I thought about that for a moment.
“I need my laptop, a change of clothes, and my medication off the table in my room,” I answered instantly. “But I also really need to go home and shower.”
She pointed to the room beyond me. “Take one here. I’ll have your stuff delivered.”
With that, she slipped out of the room, barely noticed by the men in the hallway as they discussed something.
I slipped out of my chair and stared at Bruno’s lax face.
He had a five o’clock shadow. Or, more appropriately, a ten o’clock shadow.
He didn’t look like he shaved every day. But he did look like he kept it somewhat under control so that it wasn’t what one would consider a ‘full’ beard.
More like a shadow of one that could turn into one very quickly if he’d had a mind to do it.
My eyes took in the dark circles under his eyes, as well as the bruising on the side of his face that was becoming more and more prominent every single hour that passed.
The abrasions from what looked like sliding on asphalt on his chin, throat, left shoulder and arms were oozing.
The blood that was in his hairline hadn’t been cleaned off, and I could see bits and pieces of debris in his hair as well.
All of which bothered me to no end.
Which was why I stood up and headed for the door, uncaring that I was walking out into the middle of all the men talking. About Bruno.
“Ma’am,” the bad cop said stiffly.
I ignored him and kept walking until I got to the nurses’ station, waiting for someone to look at me.
None of them did.
“Excuse me,” I grumbled to the one closest. “I need some clean rags and hot water so I can get him cleaned up,” I told the woman.
She blinked at me. “I can come in there and do that. I was just waiting for the room to empty out of visitors.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I told her. “And it’s okay. I can do it.”
Her eyes said she’d rather argue, but her mouth said something different.
“I’ll bring it to your room,” she murmured. “Did he need more water?”
He was in a coma. I highly doubted that water would be helpful to him right now.
“He’s in a coma and can’t speak to ask for water, nor can he drink it,” I told her. “I mean, I guess you could give me ice chips, and I could allow them to melt in his mouth.”
She gave me a chin lift that clearly said, ‘okay, go away.’
Which I did.
I walked into the room to find the men now standing in Bruno’s room instead of out in the hallway.
Dr. Blunt had his arms crossed over his chest and he was glaring hard at the jerk from earlier.
My eyes went to his chest where normally a nametag would reside, only to come up empty.
I frowned. “Are you even a cop?”
The guy’s eyes went wide.