Bodyguard My Heart (The Bodyguard #2)

Chapter 5

5

S amara

“Excuse me!” I approached the receptionist’s desk frantically. I took a second to catch my breath before speaking. As soon as Rebecca had stopped the car, I jumped out and ran inside. My mind was in a whirlwind the entire car ride.

“I’m Samara Augustine. My husband was brought here from a car wreck.” My words moved as fast as my heartbeat in my chest. Monroe, Aliza, Contessa, and Rebecca joined me at the desk as the receptionist slowly typed on her computer screen. She clearly couldn’t sense the level of urgency in the room.

“Name of the patient?” she replied dryly.

“Demetrius Augustine.”

Her head dropped back down to the computer.

“I don’t see a patient by that name. Are you sure this is the hospital the patient was brought to?” A hint of an attitude laced her voice. This bitch acted as if I inconvenienced her. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my anxiety. I was a nurse, and I understood how hectic medical work could be.

“Excuse me.” I peered down at the badge she wore around her neck.

“Tonia, that cannot be correct. I got a call from this hospital. I’m sure of the number because I work PRN here on weekends. Can you check again, please?”

“There is no patient in our system by that name.” She was cold and dismissive.

“That’s impossible. Please check again.” At this point, I was livid. “Demetrius Augustine!” I screamed, banging my hand on the desk.

“Miss, I’m about to call security.”

“Call them!” I screamed. “Somebody needs to find my damn husband!” I was ten seconds from hopping the counter and whupping her snooty ass.

“Samara!” Monroe pulled me away from the receptionist’s desk. “He’s on blackout. Royale is coming down to get us.”

A sigh of relief immediately escaped my mouth. It made sense that he would be on the blackout list. With all the enemies Demetrius had, it wouldn’t be wise to disclose his identity and location to just anybody. I plopped down in the waiting room chair, allowing more tears to flow from my eyes. This was all happening so fast that it felt like a bad dream. The elevator dinged, and my head flew up. My brother appeared, holding the door and signaling us to come on. I jumped up, rushing onto the elevator. I took in my brother’s appearance. He looked like hell. Being a nurse, I usually wasn’t moved by the sight of blood, but Royale was covered in it. It made me nauseous. If Demetrius had lost that much blood, how could he still breathe?

Royale glanced at me, tears still resting in the corner of his eyes. Our eyes met, and his heartbreak and disappointment peered into me.

“Y’all married?” Those were the first words he spoke, and my sinking heart sank again. I had no words. I dropped my head.

“Imagine my surprise when the doctors informed me that my best friend had a Samara Augustine listed on his paperwork as his next of kin. As his fucking wife.”

“Royale, baby, calm down.” Monroe placed an arm on his shoulder.

“Royale… I—”

“Save that shit, Samara. No matter how foul you and Meechie are for this, our only concern needs to be saving his life.”

“We did it for you,” I whispered to myself. I didn’t know if he had heard me. Never in a million years did I think this was how he would find out. Royale turned around. He didn’t say anything else to me for the remainder of the ride to the ICU. We all rushed into the lobby as soon as the elevator doors parted. Royale showed us to the private waiting area that he’d requested for us. Two brown-skinned women greeted me when we stepped into the room. They were wearing scrubs, so I assumed they were the doctors.

“Are you Mrs. Augustine?” one of them questioned.

“Yes.” I nodded, closing the space between us.

“I am Dr. Foster, and this is my nurse practitioner Miss Jansen.”

“We spoke over the phone,” Nurse Practitioner Jansen said.

“As mentioned, your husband was brought in for injuries related to a car accident. We were able to get him stable, but several scans showed internal bleeding in the abdomen. He has extensive damage to his spleen. It is ruptured. Mr. Augustine also has a break in his right leg.”

Tears rolled down my face as I listened to the doctor list Demetrius’s injuries. With all of that going on, it was a miracle that he was alive.

“He needs to undergo immediate surgery to stop the internal bleeding and repair his ruptured spleen. He’s going to need a partial splenectomy to save his life.”

“Oh my God!” My knees buckled, but I was glad Royale and Monroe were there to hold me up.

“Miss, your husband has lost so much blood. He’ll lose more during the procedure. It isn’t safe to operate on him without giving blood. To operate, he’ll have to undergo a blood transfusion. That is where we need your consent. Unfortunately, time isn’t on your side. We need an immediate decision.”

