Chapter 20: Byte

BYTE

Iwas beginning to get worried when Gabby and Patch still hadn't come out of the office. At least fifteen minutes had passed since the other employees left. I was reaching for my phone to text Gabby when movement at the back door caught my attention.

Gabby pushed open the door, and my heart stopped. She had blood all over her hands, arms, and chest. She even had some splattered on her face.

I opened the door and ran to her as fast as I could.

"Byte," she cried. "Lauren. Sh-she shot Patch. And I…I don't know what happened."

"Where are they?" I asked and pulled my gun from its holster.

"In exam room five."

When I started to move toward the room, she came with me. "No. You stay here."

She shook her head. "She's down, and Patch needs help." The urgency in her voice kept me from insisting she let me check it out first.

I entered the room to find Patch pointing a gun at an unconscious and almost unrecognizable Lauren on the floor. It looked like she'd been beaten within an inch of her life. "What happened?" I finally asked.

"She was posing as a patient and ambushed us," Patch explained. "She shot me, then Gabby. Gabby took her down. I picked up her gun, and here we are. I need you to call nine-one-one, call the club, and make sure she's okay."

"I'm okay," Gabby insisted. "Help me get him to the table so I can hold pressure on his wound. Then make the calls."

Gabby seemed to have snapped out of her shock and gone into nurse mode. I took that as a win and helped Patch onto the exam table. Then I called nine-one-one. They tried to keep me on the phone by asking questions, but I hung up after telling them everything I knew. My phone call to the club was much more efficient.

"Phoenix Black," he answered.

"I need the club at Patch's clinic. Patch and Gabby have been shot. Both are alert and talking. Shooter is secure. Cops and paramedics have been called. Come through the back."

"We're on the way, brother," he said and disconnected the call.

"I don't think she'll wake up, but there's duct tape on the floor you can use to restrain her," Patch said. He sounded weak, but I was glad to hear his voice.

"Found it," I said and started taping Lauren's hands together. "How are you doing, Gabs?"

"I'm using this adrenaline for everything it's worth," she said.

I wasn't at all surprised when I heard motorcycle pipes well before the sirens. Minutes later, Phoenix appeared in the doorway with a frantic Shaker right behind him.

"Gabby," he shouted and started toward her.

"Stop him, Byte," she insisted. "I'm barely holding it together. If he touches me, I'll lose it. And I can't lose it until EMS gets here."

I stepped in front of him, prepared to tackle him to the ground, but it wasn't necessary. He stopped on his own accord. "Gabby?" he asked carefully.

"I'm okay, Shaky Jakey," she said softly. "I just need to focus on Patch right now."

"Croftridge PD!" someone shouted from down the hall.

Phoenix stepped out of the room. "We're in here, officers. The shooter's restrained on the floor. Everyone else is with me, including the two with gunshot wounds who need medical attention."

As soon as the paramedics entered the room, Gabby started giving them a rundown of Patch's injuries and his status. They thanked her and took over.

I knew what was going to happen and had been anticipating it from the moment Gabby mentioned her adrenaline rush. She'd taken two steps away from Patch when her knees buckled. I swooped in behind her and eased her to the floor. "You're okay, baby. You're okay."

"Gabriella!" Shaker shouted and dropped to the floor beside her. He took one of her hands in his, causing her to groan in pain. He quickly released it with a look of horror on his face. "What happened to your hand?"

"That," I said and tipped my head in Lauren's direction.

Shaker did a double-take before he turned back to Gabby with a proud smile on his face. "You did that?"

Gabby lifted one shoulder in a weak attempt to shrug. "She shot me," she said simply.

"Your papa is going to be so proud," he said.

"Papa," she gasped. "Where is he?"

"He's with Keegan. They're going to meet us at the hospital."

"Can they take her to a different hospital?" Gabby asked and gestured toward Lauren, who was still unconscious on the floor.

"I think that can be arranged," he said.

"Excuse me, sir, we need to take a look at her injuries," a paramedic said from behind Shaker.

He didn't look happy about it, but he got to his feet and stepped to the side. "Don't leave her," he said to me.

