“Ellie,” someone whispered.
Gasping, she turned her head on the pillow.
“Ellie, it’s me.”
“Chance?” she asked.
Someone grabbed her hand. “Yes, it’s Chance.”
“W-where is…?”
He sighed. “I don’t know where he is.”
Ellie paused. “You lost Morgan?”
“Yes.”
“But how?”
“Well, he saw you here in the bed and really, I apologize for saying this, but you were a mess. Then the nurse took him out to the hall.”
Ellie tried to speak again then swallowed heavily. Her throat was so dry.
“Here.”
A straw tapped her lips and she took a sip of water. She coughed a bit. “What—happened?”
“Well, he sorta…well, he flipped out.”
“What?”
“I guess after seeing you bandaged up, and all the tubes, the cuts and bruises, he flipped his shit. You’ve got to understand, he’s never…” Chance’s voice faded away.
“Never?” she gulped out.
“He has never cared about anyone like he does you. At least since, I’ve known him and that would be most of his life. So he grabbed the nurse and hefted her into the air asking what was wrong with you. Why weren’t they helping you and then two security guards came. Well, they tased our boy.”
Ellie gasped. “Oh, god! Is he okay?”
Chance squeezed her hand. “He got back up and took them both down.” He chuckled. “Seems tazing doesn’t affect Morgan like it does other people. Gave me a jaw buster too, when I tried to make him stop.”
Tears gathered in her eyes. “So, they arrested him?”
“I thought so, but our lawyer can’t find him in the system.”
“Can’t…” Ellie tried to sit up. “He’s just gone?” Her voice rose in panic. “But I thought he had me moved here, they said—?”
“I had you moved, pretending to be your fiancé, Morgan Hunt.”
“W-why? I don’t understand.”
“The hospital was on alert because of him and I admit, after he disappeared, I got scared that someone was in this that we can’t trust and I know Morgan would want you safe. Plus, truth be told, the scandal. The press was already there, after he went berserk.”
“Oh.” She managed to actually sit up. “Yes, scandal seems to follow us around. But berserk? Really, Chance. Morgan is always so in charge and calm. I don’t understand?”
Another chuckle. “Apparently, when it comes to you and your welfare, he is NOT calm and in charge, Ellie.”
“So you have no idea where he went? What happened to him after that?”
“While the cops were questioning me, someone took him out of here.”
“Someone? But how could they do that?”
“I don’t know but I have my guys on it. They can’t hide him forever.”
“They? Who is they?”
“Again, I don’t know.”
“Chance?”
“Yes, Ellie.”
“Did you send that guy to run me off the road?”
Silence.
“Chance?”
“Of course I didn’t. I would never want you hurt. I sent him to trail you to keep you safe.”
“How did you know I was by myself?”
“Umm… Well, Morgan—”
“Miss White?” a woman called. “Oh, Mr. Hunt I wasn’t aware that you were in here.”
“Umm, yes. I just had to see her,” Chance replied.
“Well, we are ready to remove her bandages, so I suppose you will want to stay in support of her.”
Silence.
“I mean we don’t know if—”
“Oh, yes. Of course.” Chance squeezed Ellie’s hand. “I am staying until she is better.”
Ellie felt confused. “Bandages?”
“Yes, Miss White. We need to unwrap them and see if there was more damage to your eyes than the previous doctors thought.”
Ellie bit at her lip. “So, this is when I find out if I’m blind?”
“Yes, although we do not want you to immediately open your eyes. It needs to be done in low light.”
“O-okay,” Ellie replied.
“Don’t worry babe, I’ll be right here, okay?” Chance squeezed her hand.
Ellie trembled. She wanted Morgan here. Chance was a good friend to him, but not him. She nodded.
Chance let go of her hand.
“Hello Miss White,” a new voice spoke. “I’m Dr. Christen. I will be removing the bandages, but you must wait for me to say you can open your eyes, all right?”
Nodding again, she clasped her hands together.
