Switchblade

Chapter 21: Tired

Tati laid on the floor. It was her third night not having slept and she could feel it.

She felt like she had limited use of her body and her eyesight was foggy.

But she heard someone unlocking her door.

"Breakfast." Killian said as he walked inside with the bag.
He looked at her laying on the floor.
"Hey." he called.
She sat up.
His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked her.
"Huh?"
He walked over to her and crouched down.

His hand took her face to examine.

She weakly pushed his hand off her face and he let go before she just laid back down.
Killian took out his phone and dialed. It rang against his ear as he stared at her staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Yes, sir?"
"Tell Worrick to get up here."
"To where?"
"The girl's room."
"Yes, sir."
Killian hung up.

He lightly slapped her cheek. "You bring a stash with you or somethin'? You high?" he asked.
She shook her head.
He pinched her nose playfully.
She groaned faintly and weakly pushed his hand away.
He chuckled. "You look ridiculous."
She faced him. "You..."
He stared.
"You have a face only a mother could love." she stated.
"Wow." Killian replied.
"No, I'm just kidding." she said and rolled over.
He scoffed.
"You're very pretty." she stated.
"Now you're just sayin' it to not hurt my feelings."
"I can't see." she sighed.
"What's wrong with you?"

They heard a knock on the door and the doctor began to ease in.
"Sir?" he called.
"Come in, Worrick."
Worrick walked inside and saw the young woman laying on the floor.
"I need you to give her a checkup."
"I don't need one." Tati spoke up.
"She just said she can't see."
"Yea, because my eyes."
"What?" Killian questioned.
"I told you."
He didn't know what to say next. He just looked at Worrick and gestured at Tati.

Worrick crouched down with his bag and looked at Tati's face.
He unzipped the luggage and took out a small flashlight.
He was the mob's main doctor and physician. They had nurses as well but they stayed at the hospital and were the only ones allowed to operate on any of the mob's members. They had assigned surgeons also.

"This won't hurt a bit, but please stay still." Worrick instructed.
Tati groaned.
He used two of his fingers to gently pull open her eyelids further than halfway as they were.
The skinny flashlight clicked on and he looked around.
Killian watched although he didn't understand.
Worrick moved to the other eye.
"It's nothing terrible." he stated. "The girl just hasn't slept in a while."

Killian looked at her. "Hey, when was the last time you went to bed?"
"Why are you so mean to me?" she asked.
He sighed, unamused.
"I can tell it's been more than a couple of days. She's delirious and possibly experiencing tunnel vision. People never expect lack of sleep to have such serious effects. She just needs to go to sleep and drink some water. As long as she doesn't go any longer without sleeping, she'll be fine." Worrick explained. "But please make sure she goes to bed. Going any longer could result in a serious health decline and even death."
Killian began to scoop Tati into his arms and he stood up, holding her bridal style.
"I'm off the ground." she stated.
"Shut up." Killian commanded as he walked over to her bed.
"What's that smell?"
"What smell?" he asked.
She sniffed around. "Oh my god it's you." She sniffed his neck and shoulder. "Oh my god you smell so good. What is that?"
He dropped her onto the bed.
"No. I don't want to be here." She sat up.
"Lay down."
"No." She started to get up.
He pushed her back down.

"Worrick."
"Yes, sir?"
"You got a sleeping pill or somethin'?"
"Uh...I do, but I don't think..."
"You a cop?" Killian asked.
"No, sir."
"Then give it to me."
Worrick went into his bag and through the pain relief medications he found sleeping pills. "Only one. Please do not give her any more than that."
"I'm not gonna fuckin' overdose her. She just needs to go to bed, you just said that."
Worrick dropped one of the pills into Killian's hand.
"Hand me that." Killian commanded and pointed at the orange juice on Tati's dresser.

"Open your mouth." he told her.
"Why?" she questioned.
"So you can eat this."
Worrick handed him the drink and he took it. "Will that be all, sir?"
"Yea."
Worrick nodded then left the room.
"Eat what?" Tati asked.
"This candy." He sat beside her.
"Candy?"
"Yea, it's candy. Open your mouth."
She opened her mouth, still dazed, sleepy, and confused.
Killian placed the pill on her tongue and she immediately attempted to bite it.
"Don't bite it-..." he sat there and watched Tati's face curl as the bitten pill was nasty.
"I don't like this..." she sat up to try and spit it out.
"Drink this. It'll wash your mouth out." He held her straw at her lips and her mouth wrapped around it.
"Atta girl." he stated.
"It's orange juice." she stated after swallowing.
"Yea." he replied.
"I like orange juice."
He gave her the straw again and she sipped some more as he held the cup. He wondered how he suddenly became a babysitter.
Once she stopped, he placed the cup on her nightstand.
"Now lay down and don't get out of this bed."
"Or else what?" she asked but laid down.
"I'm gonna throw you out of a three story window." he threatened.
"Oh."
He stood up and walked off towards the door.

"What time is it?" she asked.
"Shut up and go to sleep." Killian commanded. He walked out of the room.

~•~

"White is dead." Doc stated.
"What happened to him?"
"One of Segal's goons got him. He put up a fight but he lost."
"Can we see the street camera footage to know who it was?"
"I already got it."
Doc slid a folder across the table and Silas was first to grab it and open it.

There were a few black and white photos of the incident.

He passed out a few but made sure one went to Killian.

"Segal, has boys in the department just like we do. That footage was gonna be deleted by tonight." Doc stated.
"So what do you want us to do?"
"You're gonna kill that asshole that did this and then I want you to take out two of his other men. He takes one of ours, we take three of his."
"That's gonna end up makin' him blame us for the assassination." Dominic stated.
"That scare you?" Doc asked him. "'Cause it don't scare me. You scared?"
"No, sir."
"I want you to find where that asshole lives and kill him tonight. You got all day to figure it out. He got a wife then you kill her too."
"Yes, sir." they responded.

"He's on Polk." Soren spoke up.
They all looked at him.
"He left his apartment while we were getting the money last week. If it's not where he lives then he was visiting someone."
"I don't think he's married. Fucker's got a face only a mother could love. Built like a tank though." Kolson stated.
Killian chuckled quietly to himself as he remembered Tati's statement from earlier.

"You're gonna need numbers or your biggest guys. I'm telling you this guy's like 6'7 and 380 pounds. There's no chance he's goin' down easy."
"I'll go." Killian spoke up and placed the picture down.
They all looked at him.
"Really?" Soren asked.
"I've been inside for too long. The club's getting boring."
Kolson huffed in pride. "Alright then."
"No guns." Doc stated.
"Of course not." Silas agreed.
"If you can't win with just your hands then I don't want you on my team."
"Yes, sir." the men answered.

"Meeting adjourned. Figure it out amongst yourselves but I want evidence when you're done." Doc stated.
"Yes, sir." they replied and stood out of their seats to leave.