.
Anandur put his hand over his heart and batted his eyelashes. “You guys are just too adorable.”
He was so funny, mimicking the accent and hand gestures of a southern lady, that Callie couldn’t help the laugh exploding from her mouth together with the sip of coffee she’d just taken.
She wiped her mouth. “God, Anandur, living with you is a health hazard. Don’t joke while people are drinking or eating.”
“I’m sorry. I’m so used to him reacting to nothing, I sometimes forget that other people find me funny.” He threw Brundar a mockingly accusing glance.
“They don’t. They are just polite,” Brundar grumbled.
It dawned on her then
why the two were such opposites. Callie was willing to bet that what had triggered their polar predispositions had something to do with what had happened to Brundar as a kid.
With the younger brother losing the ability to find joy in life, the older one had turned himself into a joker in a desperate attempt to bring it back.
Did Brundar know how lucky he was to have a brother who cared for him that much?
Did he know Anandur was clowning around for him?
Probably not.
Chapter 5: Callie
“Let go!” Callie screamed, trying to pry off Shawn’s vice-like grip on her arm.
“Never. You’re mine, you little bitch.” He lifted a fist, pulling his arm back to deliver a blow.
Callie cowered, covering her face with her hands, but the punch never came. Instead, he began shaking her.
“Wake up, Calypso!”
Calypso.
Shawn never called her that. And it wasn’t his voice either. She was dreaming.
Callie forced herself to wake up, lifting off the bed and commanding her eyes to open. Her angel was there to keep her safe. Brundar was hovering over her, a worried expression on his handsome face. Even injured he would never let anything happen to her.
His name a whisper on her lips, she closed her eyes and dropped back on the bed. “Brundar.”
“I’m here, sweetling. It was just a nightmare.”
“Tell me about it. I dreamt Shawn had me.”
His eyes blazing with a strange inner light, Brundar kissed her forehead. “Never again. Anandur made sure of that.”
“Thank God. Am I a horrible person for saying that?”
Tenderly, Brundar brushed a strand of sweaty hair from her cheek. “Shawn was evil. Anandur did you and the world a favor.”
As a shiver ran through her, Callie covered her eyes with her hands. “I can’t believe I lived with a man for two years and didn’t see it. I mean I did, but I didn’t internalize how bad it was. Or maybe I just didn’t want to admit that I married a monster. I convinced myself that Shawn just had anger issues, and that he was controlling, but it was so much more than that. Why did he hate me? Do you know?” She removed her hands to look at her angel through a mist of tears.