Page 40 of True Me

WAKING UP, THE firstthing that alerts me to where I currently am is the beeping of the heart monitor. Even without me being able to open my eyes, the stiffness of the blankets covering me. There’s also the sterile smell you only find in hospitals. It’s truly distinct and makes me feel sick to my stomach. I still can’t manage to open my eyes but I do feel bandages or something covering them as I try to figure out what I’m feeling and how I’m doing mentally. I don’t remember a whole lot of what happened after sharing Fawn and Chad’s secrets out loud. And that asshole who’s working for the loan shark. Each of them are working on their own agenda and it’s going to bite them in the ass at some point. I just hope it’s right now because they deserve to suffer for the hell they’ve put so many people through.

The next thing I do feel is hands touching me. On one side my hand is being held in a large, strong, callused one. Opposite of that is a hand resting on my arm. I know it’s my wrist that’s been injured and I want to see the damage that’s been done to my body and figure out how much time it will take me to heal completely. Still, I know without a doubt Eagle and Cash are the ones holding onto me. They’re protecting me in the hospital even when I’m not sure I can protect myself. Well, I know I can’t currently protect myself with how much has been done to me thanks to Chad and Fawn.

“Sweet Girl?” Eagle’s rough voice from sleep washes over me and I turn my head in his direction.

“Eagle, I’m awake,” I state the obvious even if I can’t open my eyes. I’m sure he felt me moving around a little bit as I tried to take stock of my body. “How long have I been here?”

“You know where you are?” Cash questions, his voice just as rough as Eagle’s. “You’ve been here for two days now. This is the first time you’ve woken up since we last saw you when we got here.”

“I do. I’m in the hospital. It’s obvious from the noise and sterile smell,” I answer, my throat hurting as my voice sounds as if I gargled with rocks. Surprise fills me with the knowledge I’ve been here for two days and haven’t woken up in that time.

“Take a few sips of water, Doll. Doc should be in soon to see how you’re doin’. Can we do anythin’ before he comes in?” Cash asks me, his voice soft and gentle as he runs his fingers up and down my arm while Eagle holds a cup and straw in front of my face as he tells me take a few small sips so I don’t overdo it.

I follow their directions and only take two small sips of water before answering Cash.

“I don’t know what I need if I’m being honest. I’m not exactly in a ton of pain, but I feel kind of fuzzy. I think my leg hurts, but I can’t be a hundred percent sure. And I know I had some kind of infection before I was taken away from Chad and Fawn,” I say before fear consumes me and my entire body starts trembling while my heart pounds rapidly in my chest. The machine starts beeping faster and I can feel the men on either side of me tense as they try to figure out what’s going on with me.

“Sweet Girl, what’s goin’ on? You gotta talk to us if we’re doin’ somethin’ to make you afraid,” Eagle says, his voice barely above a whisper as I grip his hand tighter and I hear the door open and a set of rushed steps heading straight for me. A whimper escapes me because I have no clue who’s rushing to my side.

“It’s okay, Doll. She’s a nurse. There are only three of us here. Crow and Hawk are right outside the door. No one’s gettin’ passed those two men. You know this,” Cash tells me, leaning down and pressing a soft kiss against my arm as Eagle moves back to make room for the nurse.

“Dear, my name is Elise. I’ll be your nurse for the day. What’s going on here? Your heart is beating out of control and you're covered with sweat. Did you have a nightmare?” Elise’s kind voice washes over me, but does nothing to help calm me down.

“I-I-I d-d-don’t know,” I stammer out, my voice broken as I start to sob uncontrollably.

“I’m going to go see if I can give you something to help you calm down for now. Dr. Craven will be here to see you soon,” Elise informs me before rushing from the room while Eagle moves back to my side.

“She’s gone, Doll. Tell us what’s goin’ on in your head,” Cash says, his voice close to my ear as they surround me as close as possible without overcrowding me.

“Where are they? Did they get away from you guys?” I finally ask my men as my body continues to remain tense while I start shaking even worse than before.

“They’re not gonna go after you again, Sweet Girl. Right now, they’re in our cells at the clubhouse. Both men and Fawn. No one’s gonna get close enough to you to do anymore harm. We’ll protect you with everythin’ we have in our power. The second we know you’re okay and are leavin’ the hospital, we’ll deal with them. The ol’ ladies will take care of Fawn,” Eagle assures me, pressing a kiss against my forehead before holding me as close as he whispers words of encouragement to me.