"I won't," I vowed.

"Hi, I'm Cam. Can you tell me where you're hurt?"

"I have a gunshot wound to my right shoulder. No exit wound. And I'm fairly certain both of my hands have multiple fractures."

Cam glanced down at her hands and grimaced. "Yeah, I think you're right about your hands. Let's have a look at your shoulder."

"You're going to have to cut my shirt off to get to it. I can't move this arm anymore."

Cam pulled out a pair of scissors and started cutting Gabby's top. I wanted to protest, but clamped my mouth shut before I said anything stupid.

Gabby turned her head to the side and whispered, "I have on a tank top."

I feigned ignorance. "What?"

"I felt you tense," she said knowingly.

"Well, the good news is you aren't bleeding excessively," Cam said.

"And the bad news?" she asked.

"It's not necessarily bad news, per se, but you were right. You don't have an exit wound."

Gabby sighed. "Okay, let's get this show on the road."

Cam motioned for his partner to bring the stretcher over.

"What's the issue?" I asked Gabby.

"The bullet is lodged somewhere in my shoulder. Depending on where it is, I might have to have surgery to remove it," she explained. "It's not really an issue. I just don't want to have surgery."

"I don't think anyone wants to have surgery."

"You're wrong about that. There are plenty of people who like having surgery, but I'm not one of them."

"Are you ready to roll?" Cam asked her.

"Almost," she said and turned her attention to me. "Where's Jacob?"

"Right here," he answered. He'd been hovering a few feet away the whole time.

"Please let Keegan and Papa know my injuries are minor and that I'm okay for the most part. I know how Keegan worries. And will you see if you can get an update on Patch? He's probably in surgery, or will be soon, but I'd like to know how he's doing," she said.

"I'll call right now," he promised and leaned down to place a kiss on top of her head. "Love you, Gabby."

"Love you, too, Shaky Jakey."

Cam started to wheel her toward the door. "Wait! Make sure she's taken to a different facility please," she said and looked down at the woman on the floor.

"I'll see to that," one of the officers said.

"Thank you," Gabby said. "Okay, I'm ready."

Keegan and Ranger were waiting on the curb in the ambulance bay. They were by her side before the wheels of the stretcher touched the ground.

"Gabby!" they said at the same time.

"Fancy seeing you two here," Gabby said with a slight slur.

"She's had some pain medicine," I clarified.

"Tell me everything," Keegan insisted.

"I will," I promised. "Let's get her inside first."

Cam wheeled Gabby to a room and wished her a speedy recovery before he left. Then a doctor and two nurses came in to assess her. After a flurry of activity, Gabby was in a hospital gown, connected to an IV, and was resting in a hospital bed.

"I'm Dr. White. Are you the family?"

"Yes," the three of us said in unison.

"I'm going to order some X-rays for her shoulder and her hands. I won't know for sure until I see the films, but at this point, I'm more concerned about her hands than her shoulder. With the amount of swelling and bruising, I suspect multiple fractures. Her shoulder may require surgery to remove the bullet, but again, I won't know anything until I see the X-rays. She appears to be resting comfortably, but please let us know if that changes."

"Thank you, doctor," Keegan said. "My husband, Jacob Marks, will be arriving shortly. Do I need to give his name to someone at the front so he'll be allowed to come back and be with his daughter?"

"I'll make sure they know to let Ms. Marks's father back to her room."

"Nicely done, Mrs. Marks," I said once Dr. White was gone. It sounded weird to me to hear her refer to Gabby as Shaker's daughter, but, technically, she was from the moment they adopted her.

"I only name-drop when it's important," Keegan replied.

"No judgment here. I would've done it if you hadn't," I admitted.

"Welcome to Club Marks," she teased. "Now, tell me what happened."

I exhaled heavily and dropped into a chair in Gabby's room. "Lauren pretended to be a patient and pulled a gun on Patch and Gabby when they entered the room. She had Patch send the rest of the employees home so only the three of them were in the office. I don't know the details, but Lauren shot Patch first, then Gabby. Gabby managed to take Lauren down while Patch got her gun."

