Sadie woke up with pulsing in her head, and with each pulse came a wave of pain and nausea. There were people around her and she was inside…somewhere. She pulled open her eyes with some effort and looked up into the faces of a man and woman that she didn’t recognize. She moved her eyes around because she couldn’t move her head and she could see that she was inside an ambulance. What happened? Was she in an accident? God, her head was throbbing.
“Well, hello there, green eyes,” the woman said. Suddenly a light was piercing her right eye and then her left. She felt something tighten around her arm and then begin to loosen with each pulse of her heart. The man was putting something cold and wet on parts of her arms and it stung. “Can you hear me, sweetie? Can you tell me your name?”
“Sadie. My name is Sadie. What happened? Why can’t I move my head?”
“We have you on a body board, honey. We want to make sure your neck is okay before you move it. Do you know what day it is, Sadie?”
“Tues—no, Monday. It’s Monday, June 4th?”
“Good. Do you know where you are?”
“In an ambulance, I think. Why am I in an ambulance? Please tell me what happened.”
“Sadie?!” The sound of Marcus’s frantic voice made her try to sit up. They had her strapped down so tightly that it was impossible.
“Marcus?”
“I’m here, Sadie!”
“Sir, you can’t…Sir! We’re still checking her out…” Marcus’s gorgeous face suddenly appeared above her. He was shirtless and even in pain Sadie couldn’t help but focus her attention on his perfectly defined muscles and the colorful tattoos that covered them. Then her eyes shifted to his face and her stomach began to hurt. His eyes were dark with fear and his face was full of worry, and that frightened her.
“Marcus? What happened?” She realized suddenly that she was shaking all over and her words were spoken through chattering teeth.
“She’s cold,” Marcus said.
“No. No, I’m not cold…just, I-I don’t know, shaky.” It wasn’t cold at all. It was hot and sticky and humid. She tried to push up again, but once again it was impossible. “Marcus, please tell me what happened.”
“Sir, we need to get her to the hospital.”
“Hospital? No! I don’t want to go to the hospital.”
“Sadie, you’re hurt. Your head is probably going to need stitches.”
“Stitches?”
“You were assaulted.” Marcus’s voice had dropped to a whisper like either that news was a secret, or he could hardly force himself to tell her about it.
“By who?” Before Marcus could say anything, she heard her father’s voice.
“Sadie? How is she? Is she okay? I’m her fucking father! Let me in!”
“Mickey. It’s okay. He’s my dad. It’s okay…” Sadie had a vision of him pushing his way in and someone getting hurt. His big body suddenly appeared above her, blocking out the light and the other two people. The ambulance was much too small for both Mickey and Marcus.
“Sadie girl, what happened?”
She tried to smile, but it hurt. Everything hurt. “I’m not sure. I was out back and then…out cold.”
“What were you doing out there? Wasn’t it already time for you to be off shift?”
She thought about Marcus. She remembered being out there with him. They were finally talking. Finally working through this mess. She didn’t want to give Mickey any reason to be angry with him all over again. “I was just getting some air. I told Rosa I’d stay and help her…those Hollywood people came in…”
“Those fuckers! This is their fault. Things like this don’t happen in Blossom Hill!”
“Sir, we need to get her to the hospital now,” the female EMT said.
“Where are you taking her?”
“Into San Antonio…”
“No, please! I don’t want to go to the hospital. I’m okay. I’ll go see Doc Carver tomorrow.”
She saw Mickey roll his eyes. “Doc Carver is seventy-six years old. You need to be seen and checked out by a doctor who can at least still stand up straight and see.”
“Mickey…”
“Stop being stubborn!”
“Fine. Can I see Marcus again first? Is he still here?”
“The damned fool had to be pushed out of the ambulance, I’m sure he didn’t go far,” Mickey said.
Sadie smiled and then winced. She looked around Mickey’s large head at the EMT. “Can Marcus ride with me?”
“Oh, I see how it is,” Mickey grumbled loudly. She looked at her dad. He was smiling.
“I love you.”
He grunted. “I’ll get Paul Bunyan.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead and then whispered, “I love you too.”
