“Please try to stay calm, Miss White!” the doctor urged. “It often can take a few minutes or even hours to get your retinas working properly.”
Ellie was hyperventilating. “He won’t want me if I’m blind! I can’t let him take care of me forever!”
“It’s okay, Ellie,” Chance soothed. “And that isn’t true.”
She turned to where his voice came from and could see his outline. “Wait!”
“Can you see me?” he asked.
He looked blurry but now she could see the shape of his face. “I-I think so?”
“It will take the rest of the day probably but if you can see outlines and movement, this is a wonderful, sign, Miss White,” Dr. Christen spoke again.
“You hear that Ellie?” Chance asked. “See? It is going to be okay.”
Ellie felt tears in her yes.
“I-is it okay if she cries?” Chance asked in concern.
“Yes, but not a lot of crying, Miss White. You also need to close your eyes and rest them, every ten minutes or so for the rest of the day.”
“Here is a sleep mask for them.” The nurse set it in her hands.
“We trust your fiancé here, Mr. Hunt to help you with keeping track of this timing to rest them. Then in an hour or so, we will be putting drops in them to help with the strain.” Dr. Christen patted her hand.
Ellie could almost see his face, as he loomed close.
He moved away.
Then Ellie heard movement and the door closing.
“Isn’t this wonderful?” Chance asked. “You are going to see again!”
Ellie nodded and let out a huge breath of relief. “It is, but we can’t stay here.” She pulled her hands from his grasp and sat upright, then swung her legs over the side of the bed.
“What are you doing?” Chance asked.
Ellie pulled out her IV.
“What the hell?” Chance exclaimed. “Elli—”
“Shhh!” she hushed him as she sat for a moment to let the dizziness pass. “WE are going to go and find Morgan.”
Chance released a heavy sigh. “Now Ellie, you are in no shape to—”
“I will be, in about…ten minutes.” She laughed feeling glorious as she could actually see the door of the hospital room. “I can see my way out now and no one is going to stop me.”
“Dammit, you are as stubborn as Morgan is.”
Ellie turned her head and stared at Chance’s face. It now came in clearly. “That is an ugly bruise, Mr. Givens,” she teased.
His eyes widened. “Does it really look that bad?” He raised his hand to the purpling along his jawline.
Ellie laughed, as she knew she could distract him when it came to his face and looks. “I know you help and interfere in our lives, Chance. But this time you will be doing a job, you never thought you would do.”
He glanced over at her. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“You are now going to be my service dog.”
His eyes rounded as his mouth popped open.
She laughed loudly at his astonished expression, but maybe it was that she could actually SEE his expression and that was why she was laughing. “Well, dog isn’t what I really meant. But I’ll need you at least for today.”
Chance closed his mouth. Then after a moment, he spoke softly, “Ellie you have been in a terrible accident you can’t just go traipsing off after Morgan. He would have my ass in a sling if I went along with this. You were and are in bad shape, I mean it even traumatized you so badly that you…” he halted.
Staring at him, Ellie felt a bit of panic. “That I what?”
“You weren’t in your right mind.”
She sighed. “I know, well—I know some of it as you are right, I was totally out of it. I even thought Hillborn was…”
At the mention of that name, his expression changed to one of fear or something.
“I talked about Hillborn?” Panic ran through her as she stared at him.
He nodded.
“When Morgan was present?”
He looked away.
“CHANCE!”
He looked back at her and again, nodded.
“W-what did he say to that? What did he ask? Oh, god!” She stood up and then swayed on her feet.
Chance rushed forward and caught her.
She sagged against him. Her joy and happiness gone like it had all been just an illusion. “So, he knows?”
Chance held her tight, so she wouldn’t fall. “I-I think you should talk to Morgan about it.”
“Talk to me about what?”
Gasping, Ellie looked up and saw a tall form standing in the doorway. She blinked, as she couldn’t really see his face from this distance. “Morgan?”
Morgan strode in and stared at them both.
Chance looked fearful as he hastily stepped away from Ellie.
Ellie wobbled and then her body toppled to the right.
Morgan leapt over and caught her. “Whoa!”
Chance sighed. “See? She needed help. I wasn’t making moves. I—”
“Oh, shut up,” Morgan barked. “Of course, you weren’t.” He pulled Ellie up to his chest. “Sweetness? Why are you out of bed?” he asked softly.
“I-I needed to go and find you!” she cried into his chest.
Morgan huffed. “In your condition?” He swung his angry glare over to Chance.
Chance put his hands up. “Hey, all her idea and she even dubbed me with the honor of being her service dog!”
Morgan stared at him for a second wondering what the hell that meant. He shook his head. “Ellie?”
She sniffled into his shirt but refused to look at him.
“Umm…I’m gonna…yeah…get coffee.” Chance scurried out of the room and shut the door. He then opened it again and locked the inside lock with a wink to Morgan. He shut the door with a quiet click.
Letting out a breath, Morgan rubbed her back as he held her.
“Morgan? You are really—here?” she asked in a broken voice.
He held her even tighter. “I am. I’m so sorry I wasn’t here before.”
“Chance said you were taken away?”
