Page 37 of Bella's Dom (The Doms of Madison County)

“Good. I want her more comfortable.”

Caden watched carefully as the man undid the brakes on the table and started rolling her out of the cubicle and toward the elevator. They were all silent on the ride, and as they transferred her over to the bed. A nurse was present working with the IV bags. She showed him where the button was to call them if Bella needed anything.

“You men can stay in here as long as you don’t talk loudly or cause a ruckus.”

They all nodded at the nurse before she turned and walked out of the room.

Caden pulled up a chair to sit as close to her as he could and reached for her hand. “I want us to go over the security videos from last night. We might get lucky and see something.”

Link leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. “Macy and Daniel are doing that. They said they’d call if they found anything. Daniel told us he would be here later in the morning to ask her questions.”

Caden nodded. “I’ll see how she feels. If she’s not up to it, he’ll have to come back.”

The three lounged around the room, talking softly. Not once did he release his hold on her. He was terrified she’d be taken from him. Who could have hurt a sweet thing like Bella? Maybe it was a mistake, and she got cut by accident. He wouldn’t stop looking until they figured it out.

For the next few hours, he watched over her and had his head on the side of the bed by her hip when he needed to rest. The other two left to take care of their subs but would be back.

Later that morning, the door opened, and Daniel walked in.

“Hey. How’s she doing?”

Caden nodded. “They say she’s fine, but she hasn’t woken yet. They don’t seem concerned. The doctor will be in shortly.”

“Has she said anything to you about what happened?” Daniel asked.

Caden shook his head. “She’s been unconscious the whole time I’ve been here except when I first got here. She woke up when she heard my voice and told me she got cut. I reassured her that everything would be okay and promised I’d be here the whole time. After that, she went back to sleep and hasn’t woken up since.”

They both turned when the door opened, and the doctor and a nurse walked in. The nurse immediately went to the IV tube and added another bag of fluid.

The doctor nodded to Daniel. “Good morning, Sheriff.”

“Good morning, Tom. How’s our girl doing?”

“Fine, as far as I know. I need to check her vitals and the wound.”

“What’s that?” Caden asked and pointed to the IV stand.

“It’s more medicine to help her. She’s so tiny and has lost a lot of blood. I’m still concerned, so I’m keeping her another night,” the doctor said.

Caden was happy about that, although he’d rather have the two of them home in their bed. However, at the hospital, the staff would be feet away if something happened.

“How much longer will she be asleep?” Caden asked.

The doctor glanced up from the chart at the end of the bed. “I’m not sure. It could be an hour or several. It’s up to her body and healing. Each person is different. They gave her a strong sedative because she was so distraught. She kept asking for her master, and I assume that’s you?”

Caden nodded.

“I was told she woke up for a minute when you got there. That’s a powerful connection the two of you have because no one I know has been able to awake from the drug.”

“She’s my life,” Caden said, staring at her.

“I wish there were more people like you. I think there would be less violence between people. Now, let me check out the wound.”

Caden stood down at the bottom of the bed and gripped her feet. He flinched when he got his first look at it. The cut was longer than he had thought. He’d seen decapitated people when he was in the Navy, but this hit him much harder.

“It seems to be improving. That’s good. Now, if we can get her awake and eating, she’ll be able to go tomorrow morning.”

“Can I wash the blood off of her?” Caden asked.

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