"That crazy bitch. Where is she?" Keegan demanded.

"Gabby arranged for her to be taken to another facility. She didn't want anyone getting into any unnecessary trouble," I explained.

Keegan smiled and Ranger shook his head. "I don't have to kill her now. I can wait," he grumbled.

"Please don't, Papa," Gabby mumbled. "She's not worth it."

"She tried to kill you," he argued.

"But she didn't. I whooped her ass."

"Is that right?" Ranger asked.

"It is," I nodded. "She beat the piss out of her. Seriously, I didn't recognize her when I got there."

"That's my girl," Ranger said proudly.

"Do we know why this girl has been terrorizing my sister?" Keegan asked.

"No," I said at the same time Gabby said, "Yes."

"You do?" I asked.

"I didn't get a chance to tell you," she croaked. "Can I have some water?"

"They don't want you to have anything to eat or drink in case you need to have surgery," Keegan said.

"Give the girl a sip of water. Blame it on me," Ranger said and got up to hold the cup for Gabby.

She took a small sip and continued. "Sissy, you might want to sit."

Keegan situated herself at the end of Gabby's bed. "Okay, I'm sitting. Spill it."

Gabby sighed. "She said she wanted what was rightfully hers. Meaning the inheritance she thinks I got from Lawrence. Apparently, she's his daughter."

"What?" Keegan shouted and jumped to her feet. She took two steps and fell into a chair against the wall.

"Told ya to sit," Gabby said.

"Keegan!" Shaker yelled seconds before he burst into the room. "I heard you scream. What happened?"

"The bitch that's been harassing my grandbaby is Lawrence's bastard child," Ranger so eloquently summarized.

"Are you serious?" Shaker asked in disbelief.

"Congratulations," Gabby sang. "I have a crazy relative, and none of you are it."

"She's been medicated," I said quietly.

"I can still hear you," Gabby whispered.

"She obviously didn't seek out Gabby to have a relationship with her as a sister, so what was her end goal?" Shaker asked.

"Money," Gabby blurted. "She thought I had Lawrence's money and wanted half of it. What an idiot."

"Why would she think that?" Keegan asked.

"She knew about my trust fund. She thought it was from him," Gabby said sleepily.

"This is my fault?" Keegan asked in horror.

Gabby's head shot up, and her eyes were wide open. "No. Absolutely not. None of this is your fault. Or my fault. Or anyone's fault except hers. And maybe Lawrence's. But it's not ours. Now, I don't know what they gave me, but it's kicking my ass worse than I kicked Lauren's. Promise me you won't blame yourself so I can let this glorious euphoria take over. My hands hurt, Sissy. I want to go to sleep."

Keegan reached for Gabby's hand but stopped herself before she made contact. She carefully placed her hand on Gabby's uninjured shoulder. "You're right. We can't control what other people do. Rest, Gabby. I won't blame anybody except the two of them."

"Good," she smiled as her eyes started to close. "Your turn, Papa."

"Fucking hell," Ranger grumbled. "I promise I won't kill her."

"Thank you," she grinned. "Any word on Patch?"

"He's in surgery, but he's expected to make a full recovery."

"Fantastic. I love you all. Thanks for coming. I hope you've enjoyed the show. And I'm out," she said and closed her eyes as her head slumped to the side.

"What in the hell did they give her?" Keegan asked.

"I'd guess it was one of the big boys," I said and gestured to her hands.

"How did she hurt them this bad?" Keegan asked.

"She was running on pure adrenaline when I got there. I'm sure she didn't even notice when it was happening," I explained.

"Knock, knock," Dr. White said as he entered the room. "How's our patient doing?"

"She just conked out, but she seemed to be feeling pretty good prior to that," I said.

"Good, I'm glad her pain is under control. So, I'll get right to it. We will need to remove the bullet in surgery. It's very close to a large blood vessel, and we don't want to risk compromising the vessel by removing it manually at the bedside."

Keegan grimaced. "I wish Gabby was able to translate."

"The hospital has translators. Do you need one?" Dr. White asked.

