Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Caleb
The last place I wanted to be at the crack of dawn on Sunday morning was the emergency room. But when one of my hands gashed himself up in the stables, it fell on me to make sure he got taken care of.
At least Jesse was with my grandparents until Shelby picked him up. I didn’t have to worry about him while I sat through Emmett’s stitches, X-rays, and discharge instructions. One of the boys was giving him a ride back to the bunkhouse, leaving me free to hunt for some coffee before heading home.
I was halfway down the hall toward the exit when a scream split the quiet morning.
“No! Get away from me! Please, I have to go. Let me go.”
My whole body went cold. Every instinct honed from years of working cattle and raising my boy told me exactly what that scream was—pure terror.
I spun in the direction the sound came from. A nurse rushed past me toward one of the private rooms, a phone at her ear, her words sharp with urgency.
“She’s waking up disoriented—watch her IV—someone get Dr. Tennison—Alice, the patient in room twelve—”
Alice?
It couldn’t be. Not my Alice. She’d been fine when we parted ways yesterday. On her way to her—
Date.
The next scream shredded through me. It was her. I knew it. No idea how. Just did.
I hurried past a nurse to push into the room. Horror awaited me inside.
Alice thrashed on a bed, her hair plastered to her temples with sweat. Tears streaked her flushed cheeks. One arm cradled against her chest in a fresh cast as the other tore at the sheets.
“I have to leave. I can’t stay here. Please.” Her voice broke into a choking sob.
She didn’t see me. Didn’t see anyone. Her eyes were closed, like she wasn’t quite awake yet.
My chest ached so deep, I thought it might split open. I stepped forward, to her side.
“Alice.”
She didn’t respond, but her eyes sprang open, darting wildly toward the nurses, the monitor, the bright light above her.
“Alice.” I said her name louder, firmer, like I would to a spooked colt. “Alice, it’s Caleb. I’m here.”
I covered her clawed hand with mine.
Her frantic gaze shifted. Her eyes were glassy, unfocused, but for a split second, they locked on mine. She blinked, tears spilling over, her chest heaving with ragged breaths.
“Hey, Allie,” I murmured as gently as I could. “I’m here with you now. I’ve got you. Anything you need, I’m here. I won’t leave you.”
Her lips trembled. “Caleb. Help me.”
Crumpling against her pillow, she released a keening sob and clutched the blanket like a shield. There was a bandage on her forehead, swelling in her cheek and around her eye. It killed me to see her like that.
I looked up at the nurse on her other side. “What’s going on? Help her. She’s in pain.”
The nurse adjusted her IV without looking at me. “Her doctor is on the way.”
“That’s not good enough,” I snapped. “She’s terrified. Someone needs to help her right now.”
Before the nurse could respond, the door swung open and a tall woman in scrubs stepped in. She gave Alice a quick once-over, eyes narrowing in clinical assessment.
“Alice,” she said. “I’m Dr. Tennison. You’re in the hospital. Do you know why you’re here?”
Alice’s chest shook with another sob. Her lips moved, but no sound came out.
The doctor leaned over Alice, shining a small penlight into each eye. Alice flinched, whimpering.
“Easy,” the doctor soothed. “You have a mild concussion, and your wrist is broken. Do you remember what happened?”
Alice turned her head toward me, refusing to look at the doctor. I cupped the side of her face, wiping tears away, only for more to replace them.
“All right. You don’t have to talk right now,” the doctor said, jotting something down on her tablet. “Your labs are still processing. Once we know what substance was in your system, we’ll be able to monitor accordingly.”
“Is she going to be okay?” I asked roughly, my throat tight.
Dr. Tennison finally looked at me, her brows lifting over her glasses. “Are you family?”
“I’m her friend. And I won’t leave her, so please don’t bring it up.”
She studied me before giving a small nod. “She’ll be monitored closely, but she’ll need a friend when she goes home.”
None of that eased the ache in my chest, but what could I do? Not much other than stand here, hoping I never heard a cry of terror like the one that had nearly ripped me in two again.
Especially not from Alice.
There was a substance in Alice’s system. A substance. I wasn’t stupid. I knew what that meant. And it took everything in me not to punch a hole in the nearest wall.
