Draft version - Russian Roulette - Family secrets

Ch. 41: Just fucking tell me what you know

Rami had driven like a bat out of hell and made it to The Mansion in record time with no unwanted attention from the police. People were waiting for them outside, a doctor, two nurses and half of the men residing there were ready to help.

The Mackenzie effect, or maybe they knew Gareth would lose it completely if anything happened to her.

Either way he appreciated them being there.

Dimitri ripped the door open and held out his arms to grab Mackenzie whom Gareth as gently as possible lifted up towards him. Two others came to assist and brought her onto a gurney from the hospital ward. The doctor was there the second they had strapped her in, taking her pulse and checking her pupils while the nurses took off her shoes.

Absurdly Gareth noticed she was still wearing shoes. She had been so out of it that she had not removed her shoes when she got home.

Why had he not seen that?

He should have noticed in the bathroom or the many times he had carried her, he had not. He brushed his hand over his face marveling at the fact that he was thinking of shoes while she was lying there.

Maybe focusing on something trivial and stupid helped him distance himself from the real issue of how sick Mackenzie was.

They rushed her into the house, through the hospital ward and into a large examination room.

It took three men to hold Gareth back because he wanted to go in with her.

"Boss, give the doctors some room." Rami yelled at him to get through his angry attempts to get free from the hands holding him back. "She needs help, your worried energy will make her worse. And the doctors will not be able to concentrate with you hovering over them questioning everything they do. Calm the fuck down!"
"Ok, ok!" Gareth stood down allowing the men to stop holding him back.
"Come with me, we can have a drink in the common room. They'll call us as soon as there's news. You can be here in two minutes."

Gareth nodded and followed Rami through the halls to the common room. He had barely sat down with the whiskey Rami had handed him when Natalya came rushing into the room.

"Is she ok? Who hurt her?"
"She's sick, nobody hurt her." Gareth said with confusion.

Why would she think anybody hurt Mackenzie? He was too tired and worried to pay much attention to it. Maybe word had spread that Mackenzie was in the hospital and they all jumped to conclusions without any real facts.

"Oh, I see. I'll make us all something to eat. It could be a long night."

Rami smiled thankfully because Gareth was absorbed in his own world of misery. Mackenzie might not see it yet, one day hopefully she would accept that Gareth was more than affected by her. If he had to chance it, he would bet Gareth was in love.

The common room slowly filled with people. Word had indeed spread and everybody who were not on assignment or otherwise busy came to The Mansion waiting for news.

Gareth had always known his men loved Mackenzie, not only because she was a sweetheart but because she made him a better person. He had not realized how much they cared.

There were people all over. Every chair and sofa were occupied leaving a lot to sit on the floor or stand along the walls. They were all talking quietly amongst themselves and occasionally giving him reassuring nods or words of encouragement.

As they sat there the most annoying ringing began. People checked their phones, the ringing kept persistently annoying them.

"What the fuck is that noise?" Gareth grunted looking around.