Dangerous Prodigals and Adopted Children : Book 6 of the Guardians Saga

CH 14.1 No Singing in the Hospital

Alex's body felt like a live wire, crackling with the restless energy of being laid up for days. She lifted her voice in an upbeat tune, singing loud enough to fill the antiseptic-scented air.

Nurse Nita bustled into the room, her eyes narrowing at his impromptu performance. "No singing in the hospital!" She scolded.

"I'm singing! I'm singing in the hospital!" Alex warbled. "I'm in the hospital and I'm singing!" She ended on a cracked high note.

Nurse Nita jabbed a finger out towards the hospital bed, her nostrils flared. With her other hand she clanged a metal bedpan against the rail, causing a sharp ringing noise to echo through the room. "Look, canary, you need a bandage change and this can go either the easy way or the hard way."

"Whatever gets me out of here the fastest."

"Anything that will get me out of here as soon as possible," she said, her voice desperate and her eyes pleading. The nurse let out a heavy sigh. "I'll page the doctor and tell him there is a pest of a patient who needs to be discharged." She adjusted her glasses before writing something down on the clipboard. "Let me get this bandage off and then the doctor can look at your wound."

Dr. Swain arrived with Agent Grange. Dr. Swain was a man of average height, his hair still dark though touched with grey. His posture was straight, his shoulders back, and a hawk nose perched between a pair of piercing green eyes. His eyes held the years of experience that have more than once seen more than anyone should.

"Hey doc, hey boss," Alex said cheerfully with a lopsided smile, peeking over her shoulder to catch the doctor's expression. "Ready to discharge me?"

He grinned, eyes twinkling with mischief as his hands gestured in mock surprise. "Just who is the doctor here? Did you graduate from medical school?"

Alex chuckled and turned her back to the doctor. "Maybe I did." She cringed as he prodded the edges of her wound. Her breath caught in her throat. "What's the diagnosis? Will I live? Can I go?"

The doctor nodded and began to take out the staples from the patient's wound. After applying steri-strips, he looked up from his work and said, "I'll need to check it tomorrow, but I'm sure it will hold for now."

Alex chuckled lightly and responded, "Tomorrow? You're such a good doctor that I'm sure it will hold and I can leave now."

Grange shifted in his seat, cleared his throat, and gave a nod.

Alex smiled, the corners of her eyes crinkling with excitement. "What is it, boss?" she asked eagerly. "Do you have a job for me to do? Not as good as going home but better than being stuck in this stuffy med-bay all day. Will my team join me? Or at least Rile?"

Grange's eyes softened as he shook his head. "I don't think so, Alex." He took a deep breath and kept his voice soft and reassuring. "The new Portal Guardian said to take good care of you and he'll send you back home once your wound doesn't need a doctor's care."

Alex's lip trembled and she bit down on it to try and stop it from quivering too much. Tears pooled in her eyes as she asked one last question in a shaky voice, "Do you think they're alright?"

Grange clasped Alex's hand in his own, coarse from hard work. The warmth of his touch seeped through her skin, carrying with it a sense of certainty. "I didn't get any indications that they were hurt," he said. "If they had been seriously injured, they would have been brought here; the last Portal Guardian gave this medical facility some of her life-force so that trauma from any timeline could be treated here." He paused, a hint of sadness flashing in his eyes. "Sometimes I can't help but wonder if this is why she had to die in her last battle."

A tear escaped down Alex's cheek, and she sniffled before speaking. "I need some form of action. I can't stand just being stuck here like this."

Grange's eyes sparkled with admiration as he looked at Alex. "I only need you to look fierce and intimidating to a sexual predator," he said.

Alex rolled her shoulders back and stepped closer confidently. A cruel smirk crept across her face as she said, "I'll do more than that." She cracked her knuckles threateningly.

Grange wagged a finger at her in admonishment. "No, you can't just go and disrupt your wound like that. What I want is for you to show up in court with one of the exploited teenagers—someone who must confront their abuser. Those criminals often try to intimidate their victims in court so they won't testify or give weak statements. It was a motorcycle club that thought of escorting the victims so that their abuser would see a strong, powerful person protecting them. In your honor, I have decided to start a similar program."

Alex fidgeted as she fought off tears. "That...that's so sweet."

Grange smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners in fondness and amusement. Alex raised a sleeve to her eyes, scrubbing away the wetness that had gathered there. She shook her head and forced a laugh between choked sobs.

"Am I losing my touch?" she asked, half-joking.

"Never. Now, tomorrow at 8 a.m. we meet with the victim and you can introduce yourself." His face was hard and determined as he spoke. "We'll be there all day and hopefully spill into another day."

"What kind of evidence does the state have?" She asked, her voice wavering slightly from raging emotions.

"The best: DNA evidence and video recording of rape of a minor. What's better is he is a high-level human trafficker. Taking him down creates a major disruption in the chain of slavery and child pornography." His jaw clenched as he spoke the last words.

"I want motorcycle leathers," Alex said, gesturing with her hands to emphasize each item. "And a leather vest for when I take off my jacket. And some fake tattoos. And some leather bracelets. And of course, leather boots."

Grange chuckled, pushing up the sleeves of his white oxford shirt as he smiled back. "Full leather outfit in no time at all."

***

A/N

I was feeling nostalgic for Agent Grange and Alex's roots. Do y'all like the chapter?

Thanks to all my readers! And hello to newest reader