“Are you sure they’re still there? That they haven’t escaped or somethin’?” I question them.

“Doll, we’re sure they’re still there. Titan was down there with them last night and gave us an update. Savage is down there now. We have two Prospects with them at all times as well,” Cash says as he moves slightly away from me before I hear a chair scrape across the floor.

“Okay,” I say even though my throat still hurts and nothing works to calm me down.

Honestly, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to calm down until I know without a doubt the three of them are gone and will never hurt another person again. Even then it will probably take some time for it to really sink in that they’ve been dealt with and will never come near us again. I might need to see someone about how I feel and the trauma they’ve put me through. This is something I’ll have to think about before I make any final decisions. I can’t even mention anything to the guys before Elise shows back up and lets me know she’s going to give me something for the panic attack I’m having. It will help relax me and I’ll more than likely sleep once it hits me. I’m all for sleeping as long as I don’t have nightmares about what I’ve been through.

This time I slowlystart to wake up and take in my surroundings using my hearing since I can’t see anything. Faintly I hear Cash and Eagle talking over me from either side of the bed and I know there’s a third person in the room with us. I can’t tell who it is at this point, but someone is definitely standing at the foot of my bed.

“Rebel, it’s good to see you awake,” Doc says, his friendly voice soothing the worry that was starting to fill me once again. “How are you feelin’?”

“I’ve been better,” I answer him honestly. “Can you tell me exactly what’s wrong? What damage those animals inflicted on me?”

“Is there somethin’ wrong with your throat, Rebel? You sound as if it’s botherin’ you?” Doc asks, concern filling his voice as he moves closer to me.

“It does hurt. Really bad. Feels like I’m gettin’ strep throat or tonsillitis or somethin’,” I respond with a soft voice.

“I’ll look at it once we’re done talkin’. Darlin’. For now, don’t talk. I will say that you had to have surgery on your ankle. You have a rod and pins in it right now. There was damage done from the gate bein’ wedged on top of it and everythin’ that happened after the fact. Your wrist is broken and is currently in a soft cast. When we put a hard cast on your leg, we’ll put one on your arm at the same time. In the beginnin’ you won’t be able to put any weight on your leg as you start to heal. We’ll make sure you have a wheelchair to use so the guys aren’t constantly carryin’ you around. Or if they aren’t right there to help you for some reason. The cuts and bruises on your body are superficial. We’ve cleaned them out and covered the worst ones. None of them needed stitches. Currently you’re on antibiotics to prevent any more infections startin’ and to combat the one that started in your injured ankle.

“We’ve done imagin’ of your head and there are no brain bleeds or damage done there. While you were hit in the temple, there is no concussion. Your eyes are still extremely swollen and it’s the only reason we have them covered with bandages right now. You have had ice packs on your face to help lessen the swellin’. We’ll continue to do that for the next few days. Every few hours you’ll be iced down. I don’t want to put you on a full liquid diet, but it will depend on what I discover with your throat and how injured it is. I’m gonna tell you like I told your men that you’ll be here about a week before we even discuss you gettin’ discharged. That’s gonna stand. I’ll be here to see you a few times every day and we’ll discuss your progress each time. I have to ask if you want to be put in contact with a counselor or therapist, Rebel? You’ve been through a lot and one could help you,” Doc asks me after informing me of the damage that’s been done to my body thanks to those assholes.

“Can I have a few days to think about it? I don’t want to make any decisions right now when I’ve had pain killers. This is a big choice to make and it will impact more than just me,” I ask Doc with a quiet voice because I don’t want to strain my throat more than I have to before we know what’s been done to it.

“That’s perfectly fine. One final thing. When the orthopedic surgeon gives the approval, you’ll have to start physical therapy. It won’t be easy and you’re gonna want to quit every single day when you go through a session. Stick with it and build your ankle back up. Let the guys help you when you need it and don’t try to go through your recovery all alone,” Doc warns me, his voice still warm and gentle as he reaches out and touches my arm above where Eagle is holding my hand. “Eagle, you’re gonna have to move out of my way so I can examine her throat and find out what’s goin’ on.”

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