Falling For The Mob

26 Hunting

Zoë

Two hours from now, my shift will be over. Not that I plan on going home, but maybe I'll take a nap.

I walk into Mickey Smith's room, an eight-year-old boy who had a nasty fall off his trampoline yesterday. On impact, his shin shattered completely, and this morning I had to operate to set everything back in place.

The room is more crowded than I expected, with the parents sitting in the corner and another man on the bed with my patient.

Most children who spend the night in a hospital need comfort, but he sees all of this as an adventure.

Clearing my throat, they all turn to me as both his parents stand up with worried expressions.

"Hi, Dr. Zoë," he beams at me, flashing the gap in his teeth.

"How are you feeling, little man?"

"Pretty okay, do you already know when I can play again?"

I involuntarily laugh at his eagerness, along with everyone else in the room. "Well, I just checked your last X-rays, and it seems like you will be fine."

I turn to the parents, noticing that the boy already stopped listening after that announcement. "He will need to go through a few months of rehab, the damage is still extensive. We placed a few pins in, and there is no reason he shouldn't make a full recovery."

A sigh of relief escapes his mother as she pulls me into an embrace. People tend to be more concerned when something happens to their children, so I fully understand how vulnerable she is feeling.

"Did you hear that, Uncle Jim? That means we can still go surfing in the summer."

"We'll see, buddy, only if Dr. Zoë says that it's okay."

The man smiles, now giving me a good look at him. He is over six feet with thick jetblack hair and a bright smile. His build is slim yet athletic.

"Dr. Zoë, this is my Uncle Jim. He said he is going to teach me how to surf, so my leg has to be healed by then, okay?"

He gives me a firm nod, forcing another laugh from everyone. "I promise to do my best."

With a light spring in my step, I make my way over to the nurse's station, where I find Tony speaking to someone who has their back facing me.

My heart sinks when he turns around, and I realize it's Lawrence. The only reason I can think for him to be here is if something happened to Mason, but this morning Addy told me that he was all better.

He smiles as our eyes meet, causing me to release a breath I had no idea I was holding. "Is everything okay with Addy and Mason?"

"Wow, Zoë, where have your manners gone? What ever happened to 'hello, Lawrence, lovely to see you, is that shirt new? Have you been working out?'"

I roll my eyes as he laughs and plants a kiss on the crown of my head. "They're both fine." He points down the hall to Addy approaching with Mason on her hip. Either Michael or Derek is walking with her, they both look the same to me.

On cue, the other turns the corner and catches up to them when they reach me. "To what do I owe the pleasure of having half the Claymore family in my department?"

Addy releases a frustrated huff as the two men behind her snicker while staring at me. I begin to feel uncomfortable until one of them steps up and takes my hand in his.

"Zoë, it is an honor to officially meet you and tell you that you are my hero. Do you have any idea how much my brothers and I worship the ground you walk on?"