Protecting Braden (Custos Securities Series Book 2)

by Luna, David

  “Wha…” Braden cleared his throat and tried again. “What’s going on?”

  Cade heaved a relieved sigh. “Baby, welcome back.”

  Braden looked at him, clearly confused, and Cade worried about what Braden remembered. “Z, what happened? Why do you have a mask on?”

  Finn sat up on the sofa, staying out of the way. With Braden so recently out of surgery and far from being out of danger with his injuries, Cade was glad his brother wasn’t leaving. He pulled his chair closer and brushed Braden’s hair away from his face. “Baby, Eric kidnapped you again. You fought him and he shot you in the abdomen. You’ve just come out of surgery. Your risk of infection is high, so everyone that comes in your room has to wear protective gear.”

  A look of terror took over Braden’s pale face and he tried to push himself up, but winced in pain and whimpered. His breathing became labored, and he was about to try to talk, but Cade put his hand on his shoulder to keep him down. “Baby, stay calm for me. You’re gonna be alright. You never have to worry about him again. Never, do you understand me?”

  Tears came to Braden’s eyes and he shook his head and whispered brokenly, “So, he was caught? He’ll eventually get out of prison. It’ll never be over. I’ll never truly be rid of him, will I?”

  “Yes, you will. It’s over, Bray. Truly over. He’s dead, baby. I killed him myself when he tried to shoot you a second time. You never have to worry about him again.”

  Tears fell down Braden’s cheeks, and he raised his hands to cover his face. Cade stood above him, clasped his hands in his, and drew them away. He leaned over to press masked kisses to his forehead, cheeks and then gently over his lips. Braden choked back a sob. “It’s over? It’s really over?” Braden watched Cade for confirmation. When he nodded, Braden broke down. “Oh god! Oh my god, I’m so glad. I’m… Oh Jesus, Z. I’m happy he’s dead. What does that make me? What kind of person does that make me?”

  “Baby, it makes you human. I’m glad he’s dead, too. I’m glad we won’t have to put you through a trial. I’m glad we won’t have to look over our shoulders wondering if Eric has somehow found a way to get to you. I’m glad we can finally start our new life together without fear. We’re human, Braden, and you’ve been through hell because of him. It’s completely normal to feel relieved that it’s finally over.”

  Braden nodded, but closed his eyes for several minutes. Cade knew he needed that time to gather himself together, so he sat and simply held Braden’s hand. Braden’s eyes popped open and he looked at Cade in concern. “Shit, Z, he hit you with his car! Are you alright?”

  “Got a bit of a concussion, but yes, I’m fine. All we need to worry about is you, Bray.”

  “How bad is it?”

  At that, Finn stood and walked back to Braden. He placed his gloved hand on Braden’s shoulder. “Braden, you were shot in the abdomen and the bullet perforated your small intestines. There was internal bleeding and a lot of damage to the bowel that needed repairing. You’ve had a few units of blood transfused. We are giving you antibiotics to help fight infection, meds for the pain, and we are monitoring your glucose levels closely. We’ve also started you on anti-migraine medication.”

  Braden’s eyes were wide with shock and he looked to Cade for reassurance. “Bray, let him finish and then you can ask all the questions you want.”

  Braden gripped Cade’s hand tighter and nodded for Finn to continue. “Because of the bullet, waste was released into your abdominal cavity. This makes your risk of infection extremely high. That, coupled with your diabetes, means it’s a waiting game to see how your body deals with all the trauma. On top of all that, we have to monitor you for postoperative fever, hemorrhaging and respiratory complications.”

  Finn pulled a cord, wrapped it around the side bars of the bed, and placed the handle with a button on top of Braden’s lap. “Anytime there’s abdominal surgery, air gets trapped inside of your abdominal cavity and causes pain, so you’ll have that to contend with in addition to the pain from the surgery. You’re on a drip that’s monitored by an IV pump for continuous pain meds, but you’ve also got a patient controlled anesthetic for breakthrough pain. You can hit that button and if you’re allowed a dose of pain meds at that time, it will be automatically administered through your IV. Any questions so far?”

  “Did you perform my surgery?”

