Page 131 of Love in the Wild

“Thank you for that. I’m going stir-crazy in this bed.”

It was only a few minutes ago that the doctor had assessed her and deemed her free to be unstrapped from the longboard. The bed was a hundred times more comfortable than the plastic torture device.

When the nurse wheeled Hadley’s bed back into the private hospital room, she raised her head, hoping to finally see Gage.

The only people waiting for her were Ridge and Cheyenne. Cheyenne rose to her feet and stood at Hadley’s side as the nurse locked the bed into place.

Cheyenne’s breath hitched. “Are… are you okay?”

“I’m really okay. Promise.” Hadley lifted her arm with the IV hanging from it. “I have to keep this in until they know for sure there isn’t any internal bleeding, but I don’t think I hit hard enough to do any major damage. I’ll probably just have a bruise.”

Cheyenne rubbed her hands over her cheeks. “I can’t believe this happened. I’m a nervous wreck.”

Ridge stepped up beside Cheyenne and put his arm around her. “We’re really glad you’re okay,” he said to Hadley.

“Me too. Rome had a gun, and I…”

She’d fallen off the cliff while the gun was still pointed at Gage. Falling to the unknown below was almost as bad as not knowing if Gage was okay.

“Where is Gage?” she asked quietly.

“He’s here,” Ridge said. “He’s with Dawson.”

“What happened? Gage didn’t tell me much.” The fact that he hadn’t told her spoke volumes, but he said he wasn’t injured.

Ridge glanced at Cheyenne before turning back to Hadley. “Rome fell off the cliff too. He didn’t make it.”

Hadley gasped and a sharp pain stabbed in her chest. Squeezing her eyes closed, she forced a more even breath. It could have easily been her. She’d fallen off the same cliff. The shock of Rome’s death had her fighting off panic.

“Gage is pretty torn up about it. He pushed him off the edge, but it was self-defense. He’s giving Dawson his statement now, and he has to go meet with the investigator later. He should be here soon. Dawson said he’d get to see you.”

Her breaths were shallow and quick. “He’s not in trouble, is he? I mean, he didn’t mean to kill anyone.” It wasn’t long ago that Gage was going through the same investigation process after saving his sister. Now, he was back in the place he’d hoped to be rid of–on the law’s short list.

Cheyenne rubbed her hand over Hadley’s upper arm. “Asa said Mr. Benson was there. Gage had a witness. I’ll let you know if I hear anything else about it, but Asa said we shouldn’t worry. It was clear Rome instigated this, and he had a gun that was fired multiple times.”

Closing her eyes, Hadley said a silent prayer. Gage had been through so much and was determined to move away from his family and his old life. This couldn’t set him back.

He’d done this to protect her, and for that she was grateful. She’d never wish death on anyone, not even her worst enemy. But surely Gage hadn’t had a choice.

There was a soft knock on the door, and Cheyenne said, “Come in.”

Gage stepped into the room with tired eyes and dirty clothes. His shoulders hunched and his head hung low.

Hadley’s heart lurched. He’d been so happy lately, but there wasn’t a bit of that joy left now. She reached for him, and he slowly walked toward her and took her hand in his.

“Are you okay? Any news?” he asked.

“Nothing yet, but the nurse thinks I’ll be able to go home soon,” Hadley answered.

Ridge slid his arm around Cheyenne’s waist. “We’re going to check out the cafeteria.”

Cheyenne looked like she might protest but let him lead her toward the door. “We’ll be right back. Call if you need anything.”

Once the door shut behind them, Hadley turned to Gage. “Are you okay?”

“I’m not the one who fell off a cliff.” He rubbed his hand down his face and sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“You didn’t do anything but save me.”

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