26. Chapter 26 #2
“Maxwell!” Gayle’s shrill voice pierced the air.
Max pointed a meaty finger at his wife and snapped, “Don’t you say a fucking word.”
Skye pulled closer to Rabble, that fight or flight feeling returning to her limbs with her father’s arrival.
She willed the humming in her ears to quiet so she could hear as he stormed toward the cruiser and jabbed his finger at the sheriff’s chest, getting in the older man’s face to the best of his ability.
Considering Max stood about five inches shorter, the way he tried to intimidate the sheriff was both impressive and incredibly foolish.
“Armanan, I demand you arrest these men!” Max turned, sweeping an all-encompassing hand across the yard, catching Rabble his gaze positively feral as he enjoyed every minute of this.
“Got a runner!” Declan hollered as he stuffed Gayle into the backseat of the cruiser.
“Shit!” Dash sprinted after Dylan, who had disappeared noisily into the brush.
Skye leaned against the trunk of the cruiser, her legs going wobbly and threatening to drop her on her ass.
The rest of her body seemed to follow suit, the strength draining from her limbs like the tide ebbing from the shore, she slowly worked her way to the ground and sat against the car’s rear bumper.
“Skye,” Rabble crouched in front of her, his brows furrowing as she squinted, trying to pull him into focus. “Hell,” he said sounding suddenly far away. “Sheriff, I’m assume we’re done here?”
The Sheriff must have agreed because the next thing Skye knew, Rabble tentatively took her in his arms, his touch and eyes asking for her permission, and she melted into him, her muscles languid and limp.
He helped her into the front seat of his truck, pushing aside his vest and buckling her up before going around to the other side.
He hurried to the driver’s seat, and she grabbed the heather-gray vest, draping it over her lap, her fingers brushing the soft material.
She absently noted how much she’d undervalued Rabble’s get-shit-done attitude as he threw the truck in drive, worked his way quickly around the circular drive, and back up the gravel road to the two-lane blacktop.
They passed through Shiloh Hills, taking the only road south toward Grand Rock, the largest city nearby with a decent medical clinic.
He didn’t falter in his determination to get her medical attention as quickly as possible.
She didn’t care. As long as Rabble held onto her, she could let her mind wander into a quiet space where no thoughts formed.
Arm around her shoulders, Rabble guided her through the clinic’s front doors and held her hand the entire time they spoke with the receptionist. Vague awareness touched at the edges of Skye’s consciousness, and she had to force herself to focus and respond to questions directed at her.
The nurse led them into a triage room that smelled like antiseptic and rubbing alcohol. Skye stared distractedly at a ridiculous poster of a male and female body beside each other, both relieved of their skin and muscles while they smiled placidly. She felt ill just looking at it.
As nurses and a female doctor volleyed questions at her, Skye was grateful beyond measure that she could answer no to almost every appalling thing they asked.
That she had spoken up to keep Rabble by her side for the entire ordeal gave her another measure of peace.
The nurse on staff gave her a reassuring smile and offered a set of sea-foam-colored scrubs to replace Rabble’s T-shirt, which, while serviceable, left her legs exposed to the cold hospital air.
She hesitated to return Rabble’s soft cotton T-shirt though, clinging to it like a safety blanket.
Sensing her discomfort and indecision, Rabble took the scrub shirt for himself, looking to her for a nod of approval. Skye sighed as she hugged Rabble’s shirt tightly against her, the smell and feel of its cotton comfort.
“If you’d like to step out, sir,” the nurse said, scowling at Rabble.
Skye’s jaw clenched and she willed her boiling blood to cool. Rabble wasn’t at fault for any of this. Couldn’t they see he saved her?
“Skye?” Rabble asked. “I’ll be right outside if you want me to step out.” His gaze met hers as he waited for her decision.
How far would he go for her right now? Would he take her away if she asked? Would he stay with her and defy the nurse?
Skye forced her lips into a small smile. “I’m just going to slip on these pants. Give me five seconds.”
He nodded and stepped away, drawing the curtain closed behind him. Skye dressed as quickly as possible, tugging on the pants and fumbling with the drawstring, comforted to be fully covered. True to his word, Rabble returned less than half a minute later.
At the doctor’s direction, she sat atop the examination table and shifted uncomfortably on the crinkling white paper. “I think…” Her voice broke, and she cleared her throat. “I think he drugged me. I don’t remember anything after opening my front door. Until I woke up.”
Skye glanced nervously at Rabble standing stoically by her side, moving as needed to remain out of the doctor’s way.
He clenched his jaw, the anger unmistakable in his flashing storm-cloud-gray eyes.
While his fury smoldered below the surface, Skye knew he would never direct that violence he kept on such a tight leash, at her.
The doctor returned to the room after a few minutes and leaned against the cabinets in the corner of the room. “At this point, I’m recommending rest. That is the number one cure for everything churning in your brain right now.”
Skye didn’t doubt the doctor’s recommendation.
Exhaustion weighed on her, and all she wanted was to close her eyes.
She didn’t protest when Rabble gently held her hand and helped her onto her feet, his other hand settling on her lower back protectively.
Walking beside him on their way out of the clinic, Skye felt the comforting weight of his warm hand on her back, keeping her steady and warm.
As they drove back to Shiloh Hills, she alternated between watching out the side window and observing Rabble’s intense focus as he drove.
Before Skye knew it, they were parked in front of her cottage.