Trusting Cade (Custos Securities Series Book 1)

by Luna, David

  “Call Maya and Nana, let them know we found him and what hospital we’re going to. Brody is tracking Eric; check in with him for progress reports and get back to me, but I expect to be in on taking that fucker down. It doesn’t happen without me. If he looks like a flight risk, call me.”

  Cooper responded in the same language, agreeing to keep him apprised of the situation with Eric and let him know they’d be at the hospital soon. Cade ignored the curious looks from the EMTs and placed his hand on Braden’s head, keeping a connection with him the whole way to the hospital.

  When they got there, they took Braden immediately into a trauma room in the ER, where several doctors and nurses got to work. Cade stood off to the side at parade rest, not saying a word, staying out of the way, but letting everyone know he was there and wasn’t about to go anywhere. When he’d talked to Braden about his size being intimidating and the fact that he occasionally used that to his advantage, he was talking about situations like this. He wanted them to know they’d be having a fight on their hands if they asked him to leave.

  Several of the hospital personnel that came in and out of the room sent him alarmed looks, but the EMTs cleared his presence with the doctor that met them when they arrived. One of the other doctors glanced at him, and recognition seemed to flit over his face before he turned back to Braden. He heard his brother’s name bandied about by the doctors there and realized that his brother must have called in and gotten the right people on the job, as they all started to take action on Braden immediately, taking blood for tests, putting in an IV and starting fluids and injecting something into the bag that was being hung from the IV stand. A small bit of the stress he’d been carrying around left him when everyone seemed to be taking action to help Braden.

  That stress immediately came back tenfold when they began to cut Braden out of his clothes to search for any and all injuries. The first thing he realized, and wondered why it hadn’t occurred to him already, was that Braden was wearing clothes that were not his. That fact made him sick to his stomach, and he stepped forward, without thinking, and was immediately held back by Cooper and his brother. He’d had no clue they’d even arrived. He shook with anger and meeting Finn’s eyes, ground out, “Those aren’t his clothes, Finn. He could have… He could have been…” His breath came out in a shaky whoosh as he let it out and gulped air back in. “They need to bag those clothes. They need to…”

  “Stand down, Zavier. I understand what you’re saying, and I promise you that I will see to it that this is handled properly. Do you want me directly involved in his care down here before they take him to ICU?”

  “Yes. I need you to ensure everything that can be done for him is done, whether you supervise it because there’s someone better suited to the job, or do it yourself, I don’t care.

  Finn nodded. “Give me a minute.”

  Finn intercepted one of the doctors, and they had a whispered conversation. Cade heard rape kit, DNA swabs, physical and sexual trauma, and then he tuned out, unable to listen anymore to the reality that was stretching out before him. He took another step forward and was held back again by Cooper. He turned towards his best friend, a man he considered a brother, and the anguished look on Cooper’s face about did him in, knowing that if Cooper looked that devastated, he wasn’t faring any better.

  Time seemed to stand still for him, as he watched them cut away all of the clothing and put it in brown paper bags marked EVIDENCE. Plastic bags were brought out of a box, along with swabs and glass slides. His knees grew weak, and he had to lock them in place to stay standing, as hospital personnel went about the task of treating Braden and also gathering evidence.

  When they’d done the invasive tests on Braden, he and Cooper turned their backs to give Braden privacy, regardless of his state of consciousness. His brother had long since donned doctor’s scrubs and helped with the evidence gathering, but unbeknownst to Cade, had also turned his back when his colleagues had done the invasive tests checking for any signs of sexual assault. One of the doctors tapped Finn on the shoulder, letting him know it was safe for him to turn around. They had a whispered conversation, and Finn approached Cade. “Zavier, you can turn around.”

  When Cade did, along with Cooper, he saw the look in his brother’s eyes and wasn’t sure how to read his expression. There was a small bit of relief, but there was also a lot of tension remaining, and he stayed silent waiting for an explanation. Finn led him to a chair that had just been brought into the trauma room next to Braden’s bed, and he pushed Cade down onto it, pulled a rolling chair forward and sat himself as he began to talk.