"Oh, no, that's not what I meant. Gabby's a nurse and will soon be a nurse practitioner. She speaks medical, and I don't."

"Oh, my apologies," Dr. White said. "Let me try again. The bullet is very close to a large vein and a large artery in her shoulder. If we try to remove it at the bedside, we could easily hit one of those vessels and cause her to bleed excessively. There is still a risk of hitting one of those vessels during surgery, but they have the tools necessary to stop the bleeding right away if that were to occur. In Gabby's case, surgery is the safer option."

"Thank you, doctor," Keegan said sincerely. "What about her hands?"

"She has multiple fractures on each hand. I don't think any of them require surgical intervention, but I'm going to ask the orthopedic doctors to come by and see her. In the meantime, we'll wrap her hands to stabilize and protect them until Ortho makes their recommendations."

"When will she be going to surgery?" I asked.

"I don't have a solid answer to give you. I believe there's only one emergency surgery ahead of her, and it's already in progress. If I had to guess, it'll probably be within the hour, but don't hold me to that," he said.

Keegan breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, good. That means Patch will be out soon."

"The man currently in surgery is our friend. He and Gabby were shot by the same person," I clarified.

He gasped in surprise. "She's the one who helped Patch?"

"Yes, she is," I confirmed.

"She saved his life," he said seriously.

"She did?" Keegan asked. "I'm not doubting her by any means. I just didn't realize his injuries were life-threatening."

"Yes, she did. And she did a damn fine job. From what the paramedics said, she stopped him from bleeding to death by squeezing the vessel with her fingers until EMS arrived and clamped it with hemostats."

"That explains a lot," I said. "Thank you."

"Last I heard, the surgery was going better than expected. They should be finishing up soon. I'll be sure to keep you guys updated," he said and left the room.

"Why did you say, ‘that explains a lot'?" Keegan asked.

"When I got there, she was laser-focused on Patch. She asked me to help him move to the exam table. Then she never left his side. They were quietly talking back and forth, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. She also had me busy securing Lauren and making phone calls. It didn't occur to me until just now that she was keeping me busy, while I'm sure her and Patch knew exactly what was going on. Then when EMS arrived, she rattled off all kinds of medical jargon. I was watching her closely when they took over. It was almost seamless the way her hands moved out of the way and were replaced by a new set of hands. Seconds later, they rushed out the door with Patch. Then, Gabby collapsed. She really was running on pure adrenaline."

"That's why she keeps asking about him," Keegan said quietly. "She knew it was much worse than they let on. Why didn't she tell us?"

"He asked me not to," Gabby mumbled. "He didn't want anyone to worry if they didn't need to."

"They said you saved his life," Keegan told her.

"So he's okay?"

"He's still in surgery, but they said it was going better than expected and should be over soon. The doctor we spoke with said you did a damn fine job. The paramedics did, too."

"Will you let me know when he's out of surgery? Even if you have to wake me up?"

"About that. Once he's out of surgery, it's your turn," Keegan said gently.

"Damn it," Gabby cursed. "I knew it. I fucking knew I'd have to have surgery. Why? Is it lodged in the bone? Am I going to be able to predict the weather based on the way my shoulder aches?"

"The doctor said the bullet was near a large blood vessel, and they need to remove it during surgery in case they hit the vessel and cause it to bleed," Keegan explained. "And I don't know how to answer your question about the weather."

"Oh, well, that's not as bad as I thought. It must be near the axillary artery and vein. They're being cautious. I'm okay with that. What about my hands?"

"He said you have multiple fractures, so he's asking for an ortho consult, but he doesn't think you'll need surgery."

"Any update on Lauren?"

"No," Keegan said slowly. "Did you want one?"

"Yes," Gabby said as if Keegan should have known. "If I have broken bones in my hands, she better have broken bones in her face."

"I can already tell you that she does," I said. "But if you want to know specifics, I'll find out for you."

"I do. If I'm going to brag, I want to do it accurately."

"Who are you?" Keegan laughed.

"I'm a brawler," Gabby yawned.

There was a slight commotion somewhere nearby followed by a flurry of activity. When I looked up to see Shaker and Keegan grinning at each other, I knew exactly why.

