Primal God (The Defiant God Brotherhood #4)

Chapter 19

My paranoia that something has shifted between me and Dimitri feels confirmed over the next few days. Dimitri works longer hours than usual. When he comes home, he doesn’t pop in for bath time or story time. Instead, he hides in his room or in his study.

And hiding is exactly what I’d call it because that’s what it is.

Take last night, for example. I went into his office, closing the door behind me. He wouldn’t even look at me and then left before I could ask what was wrong. When I stopped by his room later that night, his door was locked.

Something has happened. I just wish I knew what.

There was a moment when I worried he knew about Raquel, but deep down I know that’s not whatever this is. If he knew, she’d be here, with us.

Another thing that’s happened this week is that Clara has suddenly started having nightmares. She wakes me up each night, needing to be comforted. I wish she’d tell me what’s stressing her out, but any time I ask what’s wrong, she just shakes her head.

Sighing, I hit my pillow to fluff it up and roll over. I haven’t been sleeping well. As much as I hate to admit it, I think it’s because I’m not sleeping next to Dimitri. How pathetic does that make me? Wait. I don’t want to know the answer to that.

I’ve just dozed off when I get the feeling that someone is watching me.

Opening my eyes, I can see the outline of Clara. Let me tell you, there’s nothing scarier than seeing the outline of a child in the middle of the night. I blame all the horror movies I watched as a teen.

“Clara? Is everything okay?”

“I’m thirsty.”

Biting back a groan, I sit and turn on the lamp next to my bed.

“Did you have another bad dream?”

She nods as her eyes fill with tears.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.”

I glance at the clock. It’s nearly five in the morning. Looks like it’s going to be a long day.

I say, “Let’s get you back in bed and I’ll get you a drink from the bathroom.”

Clara pouts. “I don’t like the bathroom water. It tastes weird.” She pauses. “Can I sleep in here with you?”

“Will that help you sleep better?”

She nods.

“Then okay. Now, let me grab that water so we can go back to sleep.”

She climbs into my bed, pulling the blanket over her legs. I give her a small smile as I walk out of the room. Carefully, I make my way downstairs without turning on any lights. Diego is a light sleeper and if he gets up to find the lights on, he’ll be ready to get up, too.

I’m on the last step from the landing when I trip over something.

The next thing I know, I’m falling. I brace my fall with my hands and let out a groan as I feel something pop in my right wrist. Pain shoots from my wrist to my elbow, making me feel nauseous. I roll to my side with a groan.

Well, crap.

Slowly and carefully, I sit and then stand. In front of me is the culprit of my fall. A pair of men’s sneakers. Freaking Dimitri!

When I’m sure nothing in my lower extremities is hurt, I make my way back up the stairs. It takes effort, mostly because my arm is throbbing and it’s kind of making me dizzy.

I reach the second floor. Another wave of pain washes over me and I cradle my wrist, leaning against the wall. Dimitri comes from his room and turns on the hallway light. He’s already dressed in his scrubs, which means he was trying to leave before I woke up. Guess the joke is on him.

“I thought I heard something. What happened?”

“Clara wanted water. I tripped over some shoes and fell.”

His gaze goes to my arm that I’m supporting.

“Are you hurt?”

“I’m not sure,” I lie.

He leads me to his room, where he turns on the light. Carefully, he feels around. I whimper when he gets near my wrist.

“I think you may need to go to the hospital.”

“It’s broken, isn’t it?”

He nods. “I believe so.”

I cup my wrist. “I can call an Uber.”

“Absolutely not. I’ll drive you.”

“What about the kids?”

He curses under his breath. We both know we can’t take the kids with us.

Dimitri says, “Give me a moment.”

He grabs his cell phone and calls someone.

“Brooks, remember that favor you owed me? Well, I’m cashing in.”

Thirty minutes later, Dimitri and I are on the way to the hospital where he works. While we waited for Brooks to show up, Dimitri stabilized my wrist and put an ice pack over it. It helped a little with the pain, but not much. He also took water to Clara, only to find her fast asleep in my bed.

“Guess it comes in handy working for an orthopedic surgeon,” I joke as we pull up to the hospital.

Dimitri scowls but says nothing. He’s been surprisingly quiet since we left the house. I wonder if he knows it was his shoes that I tripped over? I definitely don’t voice this thought. We arrive at the hospital and Dimitri parks in a spot marked for physicians. He hops out of the car and rushes around to open my door for me.

“This way.”