  Finn patted Braden on the shoulder. “Zavier wouldn’t have it any other way. I hope that doesn’t make you uncomfortable.”

  Braden reached up and caught Finn’s hand with his and squeezed. “Thank you for saving my life.”

  Finn glanced at Cade and then smiled down at Braden. “There was no other option, but you’re welcome. You look exhausted. With the pain meds, you’ll spend a lot of time resting and healing. Try to get some sleep. We’ll be monitoring you closely through the night. We’ll be in and out every hour and will also help you change your position. We’ll be bringing a bed in here for Zavier tonight. We’ll need to be waking him every few hours as well, because of the concussion. Sam is on your rotation, so she’ll come in and check on you. I’m going to grab a quick bite to eat and bring something back for Zavier. Think you can get some sleep?”

  “Yeah, I’m having a hard time keeping my eyes open.”

  Braden glanced at Cade and held out his hand as Finn left the room. When Cade took his hand in his larger one, he brought it to his lips and kissed it. “Rest and heal, Bray. That’s the only thing you need to worry about.”

  Braden’s eyes drooped, and even though he knew he didn’t have to ask, he couldn’t help himself. “You’ll stay?”

  Cade stood up to kiss Braden’s temple. “Baby, I’m not leaving until you’re ready to come home with me.”

  Braden nodded and then his eyes closed and he was asleep. Cade pulled out Cooper’s phone and saw a text from him, via Sawyer’s phone, saying that he’d be bringing in some clothing and toiletries for him. Cade asked him to work with Maya to have him bring anything Braden would need or want while he was here for the next week. That done, he picked up the big lounger and brought it as close to Braden’s bed as he could and then proceeded to lean back, clasp Braden’s hand in his, and fall asleep alongside his partner.

  The three days following Braden’s surgery were, thankfully, uneventful. Detective Miller had come on the second day to take their statements. As the cops and the paramedics were witnesses to the shooting, there wouldn’t be any issues with closing the case as a justifiable homicide. Braden had no complications those first few days, and Finn let them know that he was cautiously optimistic.

  Braden had a procession of visitors. Cade could see some of the life that had been slowly seeping out, as a result of Eric’s terrorization, slowly slip back in. His smiles were more natural and reached his eyes. He was quick to laugh and even quicker to groan when laughing caused pain. Nana was holding down the fort at the café again. Braden was quick to get worn out, and his visitors never stayed long.

  On the fourth day, Braden began to run a fever. He was experiencing more abdominal pain as well as losing his appetite. Finn did an ultrasound but didn’t find anything. He ordered a CT scan and before the scan, injected a contrast medium into Braden’s IV. Cade followed him up to the floor with the scanner and stayed outside of the room while it was done. The CT scan revealed one of the things Finn had been worried about: an intra-abdominal abscess within the intestines.

  When they got Braden back to his room, Finn sat down on the edge of Braden’s bed. “We have two options. I can go in and drain the abscess by needle—we’d use a sedative and local anesthetic—or I could go in surgically to drain it.”

  Cade spoke up immediately. “Why would we choose the more invasive method? Which one would you recommend?”

  “We’d choose the more invasive method because the worry is that draining the abscess won’t fix the root cause. My guess is that there’s something wrong with one of the sutures in the intestine, but I don’t know that for sure. It’s a very risky sur
gery and we have no idea what we’ll find in there. There’s no guarantee we can find and fix everything, but leaving things as they are isn’t an option. It’s completely up to you, and I understand if you don’t want me to open you back up again.”

  Braden looked at Cade and then back at Finn. “But you’d recommend the surgery, if it was you?”

  Finn smiled gently. “Frankly, Braden, I’m recommending the surgery because it’s you. I don’t want to do the needle aspiration and then have you come down with another issue when we could go in there, do some exploring, and find out what’s truly causing the abscess and fix it. I don’t want to have to do this, but I’m afraid that simply draining it and not fixing the overall problem will just be a stop gap and, in the end, keep you here longer.”

  Braden worriedly bit his lip and looked at Cade. “Z, what do you think?”

  “Baby, ultimately, it’s up to you.”

  Panicked, Braden shook his head. “I can’t hear that right now. I can’t make this decision by myself. Please, don’t put that on me.”