********
Four hours and twelve stitches later, the ER doctor finally discharged her. Marcus had found a t-shirt before they left the bar in the ambulance and then he’d proceeded to hover over her the whole time. He’d stepped out into the hallway a few times to take a call. She was sure that it was Cade or one of the other guys keeping in touch. Marcus didn’t use his phone much otherwise. He hadn’t told her much about what happened, but he said something about a woman that was obsessed with Peter. According to the doctor, she was hit with something solid and spherical like a baseball bat. She found that an odd weapon for a woman to be carrying around with her, but she supposed if you were unstable enough to slam someone you didn’t even know in the back of the head…there was no telling what you might do.
“Is Mickey coming to pick us up?” she asked Marcus as the ER doctor left and she tried to sit up. She felt a rush of nausea as soon as she did and lay back down, hoping Marcus wouldn’t notice. He was immediately by her side.
“Is it the pain? Do you want me to ask them to give you something else before we go?”
“No, I’ve had more than enough pain medication,” she said. “I’m a little nauseated. Probably from having all of that on an empty stomach.”
“I’ll ask them to give you something for nausea.”
“No, Marcus,” she said firmly, but with a smile. “I’m okay. Just help me sit up so I can get dressed, please.” He looked like he wanted to argue but he didn’t. He put his arm out and let her hold onto it. It was like pulling herself up on an iron bar. She held on a little longer than she needed to once she was upright. She also liked the feel of his other hand supporting her on the small of her back. She almost slapped herself for feeling lust at a time like this, but it wasn’t her fault that he was so hot.
“Grant’s coming,” he said. “Mickey barely left a half an hour ago. I didn’t want him to have to turn right back around.” Mickey had stayed at the hospital until about midnight when the doctor assured him for at least the twelfth time that she was going to be okay. She had a concussion and would need to take it easy and see her doctor in a couple of days, but luckily there was no permanent damage. They weren’t being quick about discharging her, though, so after much effort, she convinced Mickey to go home and get some rest. She understood why Marcus didn’t want to bother him, but she was pretty sure he was going to be pissed.
She started to slide her legs off the end of the bed to stand up. Marcus kept his hand on her back and slid the other one under her arm. She was self-conscious about the hospital gown and trying to hold the back together as she stood up. She needn’t have worried about Marcus though. He was such an incredible gentleman…maybe the last one living, she thought. He averted his gaze until she had it pulled tightly around her and then he held onto her arm all the way to the little bathroom. “You’re okay?” he asked before letting her go.
She smiled again. “I’m good, thank you.” He handed her the plastic bag with her belongings in it and she closed the door. When she turned and glanced into the mirror on the wall, she was shocked. Deep purple bruises framed both of her eyes. Her hair was either standing up or matted to her head with dried blood. She had scrapes on one side of her face like she’d hit the pavement hard or maybe been drug across it. Marcus said they found her in the parking lot…but that wasn’t where she’d been hit. She wondered where the woman was taking her and what she planned to do with her when she got there. She shivered at that terrifying thought. She wasn’t sure what changed the woman’s mind, or scared her away, but she thanked God for whatever it was.
She got dressed slowly and tried her best to wrangle her thick, auburn hair back into a braid. Then she washed her face and the blood off of her hands before looking at herself once more. She still looked like hell, but it would have to do. She opened the door and found Marcus there, pacing back and forth in front of a wheelchair. “You okay?”
Smiling, she nodded. “I’m fine. Thank you, Marcus. Thank you for being here.” She could tell it was hard for him, each time he spoke to Cade or one of the guys on the phone. He wanted to be out there with them, looking for whoever did this. But instead he was here with her and that meant a lot.
“I couldn’t be anywhere else,” he said. He held her gaze for a second and the look in his eyes warmed her blood almost to the boiling point. Breaking the spell, he said, “Sit. The nurse will be back in a minute.”
She looked at the wheelchair, scrunching her nose in distaste. “Do I have to?”
“Yes,” he was trying to look tough but his lips were curled up on the ends. “Stop being stubborn and sit.” She sat down and he surprised her by kneeling down next to her. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” he said, his voice cracking near the end. Sadie took his hand in hers and brought them both up to her face. He cupped her cheek and gently ran his thumb along the cheekbone where the bruises were settling. He grimaced as he pulled it back. “I’m sorry. Do they hurt?”
