Page 77 of Devil's Hour
“If I can sit in a recliner at home, then I can sit in a chair by his bed here,” Royce countered.
“I can tell it will do no good for me to argue, so I won’t. I’m going to write you a get-out-of-work pass for ten days, and you can do with it as you wish. If you’re not feeling better by then, you need to see your family doctor. Okay?” Royce nodded.
He was kind enough to let Royce take a shower and loan him a pair of hospital scrubs. Royce’s heart demanded he find Sawyer immediately, but his brain knew they wouldn’t let him anywhere near his man until he was clean.
“I’ll run by your house and get you some things as soon as I know how Sawyer is,” Holly said.
Rigby met them in the hallway outside his room. She looked harried and exhausted, but she smiled when she saw he was discharged.
“I’m sorry it took me so long. I kept receiving calls from Mayor Kravitz and the detectives searching the rectory. Sawyer is stable. He’s up in the burn unit receiving treatment. His parents are up there now in the waiting room. How are you?”
“I’m going to sound like a chain smoker,” Royce replied. “No work for ten days.”
“You’re very lucky. Rushing into that building was both brave and stupid.”
“It was neither. Sawyer was in there.” That was all that needed to be said. He could evaluate his actions later. “Will you keep me posted on the case as things unfold?”
“Of course. I’ll be back to see Sawyer as soon as he can have visitors.”
Blue, Holly, and Jace went upstairs with him to the fourth floor. Evangeline leaped from the chair and crossed the waiting room as soon as he stepped off the elevator.
“Royce, I…” Her voice broke off and she sobbed. “Thank you for saving my boy.”
“I wasn’t leaving without him,” he whispered, hugging her tight. “I’d trade places with him if I could.”
“Don’t be silly. No one wants you to be injured like that. Are you okay?” She stepped back and cupped his face. Royce nodded and she guided him over to meet Sawyer’s father. “This is my husband, Baron.”
Baron shook his hand, then pulled him into a hug. “It’s good to meet you.”
“Same, sir. I just wish it were under better circumstances.”
“Likewise.”
Royce introduced his brother, Holly, and Blue.
“Of all the times for Killian and Grace to be at Disneyland,” Evangeline said. Sawyer had mentioned his siblings and their spouses and kids had gone for the week. “Should I call them and let them know what happened?”
“Not until we know more information,” he replied.
It seemed like hours before the doctor came out to speak with them. “He was lucky,” were the first words out of her mouth. “Most of his burns were first degree, which are the mildest, and only affect the outer layer of skin. Unfortunately, he does have some second- and third-degree burns, which means the damage has gone deeper into the dermis or through it to affect deeper tissues. Luckily, only a tiny percentage of his injuries fall into those categories.”
“What does that mean?” Evangeline said. “What kind of treatment will he need?”
“He’ll be our guest for a while so we can treat him with a heavy course of antibiotics and keep a close eye on those wounds. His biggest risk right now is infection, so keeping the burns clean and properly bandaged is paramount. It doesn’t look to me like his third-degree burns will need skin grafting, but it’s too soon to tell. He was in substantial pain when he arrived, so we sedated him heavily. This will be a long recovery, and it won’t be easy. We will have to clean the wounds each day to remove dead skin, and that can be excruciating.” Evangeline sobbed and tears rolled down Royce’s cheeks unchecked. “We are going to do everything in our power to make him as comfortable as we can. I promise you.”
“When can we see him?” Evangeline asked tearfully.
Dr. Sanchez glanced around at the group. “Give us a bit to clean and dress his wounds and make sure he’s as comfortable as we can make him. Then we can let you see him, but we only permit two visitors at a time. Due to high risk of infection, we have very strict rules here just like the ICU does.” She started to rattle them off, but Royce tuned her out. All he could think about was how much pain Sawyer was in.
Evangeline wrapped her hand around his bicep, interrupting the gut-wrenching images in his brain. “This one is probably going to fight you on that,” she said. “I don’t think he’ll settle for only being able to see Sawyer for a few hours a day.”
“No, ma’am,” Royce agreed.
Dr. Sanchez smiled kindly. “I know it’s hard, but the most important thing for Mr. Key is getting as much rest as possible, and we will keep him sedated through most of his stay here to help him achieve it.”
Royce wasn’t leaving the hospital without Sawyer, but he wasn’t going to make enemies out of the staff. He pointed over at the recliner tucked in the corner of the waiting room. “I call dibs on that recliner.”
She laughed. “Fair enough. And what’s your relation to Mr. Key?”