The room looked as if it was spinning as I tried my best to process what she said. A splenectomy was a serious surgery with a lot of risk factors, and so was a blood transfusion. So many things could go wrong, but our choices were slim. The fact that Demetrius trusted me to make decisions about his medical well-being had more tears glazing my eyes.

“Yes, I consent. Do what you need to save his life, please,” I cried. The doctor nodded and offered me a light tap on the shoulder.

“I’ll do everything I can. I’ll have the nurse bring back the paperwork.” Dr. Smith turned to walk away, but Royale stopped her.

“Excuse me, Doctor!” he shouted. “We were also waiting on news about the man brought in with him. Fabian Baptiste.”

Dr. Smith looked down at her clipboard and then back up at us.

“Are you his next of kin?”

“We’re the only family he has here in the States. He’s here on a work visa,” Royale informed her. I watched as the doctor’s expression grew somber, and my already broken heart shattered.

“He didn’t make it. The bleeding in his head was too much. I’m sorry, but he succumbed to his injuries.”

Dr. Smith turned and briskly walked out of the room before disappearing behind the double doors. Nurse Practitioner Jansen trailed behind her. The room was silent. Hearing that Fabian hadn’t made it was heartbreaking. I didn’t even know why I hadn’t thought to ask about him. Of course, he was driving Demetrius. He drove him most of the time.

Royale released me and walked over to a waiting room chair. He tucked his head in his shirt, shielding the tears he shed for Fabian. My eyes traveled to Polo as he cried into Contessa’s chest. This was heavy and now seemed like the perfect time to fall apart. The room filled up with the sounds of my sobs. I cried for Fabian. I cried because of the thought of losing Demetrius, and I cried because I’d spent the last six years suppressing my feelings for Demetrius to avoid this very moment, and it still came.

“We got you. Everything is going to be okay, sis. It has to be.” Monroe rubbed my back.

“What if it’s not? Fabian is gone. The last thing I said to Meechie was I didn’t love him.” I tucked my head into her chest and let my broken heart spill out without any reservations.

“What if he dies thinking I don’t love him?”

“He knows, sis,” Polo interjected from where he sat with Contessa in the corner of the room. “Y’all love for one other… That’s what’s keeping him here. That’s what’s pushing him to fight.”

I stared at Polo. Despite the tears he’d shed for Fabian, this was the calmest I had ever seen him. Splats of blood covered his clothes too.

“That nigga is not about to die and let you move on with another nigga,” he added, lightening the air in the room. It was needed. Everyone chuckled a little as a nurse appeared with a clipboard.

“You want to go over the consent to treat here or somewhere more private?” she asked. I glanced around the room at everyone present. We were all an important part of Demetrius’s life. We were all his family.

“Here is fine,” I replied.

“Okay.” She looked down at the paper and back at me. “Mrs. Augustine, the procedure involves operating on your husband to address abdominal bleeding being caused by a ruptured spleen.”

My lips moved as she spoke. I already knew the spiel about blood transfusions. I’d given this same spiel to many people. It didn’t matter what she said. I was going to sign.

“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 the man 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. He was 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.

“Y’all ain’t did shit for me.” Royale waved me off.

“Yes, we did. Demetrius couldn’t take over without being blood or marrying blood. You thought you could just turn it over to him, but you couldn’t! If you don’t believe me, ask your father.”

“You’re telling me y’all been married for the last six years?”

“Yes, the rules said five, but things got complicated.”

“Y’all caught feelings,” Polo added, reminding me that it just wasn’t me and my brother in this room. Royale stared at me. Disbelief and disappointment were etched on his face.

“Y’all two motherfuckers lucky we are in the midst of a fucking war.”

Tears rolled down my cheeks. Royale had always been the closest thing I had to a father. Knowing he was mad and disappointed in me broke my heart.

“After he’s released, you’re going to the safe house, and that’s not up for debate–”

“Hello. You all can see him now. I will take you. Are you all ready?” The nurse interrupted Royale. I took one final gaze at him before turning to face the nurse.

“Yes.”

“Follow me,” she instructed. My feet moved briskly behind the nurse as she escorted us out of the waiting room and down a long hallway to Demetrius’s private room. Monroe, Aliza Rebecca, and Contessa trailed.

“It’s a lot of you here. We ask that you keep it to three visitors at a time. He’s been floating in and out of consciousness. That’s normal after a blood transfusion. He may sleep most of the day due to the anesthesia and pain medication.”