“No. I think they’re just colored from the concussion. No pain there.” He still had her hand in his and he intertwined his fingers with hers and straightened out her arm. He used the fingers of his other hand to gently touch the area around where the skin had been peeled back by the pavement and was now covered in clean bandages. He winced like he was picturing the abrasions.
“I’m so sorry, Sadie.”
She put her other hand on the side of his handsome face. “It’s not your fault, and I’m going to be fine.”
Suddenly his head was in her lap and she felt his body shake in a deep sigh as he said, “Thank God.” She let her fingers trace through the thick mass of dark hair on his head and for just a second, they were the only two people in the world. But then the nurse came in and Marcus stood up and she instantly missed him.
When they got down to the lobby and were headed out to the front, they saw Grant and a man in a business suit. It was one a.m. on a Tuesday morning. The man had to be an official.
“Hey, Sadie, how are you doing?” Grant asked her.
“I’m okay,” she said with a smile.
“Good.” He looked nervously at Marcus and then said, “This is Detective Grady. He wants to ask you some questions.”
“We have to do this now?” Marcus asked, clearly annoyed.
“I’d like to. Maybe then I won’t have to bother her tomorrow,” the detective said.
Marcus didn’t look happy about it but when Sadie said, “Sure,” he didn’t object.
“Do you know anyone that might want to hurt you?”
“No.”
“This wasn’t about her,” Marcus interrupted. “It was about Peter Dailey. He’s the one you should be talking to.”
The detective gave Marcus a patient look and Grant put his hand on his shoulder. “Let him talk to her, Marcus.”
Marcus nodded, his mouth set in a grim line.
“I’ve already spoken with Mr. Dailey and Cade Travers—I believe he’s your boss? We need to cover all of our bases since there were no witnesses,” Detective Grady continued.
“Yeah. I’m sorry. I know you’re just here to help. She’s had a long, terrible night, though. She needs to get home and get some rest.”
“I understand,” the detective said, nodding. “I just want to make sure we don’t miss anything.”
He turned his attention back to Sadie. “Did you see anything or anyone?”
“No. I was standing there one minute and waking up in the ambulance with a killer headache the next.”
“You haven’t been getting any strange phone calls, letters, texts, or emails?”
“No.” She heard Marcus sigh. His patience was running thin again. “I have no idea who did this or who might want to, Detective.”
“How well do you know Peter Dailey?”
“I don’t know him, really. I’ve seen him twice, both times in my father’s bar. The first night he was flirtatious and asked me out. I declined his invitation but he insisted I take his phone number. Last night I only saw him briefly when he first came in and then again when he came outside to find Marcus.” The detective looked back up at Marcus.
“You were out there with her?”
Marcus nodded. Sadie wasn’t sure but she thought he had a guilty look on his face when he said, “Yes, at first. I went back inside with Dailey. We were gone about fifteen minutes before I went back out and saw the blood. My teammate Nate Colvin found her in the parking lot.” Sadie reached up and took Marcus’s hand and squeezed it. She hated that he thought any of this was his fault.
“Ms. Bradshaw, is there anyone that might be angry with you, or want to hurt you, that you can think of?”
Sadie shook her head slowly. “No, not that I can think of. I don’t know anyone that would do this.”
“Okay,” the detective said. “I’d appreciate it if y’all would stay in touch with me. Let me know if you remember anything else or if you see anything. Mr. Dailey is working with a sketch artist, trying to get us a picture of what the woman that’s been stalking him looks like.”
“I think I saw her too,” Marcus said, “Last week. But the woman I saw had on sunglasses and a wig. I’m not sure how much my description of her would help.”
“Give us a call tomorrow and we’ll see what you can add to Mr. Dailey’s description,” Detective Grady told him. Marcus nodded. Sadie was a bit disturbed by the look on his face, as if something was there, smoldering just underneath the surface. She’d never seen him violent, or even angry for that matter, before the incident with Bubba. But the look on his face at that moment was actually a little bit scary. Sadie was comforted by the fact that he wanted to take care of her but suddenly frightened by the prospect of what he might do if and when he came face to face with the person that had attacked her.