Within minutes we were pulling up outside the hospital. Staff came out to meet the ambulance, and the girl was whisked away into the trauma area. Myself, Dad, and Mason, were all put in different cubicles. After what felt like a million tests, and five stitches to my hand, I was free to go. Dad and Mason had also been assessed. All three of us had suffered smoke inhalation, but other than that we were fine. After assuring my mom that I was okay, I asked a nurse for an update on Josh. Finding out he was still being assessed, I decided to find out how the girl was while we waited on news.
Walking along the corridor, I stopped at the nurses’ station, glancing down at the woman at the desk as she spoke on the phone. She hadn’t seen me yet and my eyes widened in surprise as I recognized her face. As she replaced the receiver she lifted her head, her eyes meeting mine. “Brody,” she exclaimed, standing and coming around the desk. “What are you doing here?” She moved to stand next to me, taking in my disheveled appearance. I watched as her forehead crinkled into a frown. “Are you okay?” She placed her hand on my arm and squeezed gently.
“Beth, hi. I didn’t realize you worked here,” I said with a small smile. Beth was Josh’s ex-girlfriend. We were pretty much thrown together one night when Josh brought her to the Brass Hall. Josh then spent the whole night following Savannah around like a goddamn lovesick puppy. Not surprisingly they’d split up shortly afterwards, and Josh had gotten together with Savannah. We’d hooked up a couple of times after they’d split, but neither of us were looking for a relationship. Meeting Beth’s worried eyes, I sighed. “There was a fire in the stables at home. Josh is in a bad way.”
“No!” I heard her gasp and watched as her hand came over her mouth. “Is he going to be okay?”
“He’s in trauma, there’s no news yet,” I told her sadly. “I hope to God he’s going to be okay. If anything happens to him…” I trailed off, my voice catching at the thought that he might not make it. I felt her reach her arms around me and pull me into a hug. I hugged her back fiercely, suddenly needing the comfort.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, stepping out of my arms.
Taking a deep breath to compose myself, I dragged my hand down my face. “I pulled someone from the stables. I was told she was brought here?” Her eyes flashed with recognition and she nodded, pointing down the corridor.
“She’s in there. Do you know her name so we can contact her next of kin? She wasn’t carrying any ID.”
“I’ve no idea who she is. I think she was sleeping in the stables. How is she? Is she awake?”
“No, she’s still unconscious. Do you want to see her?” I nodded, and she guided me along the corridor to a side room, her hand resting against my lower back. “Go ahead. She can probably hear you if you want to talk to her.” She reached around me and opened the door. Glancing inside I saw the girl lying in the hospital bed, an oxygen mask over her face. “She’s on oxygen to help with the smoke inhalation. There are some cuts and bruises that we don’t think were sustained in the fire, and at some point fairly recently, she’s broken her ribs. The doctor thinks maybe four to five weeks ago. They are healing well but she’ll probably still be sore for a couple of weeks.”
I inhaled sharply and fisted my hands at my side. With the bruising on her face and now the broken ribs, I’d put money on the fact that some asshole had put his hands on her. That’s why she was sleeping in the stables; she was running away from someone.
“I’ll stay with her. If there is any news on Josh—”
“Brody, I’ll come find you. I have a friend working in trauma and I’ll ask her to keep me updated.” I smiled gratefully at her and bent my head, brushing a kiss across her cheek.
“Thanks, I’d appreciate that,” I told her as I turned and walked into the room. As I reached the edge of the bed, I pulled over a chair and sat down. The clothes the woman had been wearing when I’d pulled her out of the stables were gone, and she was wearing a hospital gown that looked far too big for her. A blanket was tucked under her arms and my eyes dropped to the dark bruises that wrapped around the arm nearest to me. Her blonde hair was splayed out on the pillow, and I noticed again her split lip and black eye. Anger bubbled inside me at the thought of who had done this to her. She must have felt desperate and so alone to have been hiding in the stables. Her eyes were closed but her head was turned toward me. Seeing her properly for the first time, I couldn’t help but stare at her; she was beautiful.