I didn’t need the rundown, so I pushed the door open, eager to see him. Polo and Royale followed behind me. As I entered the dimly lit hospital room, my heart raced, and my eyes instantly filled with tears. I’d seen a ton of patients recovering after surgery, but the sight of Demetrius lying there fragile and broken was something I could never prepare for. Demetrius was a giant. He was so strong and protective that sometimes I forgot he was human. I approached his bedside with tears rolling down my eyes. No matter his position in the cartel, his money, or his power, he was just a man, as fragile as anyone else. I reached out and took his hand in mine.

“You’re trying to give me a heart attack.” I exhaled the breath I’d been holding. The warmth of his touch reassured me that he was still here. Demetrius’s eyes flickered open, and a weak smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

“Don’t come in here with that sad fake shit,” he whispered hoarsely as he turned to stare at me. An overwhelming sense of relief swept over me at the sound of his voice. He was still his same petty self. I rolled my eyes and smiled at the same time. It didn’t matter what he said to me because he was still fighting, still breathing, and still here with me.

“Be nice to sis. She signed off on the paperwork to save your life,” Polo murmured, his voice choking with emotion. Demetrius’s eyes bounced between us, confused.

“You could have told me you put me down as your next of kin.”

“You are my wife, Samara. Your name on all my shit…” His voice trailed off as he turned his head in search of Royale, probably tempering to see if he was in the room. If our secret hadn’t already been out, it would have been now.

“I already know, nigga.” Royale broke the news to him. I could see the flood of emotions that appeared on his face.

“Ro, it isn’t what you think.”

“I think you married and fucked my little sister behind my back for six years and called it loyalty.” Royale’s voice was so distant, so cold. Demetrius didn’t reply. He and Royale just stared at each other. I could barely stand to watch. They never were at odds.

“We ain’t talking about this shit now. It was flawed as fuck, bruh, no matter the reason, but we can’t dwell on that now. Right now, we have more important shit to worry about. Considering your condition, we’re already one step behind,” Polo interjected.

Royale retreated to the window and leaned against it.

“This was a hit, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Polo responded.

“My money on Grant. Have Fabian put somebody on his ass immediately.”

My stomach churned. I wanted to tell him his cousin was gone, but Polo was right. He wasn’t strong enough for that yet. We didn’t want to risk a relapse during his recovery.

“The thing is, why would Grant get you and not me? I was right behind you. A few seconds later, he could have taken out both of us,” Royale added.

“Yeah, well, we’ll put our ears to the streets. See what’s being said. In the meantime, put our loved ones up in the safe house. I want them far away from this shit. Mexico.”

“We’re already on it, nigga.”

“Y’all for real right now!” I shouted. My eyes were bouncing between all the men in the room. “Y’all gon’ talk about this right now? Demetrius, you fresh out of surgery.” I was livid. I understood the danger we were in, but I didn’t understand why someone else couldn’t handle it. Demetrius was in no shape to be trying to run the damn cartel.

“Business doesn’t stop, Samara.”

“But it needs to! You almost died! You have an open abdomen and a broken leg. I’m not letting you run off to some drug war!” My heart pounded in my chest. I didn’t understand why nobody saw my side.

“If someone tried to kill me, then our livelihood is in jeopardy. I have to protect that. I ain’t laying down for no nigga, Samara!” Demetrius’s voice thundered, causing him to cough. The monitors beeped fast as he went into a coughing fit. I had upset him. That wasn’t my intention. The nurse rushed into the room, pushing us all out the way as she administered more pain medicine.

“I’m sorry!” I whispered, retreating to the corner of the room. “He got a little worked up,” I offered. The nurse acknowledged my comment with a nod as she worked hard to get him stable. If a little conversation with me made his blood pressure spike, then how was he going to orchestrate a war?

“He needs rest. We’re going to hold visitors for a while and push back his release to this afternoon. I suggest you all go home, shower, get things ready for him, and come back later.”

I heard what she’d said, but there was no way I was leaving this hospital until he could come with me. We exited his hospital room and walked into the small waiting area at the end of the hall. Everyone stood.

“Samara got us kicked out,” Royale announced. My mouth dropped in shock. I wanted to cuss his ass out, but Monroe grabbed him before I did.

“We’re going to go pack your things for the safe house. I would tell you to come with me, take a shower and change, but I know you’re not leaving.” Aliza approached me.

“Do you need anything in particular?” Rebecca added.

“No.” I shook my head. Rebecca reached for my hand and handed me her keys.

“We’re taking Monroe’s car. Royale is riding with Polo. They’re going to leave to go set things up for Meechie. Here are my keys to at least go for a drive or something.”

