Page 13 of Lion’s Den

“Exam Room Two. The doctor will be there in a couple of minutes.”

Without responding, Cam angled his body and used his shoulder to push open the door and carry Sedona into the room. He set her on the exam table and eased back to look her in the eyes. “You’re okay?”

What could she say? Sedona nodded. At least she hadn’t had a panic attack. That would have been embarrassing.

A quick knock on the door had Cam turning and placing his body between Sedona and the door.

“What is going on here, Cam?”

Dr. Phil Cunningham walked quickly toward Sedona.

“Sedona was kidnapped, Doc. We need as much information as you can give us because she has partial amnesia.”

Cunningham frowned. “That’s not what I wanted to hear. Wait outside in the hall, Cam.”

For the first time since Cam had walked into the clearing with a weapon in his hand, Sedona felt the first flutter of panic.

“Are you okay with that, Sedona?” Cam asked softly.

She shook her head. “Stay. Please.”

“Are you sure you want that?” Cunningham asked. “Since you have a memory gap, I’ll need to do some testing to find out if you were sexually assaulted without your knowledge.”

Sedona tightened her hold on Cam’s hand.

“It’s okay, Doc,” he said without looking away from her. “I’ll stay until Sedona tells me I should leave.”

“Sedona?”

“I want him to stay.”

“Very well. I expect you to speak up the moment you want him to leave. Understood?”

“Yes, sir. I’ll do that.” When the doctor continued to glare at her, she scowled back at him. “I promise.”

Appearing satisfied for the moment, the doctor examined her after ordering his nurse to take a blood sample and send it to the lab as soon as possible.

Minutes later, Dr. Cunningham helped Sedona sit up. “All right, my dear. This is where you’ll need to make a choice.”

“What kind of choice?”

“Because you can’t remember the hours during your containment, I strongly urge you to let me perform a rape kit on you.”

Her stomach did a flip and threatened to rebel. Sedona shook her head.

“Sedona.”

Cam’s gentle voice brought her gaze to his. Didn’t he understand? She didn’t want him to leave the room. For goodness’ sake, she couldn’t remember anything. For all she knew, Dr. Cunningham could be involved in the assault, and she wouldn’t know that he was guilty. She needed someone she trusted implicitly at her side. How could they get around this impasse?

“I can stay but keep my eyes closed, or I can stand in the hall with the door cracked so I can hear if you need me.”

“Sydney, my nurse, will stay with you every moment,” Cunningham said.

“You need to allow this, Sedona.” Cam squeezed her hand for a moment. “We may need the evidence to add to the charges the three men are already facing.”

Awkward much? She took a deep breath and released Cam’s hand. “Wait in the hall by the door.”

“If you need me, call out. I’ll be by your side in one or two seconds, all right?”