Melancholy

“Santana.”

“Don’t,” I growl. “I have enough to worry about. Do you hear me?”

“Who shot you?” he murmurs, dropping the subject.

I shake my head, my tears burning again. “I don’t know. I left the compound and drove to your house. I got out and suddenly, out of the blue, someone was shooting at me. I had no idea where it was coming from, or who was doing it. I leapt back into my car, too scared to go inside. The bullet hit my calf as I was diving in. I drove as far as I could, but the pain was intense. I got out and went for help, but I don’t remember what happened after that.”

“Someone found you out cold.” His voice is hard. “By the time I got notified, you were already in hospital.”

“Someone shot at me, Maddox. Why?”

He shakes his head. “I’m goin’ to find out.”

I nod, turning away.

“Tana,” he begins, but the door opens and a doctor and police officer come inside.

Maddox growls, low and throaty, and shoves out of the chair. “Why the fuck is a cop in here?”

The cop steps forward, and extends his hand. Maddox looks at it with pure disgust. “My name is Sergeant Rambo.”

Maddox snorts. “That so? Your parents watch too many movies, Sergeant?”

Sergeant Rambo, clearly having lived with jokes about his name, stiffens and nods his head. “I’ve heard every joke about my name. Now, if you’re finished, I’d like to talk to Santana while the doctor checks her over.”

Maddox crosses his arms, unperturbed. “Anything you ask her, you ask her in front of me.”

Rambo glares at him, but nods. He walks over towards me, and as he nears closer I see he’s quite an attractive man. He’s got messy brunette hair, with light grey eyes. He smiles as he sits down on the chair Maddox was on, and I give him a weak smile back.

“How are you feeling, Santana?”

“I’m fine,” I croak.

“I just wanted to ask you a few questions about the shooting.”

“It was a drive-by,” Maddox snaps. “Are you done?”

Sergeant Rambo growls now, turning to Maddox. “I hear you’ve had a few problems with your club lately, Maddox. You’ll appreciate that it seems strange that this young lady was shot only weeks after one of your members was locked away.”

“That shit has been dealt with,” Maddox snarls. “You got Howard in prison. Anything that was goin’ down with the clubs, was on him. Now, are you finished?”

“I’m not,” Rambo says, turning back to me. “What happened, Santana?”

“It was like he said,” I say, meeting Rambo’s gaze dead-on. “I was just driving, and I got out of my car. I heard shots and yelling, and I got back into my car quickly. A shot hit my calf.”

“You see who did it?”

“No,” I say.

“And you’re sure it wasn’t aimed at you?”

I keep my face expressionless. “Yes, I’m sure. I heard yelling over the road, lots of it. Cars were going past, it was hectic. The shot wasn’t aimed at me.”

“It seems strange a shot would come so close, if it wasn’t aimed at you.”

“There were shots being fired at a car, it missed, and came towards me. I don’t see how that’s so complicated.”

He narrows his eyes. “Very well.”

He asks me a few more questions, and then he leaves. The doctor watches him go, before turning to me. He’s been checking my wound. I watched as he unraveled it. It’s not as bad as I thought. It hurt like hell when it went in, like a hot poker through my flesh – but maybe that’s the beauty of it. A neat wound.

“Your wound is looking good, Santana,” the doctor says. “We were able to get the bullet out. There seems to be no nerve damage.”

I nod. “Thank you.”

“She ready to come home?” Maddox demands.

I turn to him. He’s standing by the door, arms crossed. The doctor swallows. “I’d like to keep her another night. She’s only just come out from being put under, and I want to make sure there are no side affects.”

“Then I’m puttin’ two guys on her door.”

The doctor shakes his head. “No, I’m sorry. The patients need their rest.”

“I said,” Maddox snarls, “I’m puttin’ a few boys on her door. She needs to feel safe, and she will.”

“You said it was a drive-by,” the doctor protests. “Why would she need protection if it was a drive-by?”

Maddox charges towards him, causing the doctor to take a few steps back. “Because I don’t trust any fucker, and that girl on the bed, she’s my fuckin’ girl. Now, I’ll be puttin’ two of my guys on, and you’ll fuckin’ like it.”

The doctor nods. “Very well, but they need to stay quiet . . .”

Maddox smirks. “Unless the nurses feel like gettin’ a good fuckin’, they’ll stay quiet.”

I slap my hand to my forehead. The doctor makes a disgusted sound and Maddox laughs. I peek through my fingers and watch the doctor leave.

“That was cruel,” I say, dropping my hand.

“He deserved it. Who do you want on your door, darlin’?”

I shrug. “I don’t care.”

He narrows his eyes and walks over, lowering himself down. His fingers go up and around the back of my neck, and he pulls me forward so his mouth is only an inch or less from mine. “I said, who do you want on the door?”