  “The good news is that there is no evidence showing sexual assault. However, I’m afraid the good news stops there. I know you’re aware, by now, that Braden is in a diabetic coma. For type 1 diabetics, what causes the coma is diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA. Knowing you, you researched DKA and I don’t have to explain it, correct?”

  When Cade nodded, Finn continued, “He’s being treated right now with isotonic IV fluids, electrolytes with supplements and insulin. He will be very carefully monitored to ensure that these methods are working to bring his body back from being insulin deprived. Once his body has stabilized from the treatment, we will hopefully see him pull out of the coma, but it may take some time. Hopefully we caught it early enough that there will not be any brain damage as a result of the coma. Now, I know you need information; it’s part of what helps you function in high stress situations, but I have to ask you to think about this question before answering. Do you want me to walk you through all of the physical trauma he’s sustained?”

  Cade rested his elbows on his knees, his head falling low. He rubbed his face with his hands and clasped them behind his head. He sat for several minutes, just breathing, trying to calm the inner turmoil of hearing all of that information, still not knowing if Braden was going to come out of this without long lasting effects. He looked at his brother imploringly. “I have to know. You know that, Finn. I have to know.”

  Finn took a deep breath, and nodded his acknowledgement. “Why don’t you pull your chair up to Braden right now, and hold his hand. It will help you feel grounded and close to him, and my own opinion is that coma patients are sometimes aware of the world around them, including the sense of touch, smell and hearing, so this can help him as well.”

  Grateful for his brother’s understanding of his needs, he nodded and stood to pick up the chair and move it closer to Braden’s side. He sat again, clasped Braden’s hand gently in his. He teared up when he saw how pale Braden’s skin was, how small his hand looked in his own, much bigger one. He noticed the bruises on his wrist and took in a shaky breath, to keep himself under control. He leaned down and rested his forehead on their clasped hands, and waited for his brother to start.

  “Braden sustained head injuries—three distinct bumps on his temple—that caused a concussion. He received a contusion to the upper eyelid and on his eyebrow that caused his brow to split open. He was given a couple stitches there. His right wrist has some bruising. His left wrist was broken and has been placed in a cast. He sustained contusions on his lower chest on the left side around his ribs; however, after they brought in the portable X-ray, they ruled out any fractures there. He also has several contusions on his legs. That’s where it ends, but you know these injuries will take some time to heal, so it’s really just the beginning for him. He’s gotten excellent care here and will continue to receive it under my direct supervision. I asked them to give us a bit of time for me to explain this to you, but we need to move Braden to the ICU, so that we can free this trauma room. The staff there has been prepped to care for him, and his room will be private, allowing you to stay with him at all times. They’ve been made aware of the situation with Eric and will not try to keep you from him, for any reason.”

  Cade looked at his brother and nodded his understanding. Finn opened the door and spoke quietly to someone on the other side. A few nursing assistants came in and prepped Braden for his move and m
inutes later, they rolled him into the elevator to take him to the ICU several floors up. Cade stayed with him during the transition to his room, and Braden was transferred gently to the big hospital bed, which dwarfed him and seemed to emphasize his vulnerability. The bright, fluorescent lights amplified the paleness of Braden’s skin and Cade felt reality bear down on him, almost crippling in its weight. He took a deep breath, doing his best to set his worries aside for now. He dimmed the overhead lights in the room, letting the natural light take over.

  The room was rather large, the bed on the left side, the back wall was mostly windows, under which was a long built-in couch that ran the width of the room. There was a fairly comfortable looking, padded, reclining chair that looked as if it might lay flat for another sleeping surface in addition to the sofa. He wasn’t sure if Cooper would be able to talk Maya out of spending the night here with Braden, so at least there was a place for both of them to rest if need be. There were already flowers on the windowsill, behind the sofa. The artwork was fairly modern, and the room was painted a sage green.

