Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 146477 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 732(@200wpm)___ 586(@250wpm)___ 488(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 146477 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 732(@200wpm)___ 586(@250wpm)___ 488(@300wpm)
Harper lets out a breath, closing her eyes as she leans into my touch. Her eyes immediately fill with tears and I gently wipe them away. “How bad is it?” she croaks, her throat hoarse, and I can only assume it’s from having to scream for freedom.
“It’s bad, doll,” I tell her, not wanting to sugarcoat it, knowing she can handle it. “You had emergency surgery and had repairs to your liver and spleen, but you’re in the clear. The surgeon was able to stop the bleeding. As for everything else, you’re going to be sore for a while. There’s lots of bruising and swelling, and I’m sure the police will want to take a statement.”
She visibly swallows, and I reach for the bottled water on the bedside table, pausing to put a straw in it before lifting it to her swollen lips. “Take a sip.”
She cringes as the water makes its way down.
“Do you remember what happened?”
Her bottom lip quivers, and as she starts to cry, I get up from the chair and carefully climb in beside her, knowing this is exactly what she needs. She grunts and gasps as she’s moved around, but the amount of morphine going through her body more than helps. Then the moment I’m beside her, she curls into my chest and cries, her hand still clutching mine.
“I’ve got you, doll,” I soothe, my hand making soft circles on her back as the tears run their course.
She attempts to tell me what happened when the doctor comes in, and judging by the scowl on his face, he doesn’t approve of me being in bed with her, but there’s not a damn thing he can do or say that’s going to pull me away from her now. She needs this more than I do, and as her tears continue to flow, I will stay here and be the rock she needs me to be.
The doctor grabs her chart off the end of the bed, making sure she’s up to date on painkillers, and as he strides around the edge of the bed, he looks over her injuries. Only something has him pausing, his gaze flicking between me and Harper. “Uncle, right?” he questions, his gaze specifically dropping to the way her hand is clutched in mine.
I cringe. “Step-uncle,” I say as though that’s supposed to make it any better.
I can only imagine the look on Harper’s face, but right now, I’m too focused on the doctor. He looks at me with a deep suspicion, like I’ve somehow done something wrong, but when Harper shifts next to me, his gaze falls back to her.
“How are you feeling, Dr. Madden?” he asks, clearly already knowing her. “Anything I should be concerned about?”
She shakes her head. “No. The morphine has kicked in. I’m feeling pretty good, though I’m not going to say no to more. Feel free to crank it up.”
He smirks at her, shaking his head in exasperation. “Watch it, Harper. Don’t make me put Celia on your case.”
Her eyes widen in horror. “You wouldn’t.”
“I absolutely would if you’re not behaving yourself,” he tells her. “Now, I’m sure by now you’re aware that you had internal bleeding. We had to go in and fix up that liver and spleen of yours, but everything was standard. There’s some slight swelling to your organs, but nothing that wouldn’t be expected in your . . . situation.”
“You can say it,” she murmurs, her face falling. “I got jumped.”
He gives her a tight smile. “I’m sorry,” he says. “I wasn’t sure how much you recalled of the incident.”
She nods. “All of it.”
He arches a brow, and I meet the doctor’s stare. “The, uhh . . . The guy who brought her in. He mentioned that she was going in and out, saying a bunch of weird things. Is it possible that she has a concussion?”
The doctor steps in closer, his brows furrowed as he looks over her chart again. “There’s nothing here stating any significant injuries to her head, apart from the superficial injuries to her face,” he mutters, placing the chart down on the end of the bed before moving right into her and giving a quick examination of her head. “I’m not seeing anything to be concerned about, however we’ll keep an eye on it over the coming days, and if anything alarms us, we’ll get her in for a CT.”
I nod and sense Harper’s gaze upon me, and as I glance down at her, I find a quizzical stare in her eyes.
“What?” I say. “You can never be too careful. You went through hell today. It couldn’t hurt to ask the questions.”
“He’s right,” the doctor agrees. “Better to be safe than sorry. But either way, I’m going to make a note to keep an eye on it.” He walks back to the end of the bed and scoops up the chart before scribbling something down, only to drop it back into place for the next person to come along. “Okay, if you have any questions, just let me know. Otherwise, I’ll leave you to get some rest.”