Seconds later, my suspicions were confirmed when the door opened to reveal Shaker's mother, her husband, and their security detail. "Gabby!" Jacquelyn cried and rushed to the side of the bed.

"Gigi!" Gabby returned.

"Oh, my sweet girl! How are you feeling? Are you in pain?"

"I'm better now that you're here," she said.

"Hey," Keegan said in mock offense.

"You know you feel better now that she's here, too," Gabby quipped. "The same thing happens with Papa. It's the grandparent effect."

"You girls always know how to make me feel special," Jacquelyn said. "Now, what can I do?"

"Make sure Keegan doesn't worry herself silly while I'm in surgery. And make sure Papa is present and accounted for."

"I believe I can handle that. Anything else?"

"Yes, will you see if I can have a cheeseburger and fries after surgery? And a large Coke with the good ice?"

"Absolutely, sweetheart," Jacquelyn smiled.

"One last thing," Gabby said and closed her eyes. "Byte's my boyfriend. I know he's a little older than me, but he's become one of my rocks, and I love him. He chased a burglar out of my house, he took care of me when I was sick, he gave me a dog and helps me take care of him, and he let me play with his cannibal chickens."

"Sweetheart, you don't need my approval. I'm happy if you're happy."

"I'm happy," Gabby said and appeared to fall asleep.

"Cannibal chickens?" Jacquelyn asked.

"I have three chickens. Sometimes I feed them scrambled eggs, and Gabby finds that hilariously morbid," I explained.

Dr. White knocked on the door and stepped inside the room. "Patch's surgery went well, and he's in recovery now. He's asking about Gabby. Is it okay if I give him an update?"

"Yes, please do," Keegan said. "Is he by himself?"

"He is at the moment, but they literally just wheeled him out of the OR. They'll allow a family member or two back once he's settled. I believe he has a group of people waiting to see him."

"Yeah, most of the club's probably here by now," Shaker said.

Dr. White's attention shifted to a physician walking toward us. "Hey, Butch, are you ready for my patient?"

"As soon as I speak to her and her family," he said.

"Here they are," Dr. White said. "Dr. Butcher will be performing Gabby's surgery. I'm going to go let Patch know how Gabby's doing."

Gabby's eyes opened as she started to giggle. "A Wiener shot me, and now a Butcher's going to cut me open. You can't make this shit up."

"Gabby," Keegan scolded.

"Relax, Sissy. He's a surgeon named Butcher. I'm sure he's heard it all before."

"She's right," Dr. Butcher said with a smile. "Except for the Wiener part."

"The last name of the person who shot her is Wiener," I explained.

"Ah," he said. "Well, as you've heard, I'm Dr. Butcher, and I'll be performing your surgery shortly. I wanted to come by to introduce myself, but I also want to personally thank you for saving Patch's life. He's a good friend of mine and a great physician. He was lucky you were there to help."

Gabby looked down at her lap. "Thank you, but I can't take all the credit. He talked me through most of it."

"He's alive because you were there, and you can take credit for that," Dr. Butcher said sincerely. "Now, about your surgery. We're taking you to the OR as more of a precaution because of the bullet's location. Barring any complications, you should be in and out in less than an hour. Any questions?"

Gabby shook her head. "I don't think so."

"I have one," Keegan said and pointed to Gabby's hands. "Will you please make sure to take extra precautions with her hands? She hasn't been seen by orthopedics yet, and I'm not sure how much protection her current bandages will provide."

"She's a worrier," Gabby stage-whispered.

Dr. Butcher grinned. "I'll personally make sure her hands don't incur any further injuries while she's in my care."

"Thank you," Keegan said.

"All right, I'll let the team know we're ready. I'll see you in the OR soon."

"Thank you," Gabby said.

I waited until everyone else had their moment with her. Then I leaned down and gently kissed her lips. "I love you, Gabs. I'll see you soon."

"I love you, too. Keep an eye on Papa, and don't forget to verify my bragging rights," she said.

"You got it," I promised and gave her one more quick kiss before they wheeled her away.