Chapter 25
Saylor
“I finally got ahold of your good-for-nothing husband,” Judy snarked as she walked back into the curtained area where I was waiting with Paige.
“Isn’t he your son?” Paige asked with a frown.
I sighed and shook my head. I understood the sentiment.
I felt that way too.
It’d been hours.
“Apparently he’d turned his phone off because they were having a band meeting. Like anything they were talking about was that important.” Judy huffed. “How four men could get to their forties and still behave as teenagers is beyond me.”
“Um, does that mean he’s coming?” Paige asked when it became evident I wasn’t going to.
“Yes. Leif is driving him.”
Paige made a strangled sound.
And despite the whole ugliness of this day, I had to laugh.
“No.” I turned to her and pointed my finger. “You are not to flirt with him. I don’t need my whole world splintering any more than it already has.”
Paige sobered and nodded. “No, I get that.” Then she tipped her head. “But there’s no harm in looking, right?”
Judy hooted. “I missed out on so much fun by not having a daughter.”
“What happened to Mal’s dad?” Paige asked with a frown. “He’s not in the picture, I take it?”
Judy sighed. “That’s a drama for another day. Although it might explain why Mal’s still such an immature ding bat. I should’ve picked a stronger male role model for him than that asshole had been.”
My eyes widened.
“Saylor Holt?” The doctor stepped back into the cubicle and paused when she saw my audience. “Would you like some privacy to discuss the test results?”
“I…” I looked helplessly at Judy and Paige. It felt wrong for them to hear the news before Mal, but I also didn’t want to sit here alone.
“We’ll give you a minute, honey.” Judy patted my shoulder then walked around the bed I was sitting on. “I’ll go direct that useless husband of yours in this direction when he arrives.”
“And I’m going to go help Leif—I mean, Judy. Help Judy.” Paige nodded resolutely then ran through the curtain before I could grab her.
I sighed and faced the doctor. “Okay. Lay it on me.”
“You tested negative for pregnancy.”
I sighed, expecting a wave of relief that didn’t come. My emotions were all over the place, honestly. Or maybe I was just numb? I don’t know. I was definitely tired.
So tired.
He tipped his head. “You should follow up with your regular practitioner or your gynecologist, but I would say your late cycle is probably due to a mix of stress and the missed pills while traveling. It happens more often than you’d think.”
I nodded.
“And your abrasions should heal up in a few days. Like I said, the tetanus shot was just out of an abundance of caution. Better safe than, right?” He laughed weakly. “If there’s nothing else, a nurse will be by with your discharge papers.”
I shook my head. “Thank you, doctor.”
“I’m just sad I won’t be able to meet your husband.
I’ve been a fan since—sorry, that’s not appropriate.
” He shook his head then stared down at his paperwork, avoiding my eyes.
“And again, if you experience any delayed trauma like we’d discussed, please reach out to someone.
We have some excellent psychologists here.
I’ll include some pamphlets in your discharge paperwork. ”
“Thanks,” I whispered before shuddering as I remembered the horrifying feeling of the gun at my temple.
And then the sight of Trent’s lifeless body stretched out on the pavement.
“I hope you feel better.” He gave me a vague smile then ducked out of the curtain.
I didn’t even have time to breathe, let alone think, before I heard shouting.
“Curtain three! Where’s curtain three?” I recognized the voice, although I’d never heard that panicked tone before.
A beat later, the curtain swept aside, and Mal lumbered through, anxiety twisting his features. “Saylor, fuck. Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
He crushed me to his chest without waiting for a reply, and I heard his heart thundering behind his ribs as I laid my head against him. His hands patted every square inch of my body he could reach.
“Shit, what’s this? Were you shot? I’m going to kill that fucker.” He pushed my sleeve up my arm after he felt the bandage beneath.
I weakly batted his hands away. “It’s just a scrape. I wasn’t shot.” I looked up at his panicked face and gave a little laugh. “I’m fine, Mal. I swear.”
“What the fuck happened?” He collapsed down on the bed next to me then pulled me onto his lap, wrapping his arms tight around me. “You were supposed to have security. Who took you hostage? I don’t know anything.”
I glanced at the curtain. I had medical privacy here, but I doubted that extended to conversations. And I’d had more than enough of my life splashed over the tabloids. I didn’t want to add fuel to the fire.
“Can we talk about it at home?”
“Are you shitting me? No!” Mal hollered. “My wife was taken hostage at the fucking airport. What the fuck happened? Who was it? I’m going to kill the fucker!”
