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“You should be.”
His lip curled into a sneer. “That’s almost insulting, Firecracker.” He sat on the edge of my bed. A sigh escaped as his hand closed over mine. “I don’t scare easily.”
“He’s coming for me.” I bit my lip, realizing that it had a more sinister meaning than I realized when Mateo called. “I told him I had surgery, and he said he’d give me one more day before he was checking me out of the hospital.”
Creature’s back stiffened as he stood. “We need to get you out of here. It’s not safe.”
I shook my head. “Where am I going to go? I’m still healing. I need medical care, Creature.”
“Leave it to me. I’ll be right back.”
He didn’t give me a chance to refuse, striding toward the door and leaving the room.
For ten minutes, I wondered what he was doing, playing with the frayed edge of the blanket until he returned. This whole scenario was a nightmare since the moment I decided to go to that party with Bells. Anxiety crept in as the minutes ticked by.
Creature entered the room and shut the door. His gaze swept over me before he turned to the dresser that lined the wall.
Without a word, he went to a drawer, pulled out a second gown, and approached me. “Put this on.” He helped slide it on so that my first gown was tied around my back and the second loosely tied around the front so my body was completely covered. He checked my feet for socks and slid his hands underneath me, lifting me into his arms as carefully as possible.
“Creature,” I gasped.
“When we’re alone, call me Balen.” He winked before he sat on the bed, holding me against his chest as the scent of leather, fresh-cut wood, and a hint of spice teased my nose. “Phyllis offered to help.”
“Phyllis?”
“She’s one of the nurses.”
“But,” I began, intending to object, when the nurse came into the room, pushing a wheelchair.
“Hi, Blair. I’m going to remove your I.V. and give you some pain meds. Alright?”
I sighed. “Okay.”
Phyllis pulled the needle free from my arm and pressed on the vein for a few seconds before placing a bandage over the top. She handed me my water cup and opened a package with two Ibuprofen, which I swallowed with a few gulps of water.
“Let’s get you into the wheelchair.”
Creature placed me on the seat and yanked the blanket from my bed, tucking it around my legs so it didn’t get caught in the wheels or drag on the ground.
“Here are your discharge papers.” Phyllis placed the documents on my lap. “They have instructions on home care.”
That was good. I was sure to need them.
Phyllis opened more drawers, emptying all my possessions into a bag. She handed it to me before turning to Creature.
“Let’s go,” he announced as he gripped the handles on the wheelchair, pushing me toward the door.
“I’ll lead the way,” Phyllis offered.
We followed her into the hallway as Creature pushed me at a steady pace. I glanced up at him and caught the hard line of his jaw. He seemed anxious.
We took several turns, moving past two separate nurse stations before approaching a set of elevators. Phyllis swiped her badge, and the doors opened to an empty interior. It seemed wider than an average elevator, which was probably used only for patient transport.
When they opened again, we exited onto the ground floor and to a private exit. No visitors used this door.
Outside, a white van was parked.
Creature pushed me to the passenger door and swung it open. “Manic, I need your help.”