  “Braden, look at me. Is this a decision you want me to make for you?”

  Braden nodded. “Yes. I’m sorry. I know it’s weak, but I just….”

  “It’s not weak. You’re feeling overwhelmed, and if this is what you need, it’s what I’ll provide. The decision is an easy one for me. When Finn recommends something medically, I listen.”

  Braden took a deep breath, nodded, and squeezed Cade’s hand, thanking him without words. He looked at Finn. “OK, I guess you go back in.”

  Finn placed his hand on Braden’s leg. “All right. We’ll have you sign the consent forms and then get you prepped and ready. I don’t want to wait any longer. We’ll give you a dose of antibiotics pre and post-surgery. After surgery, we’ll resume all your medications including your anti-migraine meds. Your glucose levels are within normal range but we’ll continue to closely monitor them. Any questions?”

  “You’ll be performing the surgery, right?”

  Finn smiled. “I don’t think Zavier would have it any other way.”

  Cade didn’t smile at that. “I don’t trust anyone else with his life, Finn, it’s as simple as that.”

  Finn glanced at his brother. “I’ll do everything in my power to ensure that we get to the bottom of this infection and find the abscess.”

  Braden placed a calming hand on Cade’s and looked at Finn. “He knows that, Finn. We both do. I’m sure everything will be fine. Let’s get it over with.”

  Braden called Nana and Maya and told them what was happening. They told him they’d be shutting down the café and heading over right away. Just before they prepped him, Gideon and Cooper came to visit. They entered the room as Finn was coming in to check on Braden one last time before scrubbing in for the surgery. He nodded at the men and suggested to Cade that he not watch the surgery alone, so both men accompanied him to the operating theater.

  Cooper and Gideon sat back on the bench, but Cade stood and kept watch through the windows and on the monitor. The volume was up and Cade could hear Finn speaking to the anesthesiologist and the nurses that were in there with him.

  Cade looked down through the windows and spoke to no one in particular. “I don’t know that his body can take much more. I failed him again, and he might die today because of it.”

  He heard booted feet on the floor and then his brothers, one of blood and one of allegiance, were at his back. He felt Gideon’s hand land solidly on the back of his neck and Cooper’s on his shoulder. He leaned into them, taking some of their strength. Gideon, not much on talking, let alone about feelings, spoke up. “From what I’ve been told, Braden lost it and ran like a bat out of hell away from you. You gave chase, shoved him out of the way of an oncoming car and were hit in the process. No one could have known it was his car.”

  “I shouldn’t have talked to him about Eric while we were running. I should have waited until we were at home, safe.”

  “Would he have waited until you were at home?”

  “He didn’t want to wait, no.”

  “So you asked him to wait?”

  Cade sighed. “Yeah. I should have tried harder.”

  Cooper piped in. “Cade, you can make your boy do a lot of things, but waiting on the truth from you about Eric? No way. He would have pushed and he wouldn’t have stopped until you told him everything. Tell me that’s not true.”

  “He did push, and I caved. I should have pushed back harder.”

  Cooper shook his head at that. “That wouldn’t have worked. That’s not how your relationship works, Cade, even I know that. You tell each other the truth, all of it, even when it’s not good.”

  “It doesn’t fucking matter now. We’re here and any way I look at it, that’s on me.”

  “And we’re saying that’s bullshit, Cade, and I bet he told you as much.”

  “I haven’t said anything to him about it. I’m not going to say anything that will stress him out. He doesn’t need that.”

  Cooper continued, on a roll now. “You haven’t said anything to him about it because he wouldn’t agree with you and he’d be pissed as hell that you’re harboring this much guilt and haven’t told him. I do not envy you that conversation. You saved him, Cade. That’s the truth and that’s what he knows.”

  “Fuck that. I had to save him because I put him in that situation in the first place!”

  “So you’re God now? You’re omnipotent? You should have been able to tell the future and known that he’d react like that, or that Eric was in the car that hit you? None of this is anyone’s fault but Eric’s! Get that through your thick fucking skull.”

