When I woke, my hands were resting on the empty space on the side of my bed, and I wondered why it felt so warm, as if someone had been there only moments before. I shifted my body and then inhaled deeply. The scent that was unique to James caressed my nostrils, and I smiled.

He had been here, hadn’t he? Sleeping next to me. My heart soared at the thought, though at the same time, I was a little disappointed that he didn’t wake me when he had arrived. We could have had a little chat and kiss.

“Good morning.” A nurse I didn’t recognize greeted me as she came into the room. “How are you feeling this morning, love?”

I gave her a bright smiled, my lips and mouth a little sore in the process. Obviously, my wounds had not yet healed properly. “I’m good. A little pain, but it’s fine.”

“That’s good,” she said, grinning brightly. Then she came over to stand at the end of the bed and picked up my medical record. She quickly scanned over the documents, and a moment later, looking rather satisfied, she said, “Everything looks good.” She lifted her head, and her eyes met mine. “By the way, Dr. Smith will be here to see you around nine.”

“Okay,” I said, nodding.

“Now, time to take your blood pressure.”

After she was done, she said, “By the way, I’m Brenda.” She pointed to the nametag on her chest.

I smiled. “Hi, Brenda. Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah, go ahead, sweetheart.”

“Did you happen to see a man, tall with dark hair, leaving the room this morning?”

She chuckled, her eyes on me, and I blushed.

“Yes, I did. Mr. Maxwell I believe.” She leaned forward and continued, smiling brightly. “He’s a very handsome man, isn’t he? You’re one lucky girl. Let me just tell you that he takes very good care of you.” She even gave me a wink.

My face went bright red. “Thanks… I guess?”

She laughed. She must have found my shy reaction amusing.

“Righty-oh! That’s all for now. Someone will come and take your blood in a bit. For now, take it easy.”

I nodded. “Thanks.”

Once she was gone, I slipped out of bed and headed into the bathroom to get myself ready. A few minutes after that, a lab tech arrived to take my blood for routine testing, and once she was done, it was time for breakfast, which was nothing too special. I had scrambled eggs on toast since it was easy for me to chew, though I did crave some bacon. I decided I’d have some once my mouth healed.

Sometime after breakfast, Dr. Smith arrived, along with his entourage of medical students who were eager to learn. Obviously, he did a thorough examination of my superficial wounds and asked me numerous questions, which I answered as best I could.

Finally, Dr. Smith said, “You’re doing very well. That IV fluid can come off today. If your blood tests are all good, then we can discharge you tomorrow. How’s that sound?”

I smiled, nodding. “Sounds good.” After all, I couldn’t wait to return home to be with James and Aria. I had missed them dearly, and staying in hospital was rather boring and certainly not my cup of tea.

Dr. Smith was just getting up from the chair when one of the medical students asked, “What type of accident did you have? I mean, those bruises…”

The question caught me off guard, and all I could do was stare at the student with a blank expression on my face. Once the meaning behind the question dawned on me, I paled immediately and felt a little sick to my stomach. Instantly, flashes of Herbert Weston beating me bombarded my mind’s eye, and I felt dizzy. Suddenly, the world around me started spinning, and I felt myself falling back.

“Mia! Mia!” I heard Dr. Smith calling my name frantically. But I couldn’t respond to him because darkness was pulling me away into its prison, and I had no way of escaping.

When I came to, I heard someone calling my name again and again. There was fear echoing within the voice, which made my heart ache.

I fluttered my eyes open, my head in pain. “Andy?” I asked, staring at the blurry face of my brother above me.

“Shit, Mia,” Andy said, stroking my forehead.

I blinked several times, and finally, my vision cleared. That was when I noted the concerned expression on his gorgeous face.

“You just kind of fainted when I walked through the door,” he said. “You scared me.”

“Did I?” I asked, confused as I tried to get up.

Andy wouldn’t let me, however, and made me lie still there on the bed. “Don’t get up yet. Take your time.”

“Looks like you’re still too weak to be discharged so soon,” Dr. Smith said, which drew my attention to him. I noticed that all the students were gone, and I wondered how long I had been unconscious.

“We’ll keep you here for a couple more days to make sure you’re really fine.” He continued. “After all, we don’t want Mr. Maxwell to worry, do we? He’s one of our major benefactors after all.” He chuckled nervously, which made me curious as to how powerful James and his family were in relation to this hospital.

Once he and Nurse Brenda were sure I was fine after another thorough examination, they left me and Andy alone. That was when I moved myself to sit up, and this time, Andy let me. He even helped.

Once I was comfortable, he said, “You look horrible.”

I chuckled in amusement. “Thanks,” I said sarcastically. “Come here and give me a hug. I’ve missed you.”

Andy moved closer, and we hugged tightly. Once I let him go, he said, “I’m phoning Mr. Maxwell to tell him what happened.”

I frowned in confusion. “What happened? You mean you’re going to tell James just because I fainted a little?”

He nodded. “He needs to know. You’re in a fragile condition, and he needs to know that. He’s your boyfriend, isn’t he?”

I blushed. “Yes, of course, but seriously, Andy, it’s nothing. There’s no need to tell James. I was probably just… you know… anemic or something…”

Then again, I knew for certain that wasn’t the case. My full blood count was fine and within the normal range yesterday. This fainting episode was simply because… Herbert Weston… The memories of him just kind of…

Shit! My head was pounding like mad.

I raised my eyes to my brother and asked weakly, “Can you please pass me those painkillers? I have such a bad headache.”

“Err… sure,” Andy said, looking around him for the pills. Once he spotted them, he reached out for the tablets sitting on the bedside table where the nurse had left them for me. “Are you sure you’re all right?” he asked as he handed me the pills.

I nodded. “I’m fine. Just a headache.” And this particular headache had absolutely nothing to do with the memories of Herbert Weston and the trauma he’d inflicted upon me.

As I took the medication, I didn’t miss the fact that Andy was watching me closely. God, he seemed so worried about me.

Once I was done, I gave him a bright smile to reassure him I was fine and he needn’t be so concern about me.

“I’m fine. Now, I’m sorry I can’t entertain you because I feel absolutely exhausted. I’m going to sleep it off, both the exhaustion and the headache.”

Andy nodded. “Go for it.” He leaned forward and kissed me on the forehead. “Have sweet dreams. I’ll just be out around town, and I’ll tell the nurse to contact me if you need me, all right?”

I nodded, but before he left, I asked, “Andy?”

He turned. “Hm?”

“Don’t tell James about me fainting, okay? I don’t want to worry him.”

Andy sighed and looked heavenward. “Fine. I won’t. Now go to sleep and get better. You’d better be smiling bright like fucking sunshine when I’m back.”

I chuckled. Was that a threat?

“See you soon, Andy,” I said.

“Yeah, see you soon,” he said, and then he was gone, shutting the door behind him.

Alone, I made myself comfortable in bed and closed my eyes, my mind relentlessly replaying the scenes of Herbert Weston kidnapping me and beating me. I allowed the memories of the horrendous episode to swirl free in my mind, letting them take over.

I too allowed my emotions to run wild, to feel the fear, anger, and distress that had taken over me at the time of my kidnapping. I wanted to confront them—my emotions, Herbert Weston, Sophie Wilson, the kidnapping, and the beating, molestation, and bullying. I wanted them all to clash and fight one another within me until they were sated, until I was sated and emerged the winner.

As tears flowed down my cheeks and emotions turmoiled within my being, I slowly fell into a deep slumber, the images of Herbert Weston and what he had done to me fading into a dark abyss, where they belonged.