“Get her out, NOW,” Alfie bellows.
I try to shift so I’m out of reach, but he opens his eyes, blinking rapidly until the realization of our situation clicks in his mind. He pulls me over the bench, sliding me across, and I scream, my leg dragging across the cab floor. His fingers plunge into my ribs and the soft flesh of my arm.
The EMT screams for backup, and Alfie sprints around the back of the truck, but someone reaches him before. Jonesy rips off the driver-side door. Unclicking Carter’s seatbelt and hauling him out of the cab. I fall back onto the driver-side seat, and as Jonesy drags him away, Alfie lifts himself into the chair, lifting my upper body up and leaning it against him.
He smells so good. His woodsy scent envelops me until the pain barely registers.
I hear them asking me to stay awake, but why would I want to when sleep beckons me so wantonly? Right now, I’m on a beach, and I don’t even like beaches. But this is a magic beach. One where sand doesn’t end up in crevices you didn’t know you had and no one is yelling death to all seagulls. The soothing lapping of the waves caresses the shoreline, tickling my toes. Alfie lets me lean against him. I feel the warmth of his chest feeding the coolness of my back. But the clouds are rolling in, and it’s time to leave.
Alfie is frowning, desperately holding my hand and pulling me back to shore as the waves reach out, gripping my thighs and dragging me under the water. I can hear him yelling. I can hear him calling my name, but I can’t see him anymore. The water fills my ears, seeps into my lungs, the light disappearing the deeper I sink.
For the second time in twenty-four hours, it all goes black.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Alfie
“Hey, love, how are you doing, sleepy?”
She moans, her eyelids squishing together tight before they flutter open, adjusting to the bright hospital lights.
“Alfie?”
“Yeah, baby, it’s me.” I squeeze her hand as the nurse checks her blood pressure. She gives me a small smile before leaving us alone.
“I’m tired.”
“I know. You can go back to sleep if you want. I’ll be right here.”
“Don’t leave me,” she whimpers.
Her eyelids settle, and with her lips slightly parted, she falls back to sleep.
“I won’t. I promise.”
???
The next day, Mia is still dozing. She has a lot of pain medication, which is keeping her sleepy. Her leg is elevated and will be for a few more days. They had to perform surgery after we made it to the hospital after the crash. She had a fractured tibia, which was reset with a metal rod during surgery. The rest of her came out relatively unscathed, except for a mild concussion, which may have caused the vomiting. It was that or the fact that she had done four flips in the car right before. Who knows?
Sean—or Carter—had no injuries at all. He came away with a bleeding temple but otherwise completely unharmed and didn’t ask for Mia once. The judge has remanded him to Hodgkins River Prison, where he’ll be awaiting trial for the kidnapping of Mia, including drugging her, assaulting her, and God knows what else. I still don’t have the full story, but the doctor confirmed she hadn’t been sexually assaulted. The relief was short-lived though, because I’m sure there may have been other things she was forced to do. I just have to wait for Mia to wake up to find out.
I’ve barely spoken to anyone, not daring to leave the room for a second. She’s in a private suite, so I’ve been able to use the shower here, and fortunate enough for Lottie to bring me spare clothes so I can stay here. The nurses even brought me a bed to sleep in. Again, I think I have Lottie and her bottomless wallet to thank for that.
Mia twitches, attempting to move her leg as she shimmies in the bed. I assume she’ll roll right back to sleep like before, but she gives me a small smile.
“Hi.”
“Hi, love.” I kiss her knuckles. “Do you want me to grab the nurse?”
She shakes her head. “I’m okay. How are you?”
I laugh, feeling the tears brim my eyes. “I’m good. Feeling okay. Are you sure you don’t want me to get the doctor?”
“You’re the only doctor I need.” She chuckles.
“Well, thank God they didn’t let me set your leg.”
“Small blessings, eh?”
