Picking up the now lukewarm tub of water, I walked it over to the sink and dumped half of it out, refilling it with piping hot water that would counterbalance it out.
When it was at the desired temp, I brought it back to the rolling table and pulled out a washcloth that felt like a Brillo pad.
Wincing at how raw it would feel on his wounds, I was almost tempted to go ask for some softer ones, but decided that nothing would feel good at this point in time.
It was just lucky that he was asleep.
Bringing the washrag to his face, I paused midway when the thought of causing him pain made me physically ill.
Hopefully pain wasn’t like hearing, and you could feel it no matter whether you were put under or not.
Pulling out my phone, I quickly Googled whether coma patients could feel pain.
Answer: they couldn’t.
Thank. God.
After that, I made sure to wash every single bit of blood, dirt, and debris off of his skin and out of his hair.
By the time I’d finished with his arms, and his lower body, the water was a dingy brown, and I was thinking I needed some baby soap and another full bucket of water to roll over his skin as a cleanse.
But before I could, I got a text message.
I frowned and walked over, dumping the water and washing the tub out as best as I could before drying my hands off and walking to the phone that was sitting in the vacated chair on the side of Bruno’s bed.
Picking it up, my brows lifted to my hairline for a second time in an hour at what I read.
Six: that guy that was posing as a cop was an assassin. Like, honest to God, hired assassin. Lynn is putting armed guards on your door as we speak. They’re ex-cops in private security. Bruno knows something that we don’t. I know that it’s illogical to ask you to keep him safe but… try. He’s one of my best friends. And now more than ever Lynn won’t let me anywhere near him.
I flicked a glance up at the deep-sleeping man and said, “My dad really isn’t going to like you after he hears about this. But, I have a feeling that you’ll be able to talk him around.”
CHAPTER 10
I have a ho in different area codes.
-Belle tracking her Christmas packages
BRUNO
“An assassin?” I heard barked.
I couldn’t move my hands. Not my face. Not my arms or my legs. All I could do was hear.
“So I was told,” the female voice replied. “I’m still here. Someone brought me my laptop, some toiletries, and a change of clothes. But I’m here for the long haul.”
“You don’t even know him, Belle!” I heard bellowed.
“I know him. He’s my fiancé, Daddy. Get used to it,” Belle, the woman that owned that tantalizing voice, murmured smoothly. “And stop yelling. I’ve heard that coma patients can hear everything. We want to keep him calm, not rile him up when he can’t do a damn thing about his situation.”
“You can walk your happy ass right the fuck out of this hospital is what you can do,” Belle’s father growled. “Right now.”
“No,” she replied just as fast.
“Belle Pena, don’t make me…” the man rumbled.
“You may leave. We don’t need your negativity,” Belle growled back.
She was getting pissed.