Page 36 of Rushed

Keenan

I’m not sure how long I’ve been out, but my mouth feels like cotton’s been shoved into it. My head’s pounding to the beat of a drumline homecoming game. It’s hell.

“Hey.” I hear a familiar, but apprehensive voice as I open my eyes.

“Hey yourself,” I say to Troy. “Where am I? Where’s Linc?”

“Oh, sweetheart, you’re in the hospital. Linc’s talking to the police. How are you feeling?” He strokes his fingers along my hand.

“Oh, I feel awesome. Let’s go dancing,” I say sarcastically, then try to smile. The act itself hurts so fucking much I grimace, which doesn’t feel much better.

“Baby girl, don’t try to talk. I’m sure it hurts like hell. Actually, I know how it feels. It feels like shit, so just sit still and relax.” Troy tries to appease me, but his smile is weak. I know how he feels about this, what with his past experience and all.

“Here’s some water. Drink it slowly, and I’ll get Lincoln, okay?” He hands me the brown plastic cup with a green twisty straw, then heads out to find his brother.

I accept the cup gleefully. Sipping gently, I drink down the cool liquid. It hurts my mouth, but at the same time, it feels glorious going down my throat. I move to place it back on the table beside the bed and feel every muscle in my body scream. I jerk and release the cup. It falls to the floor in a silence shattering crash, pinging across the floor.

“Keenan!” Lincoln slides into the room like the guy from Flashdance, except the look on his face is one of worry and fear.

“Kitten, the bravest woman I know. Ya scared the shite outta me.” He kisses the back of my hand, then places a soft gentle one on the top of my head. It feels like the only part of me that doesn’t hurt. He sits on the edge of the bed, enough that I feel his heat, but he’s not touching my broken body. I feel on fire, and not in a good way.

“Baby, ya callin’ me was brilliant. Ya know that, right? If ya hadn’t called, I’d still be at the gym, worrying about where ya were.” I know he must have been so scared.

“I’m sure you think I’m brilliant, but I got caught out at night by myself. It was so stupid—” Lincoln cuts me off with a shake of his head.

“They are not gettin’ away with this.” Speaking in a hushed tone, his body language speaks for him. His rigid posture and darting eyes tell me he’s spoiling for a fight. “I haven’t told the police yet what those feck’s said about the match and Mick, but believe me, I heard every word over the phone. Can ya tell them what they looked like?” he asks, hopeful.

“No, I can’t. I can’t tell you a thing about them. I could pick them out if they spoke, but I never got a good look at their faces. Plus, they never called each other by their names, so I don’t even have that.” It’s frustrating that I can’t help get them off the streets. They could easily do this to someone else, and I can’t give any details that would help.

“It’s okay, Kitten. Don’t worry. They did a rape kit on ya, and…” He pauses, grinding his teeth together. “That killed me to know it had to be done.” He strains to speak, but visibly drags in his pain. “Did they get a chance?”

“No. They didn’t get to fuck me. You yelled and it scared them off, but it was so close. The one bastard almost did.” I stop for a minute and think on it. It scares me to think what could have happened, and how bad it could have been.

My eyes are heavy, and I feel so drained. “Lincoln, I’m tired. I’m gonna go back to sleep.”

“Okay, Kitten. I’ll be right here. I’m not gonna leave yer side, not for one second. I promise.” He kisses my hand, grabs a chair, and sits down beside me.

It only takes seconds for me to feel the pull of sleep, and as I do, I hear his voice clearly. “I love ya, Keenan. I’m not goin’ anywhere.”

I smile. Closing my eyes, I drift off with the knowledge that he loves me.

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