I gave a harsh laugh. “You’re too late. LAPD already did the job for you. My ex is deader than a doornail. Why do they say that? How does a doornail die? Am I talking fast? It feels like I’m talking fast. My heart is pounding. Is that normal? It doesn’t feel normal.”
My breath came in harsh, wheezing pants, but I wasn’t getting any air.
Oh god.
Oh no.
“Not again.”
Then everything went black.
When I woke up, a nurse hovered over me. Her eyes were a gentle brown. So warm and nice.
“There you are. When’s the last time you ate, sweetie?”
“Um…” I blinked a few times. I tried to put an arm under me to sit up, but the room swam around me again, and I fell back onto the bed. “Last night, I think? Dinner last night maybe?”
Mal cursed softly behind her and paced the short distance the curtain allowed. His hands tunneled through his hair as he muttered something to himself.
The nurse smiled at me. “Okay, well, since this is the second time you’ve passed out, we’re going to put you on IV fluids and delay discharging you for at least an hour.
Now lie back and keep your feet up. You’ll feel better once we get some fluids in you.
” She stood up and turned to Mal. “And it wouldn’t hurt to have someone bring you something to eat.
I can order from the cafeteria, but take my word for it, you’re better off ordering something in. ”
Mal nodded purposefully then stomped through the curtain, shoving it out of his way, clearly a man on a mission.
The nurse turned back to me with a smile. “It helps to give them a task. Makes them feel like they’re in control of the situation a little bit. You’re a lucky girl.”
I gave an incredulous laugh. “Really? It doesn’t feel that way.”
I mean, I was lying on a hospital bed after being taken hostage. How exactly was that lucky?
The nurse winced. “I meant your hubby. He clearly loves you. You should’ve heard the hell he raised when you passed out again. Usually, guys like that are annoying assholes.”
I raised my eyebrows and she laughed.
“But he’s pretty to look at. It helps.”
This time I laughed. She wasn’t wrong.
“And he clearly loves you so much.” She tipped her head. “Like I said, you’re a lucky girl.”
Again, it didn’t feel that way lately, and this time I wasn’t thinking about the abduction. My marriage hadn’t been the easiest so far and considering we’d only been together a month, that wasn’t exactly a good sign.
The honeymoon stage had felt like anything but.
My nurse patted my shoulder. “I’m going to start that IV for you. You try to get some rest. I’m only allowing your husband back since he’s a handful, but we can bar him if you think it’ll help. It’s completely up to you.”
I sighed and shook my head. Things might be bumpy between us, but I needed Mal here with me.
Mal was back—empty handed—before the nurse returned, and I blinked up at him in confusion.
He collapsed into the chair next to the bed with a sigh. “Ryker is getting you a burrito. Leif wanted to go, but he’s creating enough of a stir here, sending him out for food won’t help. The last thing we need is a bunch of Leif sightings. The place is a zoo as it is.”
“Leif is here?” That was important, but I couldn’t exactly remember why.
“And Ryker and Beau. The hospital arranged a private waiting room for them, since it was causing mayhem in the halls. Although to be fair, the press was already here, so they can’t blame that on us.”
“Press?” I repeated weakly.
Mal winced. “Shit. Sorry.” He sighed and shook his head. “Yeah, it’s a shitshow out there. The Babbler, KALI 14 news, the major networks, they’re all out there. Considering you were taken hostage at a major airport, it’s kinda headline news. And they all got pictures of us arriving.”
The nurse came back with the IV and Mal waited tensely while she set up the IV stand.
“All right. I’ll check back in on you in a few minutes.”
After the curtain closed behind her, Mal sat forward on his chair, his hands clasped tightly and gave me this look so full of pain.
“I’m so sorry, Saylor. I never should’ve trusted Naomi to handle your security.
I should’ve called or gone with you. I just…
I failed you. And I’m so fucking sorry. I should’ve put you first.”
It was everything I wanted him to say, so why did it feel so wrong?
Tears sheened my vision, and I shook my head.
“I put my convenience over your safety, and that’s going to haunt me the rest of my days. I don’t… There’s nothing I can say to make it up to you. I’m so sorry.”
My whole body started shaking. “Will you hold me? Please?”
Mal’s eyes darted from my bandaged arm to the IV sticking out of my other hand. And I knew he didn’t want to hurt me anymore, but the puppy dog eyes I gave him did the trick.
He pushed out of the chair with a groan then walked around the bed to burrow behind me on the slim, hard twin-sized mattress. He spooned me, his knees behind mine but his pelvis nowhere near mine. His arm came around my waist and his hand rested just below my bra.