  He turned when there was a knock on the door and saw Cooper opening the door for Maya and Nana. Nana looked like she’d aged five years since yesterday, and Maya looked pale, circles ringing her eyes. Both women gasped as they saw Braden and rushed to his side. They clasped each other’s hands tightly to share in their combined strength as they cried together for Braden. He saw Finn by the room entrance and told him he wanted another recliner brought in and perhaps a couple smaller chairs if they’d fit.

  Cade approached the women and put his arms around them. He made a mental note to have a sweater brought for Nana, as her skin was like ice. He kissed them both on the head and continued to hold on to them, needing the contact for himself and knowing they needed his strength as well. “How much have you been told?”

  Maya looked up at him with tears in her eyes, and spoke quietly; almost as if Braden was just sleeping, and she didn’t want to wake him. “Finn told us he’s in a coma, but has been treated with the meds he needs to come out of it and that we’re just waiting. He also said Braden was beaten up a bit and to be prepared for that.”

  Looking down at Braden, her tears spilled over and she swiped them away with one hand, as she lowered her other hand toward his bandaged head, her fingers shaking, as she gently moved a stray lock of hair caught in the gauze. “But how can we prepare for this?”

  Her breath hitched. “I can’t prepare myself for seeing Braden beaten and comatose! I can’t… Oh, god…Was he… Tell us the truth, how bad is it, Cade? What can’t we see?”

  Cade hugged her tighter and took a deep breath. “The things you can’t see are the bruises around his ribs and a few on his lower legs. We won’t know until he wakes if he has sustained brain damage as a result of the diabetic coma; and it’s doubtful that he will come out of this without any emotional trauma.”

  At that news, it seemed like the fight went out of her and she grabbed him around the waist to hold herself up. He could feel her shoulders shaking and knew she was crying. He soothed her the best he could and worked to distract her with information. “Finn says it’s important to talk to him, that he might be able to hear us. He told me earlier to hold his hand, because he might be able to feel it. We can also bring things in that we know he likes to smell, because it might help if he can smell things he loves. Those are the senses we have to work with, to do our best to help him come around.”

  Maya looked up at him with hope and a tiny smile on her face. “He loves the smell of vanilla and baking sugar cookies. He loves the way you smell, like sandalwood and cedar. I can bring in some of the scents he likes.”

  Maya moved forward and sat gently on the bed by Braden and touched his chest, his arm, and then pulled his hand into her lap and held it. Nana leaned over and kissed his hair and then his forehead, and whispered in his ear while she touched his face. Cade stood back and let them have time with Braden uninterrupted. He wanted more than anything to be touching him, talking to him, but he wasn’t going to get in the way of Braden’s women doing their best to help heal him. He slid his hand up Maya’s upper arm to her shoulder and squeezed. He smiled down at her. “I’m just going to make a call, have some things brought here for Braden and a sweater for Nana. I’ll be just outside the door, if you need me. Can I have anything brought here for you?”

  She shook her head. “Don’t bother with her bags, just have someone go into my room and get a couple of sweaters and pillows for the chairs. At the foot of Braden’s bed is a navy blue fleece blanket that he loves. Whenever he’s sick, he curls up on his couch with that fleece blanket. Oh, and have them bring his pillow. If he’s allowed his own clothes, he has a pair of ratty old flannel PJ bottoms that are blue and green plaid and a long sleeved Phish t-shirt that I always threaten to steal from him because it’s so soft and comfortable. That’s his go to clothing when he’s sick. His feet are also cold all the time, so have them bring some fleece socks for him, if they can.”

  She looked up at him after giving her list, turned red and looked away. “Sorry. You can have them bring whatever you want for him. I just thought…”

  Cade brought her in for a tight hug and rocked her back and forth. “It’s perfect; you’re perfect. I didn’t know all of that, and those are the exact types of things I want brought for him, so thank you. Let me step outside in the hall and make a call to my family to check in and give them the list of things to bring. Take care of him while I’m away.”