“Okay.” I gave them all hugs, and everybody emptied the room. I waited until everyone was gone and snuck back into Demetrius’s hospital room. My gentle bear was sleeping so soundly. Moving quietly, I plopped down in the chair next to his bed and took his hand into mine again.

“I love you,” I whispered, leaning forward and planting a kiss on his forehead. I had to figure out a way to get us out of this mess. In a perfect world we could be together free of all the drama. I stared at Demetrius. I wasn’t leaving his side to go be a sitting duck inside some safe house and leave him to die or end up in jail. There was no way.

“Ma’am, I have his discharge papers.” The nurse’s voice jolted me out of my sleep. It took a moment for me to remember where I was. I hadn’t even noticed that I’d closed my eyes, let alone gone to sleep. I looked to my left at Demetrius who was still resting. Someone had come in and changed his clothes while I was passed out. He was no longer sporting the hospital gown but a pair of gray sweatpants and a white shirt. The sunset glaring through the hospital window told me that we’d been sleeping for more than a few hours.

“Miss, do you hear me?” the nurse questioned.

“Yes, I’m sorry. Just tired.”

“I understand. It’s been a long twenty-four hours for you guys.” She smiled. “You are free to go, but Dr. Smith wants you to promise he comes in for a follow-up in two days.”

“Yes, of course.” I agreed.

“Sign here. This is the consent to discharge.” She pointed to the bottom of the page. I etched my signature on the paper as the nurse went over the recovery instructions and walked me through all of Demetrius’s medications. She showed me how to change his bandages and care for his wound. It was all standard for a patient who’d suffered his injuries. I was confident that I could take great care of him at home.

“The transporters will be here to help you get him in the car. Best of luck to you both.”

“Thank you.” I nodded my head as she exited the room. Standing up, I began gathering all Demetrius’s things. I was expecting it to take longer, but the moment I put his last item in the hospital to-go bag there was a knock on the door.

“Transport!”

“Come in,” I called, and in walked two tall, skinny, light-complexioned men. One was pushing a wheelchair. I was unsure if they were strong enough to move Demetrius, but I guess they could handle it. Lightly, they tapped him on the shoulder.

“You’re being discharged, can you stand up for us?” The tattooed man spoke. Demetrius’s eyes fluttered open, and he nodded his head. They helped him swing his body to the end of the bed before assisting him with standing up. Demetrius moved toward them. Slowly, they lowered him into the wheelchair, securing his legs into the restraints.

“We’re good to go, ma’am.” They rolled him to the door. Taking one last look around the room, I joined them in the hallway. As we made our way down the hall and into the waiting area to wait for the elevator, I was surprised to see it was empty. Royale, Polo, Contessa, Monroe, Rebecca, or Aliza were nowhere to be found. I didn’t realize no one had made it back yet. I didn’t even have my car.

“Um, excuse me, wait,” I called behind them as we piled onto the elevator.

“Yeah.” One of the men turned to look at me.

“I don’t have—” Suddenly, it dawned on me that I had Rebecca's car. I reached in the pocket of my pajamas and retrieved the car keys. Attached to them was a valet tag.

“Is this for valet?” I held up the car keys pointing to the yellow tag.

“Yes, ma’am. I can give your keys to the valet for you.”

I handed him the car keys as we exited the elevator into the hotel lobby. I watched nervously as the transport guy handed my keys over to a pale man at the valet desk. The pale man didn’t waste any time taking off toward the parking garage.

“Is this spot cool to wait for your car?” the other transport guy asked just as we made our way outside.

“Yes, this is fine,” I replied as I took in my surroundings. The fresh air was a welcomed change from the stuffy hospital room. I stared down at Demetrius. His eyes opened as he took in the scenery. My thoughts raced. I wasn’t ready to leave him.

Rebecca’s Mazda pulled up in the roundabout and I hopped inside. They placed Demetrius in the back seat so he could rest.

“Thank you,” I said to the men before they returned to the hospital.

Sitting in the car, I pulled out my phone to call Royale. I needed to figure out where to take him. No sooner than that thought crossed my mind did it disappear. This was my chance to get away… To leave all of this behind. We didn’t have anything but the clothes on our backs, but I didn’t give a damn.

I threw Rebecca’s car in drive and pulled off. I made a mental note to have Rebecca’s car shipped back to her when we got to wherever we were going. I was sure she would understand. My heart pounded and my hands trembled on the steering wheel as the hospital grew smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror. I was leaving all my worries and troubles behind. I didn’t know where we were going, but I hoped it was somewhere we could both find healing.