17. Family
Chapter 17
Family
Sadie
R ebel’s call set my mind at ease, but when it gets to be two hours later and Rebel still hasn’t come home, I begin to worry.
As always, the phone rings only once before Rebel picks up.
“Babe, you should be sleeping,” he says.
“I can’t sleep without you beside me,” I tell him.
“We’re at the hospital. Wire isn’t ready to leave yet.” When he called earlier, Rebel told me that they were all fine, with no injuries, and all the guys were safe.
“I thought?—”
“Not us, sweetheart,” he interrupts. “Remmi, the daughter the cartel kidnapped, was semiconscious when we found her. We brought her to St. Anthony’s, but Wire’s not about to go home without knowing how she’s doing.” He sighs.
“I can help,” I tell him. “I can read patients’ charts, and I’m pretty sure they’ll let me in the room when they know I’m on staff.”
“It’s late?—”
“Let me help. Please,” I beg. All the guys have been so wonderful to me. I also know Wire is a big reason why the man who assaulted me is in jail. He spent hours tracking the guy down.
“No bus,” he insists. “In fact, tomorrow, we’re buying you a car. But for now, call an Uber. I’ll meet you out in front of the hospital.” He hangs up, and I giggle at the idea of buying me a car. I’m sure he’s kidding, but it’s still sweet.
It’s not far to the hospital, and before long, I’m climbing out of the Uber and into Rebel’s waiting arms. He pays the Uber driver, and we ride up the elevator together. He takes that thirty-second elevator ride to kiss me thoroughly. By the time we reach our floor, I’m breathless and flushed.
I push all that aside, and Rebel introduces me to Mitchell and Mary Fontaine, as well as a man called Phineas, who is just as concerned about Remmi as her parents are.
“If you don’t mind, Mr. Fontaine, I’m going to go see if I can get in to see your daughter and get us an update,” I tell Remmi’s parents.
“The doctors haven’t come out for hours,” Mary says sadly. I take her hand and give her a warm smile.
“Doctors like to be as sure as they can be before relaying information. It’s not always the best feeling to be on this side of the double doors, but this is one of the best hospitals in the area, and I’m sure they’re taking great care of her. Let me see if I can see her,” I respond, patting her hand. I let go and walk directly over to the nurses’ station.
“Hi, I’m Sadie McCowan. I’ll be working at St. Anthony’s as of Monday,” I tell the nurse with the name tag indicating her name is Veronica.
She greets me with a grin. “Welcome to the team, Sadie. You’re a little early for your shift, though, aren’t you?” she teases. I know immediately I’m going to love working with Veronica.
“Just a tad. The reason I’m here, though, is that one of my dearest friends is being cared for at the hospital, and her parents over there”—I turn and nod at the Fontaines—“are worried sick.” I know it’s a lie, but I see how upset her family is, and I want to help ease their minds.
“Remmi Fontaine?”
“Yes.” I give her my pleading eyes. “Please, can I see her for a moment? Maybe get an update on her status?”
Veronica bites her bottom lip and gives me a nod. “Two minutes. Not a second longer. Dr. Martin is an ass. A great doctor but an ass, and he’ll bite my head off if he knows I let you in without his approval.”
I cross my fingers over my heart. “I swear, if I hear him come, I’ll hide in a closet.”
Veronica leads me through the double doors. I glance over my shoulder and see Rebel give me a wink. Wire comes to the edge of his chair, watching as I walk through. Police are guarding the door, but Veronica explains that I’m with her family.
Veronica comes in with me and goes through the routine of taking Remmi’s vitals as I sneak a peek at the chart. A high dose of Rohypnol was found in Remmi’s blood. It’s enough to knock her out for quite a while. That explains why she’s still not conscious. Remmi looks haggard but is still extremely beautiful. I’ll bet her long, chestnut-brown hair is gorgeous when she’s at her best. She has the imprint of a hand on her face. Someone slapped her pretty hard to leave that kind of a mark.
“The doctor had us run a rape kit.” Veronica comes close to me and quietly whispers, “We haven’t told her parents because we were waiting for the results. She wasn’t raped, and the doctor will be confirming this with her parents shortly. Something or someone interrupted it from happening. Her panties were torn, which was what alerted us to the possibility.”
I move beside the bed, taking Remmi’s hand. “You’re safe now, sweet girl,” I say softly.
“She fought like hell. She had the guy’s skin under her nails. She’s going to need a friend. She’s lucky to have you,” Veronica says.
I manage a smile in her direction, but my heart is breaking for this beautiful woman who didn’t give up. They had to roofie her to get her to submit. Thank God the team arrived when they did.
“I’m sorry, Sadie, but we have to go,” Veronica says.
“Don’t be sorry. Thank you for doing this,” I tell her. I can’t help but brush the back of my hand over Remmi’s cool cheek. “You’re so brave, Remmi.”
