Endurance (The Sin Trilogy 4)

I won’t have a mother-in-law like Isobel. Instead I’ll have one who renounced her son. What a bitch. It’s probably best I don’t have contact with her, as there is no way I could put up with her shit anyway.

Bleu slides to the edge of the bed. “I hate to wake Isobel and tell her to move to this bed but Harrison was so bad last night. I don’t want to wake the little monster in case he decides to throw another tantrum.”

“Do you want me to wake her while you get ready?”

“Please. The black site is only about fifteen minutes from here so we don’t have long until Sterling arrives.”

How am I going to do this? If Bleu wasn’t coming with me, I’m not sure I’d cope. Even if I am a nurse.

“Thank you, Bleu. For everything.”

“You can always count on me for anything.” That’s the way it’s always been for Bleu and me.

“I know.”

I’m a complete wreck when Sterling stops in front of a warehouse. I guess this is what they call the black site.

Damn. This is it. I’m about to see what beaten within an inch of your life looks like—on Jamie. I’m not prepared.

The entryway is dark and the creaking door adds fuel to my already edgy state of mind. It’s scary and intimidating as hell. I can see why The Fellowship would bring their enemies to a place like this.

Sterling leads us to the back of the warehouse. What I see when he opens the door is shocking. Makes me want to scream in horror. Vomit with disgust. Lash out in anger.

Animosity. Hostility. Bitterness. The three spin out of control inside my heart and head when I see Jamie’s bloody, beaten body dangling from the ceiling.

“Get him down from there. Now!” The last word sounds like it comes from an angry mother bear rather than me.

His body is completely limp. I’d question if he were alive if I didn’t see that his skin was still pink and his chest was rising and falling.

A man I’ve never seen lowers Jamie using some kind of chain pulley system. “Have you checked his hands to make sure he has circulation in them?” The man looks at me and says nothing. “He’s a doctor. He needs full use of his hands for God’s sake. You may have caused permanent nerve damage by doing this.”

Sin comes forward to help me move him to the floor. “He will be okay, Elli.”

I’m not convinced. “This is appalling, Sin.”

“It’s to be expected with what he endured. You may not approve but it’s what we do.”

It’s so much worse than I anticipated. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand this barbaric practice.”

“Look at him, Elli. All of this was for you. A demonstration of the trust he has in you. An extension of his love.”

“I know.” And it makes me feel so guilty.

His face is swollen and distorted with multiple cuts. He could pass for any head-on collision victims I’ve seen come through the ER. Very little about him looks like my precious Jamie.

He mumbles my name while I’m doing his assessment. “I’m here, Doc. I’m about to give you something for the pain but I need to check your neuro status first.”

I’m checking his pupils when he reaches up to touch my face. “Love . . . you.” His voice is barely more than a whisper.

“I love you too.”

“Endurance . . . it’s . . . done.”

“Yes, it is.”

“You’re . . . mine. My . . . mate.”

“I’m all yours, Doc. Forever.”

I do an initial assessment and find no reason to question his neurological status. Thank God. “Baby, I’m giving you a morphine injection in your hip.” He doesn’t even flinch when the needle pierces his skin and enters the muscle.

“I hope you’re coming home with me to help get him up the stairs to the bedroom.”

“Of course. Do you need to go ahead of us to prepare the room?”

“No. I converted our bedroom into a makeshift treatment room when I went to the house to get the morphine.”

“Good move.”

Jamie moans a lot during his transfer to the car and the first half of the ride. He quiets down the last part of the drive so I rest my hand on his chest to monitor his respirations and heart rate until we reach home.

The bed is turned back and ready to receive Jamie. I had no idea what to expect so I prepared for the worse. Good thing since that’s what I’m getting.

Sin and Sterling are winded when they reach the top of the stairs with Jamie. “This fucker is heavier than he looks.”

“He’s a buck ninety.” I double-checked in case I had to dose him based on weight.

“How much is that?”

“Thirteen and a half stones.”

“I would have guessed more.”

“He probably feels heavier because his body has no tone. He’s nothing but dead weight.”

He drops like a rock onto the bed. “I think the morphine is working.”

I hope that’s all it is and not some kind of underlying issue I missed.

“Thank you for bringing him up here. He wouldn’t have been very comfortable on one of the treatment room beds.”

“No problem. Mum’s staying with the bairns?”

“Yes.”

Sin embraces Bleu but looks at me. “I want you to know that was hell for me, but it’s done and over.”

Done and over. “That’s the only good part about it.”

Sin kisses the top of Bleu’s head. “It was a long night. I’ll be asleep on the sofa if you need me.”

I look at Jamie’s battered body and all I want to do is breakdown and cry, but that does nothing to help him. “Will you help me get him out of his clothes so I can bathe him?”

“Whatever you need me to do.”

I cut his shirt off first and then his pants but leave him in his boxer briefs. Those won’t come off until after Bleu is gone. “I put a basin next to the bathroom sink. Will you fill it with warm soapy water and bring it to me? And a washcloth?”

“Yeah.”

Jamie’s filthy. Absolutely bloody from head to toe. Makes me so angry to see him in this kind of condition. How? How could they do this to one of their own? It’s inhumane.

After I’m finished cutting away his clothing, I bathe every inch of his exposed body. He’s in worse shape than I imagined—countless cuts, bruises, and abrasions.

He moans loudly when I wash his right side. “That’s how Sin acted when I washed him there. His ribs were broken, and I bet Jamie’s

are too.”

“I’ll need to splint that so he’s not so uncomfortable.”

Bleu takes a closer look at Jamie’s upper arm. “Sin’s shoulder was dislocated. You might want to check his.”

“I’m going to do an in-depth head-to-toe exam after his bath.” I already see a couple of lacerations that could use a stitch or two.

“Mac?”

“I’m here.”

“Our baby girl . . . looks like you. She has your . . . black hair.”

Either the morphine is making him hallucinate or he’s dreaming. I’m not sure which. “We don’t have a baby yet.”

“Our son looks like me but has your beautiful green eyes.”

I look at Bleu and smile. “Does he now?”

“Aye.”

“We only have two kids?”

“No. Four.”

“Oh, I bet we’re really busy.”

“Baby batter . . . in your bowl. Bun in . . . oven.”

I giggle and look at Bleu while shrugging. “Narcotics. They make people say the funniest shit.”

It takes every bit of an hour to bathe Jamie and do his full assessment. I’m totally exhausted when I change clothes and finally crawl into bed beside him.

He’s sleeping. His respirations are deep and steady. “Love you, Doc. There aren’t enough words to thank you for this . . . this act of love.” I can barely get the words out as sobs threaten to consume me. “No one has ever demonstrated such selfless love, and I’m struggling with guilt as a result.” I will never doubt this man’s love. Never. “I’m going to make sure you never regret going through hell for me.”

I lift his hand from his side and place a kiss on top. “Into me, you see.”

Nothing on my body is free of pain. Even my eyelashes hurt when I attempt to open my eyes. My lids are fat and my vision blurry. I’m hoping it’s the side effects of the edema and narcotics rather than something going on with my optic nerves.

I shift and my brain immediately throbs. Rebound pain from the narcotic. I hate that shite.

I look at my surroundings through the narrow slits of my swollen eyelids. I’m home. Thank fuck. There’s no other place I’d want to be right now.