RILEY
They drove all the way to Denver, where Brenton said there was a shifter doctor they trusted.
When they got there, he carried her in. She noted that the hospital had several shifter employees who all deferred to Brenton when he demanded to see Doctor Serrano.
She was placed on a table and Brenton stayed attached to her hip. Zachary and Andrew had shadowed them the entire way, two large and terrifying body guards. In the patient room, they propped themselves on the back wall and watched the door impatiently.
Finally, Doctor Serrano walked in and she swallowed hard. It was another man. She had privately hoped for a woman but she knew that it wasn’t up for discussion right now. Brenton thought this doctor was the safest to use and she was going to trust that. He was a jaguar and moved like one as he stepped up and shook Brenton’s hand. He had clear hazel eyes, was definitely Hispanic and had incredibly dark hair that he kept very short. He looked kind and she tried to give him a small smile when he looked over to her.
“Who have you brought me, Brenton?” The doctor sighed as he looked her over without touching her.
“Carlos, this is Riley Stern, a new member to my pride,” Brenton was professional but Riley could see he was having a hard time keeping the mask up. “She was kidnapped nearly two days ago and we just got her back. They beat on her and use a shock collar.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Riley,” Carlos offered her a hand with a kind smile and she took it. He brought it up and kissed the back. She would have blushed if she didn’t hurt so bad. “I wish we would have met under different circumstances.”
“Nice to meet you, too,” she croaked. She could barely speak since she had screamed her throat raw.
“Try not to talk too much,” he noticed and placed her hand back down for her. “I want you to tell me what you can about what they did to you. I’m going to be touching you while you do, testing for an possible fractures and other problems. Give me general stuff, no reason to get specific and only tell me what your comfortable with.”
She nodded to him and began to open her mouth.
“Also, would like a robe?” He cut her off.
She had forgotten that she was practically nude. Gabe had given her his giant shirt before they part and that was all she had. They had forgotten to bring even panties for her in the effort to get to her before the trade. Brenton actually had felt bad for it on the ride to the hospital.
“I need bottoms,” she told him. “That’s all.”
He went to the door, opened it and snapped his fingers. A nurse ran to him and nodded when he told her what to find. He didn’t come back to the table until the nurse brought a pair of small shorts for Riley to throw on.
“Here, this will have to do.” He smiled at her and handed them to her. When she tried to get off the table, Brenton took the shorts from her and helped down to her feet. He knelt and held the shorts so she only needed to step in them. He even pulled them up from her, his hands grazing her thighs and hips as he went. Once they were on, he lifted her back on the table and leaned into her hair.
“Better?” he asked softly, kissing the top of her head. She could only nod.
Carlos watched the entire exchange with interest and Riley heard Zachary growl softly at him. It made Carlos jump a little from his thoughts. Finally, they were back on track.
“I was kicked several times in the ribs and gut,” she started as Carlos moved around her, feeling injuries. “I was shocked several times by a collar. I was backhanded a few times. I hit my head more then once on walls, same with my back.”
“Is that everything?” He asked her softly. “Did they r-”
“No. No one did that.” She cut him off and he nodded slowly. Brenton was vibrating and she couldn’t ignore the soft growling from both Andrew and Zachary.
“Well, the neck burns from the collar are superficial. Should fade in two or three weeks at most. You know, we shifters heal much faster then humans.” He hadn’t touched the burns but he was currently feeling her ribs, which made her wince. “I don’t feel any deformities in your ribs, but I would like to get x-rays just in case.”
He pulled out a small light and made her follow it around, which she had never liked when she saw a doctor.
“Do you have a headache? Dizziness? Blurry vision or any problems stay conscious?”
“No to all of those.”
“You show no signs of a concussion but you do have a couple fairly big bumps on your head. I want you to report any of those problems to Brenton if they occur. Okay?”
She nodded to him.
“Also, I don’t feel any broken bones in you face. I’ll give you something for the swelling and I want you to keep ice it for thirty minutes every three hours. It should help. Like everything else, two weeks and they should be gone.”
