Page 9 of Awakening His Daddy (The Lactin Brotherhood #17)

Chapter 9

Izzy

“Izzy?” I hear a voice. “Come on, baby, wake up.” I grumble and turn my head. There’s a soft chuckle and fingers run gently through my hair.

“Daddy.” I sigh and open my eyes. He’s blurry at first, but I can see his smile.

“There he is.”

“Tired.” I move to roll over and then stop with a gasp as pain shoots through my arm and multiple hands grab me. “Ouch. That hurt.”

“Sorry to wake you,” the nice doctor lady says. “But we got your results back and you don’t need surgery.”

“Surgery for what?” I ask, and she grins. “Oh wait, my arm.”

“That’s right, but we will need to reposition the bone?—”

Now I start to panic as the fog of sleep and drugs clear.

“It’s going to hurt, isn’t it?”

“It will, but not for long. It will just be one big pull and snap, then we’ll wrap it and you can go home.”

I shake my head, but I know it has to be done.

“Okay.”

Joe takes my hand. “I’ll be right here, and you can squeeze my hand as hard as you need.”

“Alright?” The doctor moves closer, and I whine. I want to pull away but know I shouldn’t. “I’ll be quick.”

I make that weird nervous laughing sound when Jamal grabs my shoulder and uses his body to keep me positioned in the bed.

“No, ow, ouch.”

Joe turns my head to him. “Hey, listen, you got this. You’re strong.”

“No.” I can’t, and I struggle in their hold. Jamal pushes me down tighter, and the doctor tells me to take deep breaths.

“Hold still, for just a minute,” she orders.

“Do it for Daddy,” he whispers in my ear, and a feeling of pure joy runs through me at his words. He called himself Daddy. Then there is a sharp pulse of intense pain, and I cry out, gripping his hand tight.

“Good job.” The doctor pulls again. “Almost there.” She grunts, and I can feel when the bone moves back into its correct place.

I scream, she lets go, and Jamal steps back.

“You did great!” she praises me. “Now let’s get you back to X-ray.” I groan. “I know, but we have to make sure it’s set correctly or it won’t heal properly. And hey, while we wait, you can pick out the color you want for your cast, or you can always go with the standard white.”

“No, that’s boring.” I wrinkle my nose.

Jamal laughs and brings the tray closer.

“Is it okay if I want purple?”

“Whatever color you’d like?—”

“No wait, neon green.” That would look awesome, right? “Or maybe the bright orange.” I notice now that my teeth are chattering, but I need to make a choice. “Green. Although the pink is pretty too.” My breath is coming in shallow pants. “But that would be too girly.”

“You can have whatever color you want, and I’ll kick the crap out of anyone who has a problem with it,” Joe growls.

If I weren’t so drugged up, I’m sure my dick would be hard because that was so hot.

The doctor smiles at him, and I wonder if she’s flirting with him.

I won’t hesitate to cut a bitch if she decides she wants my Daddy.

“How about rainbow?” she asks.

“OMG. You can do that?” She nods. “Yes pl-pl… please.”

“No problem. I’ll be ready when you get back.” She leaves the room as Jamal comes back in with the wheelchair, and he helps me in. Joe piles all the blankets on me and follows Jamal down the hall.

“Why am… I freezing and shaking… so bad?”

“The pain meds and the pain. Your body is working hard right now to keep you alert and keep the pain away. Sometimes that makes your body shaky, and the meds make you cold.”

When we get back to the X-ray room, I narrow my eyes at the tech, and she laughs.

“I know, I know. I’m the bad guy.”

“Can you try to be more gentle?”

“I always try, but we need to see what we need to see. Alright, everybody out.”

The mean lady, she said her name was Tessa, makes me take all kinds of pictures, and she doesn’t seem sorry at all.

“Okay, hold it right there and we’ll be done.”

“Good,” I grump and then yawn.

“Okay, sorry, I lied. One more.” She comes over and twists my shoulder back, and I yelp in pain. “I know, I’m sorry.”

“Are you okay?” Joe’s low voice rumbles from the hall.

“Yes,” she calls out and then asks quietly. “Is that your boyfriend?”

“God, I wish. I’m too young for him.”

She heads back behind her screen again, and the machine makes a whirring sound. When she’s done, she comes out with the wheelchair.