Dr. Tennison turned back to Alice. “Do you need anything right now, Alice? Are you in pain?”
Alice’s hand tightened around mine, her knuckles bone white. She shook her head, tears dripping off her chin.
“Okay. That’s good to hear.” The doctor gave her a small nod then addressed the nurse. “Page me if anything changes.”
The two women left the room, the door clicking shut behind them. I reached up and brushed a damp strand of hair from Alice’s forehead, careful of the bandage there.
She closed her eyes at my touch, another tear sliding down her cheek. Her grip on my hand trembled.
“Don’t go,” she whispered so faintly, I almost didn’t hear her. “Please stay with me.”
I swallowed hard, the burn in my throat threatening to choke me. Pushing past it, I squeezed her hand gently.
“I’m not going anywhere, Allie,” I promised gruffly. “You don’t have to worry about that. If you want to close your eyes, you can. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
Like those were the exact words she needed to hear, she let out a shuddering breath and went limp, her eyes fluttering closed again. Even as sleep pulled her under, her fingers stayed tangled tight with mine.
An hour later, Alice woke with a gasp and knifed upright, her eyes rolling around in terror.
“I have to go,” she mewled. “I can’t stay here anymore.”
I pushed to my feet and took her face in my hand. “You’re in the hospital, Allie. You’re safe.”
She shook her head. “No. No, please take me home. If I stay here—I can’t stay here, Caleb. I can’t.”
Her voice broke on a sob, and her whole body trembled under the thin hospital blanket. She clutched my wrist with her uninjured hand, her grip weak but frantic.
“Allie…” I said softly, brushing my thumb along her cheekbone, careful to avoid the swelling. “You need to let the doctors take care of you. You’re hurt.”
“I can’t,” she whispered, shaking her head, fresh tears streaming down her face. “Please, Caleb. Tell them I need to go now.”
Something in my chest splintered at her quiet desperation. She was more lucid now and just as terrified. Maybe more so.
I looked over my shoulder at the empty doorway then back at her, feeling helpless. What the hell do I do? Keeping her here was the logical choice. The right choice. But I couldn’t force her to stay. Not if she needed to go.
“All right,” I said roughly, nodding once. “All right, darlin’. I’ll get you out of here.”
Relief rushed over her face, so fierce and bright, it almost knocked me backward. She let out a shaky breath and slumped against the pillows, still clutching my wrist like she was afraid I’d disappear.
I found the call button and pressed it. A nurse appeared a few minutes later, pumping sanitizer into her cupped hand at the doorway.
“She wants to go home,” I said, trying to keep my voice level. “Discharge her.”
The nurse’s mouth tightened as she rubbed her hands together. “Sir, she’s under observation for a concussion and has a fresh fracture. Besides, we’re waiting for the police to—”
“She can rest at home,” I interrupted, impatience prickling my skin. “You can send whatever paperwork she needs with us. The police can talk to her there.”
The nurse hesitated, glancing between me and Alice.
“I’ll get the doctor,” she said finally, leaving the room.
Fifteen minutes later, after a brief, albeit tense, conversation with Dr. Tennison, they released her. They insisted on a wheelchair, and Alice kept her eyes clamped tightly shut as I guided it down the hall and out through the automatic doors into the early morning air.
At my truck, I lifted her easily into my arms. Her cheek pressed against my chest as she curled closer to me with a small, broken whimper.
“It’s okay,” I murmured against her hair, tightening my grip. “You’re going home now.”
“Thank you so much,” she whispered. “Thank you, Caleb.”
I set her gently in the passenger seat, buckling her in like I used to with Jesse when he was little. Right before I closed the door, she released a shuddering breath of relief.
Climbing behind the wheel, I started the truck and pulled out of the hospital parking lot. I glanced over at Alice. She was curled into a tight ball against the passenger seat, but more alert now that she was free.
I’d been questioning whether I was doing the right thing, but she was breathing easier. Steadier. Her tears had stopped. She was pulling herself together. If I’d forced her to spend another minute in that place…no, I couldn’t have.
I reached over and took her hand in mine, squeezing gently as the ranch fences came into view in the distance.
“You’re safe now, Allie,” I whispered, not really sure if I was saying it for her sake or mine. “I promise. You’re safe.”