She kept nodding.
“I’m going to make it happen, Carlos,” Brenton said softly. “Don’t worry.”
The doctor nodded to Brenton in confirmation.
“Let me take her for x-rays and once we get a good look at everything, I’ll write the prescriptions and you can take her home.” Carlos patted Brenton’s shoulder in a friendly gesture. Brenton helped her stand up and Carlos had a nurse bring in a wheelchair. Carlos took charge from there, wheeling her away from the guys.
Her heart rate accelerated as she moved away from them and watching them leave her view. She wasn’t ready not to be near them but they seem unconcerned with her being along with Doctor Serrano.
As they entered the x-ray suite, Carlos helped her get in position.
“They knew I wanted a moment away in case you told me something while they weren’t listening.” He told her. “No reason to fret.”
“You can hear my heart beat,” she told him blandly, watching the doctor as her moved around the table she was now laying on.
“Yes, of course. And as a doctor, I use that to my patient’s advantage. So I’m going ask a few more questions while we take these. Were you raped?”
“No,” she snapped at him. “He was getting ready to when the guys got there. But nothing happened.”
Carlos looked down sadly at her after that.
“Speaking of… the guys, as you say,” he took a deep breath. “Are you comfortable?”
She looked at him in confusion. Comfortable on the table? What did that have to do with her pride? Carlos noticed her confusion and shook his head.
“They are a rough group of young men and you are a vulnerable young woman,” he reminded her as if she didn’t know that. “I want to know if they ever forced you to do anything you didn’t want to or if you need a way to get away-”
“No,” she forced herself up, snarling. “You do not get to pull me in here and question me about them. They are mine. They would never hurt me and y-y-you can go fuck yourself!”
She was still snarling as Carlos took a smart step back from her. She wobbled on her feet but how dare this stranger question them. How fucking dare him.
“Mine, do you fucking hear me?” she hissed. “They have done everything to make me happy and they risked their lives to save me today. You don’t get to fucking butt in, you asshole. They are my fucking family.”
The doctor nodded and they continued the x-rays in silence. She was still pissed as he wheeled her into the patient room again. Brenton studied her and then watched the doctor leave the room again.
“That fucking prick dared to think you guys were hurting me!” She tried to roar but it barely came out at this point.
“I know,” Brenton whispered to her, helping her out of the chair. “We figured.”
“Fuck him!” She sounded like a drown cat. “You’re mine! He doesn’t get to-” She was cut off by a kiss from Brenton, long and slow. She swayed by the end of it. The kiss felt like she was being set on fire by Brenton’s passion.
“Yes, we are yours,” he growled into her mouth. “Don’t be too mad though, his first impression is you like this with only the three of us.” He placed her on the table, a small smile on his lips and sat next to her.
Zachary came around in front of her and gently touched her bruised cheek. She saw the pain in his eyes and he kissed her as well. Andrew was last and barely touched her at all, treating her like glass.
“I missed you all so much,” she whispered. “The entire time I just wanted to go home.”
“We’ll be home soon,” Brenton assured her. “Very soon.”
They spent nearly three hours at the hospital. The x-rays showed that she luckily had no fractured ribs or any other broken bones. Carlos never again asked her about the pride or even really talked to her. He directed everything Brenton, who seemed to be ready for it. Observe her over night for three or four days. Report any problems that arise. Get her to talk to someone about the ordeal. She didn’t want to talk to anyone but they could discuss that later, away from the doctor. Brenton agreed to it all and sent Andrew to pick up any medications Carlos prescribed.
When they piled back into the SUV, she just drugged up on painkillers and placed in the back seat with Andrew, who cuddled her in his lap.
She kissed him stupidly as they drove home, unwilling to stop when he groaned and pulled away.
“Riley,” he sounded a bit desperate. “You are are under the influence of mind altering substances. Get some sleep. We have a long drive home.”
She pouted, laying down so her head was in his lap. She didn’t notice the tears in his eyes or the careful way he ran his fingers though her hair. She fell asleep in seconds, exhaustion suddenly pulling her down.