“Yes, I was.” At the asylum, he’d fought off the twit doctor and his ugly goons until another doctor came in and stopped them from plugging him full of drugs. He’d explained that Morgan had been released and it was all a huge misunderstanding. Then they released him. He immediately called Whitmore hospital and demanded to know where Ellie was. They told him he, Morgan Hunt, her fiancé… had moved her. Insanely worried and angry, he then called for a driver from Hunt Industries. He at first wondered if Daphne had her moved too. Then he realized it had to be Chance.
“What happened to you, Morgan?” Ellie finally gazed up at him.
Morgan froze. Those beautiful baby blues were looking straight into his eyes. He thought his knees might give out. The sudden realization of her seeing him hit him in the chest like a mac truck. “You can see me?” he whispered.
Nodding, she reached up and swiped a tear from his cheek.
Morgan blinked. He hadn’t even realized that he had shed a tear.
“I was so worried. Chance said he had people out looking for you.”
Morgan swallowed heavily. “You were worried about me.” He shook his head. “Ellie you were the one who needed me and I wasn’t—”
Ellie rose up and pressed her sweet lips to his cutting him off.
He gathered her close and pulled her up so her feet left the floor as he kissed her with all he had.
They devoured each other for a couple of breathless minutes. Their tongues dancing against each other. The flavor of Ellie made him rock hard as he growled and kissed her even harder. He wanted to just taste her skin, her neck, her tits, her pussy, eat her out and lick at her juices until he was sated by her sweet, addictive flavor.
He finally and reluctantly, let her mouth go. He stared down at her luscious puffy lips. Just the way he liked them, ravaged by him.
Ellie reached down and actually groped him hard.
He jumped.
Giggling, her eyes sparkled. “Someone is glad to see me.”
He smirked. “Someone is so glad you can see him,” he whispered to her lips.
Her expression changed to fear again. “I—I thought if I was blind for good that would finally do it.”
He drew his brows together in bafflement. “Do it?”
Nodding, she lowered her head. “It would have been fate.”
Morgan shook his head in confusion and lifted her chin with his fingertip. “What are you talking about?”
Shrugging, she refused to look at him. “Your future and wealth would have been assured. I wouldn’t have let you stay with me, being a blind burden.”
Morgan felt a rush of anger mixed with so many other emotions that he couldn’t even separate and identify them all. “I wouldn’t have left you for anything on this earth, Ellie.” He scooped her up. “We will continue this useless conversation of us ever separating in the bed.”
Ellie giggled. “I like this kind of meeting place.”
He paused. “I want you more than anything, babe. But you’re in no condition.” He set her down on the bed.
Huffing, she whispered, “Yeah, I know I’m not too attractive at the moment.”
He was getting frustrated now as he gently laid her back while his hands shook. When had his hands ever shook? Mentally, he moved past this inexplicable happening. “I would want you, no matter what. I’m hard as nails this very second for you, babe.”
Swallowing heavily, she looked doubtful as she gave a half nod.
Morgan narrowed his eyes as he reached behind her and tore the ties from the hospital gown she wore.
Gasping, Ellie simply stared at him with those powder blue eyes of hers.
Tugging away the useless material, he stared down at her lovely pale skin. Bruises appeared here and there and a few cuts. He pushed away the fear and guilt he felt from the sight of the hurt she’d suffered and lowered his lips to her belly. He kissed her belly button and then trailed kisses up to her breasts. He took a nipple into his and gently sucked.
Ellie grasped his hair. “Oh, Morgan…” She sighed.
He raised his head to gaze into her eyes. “You are my woman, my mate, my love. The very air I breathe. I will never let you go, Ellie. Don’t ever mention it again, because it will NEVER happen.” His voice had gone low and gravelly.
Ellie froze then swallowed heavily as tears appeared in her eyes. “B-but your fortune, your—?”
He placed his fingers to her lips. “You are my future, you are my wealth.”
Tears slipped over her eyelids and rolled down her cheeks.
Morgan grabbed her face in his hands. “Ellie, Chance and I have amassed a fortune together. Separate from Hunt Industries. Do you hear me? I won’t be broke, not anywhere near broke. Do. You. Understand?”
Ellie cried as she nodded.
“So, no more talk of separating, ever again.” He gazed intently at her. “Unless you’re tired of all the trouble it has been to stay with me?”
Swiping away her tears, she looked stunned. “But I’m the one that causes you trouble.”
He stared at her lovely but bruised face. “My god, is that what you think?”
Nodding, she lowered her gaze.
“Dammit Ellie! You haven’t done anything to bring us trouble. It has been my world that has hurt you. My life that has knocked you around.” He felt his chest tighten. “And I almost lost you again.”
Ellie looked back up at him. “Hillborn,” she blurted out as her lips trembled.
His eyes rounded. Morgan was speechless. What did she mean by mentioning him?
“Y-you know about him, don’t you?” she asked in a whisper.
Here it is. Your chance to step up and be the man she needs. He nodded as his jaw tightened. That rage was still there inside him, no matter what he’d thought. It might always be there. “I do.” Morgan knew he needed to say something here, something right and profound, but for the life of him, he couldn’t find any words.