Page 65 of Forgiving Fate

I nod, as if he can see me and scrub my hand down my face. “I haven’t looked at my phone in a while. Allie had a medical emergency and my focus has been on her. She’s okay, but the situation needed my full attention. What is going on with Addy?”

“She isn’t doing well since the kidnapping. I think she is going through withdrawal, but refuses any help. I feel like I am seconds from losing her. And I cannot let that happen. We lose so many every day, I cannot let it happen to my own blood.”

His reasoning hits me like a ton of bricks. He is fighting to make sure his sister stays here after some bastard decided to take her life in his hands. And I’m sitting outside while Allie, a girl who is becoming something more than just a stranger, is fighting an invisible battle because of some asshole who had a god complex. Every day Lachlan and I have to watch the peoplewe care deeply for suffer because grown men decide to throw a temper tantrum when women won’t give in to their fucked up mentalities.

Anger rises in my chest again and I push it down and pop another mint into my mouth while itching my arm.

“I’m sorry Lach. I wish I knew what to say to help Addy, but you know how this goes. There are no right words, just time. Only thing you can do is support and keep an eye on her.”

I hear him groan in frustration. “Yeah. I know. I just hate seeing her this way. I wish our parents weren’t such fuck ups and could help with her. With Miles in New York at a fight, Lainey in Cliff Haven, and me now needing to get to Alberta, I have no idea what the hell to do. Carter is out of commission and Bryce is off the grid. So I hate to ask because I know you have your hands full with your family and now Allie, but can you come up here? I’m desperate man and have no clue what to fucking do.”

Shit. What the hell do I do? I can’t leave Allie, but I can’t leave him alone. He has taken his sector of Resilience and a lot of mine while I have been helping Allie. I can’t exactly turn him away, but I can’t leave her.

Yes, you can. You aren’t good for her.

Just as I’m about to answer, the doctor comes out the front door, locks eyes with me, and waves me inside.

“I have to go, Lach. I will let you know as soon as I can. I’m sorry.” I don’t wait for him to reply and run inside, my feet skidding on the ice.

Inside the office smells of sterile cleaning supplies and the bright lights cause me to squint.

Doc is waiting for me in the waiting room and moves to stand at a large wooden door. “Come on back Landon. I need to discuss a few things with you and Miss Evans.”

I nod and stuff my hands into my pockets while stepping through the door. The doctor points towards one of the threeexam rooms and tells me he has to grab something but to go ahead.

The second I see Allie, my body tenses. She is sitting up in an exam chair, a blanket tucked around her, and her hand sitting in her lap is covered in a bandage.

A clear line leads to her arm tucked under the blanket and when her light blues meet mine, I see the exhaustion and defeat in them. I rush to her side and sit in the chair next to her, my hand going to her bandaged one and my finger brushes her exposed pinky. Her hair is in a wild bun at the top of her head and a rogue hair hangs down in her face.

Without thinking, I brush the wavey hair behind her ear and search her eyes for a hint at what is going on inside her mind. We stay like this for a moment and she shakes her head as her eyes start to water.

An overwhelming urge hits me out of nowhere and all I want to do is hold her and tell her it’s all going to be okay. And when a tear escapes, I wipe it away and flash her a small smile. She returns it and I give a reassuring nod. Because sometimes words aren’t necessary and silence amongst the chaos is all you need to convey you are here for someone in a time of need.

A knock on the door causes both of our heads to turn towards the doctor. He comes in holding a few bottles of medication and a stack of papers. He makes his way to a stool on the other side of Allie and sits down.

“So. Miss Evans here is just finishing up a round of fluids. She was a bit dehydrated, so I gave her some electrolytes. I also gave her a good dose of pain medication to help with the pain and get her through the stitches. That knife did a number on her hand and I placed about twenty stitches in her hand.”

Jeez. My head swivels to Allie and I raise my eyebrows. She shrugs and we both return our attention to the doctor.

“My reaction as well. She will need to come back in a few days to get them checked for infection and then to get them taken out. My concern isn’t so much the hand. She suffered a significant amount of blood loss. Now it’s not enough for a transfusion or we would be on our way to MRMC, but I am still concerned.”

He pauses and I try to process everything he is saying. He waits for me to nod before continuing.

“So that brings me to the reason I brought you in here. Miss Evans here tells me she is new to town and doesn’t know many people. And while that would be fine, I don’t like the idea of her being alone in case she were to take a turn. Her body is a little weaker at the moment due to blood loss, and that can cause several things. A higher risk of dizzy spells, infection, and few other things.

“Now, Landon, I have known you and your family for years. And with you being here right now, I trust that despite Miss Evans insistence that she can take care of herself, that you will keep an eye on her. And I don’t mean once a day check ins, I mean all day. I would like her under twenty-four-hour supervision for the day or two if possible. If nothing happens, great. But with the winter storm coming in the next few days, the roads to MRMC may be impassible. So I would like someone with her monitoring her closely and having her come in the moment something looks off. My fear is if we catch something too late, it may be out of my hands and I’d hate for her to be stuck out here waiting for a helicopter or an ambulance to maneuver their way out here.”

To say I’m shocked is an understatement. I knew Allie was in rough shape, but I never imagined the doctor planning on her having constant supervision. I turn my attention to Allie and search her eyes for a hint of what to do.

She casts her eyes down to her hand then back up to me. Her eyes plead with exhaustion and wanting to get the hell out of here.

That gives me the answer I need and I turn my focus back to the doctor. “I’ll watch her. Just give me a written list of medications and things I need to do.” My voice is almost robotic and stern.

The doctor looks between Allie and I and nods. He jumps into an explanation and I try my best to listen, but one thing rings in my head.

Maybe Lachlan was right. What if I’m not the right person she needs? She needs someone stable and able to take care of her. And I am not that guy. I wish I was. I desperately want to be and hate the idea of anyone else trying to understand her needs because of the time it took to get her to trust me. But one thing still rings true. How can I help her when I can barely fight my own demons?

Chapter Twenty-Four

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