We slink out, and once we’re back at the nurses’ station, I give Veronica a hug and thank her again, telling her how happy I am to be working with such an amazing woman. Now for the hard part: telling Rebel what I found out. I’ll leave it to him to decide how much he wants to tell the others.
I inhale deeply and turn to walk toward Mitchell and Mary. Rebel instantly falls in next to me, sliding his arm around me. Everyone huddles around, waiting for me to speak.
“Remmi was drugged with Rohypnol. There was a fairly large dose in her system. She’s going to be out for a while. The doctors are taking good care of her, and she will wake up. It just might take longer than we would all want. She has a few bruises, but nothing permanent. No broken bones, thank goodness. We need to be patient,” I tell them.
Mitchell breaks down sobbing, “They took her away from me. They’d never done that before. I heard her fighting and screaming. I tried so hard to get to her. They wouldn’t let me go. Those men held me down while they hurt my girl.” He covers his face, looking desolate and defeated.
Mary comforts her husband. Phineas sits next to Mitchell, his arm around his shoulders, speaking quietly, trying to settle him down. When I turn to Wire, he searches my face and gets up from his chair. His jaw is tight and he looks murderous, and he’s heading straight for me.
Falcon notices and comes to stand closer. Phoenix and Bull see what’s happening, and they move in as well.
Wire bends down, and in a quietly restrained tone, he asks, “What aren’t you saying?”
I look up at Rebel, who has tightened his hold around my waist and is staring back at me. “Sweetheart, Wire’s a hacker. He can probably get into the hospital computer system in less than an hour.”
That’s very true, and it’s better coming from me. “All right, then, the doctors found signs that she may have been…violated.” I quickly add, “But she wasn’t.” I take a deep breath. “Remmi was fighting him off, and that’s when she was drugged. This man would have raped her if he had the time.”
Well, now all the men look fit to kill.
“Jesus!” Falcon exclaims under his breath, careful not to let the Fontaines hear.
“I say we find the lot of them and finish them off,” Bull exclaims.
Phoenix shakes his head, but his expression is nothing less than pained. Rebel dips his head and kisses the top of mine.
Wire looks like he’s a bomb about to go off. I call his name softly.
“What signs?” Wire asks, and I look at him, confused.
“Pardon?”
“You said the docs saw signs. What signs?”
I clear my throat and tell him, “Remmi’s panties were torn. She has bruising on her wrists and skin under her nails from fighting him off.” My voice tapers off. “Physically, she’s going to be fine,” I add.
“It’s going to mess with her head.” Wire states.
“Counseling would be good. She’ll be in the hospital for a few more days. In cases such as these, they have a social worker visit and try to set up a time for Remmi to speak to a counselor. It would be up to her, and to be truthful, rarely does the patient take the appointment. It takes time for a patient to process what’s happened to them. Most try to bury the experience and move on like nothing has happened, but it does catch up to them eventually,” I say truthfully.
“Shouldn’t her parents know?” Phoenix asks.
“The doctor’s first responsibility is to the patient. And she wasn’t raped, well, not, um, through penetration. But violated, yes. I can understand the doctor’s action. His obligation is to his patient. Remmi needs to decide what she chooses to tell her parents. He may feel it’s her right to share or not.” I look over at Mitchell, who is in his own personal hell, beating himself up for not being able to protect his daughter. The guys follow my gaze. “I’m not sure Mr. Fontaine could take the news at the moment. He’s so distraught as it is.” I sigh.
We’re all silent for a long while until Falcon breaks the silence. “Remmi is under proper care, with armed guards at her door. Her parents aren’t going home. Phineas is taking them to his house, which has tight security. There’s nothing more we can do tonight. Wire, are you ready to go?”
Wire looks at the doors that lead down the hall to Remmi’s room. His voice is raw and angry, “Yeah,” he says unconvincingly, then turns toward the elevator.
We say our goodbyes to the Fontaines and Phineas. Rebel and I are the first to drive away, with Phoenix and Bull in the car behind us, leaving Falcon and Wire, who are still talking beside the van.
It’s close to dawn when Rebel and I slide between the sheets to fall asleep. Rebel is exhausted but needed to shower before climbing into bed. He nestles me close, spooning me. His big arm drapes over my body.
“God, I’m tired,” he says with a yawn.
“Sleep, honey.”
“Fuck! I’m afraid to ask what’s next,” he murmurs sleepily.
My parents, that’s what’s next. I wanted to remind him, but after seeing and hearing what Remmi and her parents have gone through, everything else seems so trivial in comparison. Tonight has been a good reminder of why I wanted to be a nurse to begin with. It’s about helping others through their pain and watching them heal. There are some injuries that aren’t visible, but they still exist. Those are the hardest to mend.
What’s next doesn’t matter, as long as Rebel and I are in it together. I look over my shoulder at my sleeping giant. Yes, all is good, at least for now.