Chapter 123 Withdrawal
Luka's P.O.V.
I'm sweating, and I feel sicker than I've ever felt in my entire life. I just need a little, and it will make the withdrawal better. One tiny drop won't hurt. It will help the pain.
"NURSE!" I yell. They have to let me out of here. I can't do this. I'm not ready. A nurse runs into the room.
"Please, I have to leave. I can't stay here." I tell her as I begin to shake.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Kondrati. You signed the waiver that said we weren't to let you leave, no matter what. This will pass. It won't be easy, but it will get better." She adjusts my IV and checks my vital signs.
"Tear it up. I need something. Can you give me something?" I beg her.
"Luka Kondrati." I look toward the door, and the scariest person I know is standing there with her hands on her hips. Dakota.
"What?" I ask her, wondering how much she heard. She walks into the room, and the nurse smiles as she leaves. I want to beg her to come back. She can't leave me alone with Dakota.
"If you get your ass out of this bed to get more drugs, or I hear you begging for more from the nurse, you're done." I stare at her in shock.
"You'll kill me?" I ask her in disbelief.
"What? No, I'm not going to kill you. What do you think I am, a monster? I'm going to have you sent to a rehab that you can't leave. I wanted to keep you here in the hospital, where I am, so I can be here when you need me. Ari just finished his debridement, and now he's sleeping, so I came to check on you." I relax a little as she sits on the side of the bed. She takes my hand, and that little gesture calms some of the shaking.
"I didn't realize it was going to be this hard. I kept telling myself I could quit anytime I wanted. I never thought I would be this addicted. How am I going to get through this?" I ask as my tears fall. Dakota puts her forehead against mine.
"You're not going to do it alone. I'll be here, and so will the rest of our family. We will help you." I cry as she hugs me. Why can't I be strong like Dakota? We're the same age, but she sometimes acts more mature than our parents.
"I love you," I tell her when she sits up.
"I know you do. What's not to love? I love you, too. Noah is going through video footage of Andre’s. We believe someone put the bomb on the SUV when it was being serviced. Do you want to look through the videos with him to see if you recognize anyone?" I know she's trying to give me something to do to take my mind off the withdrawal, and I appreciate it.
"Sure." Dakota kisses my forehead and stands up.
"I'll send him in. Galdino is looking at it with him. Are you okay with him being in here, too?" I've realized I was wrong about the Buccheri’s. If Dakota trusts them then that’s all I need to know.
"That's fine," I reply. She walks to the door and smiles before leaving.
"I'll send them right in. If you feel like you can't handle the withdrawal again, tell someone to get me. I'll get a baseball bat and knock you out." She winks before walking away. I don't doubt for a minute she would do it either. She's one scary woman. A few minutes later, Noah and Galdino walk in.
"I'm sorry to meet you like this, but I have helped many people get through what you're going through. Don't be scared to scream and cry when it becomes too much. We'll make sure you get through it," Galdino says as he sits beside my bed.
"Thank you. Dakota said you guys are looking at footage from Andre’s. Have you found anything yet?" I ask them. Noah sits on the other side of the bed and puts the laptop on my lap.
"We see a few people going in and out of the shop while the SUV is being worked on, but we don't recognize any of them. Tell us if you do." Noah says as he rewinds the footage and starts it from when the SUV first gets taken to the back. Andre has really good cameras that show each person clearly. We watch it, and I don't see anyone I know. As the SUV is brought back outside, I see a man come from around the corner of the shop.
"Stop it there." I look at the man's face. He looks familiar. Where do I know him from? When it dawns on me, I know he has to be the one who did it.
"Do you know him?" Noah asks, zooming in on the man's face.
"Yes. About a year ago, he approached me with an absurd lie." I reply.
"What did he say?" Galdino asks.
"He said that he is Uncle Yegor's son and the rightful head of the family."