  Nodding, she went back to Braden’s side and sat back down on the bed and held his hand. He stepped out into the hall and saw a nurse pushing one of the reclining chairs towards his room. He opened the door to let her in, thanking her. Finn and Cooper approached him and he told them everything that he needed from home for the ladies, himself and for Braden. Cooper said he’d call the order into Sawyer and Jackson, while Cade called his family to update them.

  He spoke to his mom, who he was happy to learn was baking some cookies for the café with his sister, helping Layla and Zoe with keeping the café open while everyone was at the hospital. They assured him that they had it covered and they’d be to the hospital as soon as the café closed. His dad and brother had been gone for some time, running an errand that they’d kept from everyone else, which surprised Cade, but he let it go and figured they’d tell him when they came to the hospital. He hung up just as he saw the same nurse struggling with a couple of stacked chairs. He relieved her of them as he thanked her again for her help and carried them into the room, placed them against the wall on the opposite side of the bed, out of the way, but there for when they’d be needed.

  He saw that Nana was still standing and touching Braden, so he moved the recliner directly next to the bed so that she could sit and still talk to him and touch him. He did the same on the other side for Maya. He backed away and sat down on the long sofa in front of the windows, leaned back and rubbed his face. Cooper came in and nodded at him, silently letting him know that he’d relayed the message to Jackson and Sawyer. He walked towards the couch and sat by Cade, asked if he could bring anything from the café downstairs. Cade figured they’d be there for the long haul so he might as well have Cooper go outside of the hospital and get some good food for everyone, so they didn’t have to eat the hospital food. Cooper left to head to a local deli, and Finn came in carrying some hospital blankets for the ladies and then joined him on the couch. They sat there for the next 30 minutes or so, watching Braden’s women tend to him, Finn, silently supportive, and Cade, itching to be close to Braden again.

  As much as he wanted to be checking in with Brody, he knew now wasn’t the time for him to be thinking about Eric and how much he wanted to get his hands on the man and wring the life out of him. He knew that he couldn’t bring that anger, that need for revenge into this room. There was already enough trauma Braden had to wade through; he didn’t need bad energy in the room as well. Cade took some deep breaths and stood up slowly to pace, which seemed to be a new habit h
e’d formed. He looked up when he heard Cooper come into the room carrying a rather large Styrofoam cooler with a large paper bag sitting on top of it. He walked to the countertop that housed some cabinets and a sink and placed it there.

  When he approached Cade, the look in his eyes was one of understanding, and he put his hand on Cade’s shoulder and said exactly what Cade needed to hear. “Listen, you don’t need to be worrying about Eric right now. I’ll stay in contact with Brody, Sawyer and Jackson. If it’s possible to wait on going after him until Braden is safe and well at home, that’s what we’ll do. If it looks like he’s a flight risk, we’ll be in contact with you immediately. I’ll be in and out of here today, checking in. There are a ton of sandwiches and salads in there, all different types, and cold drinks as well, all on ice. The bag is full of other items like chips and some fruit. That should keep everyone that visits in food until tomorrow.”

  He gave his best friend an appreciative look and nodded, knowing that a verbal thank you between them was rarely necessary. He relaxed his shoulders and felt himself let go of the rage and terror that had held him captive for the last 30 some odd hours. Braden needed him and damned if he was going to let him down now.

  He walked over to Braden’s bed. “Cooper brought food for us and anyone else who will visit. There’s snacks and fruit, sandwiches, salads and drinks. I know you’re probably not that hungry at a time like this, but what we need to do is take care of ourselves so that we’re all able to take care of him. What can I bring you ladies?”

  Having gotten their orders, he pulled the rolling tray over to the counter and loaded it up with their meal. He pulled up one of the smaller chairs and they all sat and ate, chatting with each other, telling Braden stories, making sure they were loud enough for Braden to hear so he knew he wasn’t alone.