She hadn’t come home to me.

I didn’t want to call Leo and raise any alarms, as he was already skeptical of our early engagement, despite his blessing. I had tried Lace, Enid, and Trinity to no answer. After ten calls and a zillion texts, I was in full panic. Something was wrong. I just didn’t believe she would not come to me.

I was wasted when I returned to the apartment, and a bit ashamed of myself for letting it go too far with the band. I didn’t want to come home on our first night as the drunken, broken singer. I wanted to come to bed as the happiest man in the world, which I was. But I was still drunk, and at first I was pissed, which caused me to have another beer while I waited. I must have passed out because it was around four AM when I found myself on the couch in an uncomfortable sitting position with my head lounged back and a crick in my neck.

There was still no response to any of my attempts. It was like the world had disappeared, except for me. There was radio silence from everyone.

At five AM I restarted my efforts with the girls, and began a new campaign with the guys in the band. Each one received the same message: that Guinevere had not come home. I did not believe she had gone to her father’s and she didn’t seem to be with the girls. I just wanted someone to answer me that she was okay. Then I would unleash my anger.

“I got her,” came the call from Lansing, which collapsed me. I crumbled to the couch in relief, but I was still angry for some reason.

“Where is she?”

“Can you meet us at Winsor Hospital?”

I sucked in a breath, unable to release it as I choked on the word okay.

I took a cab. It was easier than driving, and my focus was so distracted I wouldn’t have known how to get there. I rushed through the emergency waiting room, bypassing the nurse who tried to halt me, as I saw Lansing pacing outside a room.

He stretched out a hand to stop me from entering the private space.

“What the fuck, man?” I said, pushing his hand off my chest.

“The doctor’s examining her.”

“What happened?” my voice cracked and my anger rose.

“They’re doing … they’re giving her a rape test.”

I lost it. I didn’t know if I should crumble to the floor or punch the wall as my body went cold with fear.

“Who? Where?”

“Mel Agent.”

“I’ll fucking kill him. Fucking. Kill. Him.” I growled. Punching the wall was going to win out, but it would be momentary recompense for what I planned to do to Mel. That motherfucker was dead.

“What happened?”

“The girls were at Club 21. Mel was there. Look, I need to warn you that it’s on the Internet and the pictures don’t look pretty, but I don’t believe them. I don’t believe one image.”

I held out my hand and noticed it was shaking as Lansing handed me his phone, pulled up to the gossip rag. There was Guinie. My Guinie. Images of her dancing and doing shots, photos of her in his arms, highlighted the headline that read: Is this how Guinevere DeGrance celebrates her engagement? I didn’t read farther. I felt sick. I didn’t want to believe it, but the pictures looked so convincing.

“Don’t think he raped her if she was so willing!” I barked.

“Don’t. Don’t fucking be like this with her.” Lansing’s voice had hints of anger and something else. Something I didn’t want to recognize.

“How did you find her anyway?”

“Trinity.”

“Trinity? Trinity Donovan?”

“Do you know another Trinity?”

“Don’t be a fuck-off, man,” I growled again.

Lansing sighed heavily and wrapped a hand around the back of his neck, holding it in place.

“I ran into Trinity at Emerald Isle. She told me where to find Guinevere.”

“Why didn’t she call me?”

Lansing was silent for a moment and I realized he didn’t know the answer. A female doctor exited the room and we both approached her at the same time.

“Either one of you family?” She eyed us each.

“I’m her fiancé,” I answered.

The doctor continued to look me up and down for a moment before pinching her face and replying.

“You can go in, but…” she stepped in front of me, blocking the door despite her small stature, “she’s been through a rough night. Her blood work is still in process, but her urine test showed many things, including traces of Rohypnol.”

“What’s that?” Lansing asked.

“Roofies?” I choked.

“The date rape drug,” the doctor answered.

Lansing paced two steps down the hall with his hands still clasped behind his neck and turned in time to kick the chair outside Guinie’s room. The force sent the chair colliding with the wall and clamoring forward to the floor with a deep clanging noise.

I continued to stare at the closed door behind the doctor’s shoulders.

“Was she…?” I couldn’t say the words.

“The rape kit concludes that she wasn’t, but she’s had an excessive amount of alcohol and admitted to repeatedly vomiting. Her urine sample proved dehydration among other things. We are still waiting on the blood results.”

“You can go in,” she started and I stepped forward, “but you both better check your anger at the door. She’s been through enough. I’ll be back when the blood test is finished to check on her.” She gave us both one final stare down and walked briskly down the hall.

I was already through the door and at Guinie’s side, staring at the IV stuck into her fragile looking hand. Her huge diamond gleamed brightly at me off her ring finger. I was mad at myself that I doubted her, for even a minute. I picked up the hand even though it was strapped to the tubing and kissed it, then kissed the ring on her finger, and turned over her hand to kiss her palm.

Silent tears streamed down her face as she stared at me through cloudy blue eyes.

“I’m so sorry,” she began, her voice groggy. “I don’t know what happened.”

“I know what happened,” I said as I pushed her hair off her forehead and noticed a bump and a bruise on it. My thumb gently traced it and she winced.

“He’s fucking dead, that’s what happened,” I growled low.

She was crying in earnest now, and I was breaking inside. I didn’t know what all she went through last night, and I was helpless as her tears fell.

“Do you remember anything?”

“I remember going to the club with the girls and drinking shots.”

“Did you order them or Mel?”

“Mel, but … I was watching him the whole time. I just don’t see how it could have happened, but…” She continued to cry, but there was no sound from her tears. Her hands shook uncontrollably as she swiped her cheeks to free space for more tears.

“But? What, Guinie Girl?”

“But I do vaguely remember being so thirsty and taking a drink of something next to the bed. I thought it was aspirin and water … but…” Here the sobs finally broke free and she turned away from me, curling into herself. I climbed onto the narrow space behind her and wrapped myself around her. I didn’t want to tell her it would be all right, or that she was okay. I just wanted her to feel me shielding her and know that nothing would hurt her ever again. Nothing.

“I love you, Once,” I whispered in her ear.

“I love you, Future,” she mumbled through choked tears.

Time passed and she eventually fell asleep in my arms. I was restless though, and I knew I needed to contact her father. As I stood from the bed, I noticed for the first time that Lansing was propped against the wall just inside the room.

“Hey,” I said softly. “She’s sleeping.”

He only nodded in response.

“I want to step out and call her father. Do you mind just watching her? Letting her know I’m right here, if she wakes up?”

“No problem.” He swallowed and I exited the room to find Trinity Donovan pacing the hallway outside Guinie’s door.