“It’s okay.” He kissed her softly. “Everything will be all right now.”
Her eyes closed, and he watched a tear trail down her cheek.
“She’s hurting bad, Jake.”
“Okay, let me look at her.” Dr. McBride Jr. came to the opposite side of the bed.
The door opened, and in walked Annabelle. Beautiful, elegant, and frowning in her pink nurse uniform. “What the hell happened, Ryan?”
“I don’t know. I found her on the trails after I heard a scream. She was unconscious at the foot of a redwood.”
Annabelle nudged him out the way, so he moved to the foot of the bed, but Nurse Gelderman had other ideas.
“Go and call Noah.” She waved him out.
“I want to stay.”
“We need to wash her, likely inject something into her, then stitch that cut. You want to watch all that?”
“I should stay,” he said, feeling his stomach roll at the thought of a needle anywhere near Faith. He hated needles.
“Tell you what, you go on and call Noah, then sit with your sexy friend, and I’ll call if Faith needs you.” Annabelle gave him a reassuring smile.
“Okay.” Faith’s eyes were closed, so he squeezed her ankle.
He left, not happy about it, but knowing Jake and Annabelle were the authorities in that room, and he had no desire to pass out because he saw one of them putting a needle into his girl.
His girl.The fear when he’d seen her had been all-consuming. It had robbed his sanity and made him realize deep inside that what he felt for her was something powerful. But that was a thought for later.
“Can I have my phone?” he said to Shay when he reached him.
“How is she?”
“Conscious but sore.” Ryan looked up Noah’s number.
“Bud, what’s up?” Noah answered.
“Faith’s had an accident. She’s okay, but we’re at The Yelp.”
“On my way!” The call was cut.
Ryan sat beside his friend, trying to get his head around what Faith had said.
“She said someone pushed her, Ryan.”
“I know.”
“You doing okay?” Shay placed a hand on his shoulder.
“No.”
“She’s going to be fine?”
Ryan bent forward bracing his elbows on his thighs. “I hope so.”
“What’s the deal between you two?”
“No deal,” Ryan said, sitting upright again. He couldn’t keep still.