Page 30 of Noah

What would happen if she was in the warehouse? Of course, she was. It was foolish of her to think someone had come for them.

Responding to her body’s alarm, the monitor beeped.

She flinched at the sound of a scuffle. Mentally, she prepared herself for cruelty and pain. Her eyes shut tightly, keeping the illusion of safety for a little longer.

She could be ignorant for another thirty seconds, even if she was only deluding herself.

There was no sign that they had given up on their torture. Her elbows were almost numb and bitingly cold. It felt like they had given her narcotics or strong painkillers to knock her out, though the second seemed unlikely.

What were they doing to Noah?

“Open your eyes,” Noah gently instructed her. His voice in her head almost made her cry. Now she was imagining him talking to her. “Female, open your eyes,” he demanded, and she broke into a low sob.

Had they strapped him down in the room? Were they hurting him? Another sound escaped her, and she felt a warm sensation on her face. It felt familiar and her eyes snapped open.

Confused, she squinted at the white ceiling and bright lights above her and then focused on Noah’s concerned gaze.

A strangled sound of surprise escaped her.

Noah flicked his eyes over her face. “Where’s the hurt?”

Since her head felt heavy, she tried to lift her arm instead, but it felt heavy and numb. “My arms?” she asked, wondering why her elbows were covered in ice packs.

Noah grunted and pressed a button. “Okay. Ren, okay.”

He leaned in and stroked her hair between his fingers and put his face near hers. Her eyes widened. He rubbed his cheek along hers, and she thought maybe he was trying to comfort her. As he straightened, she saw a blonde nurse with a knowing glint in her eye standing in the doorway.

“Safe,” Noah reassured her, and she nodded her thanks. “Lila explain?”

“Yes, of course, I will.” Lila smiled at her as she walked over to check the monitors. “I’m a nurse for Numbers and you’re inside their medical building.”

“What’s wrong with my arms?” she choked out.

When Noah saw her licking her dry lips, he leapt into action. She raised an eyebrow as Lila reached for the water on the hospital table, but Noah snapped it up before Lila could. Noah grumbled gratefully as Lila tilted the bed upwards with an amused smirk. He adjusted the straw until he was happy.

As she sipped the icy water, she moaned in relief, soothing her dry throat. After she had wet her lips and nodded it was enough, Noah pulled it away. Her thoughts cleared and she frowned.

She became aware of the next uncomfortable feeling; an aching sensation sweeping through her bones as though she had just finished a strenuous workout. She wiggled, trying to get comfortable, and felt a tug on her ankle.

“You had a collapsed vein in one arm.” She blinked at Lila who clarified, “Doctor Myers believes it’s a temporary phenomenon caused by trauma. Anti-inflammatory drugs have been administered and gel packs applied regularly to your arms. We didn’t want to risk placing an IV directly in your elbow.”

“Okay.” She looked at the machines. “Why am I still hooked up to monitors?”

“Your heart rate was so high like climbing a mountain. After a while, it started to fall again. We wanted to ensure that your condition did not worsen, so we’ve been keeping a close eye on everything.” Lila patted her arm gently and asked kindly, “How do you feel? Any shortness of breath or pain?”

She pursed her lips in contemplation. Flexing her muscles, she wiggled her fingers and toes to get a sense of how hurt she was. “I’m achy and bruised. I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck,” she grimaced. Noah made a deep, unhappy noise.

Lila continued as if he wasn’t growling under his breath, and Adrienne realised it must be normal for her. “And there’s no pain in your arm. Do you have breathing problems?”

She shook her head no. So began a list of medical questions she answered. When Lila was satisfied, it was her turn to ask. “What’s wrong with me?”

Lila appeared irritated as she crossed her arms. “I’d like to say we have something concrete.” Lila folded her arms, her expression pinched. “Doctor Myers has taken blood, and we’re treating your symptoms. Nick sent a team to the warehouse to find what they used on you. You have an IV line connected to your ankle, so don’t go too mad thrashing your legs around.”

“Ah. The tugging makes sense now.”

“You needed a blood transfusion because a great deal of blood was drained without replacing it. Even though leaving you alone and waiting for your body to balance on its own would have been fine, given your dehydration and galloping heart, we wanted to get you back into fighting shape.”

“Thank you so much,” she replied.

---