We make our way through several doors until we’re in the ER. An older man in scrubs smiles when he sees us.

“Santos, is this the pretty young lady you told us to expect?”

Dimitri glares. “It is, though I distinctly remember asking for Zoey.”

“Dr. Harris is out today, so I’m covering.” He turns to me. “I’m Dr. Rivers. You must be Lilith.”

I hold out my left hand, since my right one is wrapped. “Nice to meet you. You can call me Lili.”

“Lili, can you tell me what happened?”

I give him the rundown of tripping and falling.

Before I can finish, Dimitri says, “She needs x-rays ordered. If it’s broken, make sure she gets put on my schedule.”

Dr. Rivers says, “Well, now, you know that’s not how this works, Santos, especially since you know the girl.”

The look on Dimitri’s face is terrifying and Dr. Rivers clears his throat.

“Right. She’s not family, so I guess it’s fine. I’ll get right on that.” He turns to me. “Lili, follow me this way.”

I glance at Dimitri, but he’s still glaring daggers at the back of Dr. Rivers’ head. There’s a part of me that wishes he’d come with me, but I don’t ask, and he doesn’t offer.

I’m led to an exam room where x-rays are taken of my wrist. I try not to be embarrassed that I’m wearing my night shirt and shorts. Guess I should have thought about that before leaving the house. At least I have a bra on. My boobs are way too big to be out and about without being contained.

Dr. Rivers doesn’t try to make chitchat as he works, which I appreciate.

“I’ll be back when the results are ready.” He gives me a tight smile. “I have a feeling they’ll be rushed.”

I snort before I can stop myself. “Is he always like that?”

This makes Dr. Rivers crack another smile. “Not at all. You must be very important to him.”

“What makes you say that?”

“The last time I saw him act like this was when Serafina was having little Isadora.”

He leaves me to my thoughts, which are honestly all over the place. Does Dimitri care for me? It’s almost too good to be true, especially considering how he’s been acting the past few days. But that doesn’t stop me from hoping.

A nurse comes in to draw some blood and waits for me to give her a urine sample. It makes time feel like it’s not dragging as I wait for the x-ray results.

Thirty minutes later, Dr. Rivers returns with my results.

“Sadly, it’s broken. We’re going to wheel you up to the surgical floor so Dr. Santos can fix your wrist.”

“Is surgery really necessary? Can’t you just put it in a cast or something?”

“It is, I’m afraid.” He pats my good hand. “It’ll be over before you know it and, as I’m sure you know, Dr. Santos is the best.”

“Isn’t he like the best surgeon for athletes, though?”

That’s what Joao always used to say. That his dad was the guy athletes went to when they needed to be fixed.

Dr. Rivers says, “He is.”

A patient transporter arrives with a wheelchair, and I’m helped from the bed to the chair. We weave our way through different hallways until we reach an elevator. A moment later, we reach the surgical floor and the doors open. I’m taken to a room in the pre-op area.

A nurse is waiting, a smile on her face.

“Hi. I’m Marilynn. I’m your nurse here today. Can you tell me your name, age, and date of birth?”

I answer her questions, and she smiles as she taps on a tablet.

“Perfect, thank you. Now, Lili, I see you’re here today for a distal radius ORIF of your right wrist.”

“I’m not really sure what I’m having done.” I let out a small laugh. “I came to the ER to have my wrist looked at and the next thing I know, I’m being wheeled up here.”

She gives me a kind smile. “I’m sure that is overwhelming. A distal radius ORIF means there’s a bone or two broken in your wrist that needs to be fixed surgically. I see here that Dr. Santos is the one preforming your surgery, and he is one of the best doctors in Texas. You are in expert hands, Lili.”

I nod, knowing she’s right.

“In the ER, they drew labs on you and performed a pregnancy test. Since everything is good, you’re cleared for surgery.” She gestures to my wrist. “It’s best to have surgery as soon as possible, especially since you’re not having much swelling at the moment.”

“How long is the surgery?”

“Anywhere from thirty to ninety minutes. They’re going to take you into an OR suite and an anesthesiologist will administer general anesthesia. It’ll be the best rest you’ve had in a long time.”

I smile at her, feeling reassured. “You’re very good at your job, Marilynn.”

“Thank you. I try. Now, I’m going to grab some goodies to give you. Dr. Santos has a few cases ahead of you, so it’ll be a few hours.”

“Okay.”