“It will be okay Ellie,” Chance spoke from somewhere in the room.
She felt the man’s hands on the gauze around her head.
“Keep your eyes shut until I say so.” He then unwrapped the gauze from her head. Next, he pulled the padding at her eyelids. “Now remember, keep your eyes closed.” He removed the pads.
Ellie had her hands clasped tightly together. This was torture. Not knowing. But if she were blind, she didn’t want to know.
Someone grabbed her hands. “It’s me, Ellie. I’m here.”
It was Chance again. Her body shook. Morgan, where are you?
“Now don’t tear up. Try hard, Miss White. I see you are getting agitated.”
She gulped down her onslaught of tears and squeezed Chance’s hand. Then she heard shuffling and walking.
“Okay, now open your eyes.”
Ellie took a deep breath and kept her eyes shut. She was so afraid.
“Come on it’s okay,” the doctor urged.
Ellie opened them.
Nothing.
“Okay, tell us what you see.”
She blinked.
Again…nothing.
“OH…GOD!” she cried.
Marsden Asylum…
Morgan glared up at her.
“I am so sorry this has happened,” Daphne said in a soft voice.
“No, you aren’t but you will be,” he seethed.
Her eyes rounded. “But you need help Morgan.”
“No, you are the one who will need help. Because when I get out of here…” He glared at her.
She pulled her head back. “Your family asked me to do this.”
He narrowed his gaze at her. “You are a liar. Always have been and it seems, you always will be.”
She looked angry. “Believe what you want. Apparently, they all agree here that what you believe may not be good for you.”
“Oh, I will. And this is what I believe.” He lowered his voice. “Come closer, because you will want to hear this.”
Looking suspicious but curious, she cautiously stepped closer.
“You’d better have them lobotomize me, because when I get out of here, I am going to utterly destroy you.”
Her eyes widened.
“I mean it, Daphne. You are going to have a war unlike you have ever seen. Ellie is hurt, blind and alone right now and I already hold you directly responsible. You need to tell them to let me go and now. If you keep me here another fucking minute, you will pay for the rest of your shitty, rich entitled life.”
Gasping, she stepped back.
“Tell them, now Miss Yearwood. You’re smart enough to know and in fact, I bet you do know. That once you have crossed Morgan Hunt, you forfeit the right to fairness. I will obliterate your entire life, even at the cost of my fortune.”
Gulping, she seemed to be breathing heavily. “I-if I get them to—let you loose?” Her hands shook as if she just realized the mistake she’d made.
“I’ll leave here and you can go your merry way.”
Still looking afraid and not at all like the Daphne he always knew, she stepped back while almost stumbling in her 5 inch heels and tapped on the door.
“NOW, Daphne,” he repeated.
The door opened and she nearly ran out of the room.
Dammit. I still want to wring her neck. How in the fuck did she think this was a good idea on any sane level?
Morgan waited for several minutes. Ellie I hope you’re okay. I hope you don’t feel abandoned. He felt his eyes tear up. If she’s alone and suffering, and if she is blind permanently, I think I will kill Daphne. I may go to prison if caught, but it would fucking be worth it.
The door opened and the doctor came in with two very big orderlies.
Morgan stared at them as they loomed over him.
The orderlies got on either side of the table.
“Now, we have to give you this shot and we hope there won’t be a need for a struggle, Mr. Hunt,” the pointy headed doctor stated.
Morgan stared at him. “I am due to be released soon and there won’t be a need to medicate me.”
The doctor ignored him and nodded at the two burly men.
They stepped closer and each held one of his arms down.
The doctor pulled the needle up and shot the excess out. “Now just try to remain calm and still, Mr. Hunt.”
The two large orderlies looked hesitant and nervous while hovering above him as if they recognized the look of an impending fight in Morgan’s steely eyes.
“The fuck I will.” Morgan prepared himself for a fruitless fight. But they wouldn’t knock him out easily, he planned to hurt them if he could.