Page 108 of The Arrangement

“Lemme wake her up,” Anton mumbled, rubbing his face. “If that’s what you’re here to do, I mean.”

The nurse faltered, two little white cups in her hands nearly spilling whatever medication they had in them. “Um, it is what I’m here for, Mr…?”

“Anton Avdonin. Her fiancé.”

Again, the nurse just looked surprised and confused. He tried to look unbothered by her reaction. It had been a rush-rush night for him and Bo to dispose of the SUV at a scrap yard, along with the phone and gun. Needing another vehicle, he’d finally made face at his club, though he didn’t notice anyone trailing him. Then he’d made a quick trip to his Oceana home where he showered and changed clothes before throwing the ones he had worn into a random dumpster on his way back to the hospital.

Finally making it back to the hospital around five in the morning, Anton was let in a back exit door where no cameras could see him returning. Ivan slipped out just as quickly.

“Is it done?” his lawyer had asked.

“All done,” Anton had replied.

That was the extent of their conversation. Nothing else needed to be said. Of course, he hadn’t slept in fucking hours. Anton was exhausted, but there was no way on earth his girl was going to be waking him up.

“I was here yesterday, most of the day. You didn’t see me?” he asked the nurse.

“No, sir.”

Anton shrugged. “Ivan went home late last night. Maybe we just passed you girls by. We know you’re busy.”

“Yes, very busy. I’m sure she’d love to have you wake her up. Just be careful of her bandages, and make sure she takes her antibiotics and vitamin with the breakfast they’re about to bring in. It won’t be long before she’ll need her bandages changed and burns cleaned, and she seems to get a little prickly about the pain …”

“She’s not being given medication for that?”

The nurse pursed her lips. “Very little.”

Anger pooled in Anton’s gut. Viviana had survived a shitty bomb, sure, but she’d still survived it. Did they expect her not to have pain at all?

“Who’s the doctor on call?”

“Dr. Kinley.”

“Okay, so when he or she, whatever, gets around to getting here, make sure they’re aware that my fiancée nearly died yesterday. If she wants pain meds—”

“She did have them for a while, and the dosage was upped a little yesterday. Before bed last night, however, she refused the drip again, sir.”

“What?”

The nurse cleared her throat before placing the little cups on the nightstand. “You were here yesterday, correct?”

He cringed at the slip, before turning away to look out the window. He didn’t want to be in the woman’s sight. “Thank you. I’ll wake her up.”

“Remember, prenatal vitamin and antibiotics with her breakfast.”

Prenatal vitamin?

Anton stood in shocked silence for longer than he must have realized because when he turned to ask the woman to repeat herself, just for his crazy mind’s sake, she was already gone. Instead his gaze zoned in on the figure curled up in the bed.

With a pillow under her head, one tucked into her back, and another keeping her arm elevated, Viviana’s side rose and fell with quiet breaths. She seemed content, despite the pain. Turned towards him, he could see the cut they’d stitched up above her eye. They did a damn good job, despite the swelling. It was a reminder that he still needed his arm looked at. The side of her neck was bandaged quite heavily, too, making him wince. Scratches dotted her cheekbone and jaw, splattering a reddish discoloration up to her brow.

Damn, his heart was aching.

Of course he’d seen her injuries right after it happened, and between the flurried movements in the ambulance, but now … now it just fucking hurt. It was a sickening reminder that he’d somehow managed to let someone slip past his eye.

It wasn’t like Anton to mess something like that up.

Fuck, she had him in a right mess in a whole bunch of ways.