“Change into the gown and socks sitting on the edge of the bed. Just leave the gown open in the back and I’ll help you close it when I come back with your IV fluid and pre-op antibiotic.” She says, “You can leave your underwear on, but you’ll need to take off your bra and any body-jewelry you have on. There’s a white sack beneath the gown that you can put your items in.”

She gives me another reassuring smile as she leaves, pulling the curtain shut behind her. As I undress, I discover my first problem. Because of my injured wrist, I can’t reach behind my back and unhook my bra like I normally would. Well, crap. I manage to get it unhooked with one arm, but I also work up a sweat in the process. By the time I get the gown on, Marilynn is back.

“Knock, knock. Can I come in?”

“Yeah.”

She opens the curtain wide enough to enter and closes it behind her. “Okay, I’m going to get this IV fluid and antibiotic started. Just have a seat on the bed and make yourself comfortable.”

I do as she says, even though I wouldn’t exactly call it comfortable by any means. This is all happening so fast and I haven’t really had time to wrap my mind around it. And don’t even get me started on how I’m going to reach out to Cecely to let her know what happened. The thought has me frowning as Marilynn starts the IV and hangs fluid and an antibiotic.

“I’ll be back in a few to check on you. If you need anything, just press the button on the side of your bed.”

“Thank you.”

She leaves and I lean back, trying to get comfortable. I’m just starting to doze off when Marilynn returns.

“I have a few goodies for you, and then we’re going to roll you back. Dr. Santos has rearranged his schedule so that you’re next.”

I take the pill in the cup and swallow it, using a clear liquid that she hands me.

“That was just some Pepcid and Tylenol. We’ll give it a few minutes to kick in. Dr. Santos and the anesthesiologist will both come to speak to you and then I’ll roll you back.”

I nod as she disappears.

A few minutes later, the curtain opens, and Dimitri smiles down at me.

“Ready?”

“I guess.” I shake my head. “I’m kind of nervous.”

“Don’t be. I’m the best.”

“So I’ve heard.”

He moves, taking my left hand. “I promise this will be over before you know it.”

“Okay.”

“Okay,” he echoes back. “Now, I’m going to sign your right arm. Gerald will be in shortly and will do the same. After that, you’ll be wheeled back into my OR and we’ll get started. Do you have questions?”

“Tons.”

His lips twitch. “I’m all ears.”

“One, who is Gerald?”

“He’s the head of anesthesia.”

“Two, are you sure surgery is needed?”

“I am.”

“Fine. Three,” I give him a cheeky smile. “Do you ever wear your scrubs around the house?”

“Why? Do you want to play doctor, minha vida ?”

My cheeks heat at the use of my nickname, but I nod. “Yeah, I think I do.”

He laughs. “Noted. Now, I’m going to sign your arm and leave before I have to hide an erection in these scrubs.”

He moves to the other side of the bed and pulls a small marker from his pocket. He gives me a small wink after he writes his initials above my wrist.

“See you in a few, Lilith.”

I’m still smiling when an older, portly man enters.

“Ms. Wolfe, I’m Dr. Gerald Barnett, and I’ll be your anesthesiologist today. I understand you’re having surgery on your right wrist.”

“Yes.”

“Good. I’m going to sign your arm, and then Marilynn will bring you back.”

He signs my arm just above Dimitri’s signature and is gone a moment later. Marilynn must be waiting just outside the curtain because she strolls in.

“Last chance to use the restroom before we go back.”

“I think I’m good.”

“Okay, then let’s go.”

She helps me put on a white surgical bonnet over my hair. I feel silly, but it looks like everyone is wearing them. She unlocks my bed and wheels me through a set of double doors. Dr. Barnett waits outside of a room and steps aside so Marilynn can push the bed inside.

The OR suite is super white and sterile looking, which I guess is the whole point. There are a few people in the room that don’t pay me any attention. To them, this is just another day. To me, it’s scary and a bit overwhelming.

I take in a calming breath.

I can do this.

I trust Dimitri.

Marilynn says, “Lili, we’re going to have you move from this bed to the surgical table.”

“Sorry my boobs are all over the place,” I say with a laugh as I move to the table.

“Nah. We’ve seen it all, honey. Okay, now scoot just a bit higher until your head is on the pillow.”

I do as she says and take in another calming breath, which, honestly, doesn’t help as much as I’d like.

Dr. Barnett says, “Okay, Lili. We’re going to start a drip in your IV that will help you go to sleep. Your eyes are going to start feeling heavy any moment?—”