Promises Part 1 (Bounty Hunters #1)(22)
Well get me the fucking Nightingale and transport our asses over there then. Vaughan ground his teeth. That wasn’t necessarily bad news. He hated the sound of “a couple days,” but at least the doc was talking about Duke surviving the surgery, like he was sure it was going to happen. His tests must be looking good, then. He figured he’d cut them some slack. He needed to get his affairs in order anyway. As if the doctor sensed him calming down, he added, “Rushing can cause oversights, Mr. Webb.”
“Can you call me Vaughan, please?”
“Vaughan. We want Mr. Morgan to have a fighting chance and I’m glad you’re adamant about helping him, but I feel this decision was made hastily. So talking with Dr. Townsend, our psychiatrist, will really be the deciding factor. Our candidates need to be willing to donate, not feel obligated to donate.”
“I don’t feel obligated at all. It’s not like he asked me and now I feel like I can’t say no. Doing it anonymously should take that thought off the table. Right?”
Dr. Chauncey opened the door to the lab and motioned for Vaughan to walk through it. “Dr. Townsend will call you soon. In the meantime, read over those pamphlets and the material I gave you earlier. There’s some pre-donation recommendations you should know about and also what you’ll need in preparation for surgery.”
“Surgery!”
Oh no. Vaughan recognized his father’s voice before he even turned around. How the hell did he find him down in the ER? Vaughan quickly shook Dr. Chauncey’s hand and thanked him for his help, trying to quickly usher him away before turning to face his father.
Quick had been texting him for hours. All he responses were that he was walking the grounds, so obviously his dad had been looking for him.
“Vaughan David Webb.” His growl still caused goosebumps on his arms, even as an adult. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Vaughan tucked some of the papers back inside the large folder where he had accumulated all the information about a living donor surgery, and began walking towards the front of the hospital to get to the main elevators, his father’s heavy boot steps fast on his heels. “I’m gonna save him, Dad, and there’s not a force on this earth that can stop me.”
Vaughan’s bicep was grabbed in an unforgivable grip as his father yanked him around to face him. “You sure about that?” Those magnetic green eyes were radiating authority. Quick was a hulking man, standing even taller than him, his face a contorted mask of hurt and ferocity. That look used to freeze Vaughan in his tracks, but now, it made him jut his chin out and puff up his chest. He’d meant it. Nothing would stop him from saving Duke, hell, from at least trying. Did his father really think he’d sit on his ass and wait for Duke’s funeral?
“You had to know I’d do this. I know you thought about it too.”
“My blood isn’t compatible or some shit like that.” His father shook his head.
“Why is it okay for you to consider donating but not me? I’m the one in love with him, have been for years. I’m doing it, that’s all there is to it, Dad.” Vaughan kept walking. It was late and there was no one in the quiet halls. Each door they passed was dark, all the departments closed.
“I won’t lose my best friend and risk losing my son.” The elder Mr. Webb continued to protest as Vaughan took long determined strides, his father having no problem keeping up.
“It’s a simple procedure. I’ve done some research and Dr. Chauncey went over it, too. It’s not as invasive as you think. A few punctures for the instruments, a small incision right above the pubic bone to remove the organ, there’s minimal pain and the hospital stay is a day or two at most. Then I’ll be back to work in two to four weeks. Simple”
“I don’t care about the procedures. No, Vaughan. You are not doing this! You are my son! Once I tell Duke, he will forbid you to do this. He’d never let you put yourself—”
Vaughan spun on his heel, his anger simmering hotly below the surface. He’d never disrespected his father a day in his life and didn’t want to start, but he had to let him know that it wasn’t debatable. He stood almost eye-to-eye with the only man he’d loved longer than Duke. If anyone walked by right then, they’d probably call security because it looked like two big ass motherfuckers were squaring off to do some damage to each other. Vaughan controlled his tone, but the rough timbre of his baritone sounded scary even to him. “You must be under the impression that I’m asking for permission.” Vaughan stepped even closer, his eyes boring into his father’s. “I’m doing this Dad, whether you like it or not. I don’t need your permission; I don’t even need your blessing. But Duke and I have a shot at something real, and I’m not ready to let it go. I can’t. Don’t you get that, or have you been alone that long?” Vaughan cringed at that last statement. He saw the pain in his father’s eyes and immediately wanted to take it back. Vaughan swallowed and kept going. “I know you’re scared. I know you don’t want to lose Duke.”
“I don’t want to lose either of you!” he yelled in response.
“And you won’t have to as long as you stand down. If you tell Duke, then you’re right. He’d refuse the surgery. Even if there’s only a zero point five percent mortality risk.” Vaughan cast his eyes down, his voice a mere whisper now. “I don’t even think he’d allow that small amount.”