Page 23 of Catch My Fall

“By the time I’m done with you, you’re gonna be so well used, your brothers will only ever see me when they look at you…”

My eyes fly open, a sharp gasp escaping my lungs as the memory of Austin’s voice vanishes from my brain when I see I’m in the hospital.

It’s over. I’m safe.

My eyes are drawn to the nurse in the corner of my room with her back to me, scribbling on a clipboard. When she turns to me, I recognise her face. She was here earlier.

“Hello again, Sierra. How are you feeling?” she asks, smiling sweetly.

“Like I got run over by a dump truck,” I reply groggily.

She laughs softly. “My name’s Tessa, I’m going to be taking care of you, and I promise, most of the time you won’t even notice I’m here, but if you ever need anything, come to me, okay?”

I nod. “Who were those men? The ones from earlier?”

“Your brothers. You’ve been at the hospital since yesterday evening. You woke briefly about five hours ago and became a little agitated so we sedated you to calm you down.”

I frown. “My brothers? But there were three of them, I only have two brothers.”

She gives me a knowing smile. “That stays between you and me. As far as everyone else in this hospital is concerned, you have three, okay? Visiting is for close family only, but the way the mysterious, muscly one with the grey eyes looks at you, he is definitely not your brother.”

The one with the grey eyes…

Alec.

“I’ll go fetch the doctor, she’ll want to know you’re awake.” With that, Tessa places the clipboard onto the holder at the foot of my bed and excuses herself from the room.

I try to pull myself up to sitting but I cry out from the pain slicing through my lower belly, and after several failed and painful attempts, I give up.

A minute later, an older female doctor with brown hair in a long white coat walks in, giving me a kind smile. “Hello, Sierra. I’m Doctor Fowler, you’ll be under my care while you’re here. How are you feeling?”

“Everywhere hurts,” I complain.

“You’ve been through quite the ordeal which has taken a substantial toll on your body. I would like to discuss with you your injuries and what we had to do when you were admitted. Would you like someone with you? I believe your sister-in-law is outside in the waiting area.”

“Why do I need someone with me? Is it bad?”

Her face doesn’t give anything away. “I think it would be best.”

“Um… Okay.”

What the hell could be so bad that I need someone holding my hand? Am I dying?

Doctor Fowler leaves the room, but returns a second later with Reese on her heels.

She looks like she hasn’t had a wink of sleep, her eyes are red and puffy and she looks not far off how I feel. When her eyes meet mine, she gives me a teary-eyed smile.

“I’m so happy you’re awake.” She rushes over to me, reaching for me as if she were going to give me a hug, but she hesitates at the last second and instead, settles herself into the chair beside me.

“So what’s the verdict, Doc? What’s so bad I need a chaperone?”

She takes in a lungful of air and my stomach drops and I mentally prepare for what she might say. “I have the understanding you’ve been sexually assaulted?”

That’s putting it mildly. I nod stiffly.

“The good news is there are no signs of any sexually transmitted diseases, but we will continue to monitor you closely…” She then goes into a monologue about my injuries, going into detail about every single one that conjures vivid images in my mind of how I acquired them. She then goes on to tell me how many of my ribs are cracked, my arm fracture, and the various cuts and bruises I have. The rest of what she says fades into a blur and I can’t figure out if it’s real or if I’m dreaming.

Ruptured uterus… Bleeding… Hysterectomy…

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