The doctor frowned and turned his disapproving stare on Gray. “You won’t be going anywhere today.”
“How bad is it?” Gray demanded, as he gestured toward his heavily bandaged shoulder.
“Not nearly as bad as it could be,” the doctor said in a placating voice. “Just a flesh wound. I stitched you up. Our main concern was the loss of blood. Sometimes the simplest wounds bleed badly.”
“If it’s just a flesh wound, then I can get the hell out of here,” Gray growled.
“You need to rest. I might consider letting you go tomorrow, although I’d prefer you to stay a few days. We have to monitor you for infection.”
“I’m leaving today,” Gray said through gritted teeth. “Write me a damn prescription for some painkillers and some antibiotics, and I’ll be good to go.”
“If you leave, you’ll have to sign as AMA.”
“I don’t give a shit. I’m walking out of here, with or without your permission.”
He glanced at Micah, expecting to get grief from that corner, but Micah stayed silent.
The doctor sighed. “All right, but I’m going on record that you’re leaving against strict medical advice. I’ll write the prescriptions. Be sure and take those antibiotics. If you start running fever or your wound gets red and inflamed or swells more, then you get your ass back here.”
Gray shoved himself into an upright position and nearly passed out as a wave of pain hit him. He groaned and reached down with his free hand to steady himself.
Micah gripped his arm. “Hang on to me, and don’t try to stand up too fast.”
Between the two of them, they managed to get Gray out of bed. The doctor returned a moment later and handed Micah a piece of paper with the prescriptions on it. Then he shoved a clipboard at Gray.
Gray took it and didn’t bother reading over it. He knew what it said. The whole spiel about the hospital not accepting responsibility if he dropped dead in the parking lot. Yeah, he got it. He scribbled his signature and thrust the clipboard back at the doctor.
He waited for Micah to head out, and he followed slowly behind, trying not to acknowledge the way the floor shifted and swayed underneath him. He felt like a goddamn sissy.
By the time Micah half dragged, half helped him to the lobby, Gray was sweating, and he was sure he had to be white as a sheet.
“Dude, I’m not so sure this was a good idea,” Micah said. “You look like shit. Are you going to make it?”
“I have to find her,” he said, allowing the desperation he felt to flow out in his voice. “Have you heard anything? What’s going on?” And as they stepped out of the front entrance, sunlight blinded him. He blinked and then shook his head. “Where the f**k are we?”
“Houston,” Micah said shortly. “Look, you stay here. Sit on that bench and don’t move while I go get my truck. I’ll be back in a second.”
Gray slid onto the bench and tried to settle his rolling stomach. To be honest, he felt like he was going to f**king puke. He wiped his sweaty brow with the back of his hand and tried not to let panic overtake him.
Faith. God, what must she be thinking? Not only was she scared to death, but she thought he’d betrayed her. Used her. Fuck. He had, but not in the way she thought. He closed his eyes and tried to hold back the rage that consumed him.
A few minutes later, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Micah standing over him. He groaned as Micah helped him up, and as much as it pissed him off to do so, he had to lean on Micah in order to make it to the truck.
“I’ll dump your prescriptions off at the pharmacy down the block from the office, and I’ll go back and get them when they’re ready,” Micah said as he slid into the driver’s seat.
“Tell me what’s going on,” Gray said as they drove away. “What was that about Mick and a news story? And Faith. Have you been able to get any leads? Has the bastard contacted Pop?”
“Slow down, dude. One question at a time. I’m sorry about Mick, by the way.”
Gray closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the seat. “I want this bastard, Micah. First Alex, then Mick and now he has Faith. I want him.”
“I know, man. We all want to nail his ass. And we will. You have to believe that.”
“What about the rest?” Gray asked tiredly.
“Mick was pissed that not enough was being done to catch Samuels. His words, not mine. So he took it upon himself to try and draw Samuels out. It was stupid and desperate. I don’t know what the f**k he was thinking. He contacted a local news station and gave them the entire story. He wasn’t thinking clearly. The interview was a mess. I can’t even believe they ran it. He was obviously out of his mind. He put himself out there, and Samuels capitalized. I don’t know much else. Neither do the cops. They’re all waiting to talk to you. They’re going to be pissed when they learn you left the hospital before they got a chance to question you.”
“Too f**king bad,” Gray muttered. “Goddamn it. What was Mick thinking? It’s such a damn waste. How did Samuels get to him so quickly? And how the f**k did Mick know where I was?”
Micah grew silent, and Gray yanked his head to look at him. “Jesus, you don’t think I used her as bait do you? I never told Mick where Faith and I were. Nobody but you and the others knew.”
“I don’t think so,” Micah said after a long pause. “But I can’t guarantee you what Pop and the others think. This whole thing has gone straight into the shitter. We have no leads, thanks to your buddy.”
Gray closed his eyes and pounded his fist on the seat, ignoring the sharp burst of pain that washed over him.
Micah pulled up at a drive-through pharmacy and handed the prescriptions through the window. He answered a few questions then asked Gray for his date of birth before he rolled his window back up and drove away.
They rode the rest of the way in silence, and a few minutes later, Micah parked outside Malone and Sons. Gray sat there a moment, steeling himself for the confrontation that was to come. He didn’t blame Pop for being angry. Gray had let Faith down in a big way.
Micah opened the door. “Come on, buddy, I’ll help you in. You look like you’re about to fall over.”
Gray slid out of the seat, wincing when his feet hit the ground. He felt the jolt all the way to his chest. Like an old man, he staggered to the entrance, and Micah went in ahead of him.