  Cade shook off their hands and was about to respond to Cooper when Finn’s voice broke into their heated silence. “Zavier, I’ve found the abscess. I’m working to drain it now, but it’s in a dangerous spot. This is directly over the spot where he had internal bleeding during the first surgery, so I need to check the entire area for any other signs of infection, in addition to the abscess.”

  Cade waited and watched Finn’s movements as he inserted a needle and drained the abscess. A nurse stepped forward and took the needle from him when he was finished, and Cade watched as he gently moved aside what he assumed was some of Braden’s small intestine. He froze when he heard Finn curse under his breath. Gideon and Cooper must have heard it as well, because all of a sudden they were beside him, watching the monitor, all of them unsure what they were seeing. Cade’s insides froze as he looked at the area Finn was working on and saw blood seeping into the abdominal cavity.

  Finn started barking orders. The nurses began moving around, quickly setting things up. One handed Finn a tube that they saw was providing suction. Gauze was being used, and Finn was muttering under his breath. As much as Cade wanted to interrupt and ask what was going on, he didn’t want to break his brother’s concentration.

  Finn, who continued to work, finally spoke, “Zavier, he’s bleeding internally again, it appears to be coming from the ileocolic artery, which feeds into the intestines. It looks like it’s been slowly seeping and feeding into a second abscess, just beginning to form. I have to find the source and patch it up, but it’s a mess in here. Things may get worse before they get better. Are Cooper and Gideon there with you?”

  Cade pushed the speaker button, held it down, and took a deep, shaky breath. “Yes. Find it and fix it. Whatever it takes, Finn.”

  Finn continued working, his movements quick and precise. “Whatever it takes. I won’t be talking with you while I’m doing it. Keep your shit together up there, or have them do it for you. We’re shutting the sound off.”

  “No, I need to…”

  “You don’t. I’ll let you stay up there, but only if you keep yourself under control, Zavier. Are we clear?”

  Cade didn’t like it, but he wasn’t about to lose his chance at being as close as possible to Braden while the worst was happening. Gideon’s hand landed heavily on his shoulder. “We’re clear.”

  The so
und was clicked off, but the video remained on. He could tell that Finn was barking orders as the nurses started moving again, one of them using the phone. Finn continued to work on Braden the whole time, his concentration never breaking, even while speaking to those in the room with him.

  A man quickly entered the room, hands raised after scrubbing in. Nurses approached and put surgical gloves on him immediately. He glanced up at the theater and Cade saw that it was Dr. Brown, from the first surgery. He nodded to Cade and walked to Braden’s other side. He had a conversation with Finn, nodded, then his hands were side by side with Finn’s, inside of Braden.

  Cade had no fucking clue what they were doing. Suddenly, a scalpel was placed into Finn’s hand and Braden’s intestines were being partially pulled out of his abdominal cavity, as they’d been the last time. Cade tensed, ran his hands over his head and gripped the back of his neck to keep himself steady. He could see a lot of blood and he knew that something awful was coming. His gut twisted and he turned to Cooper. “Did Sawyer send you both to me?”

  He could tell that was what happened by Cooper’s reaction to the question. His jaw clenched. “Was it a scene, a flash, or a fucking niggling sense?”

  Cooper’s body tensed, but he didn’t answer. Cade was about to ask again when he saw a flurry of activity down below in the OR that grabbed his attention. Everyone had jerked their gaze toward the electronic monitors Braden was hooked up to, which is what prompted Cade to do the same. He knew from past experience that the monitors connected to Braden were now beeping at those in the OR in warning. Braden’s heart was slowing down and, from what Cade could tell, there was entirely too much blood filling up the empty space in his abdomen.

  Cade turned partially away from the monitors and snarled at Cooper. “Tell me!”

  “It was a flash. He saw this happening and then he saw you losing your shit. We don’t know what it means, but you’ve got the best surgeon you could possibly have. We have to trust him, Cade.”

  Cade turned back to face the windows and the monitor and watched as Braden’s heart slowed even more. Finn and Dr. Brown worked feverishly to stem the flow of blood. It wasn’t working. Cade watched with a growing sense of panic, as Braden’s heart slowed and then, finally flat-lined. He took a step back, unable to assimilate what he’d seen into his reality.