Chapter 35

Her eyes flicked open, and for a moment, she thought she was back in the warehouse. She lifted her eyes to see if there was a high broken window. All Chelsea saw was a white wall. She tried to sit, and something pulled on her arm. Upon raising the arm, she noticed a tube coming out of it. The transparent tube led to a bag with what looked like water. With a sigh, she closed her eyes. She was in the hospital, but how did she get there?

A movement near the bed caused her to open her eyes once more. There were hazel eyes staring down at her. His forehead was knotted with worry lines. Her heart flipped at the sight of Colt. She missed him. And then a flash of memory surfaced. He was lying on the bed with two naked women … there with him in the bed!

“You’re awake,” he said in a soft voice.

Colt reached down and brushed his fingers along her cheek. She moved her head away, but the touch left a tingle in its wake. She closed her eyes and turned her face away.

“What’s the matter?”

“Leave me,” she said. She was surprised to hear the sound of her own voice.

She must be really sick because her chest hurt badly. Did they operate on her? A stabbing pain there made it hard for her to breathe. She gasped for air, but the pain was excruciating. Her mouth gaped, trying to inhale, but the pain stopped her breathing. Her chest contracted and refused to let her breathe.

“What’s wrong? Doctor! Nurse!” Colt bolted through the door, calling out to the nurse.

Within a few minutes, the nurse flew in with a man she assumed to be the doctor right behind them. Their voices were clear as she heard them talk to each other. The doctor instructed the nurse to check her pulse while he looked into her eyes. She still could not breathe.

“Her CT scan showed no lung damage; she must be having a panic attack. Get the oxygen; it will calm her,” the doctor suggested to the nurse.

“Yes, Doc.”

Soon she was breathing through the plastic mask. They injected something into her drip and shortly after she was drifting into Neverland.

* * * *

“Doc, is she okay?” Colt asked the man in the long white coat. His blond hair was cropped short, and his thick black-rimmed glasses perched on his stout nose.

“She had a panic attack. What did you say to her?”

“Nothing, I saw her awake, and I brushed her cheek, and she told me to leave.”

“Maybe you should stay away from her for a while. She’s been through a rough few days; she needs time to process all that happened.” The doctor gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder before moving off.

How could he stay away from her when he needed to explain to her what she saw? The girls had awakened him. Their voices grated on his nerves, and his head was groggy. They were shaking him awake.

“Hey, there’s a woman passed out on your floor,” the brown haired one said.

He’d opened his eyes and realized he’d passed out before taking his briefs off. His cock was limp, and the girls looked angry.

“Hey, let’s get the party started,” he said, reaching for them.

“No, get rid of that girl first. Is she your girlfriend?”

He sat up on the bed and looked over to where they pointed. Thick shimmering auburn tresses covered the face of a woman lying on the floor near the door. He sprang from the bed as his mind went into a tailspin. The alcohol was still heavy on his brain, but his heart started thudding loudly for all to hear. He quickly knelt beside her and pulled her hair back.

“Chelsea!” She was unconscious. The woman had come to stand beside him. “You got to leave, now!”

“We were leaving anyway. You got no action,” the one with the dark haired said. “Come on Marla.”

While they dressed, he called the emergency. The girls were out before the ambulance arrived. The police also arrived behind them because he told the operator that she was reported missing. Now as he recalled, she must have seen him in bed with the women. How was he to get out of this one?

“What’re you doing standing here?” He turned at the voice to see Reid standing there, handing him a coffee.

He took the cup. “She doesn’t want to see me.”

“What? She’s awake?” His face brightened, and then he frowned. “Does she blame you for what happened?”

“No, she walked in on something,” he told Reid in a low tone.

Reid’s face hardened, along with his eyes. The man’s anger was directed at him. “You fucking idiot! You cheated on her? What the hell’s the matter with you?”

“I didn’t cheat … nothing happened.”

“It doesn’t matter what happened, you had a woman over,” Reid’s voice echoed in the hallway. “I don’t believe this. You’ve been giving everybody a hard time about her, and now she’s yours, and you do this?”

“I wasn’t thinking. I went for a drink to numb the pain, and the girls were there … it just happened, man.”

“Shut up! You piece of shit. I’ve had enough of your shenanigans!”

“Look, I’ll make it up to her …”

Reid cut him off, “No, you’ll stay away from her. I promised I’d look out for her, and I intend to keep that promise.”

“She loves me; are you going to come between us?”

“I said, shut the fuck up!”

“Why are you so angry? Do you have the hots for her?”

Colt’s eyes blazed as they connected with Reid’s steely ones. Before he knew it, Reid’s fist landed on his chin. The coffee in his hand fell, splattering the contents of the cup on the floor. He reeled back, hitting the passage wall. He steadied himself, doubled his fist and was about to advance when footsteps interrupted them. Shortly, the doctor and a nurse came into view and eyed both of them curiously before entering Chelsea’s room.

“I’ll have someone clean this up,” the nurse said, looking at the coffee spill.

“I suppose I deserved that,” Colt grated as soon as the nurse was out of earshot. “Don’t do it again.”

Reid waved him away and walked to Chelsea’s door. He did not go in but looked through the rectangular piece of glass. The doctor was checking her pulse, after which he listened to her chest. He pulled down her bottom lids and looked into her eyes.

“How was she?” Reid asked.

“The fever was down. The doctor said she was dehydrated and seemed like she hadn’t eaten in days. I swear if Jason has anything to do with this, I’ll kill him.”

“Let the police handle it, Colt. You always make things worse.”

He didn’t answer that. Reid was right. Given the situation he now created with Chelsea, it was as close to the truth as he could get. What the fuck came over me? What the hell was this? The moment she returned was the moment he made an ass of himself. He only hoped she’d forgive him after he was able to speak with her.

The doctor returned with a look that said he had something to say. He turned to Reid. “She wants to see you.”

“Are you sure she wants to see me and not him?” the manager asked.

The doctor turned to Colt and spoke, “She is asking that I keep you away until she’s ready to talk to you.”

“Okay, Doc. Thanks.”

“Before you go, there’s something you need to know,” Dr. Mitchell stated. They looked at him with narrowed eyes and knitted brows. “The bruises on her wrist and ankles are consistent with being tied up. We took photos and have made a report to the officer in charge of the case.”

After Reid’s visit to Chelsea, they left the hospital together. They passed Henry on their way out, and he reassured them he would find out what happened. One thing was confirmed, Chelsea was kidnapped, by the evidence gathered from the doctor. Though she hadn’t yet spoken with the police, the bruises on her wrists, ankles, and around her mouth and eyes were self-evident. Colt was confident that she would confirm the doctor’s findings.