“I don’t know. He seems very protective and affectionate toward you.” She helps me sit back in the chair. “I think it’s cute.” She waggles her eyebrows. “So I’m not asking you on a date or anything, and I’m assuming you’re gay.” I nod. “But something tells me we could be friends. Could we get coffee sometime?”

“Only if you promise to be nice to me.”

She laughs. “I swear I won’t hurt you outside of work.”

I eye her skeptically, and she sticks out her bottom lip in a pout.

“Fine,” I huff.

She jumps and squeaks. “Oh, thank you. I know we’ll get along great.”

“I think so too… Oh, but city—I live in the city.” That’s a long way to drive for coffee.

“I do too. I work four twelve-hour days and then I’m off three. I rent a small place up here because it’s so cheap, but I live with my fiancée in the city for the other three days. She’s amazing, and she’ll love you, too.”

“Okay, maybe you can meet my bestie. He’s Joe’s son,” I whisper. “But he’s a bossy little twink, not at all like his Daddy Bear.”

She chuckles. “I’d like that.” Then she calls out to let them know that we’re done, and Joe comes bursting in the door.

“Are you okay?” His hands run over my hair, and he tucks my blankets back around me. He puts my special blanket over my shoulders again.

“No, I have a broken arm.”

He grins at me and kisses my forehead.

Tessa grins at me and mouths, “I told you so.”

I yawn.

“Come on, let’s get you to your room.”

It takes a while for the doctor to come in, so I shiver in bed while Joe feeds me ice chips.

“I want to go home. How much longer do I need to stay here?”

“I’m sure she’ll be in as soon as she can.” I can tell he’s almost ready to go to the reception desk and get kicked out of here for demanding that I’m taken care of.

“The Knights’ quarterback is super hot,” I comment, trying to startle him out of his building rage.

“Caleb Sinner is a talented QB. But yes, even I can agree that he’s objectively hot.”

“I like hockey too. The Frost are my favorite team.”

“I don’t watch much hockey, but I’m glad you support the local team.”

I snort.

“You sound like a political ad.”

“Urgh, don’t get me started on those.” He groans.

“Candidate Joe Long. He works hard to support his local community and saves babies from trees,” I say in my best announcer’s voice.

“Babies from trees?”

“Or is that firemen? I think it’s cats from buildings.”

“I think you’re talking crazy talk.” Joe’s phone rings, and I know right away who it is. “Speaking of crazy. Hey, Le?—”

“Where is he? Is he okay? He didn’t answer his phone, and I just know he’s in pain. Are you with him?” I chuckle, and he sighs in relief. “Oh, thank fuck. You’re conscious and not dead.” I giggle again. “And on the good drugs, I see.”

“Not dead.”

“What happened, though?”

“It was cold, and I tripped, my shoulder and arm.”

“He tripped over a chainsaw, broke his arm, and had to get nine stitches on his shoulder.”

“No fucking way you tripped over a chainsaw. You’re making that shit up.”

“Language, Leo, you’re on speaker.”

“Then shut the fucking door or turn the volume down, old man.”

“I’m going to hang up.”

“Alright, alright, fine. Tell me how it happened.”

“That’s it.” Joe shrugs.

“You’re no help. Tell me what happened, boo.”

“I broke, and it hurts.”

“Do you need surgery?”

“No, we’re just waiting to see if the bone is back in place before they put on his cast.”

“What’s the plan after?”

“It’s supposed to snow tonight but just a few inches, so I’m going to take him back to the cabin.”

“Damn right you are. He shouldn’t have to sit in your huge-ass truck for an hour and a half while in pain.”

“I’m worried we might get stuck up there.”

“The cabin is totally stocked with everything you and Iz would need for the next year.”

“Yeah, but the plows don’t come through until after the main roads are clear.”

“So enjoy the time off,” Leo taunts.

I yawn loudly, and Joe goes into Daddy mode.

“Okay. We’re going to go. Izzy needs to rest.”

“I’ll call tomorrow, you or where’s my phone?” I look around.

“Right there.” Joe points.

“I’ll be waiting for your call. Love you, boo. I’ll be there to take care of you as soon as I can.”

“Love boo.” I giggle again. “Love you.”