Beth said she would be able hear me if I talked to her, but what the hell should I say? Who was she and where had she come from? Surely someone somewhere was missing her? Her parents or friends. Feeling like an idiot talking to someone I didn’t know, about God knows what, I opted to stay quiet. Knowing Beth would come and get me if there was any news on Josh, I relaxed back in the chair and closed my eyes. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was doing in her room, I just knew I needed to be here.
Feeling someone gently shaking my shoulder, I slowly opened my eyes. The bright lights of the hospital room caused me to squint at the figure standing over me. As my eyes adjusted, I saw Beth next to me. My heart went into my mouth and I flew up out of the chair.
“Is it Josh?” I asked in a panic. She nodded her head and reached her hands up, placing them on my chest.
“He’s still unconscious, but he’s been moved from trauma to a room just down the corridor. His head injury wasn’t as bad as the doctors first thought. He’s suffering from smoke inhalation, but there’s no reason why he shouldn’t wake up soon.”
I closed my eyes and let out a large exhale. The relief at knowing he was going to be okay was incredible. I could only imagine how relieved Savannah must feel. “Thank God! I should go see him,” I said, glancing at the sleeping figure in the bed next to me.
“It’s just family at the moment, Brode. Stay here, she’ll be scared if she wakes up on her own.” I nodded and gave Beth a small smile. “I’m on shift for another hour, you might have to wait in the corridor when the staff change over. It’s really only family who can stay through the night. If I was working, I’d let you stay, but…” She trailed off.
“No problem. I can wait in the corridor.” I eyed the girl's hand and gently scooped it up, enveloping it in my large one, noticing how perfectly her small hand fit in mine. “Where are the clothes she had on when she came in? Was there anything in her pockets?” I asked Beth as I rubbed my thumb over the back of the girl's hand.
I watched as she walked across the room and picked something up from the cabinet beside the bed.
“All we found was this.” She held out a photograph. “It was in the back pocket of her jeans. She was also wearing a wristwatch.”
I took the photograph from her and read the swirly handwriting on the back.Me and Mom on my seventeenth birthday.I slowly turned the photo over. The girl who lay in the bed smiled back at me, and I felt my dick jump in my pants. She was stunning. Her long blonde hair fell over her shoulders in waves, and her piercing blue eyes seemed to sparkle with happiness.Seventeen, Brody,I reminded myself, not knowing how long ago the photo was taken. Glancing from the photograph to her lying on the bed, I couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to her. What sort of bastard would want to hurt her, and why?
Beth had been right and after she’d finished her shift I was asked to wait in the corridor. Exhausted, I found myself falling asleep on the hard, plastic chairs. Savannah had woken me up early, but Josh still wasn’t awake. I could see how worried she was, and I did my best to reassure her. Josh loved her, and I knew he wouldn’t leave her without a fight. After filling her in on the girl, I kissed her on the cheek and made my way back down the corridor to the girl’s room.
Sneaking past the nurses' station, I slipped through the door and sat by her bed. Her eyes were still closed and the bruise around her cheek was slowly turning from black to purple. The swelling around her eye looked like it had lessened some. Sitting forward in the chair, I hesitantly took her hand in mine again. I was unsure whether I should be holding her hand, but I wanted her to know she wasn’t alone. Despite managing a few hours on the uncomfortable chairs in the corridor, I was still tired. The rhythmic beeping noise coming from the machines she was attached too soon had me falling asleep, my head dropping onto her bed.
Quinn
Iforced my heavy eyelids open and squinted against the bright lights of the room. Trying to swallow, I groaned at the pain I felt in my throat.Where the hell was I, and how did I end up here?Turning my head, I gasped as I saw a man asleep next to me. “Evan?” I croaked. The man’s head, which was turned away from me, suddenly moved and he sat up. Relief flooded my body as I realized it wasn’t Evan. The only resemblance to him was the dark hair that fell over his forehead. Our eyes met, and I found myself staring into the bluest eyes I had ever seen. It was only then I realized he was holding my hand. Tearing my eyes from his I looked at our joined hands.
“I’m sorry,” came a deep gravelly voice. “I didn’t know if I should hold your hand or not.” My eyes flew back up to his as he quickly dropped my hand. “I’m Brody, by the way.”
“Where am I?” My hand moved up to hold my dry, scratchy throat.