Chapter 148 The Boss
Dakota's P.O.V.
After I shower, I get dressed and leave my bedroom. Down the hallway, I see Noah going into Kylie's room, and I smile to myself. I hope things work out for them. When I looked into Kylie's eyes, I could see how broken she was.
When I walk outside, the sun is coming up. The two men who Galdino has assigned to stay with me are waiting. I get into the back seat of the car, and we drive to the hospital. I want to talk to Ari's doctor and find out what we need to do to set him up at my house. I want everyone together, and the hospital is too open for people to get to Ari or Luka.
When I reach Ari's and Luka's room, my mom is holding Luka's hand as his body shakes. He's covered in sweat and pale. Ari looks at me in relief.
"Are you okay?" Dad asks as he hugs me.
"I'm better now. I never thought Yegor would do something like that. Noah is stronger than people give him credit for. When I got to the warehouse, he had one guy on the ground with a broken nose and had disassembled Yegor's gun. He also got the woman whom Yegor had kidnapped away from him. She's a homeless young woman who was in the wrong place at the wrong time." Ari narrows his eyes at me.
"You offered her a place to stay, didn't you?" I smile as I kiss his head.
"Of course I did, as well as a job, because she said she didn't want any charity. She's only twenty, and right now, Noah is the hero who saved her. I think something may happen between them. When I was leaving, Noah was going into her room." My mom and dad both smile, and Luka even tries to smile.
"That's so sweet. Dina said she knew Noah would be fine because you've trained him well. She'll be thrilled if he has a girlfriend. So, while dealing with everything else, you've been playing matchmaker." I know my mom doesn't want to talk about what happened to Yegor, and I respect that. He was her brother.
"Yeah. I want to talk to Ari's and Luka's doctors to see if it's possible for us to take them home if we hire a nurse. I don't like people coming into the hospital whenever they want." Ari squeezes my hand.
"I would feel better being there than here." I stroke his head and look up when his doctor walks in.
"I'm glad you're here. What can we do to take Ari home? I will hire whomever we need to take care of him," I ask before Dr. Clark has time to speak.
"He doesn't need any more debridement, but he will need his bandages changed twice a day and continue IV fluids. A nurse would most likely be enough with a doctor to check in once a day." I look at my mom.
"Do you think Courtney would be willing to help us, or maybe she knows someone we can trust?" My mom pulls her phone out.
"I'll ask her. She'll most likely want to do it herself." If we can keep it in the family, that would be best. I look at Luka.
"Will you be comfortable at home? I could check you into rehab if you'd prefer." He's shaking so badly that his teeth are chattering, and my heart breaks. I wish I had seen what was happening with him before now.
"I want to go home. I promise I won't start using again." His voice is so weak.
"I know you won't because if you come home, you're going to have someone with you every minute." Luka nods.
"Okay." I look at Dr. Clark.
"Do what you need to so we can get Ari out of here." He nods and leaves the room. Luka's doctor, Dr. Greene, comes in a few minutes later. He says Luka can go, but he will need to be closely monitored. I agree and am waiting for the discharge paperwork.
"Courtney said she will take care of Ari and keep an eye on Luka. She's also making arrangements for medical transport to pick Ari up. She and Bobby will stay at your house, and the kids will stay with your dad and me." This is what I love about my family. They come together and make things happen.
It takes a while to get everything together, but within a couple of hours, we're leaving the hospital. Ari is in the medical transport van, while Luka and I are in the car behind him. I hold Luka's hand as we ride.
"I'm sorry you have to have someone babysit me when there's so much going on. I don't want to be a distraction." I squeeze his hand.
"You're not a distraction. I'm just glad you're still with us. It would have been a lot worse if Tyler hadn't found you. Just focus on getting better and tell me what you need to help you. We're all here for you." We pull up to the compound, and once the gate is closed, I feel like I can breathe a little easier. Aunt Courtney and Uncle Bobby are waiting when we pull up.
I have Ari taken to my bedroom, and once he's lying on his stomach, Courtney begins assessing his wounds. I check on Luka, and he's in his bed with Boddy sitting beside him. I kiss my uncle's cheek.
"Thanks for coming so quickly." Uncle Bobby stands and hugs me. He's so big, I still feel like a little girl next to him.
"You have enough on your plate. It's time you let us help." I hug him again and go to my office. I need to sleep, but first, I have to handle some business. Noah, Kylie, Tyler, Shea, Sarah, and Xavier are already sitting in my office when I open the door.
"I'm glad you're all here. Shea, I haven't officially asked you yet, but I would like you to work for me as my assistant. Kylie will help us both out with the day-to-day stuff." I take my seat behind the desk.
"Thank you. I would like that," Shea replies. I glance at Kylie next.
"Do you have everything you need?" I ask her.
"Yes. Thank you." I sit back and look around.
"Alright, it's time we get to business. I'm going to change things up. You six are the only ones whom I trust to do this. I am going to assign each of you a business to oversee. Xavier, you're the head of security here, so I want you to find someone you feel can be your assistant whom you can trust when you're doing other duties. I don't care who we piss off with these changes. It's time we remind everyone who runs this family. Do I have your support?" They all nod. None of them is related to me, but in many ways, they are closer to me than those who are. It's time I became the boss, Grandpa Chrissy said I would be.