”Please sit,” the doctor said with Spanish accent and sat down at the table.

All the three of the gang followed his lead, ready to listen.

”She is stabilized now and conscious, but under the influence of analgesics. She has massive concussion and needs rest.”

”So that’s it? Nothing serious? Just concussion?” Marcus wondered hopefully. After having seen Bette in the state she had been in when he had found Tasha carrying her unconscious, bloody body through the desert, it was almost unbelievable to hear that Bette had only suffered concussion.

”She also has right-sided pulmonary contusion and hemothorax. We had to drain the blood in the thoracic cavity. She will have chest pains and difficulty breathing for a while, but the prognosis is generally positive. All I can say is that she is very lucky. I treated lots of tough thugs following car explosions and they were very far from being as lucky.”

”Thank you so much, doctor,” Marcus thanked, feeling a great weight off his shoulders.

”I left a list of medications she needs to take on her bedside table. My assistant will stay here until you all leave,” the man informed. ”My job is done here. You did not see me, you don’t know who I am, clear?” he then stood up and took off his gown. ”Send my respects to Señor Arnodelo. Good bye. Buena suerte.”

As soon as he was out of the building Marcus hurried to Bette. The room was big, bright and spacious, fully equipped for medical treatment. There were different kinds of machines used for medical examination, a place for surgery and two beds behind a curtain. Marcus glanced at the assistant, who was cleaning up the floor, before approaching the beds.

When he opened the curtain, he saw the injured brunette lying on one of the beds, her eyes closed. She was pale and her skin looked clammy. The bandage around her head was soaked in blood slightly, as well as the bandage around her right arm that had been burned during the explosion, Marcus assumed. She had an oxygen mask on and was receiving intravenous therapy.

Marcus came closer carefully and took a seat on a chair beside the bed. He heard shallow, raspy sounds of her breathing, which made him wince as if he could feel the pain in her chest.