Page 7 of No Strings Attached

“Samuel Mercer.” After placing a device on his finger, she took his temperature and then his blood pressure. Then she turned to the computer on her rolling cart and started typing. When she finished, she smiled at him. “I’ll let your doctor know you’re awake, Mr. Mercer.”

As soon as she walked out with her rolling cart, the deputy returned. Sam felt both relieved at the man’s presence and uneasy that the guy was there. The deputy sat down and leaned forward, just like he had before.

“Call me Morgan, okay?”

Sam nodded as he licked his dry lips. “I’m thirsty.”

Though he wished to god he wasn’t, Sam was starting to remember. He still didn’t know how he’d ended up in an abandoned house, but the memory of Daryl was sharp in his mind now.

Morgan stood, and a moment later, he handed Sam a paper cup filled halfway with water. Sam drank until there was nothing left. Morgan took the cup and set it aside.

“I can’t remember anything,” Sam lied just as a doctor walked in.

“I’m Dr. Baldwin,” he said and then looked at Morgan. “I thought we were clear that you weren’t going to questioned him.”

“I asked him softball questions,” Morgan replied. “His name is Samuel Mercer.”

Dr. Baldwin eyed Morgan then turned to Sam. “I need to check your back. Can you roll to your side?”

When Sam rolled away from the doctor, he was facing Morgan. He was expecting the deputy to leave the room for privacy purposes, but he sat there watching Sam while the doctor probed at his back.

“So you remember what happened?” the doctor asked.

Sam shook his head.

“You have some pretty nasty gashes that required stitches,” Dr. Baldwin said. “You were also severely dehydrated. You can lie back down, Mr. Mercer.”

“Sam.” His voice croaked. “Call me Sam.”

The doctor nodded. “You also had a cut on your head, but we used an adhesive to close it. How do you feel?”

“My head is fuzzy.” Sam felt Morgan’s gaze on him. Wasn’t he supposed to have privacy while he spoke to the doctor? Why was Dr. Baldwin letting Morgan remain in the room?

The doctor touched Sam’s upper arm. “It’s the pain meds. Your back looks good, and I don’t see any signs of infection so far. There are antibiotics in your IV to help.” The doctor’s gaze cut to Morgan before returning to Sam. “I’ll be back to check on you later, but in the meantime, get some rest.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Sam said.

Dr. Baldwin’s smile was stunning. “You’re welcome, Sam. Use the call button on your bed if you need your nurse for anything.” He looked at Morgan. “No more questions.”

Morgan held his hands up, palms out.

The doctor walked out, leaving Sam alone with the deputy. “Why are you here if you’re not allowed to question me?”

“I was the one who found you,” Morgan said.

That still didn’t tell Sam why the guy was there. He closed his eyes, listening to the quiet noise outside his room, trying his hardest to shove the memory of Daryl to the back of his mind.

“I’m here to make sure you’re okay.”

Sam looked at the guy as he swallowed around the lump in his throat. “Why do you care?”

“Because I do.” Morgan smiled, the expression comforting Sam. “Is there anyone I can call for you?”

The monitor next to his bed beeped faster. “No.”

Morgan’s brown eyes softened. “Get some rest.”

When Sam closed his eyes, the pain meds helped him drift off to sleep.

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