Page 121 of Speechless

A second later, a gruff male face peered through the window, eyes scanning the room intensely, before it vanished.

“You’re clear, Sarah,” Joanna muttered, watching the door without moving her head. “How’d you get past the dragon pair?”

Elation sent Jenna’s heart into fits of rapture. She cried, hands reaching for her friend without lifting off the bed, whimpering behind the mask helping her breathe.

They hadn’t left her. They hadn’t abandoned her.

“Sweetheart.” Sarah rushed to her, her hands immediately going to Jenna’s face and fluttering like butterfly wings over her swollen features. “Don’t cry, sweetheart. Don’t cry.”

She couldn’t help it. A long, keening wail echoed inside the mask and tears trickled from her puffy eyes. The touch of familiar hands, feeling the love only her friend could give, was too much to bear. Her body strained, frantic to have Sarah’s arms around her and be held.

“No, stay still, beautiful. Stay still. You need to be calm, okay? I know it looks like we’ve left you, sweetheart, but we’re here. I promise you, we’re not going anywhere.” Those dark eyes filled with righteous fury. “Not if I have anything to say about it.”

“Taking a risk,” Maryanne murmured.

Sarah glanced at the nurse. “I heard her screaming. It’s not right they have her isolated away from what she knows, Annie.” She stroked Jenna’s forehead. “I can’t stay long—they’ve only gone down for coffee—but I needed to make sure Jenna knows she’s not alone.”

Don’t leave me. Jenna wheezed and flopped her useless hand for Sarah’s. Her friend captured the bandage-swaddled limb, bent and pressed her lips to it before setting it down oh-so carefully.

“We’ve got her, Sarah. She needs peace and quiet so she can rest, and I’ve taken precautions to ensure she gets it. I’ve assigned Joanna to her and only her.” Maryanne folded her hands as Sarah drew the light blanket from the foot of the bed up and over Jenna to her chest, careful to avoid the drain in her side. “Once we get a handle on her guardians’ routine, we’ll let you know when visitors will be allowed.”

“They’re not her guardians,” Sarah muttered mulishly. “They’re her goddamn jailors. Thank you, Annie, I know you’re risking a lot letting me do this.”

Maryanne gave the machines one last check, then headed for the door. “Our job is to do what’s right for our patients, Sarah. Even if we hadn’t been friends since college, I’d still do what’s best forher. You’ve got five more minutes,” she warned gently. “Joanna will check the way is clear before you leave, and I’ll do my best to waylay the parents. I’ll come to you when it’s safe to come back.”

Sarah nodded, and Jenna shook her head. The words coming from behind the breathing apparatus were garbled, a product of tiredness and drugs. But their intent was the same as if she’d shouted them, clear and precise.

Don’t leave me.

“You need to sleep, sweetheart. The more you sleep, the faster you’ll heal. You’re going to lose time, but at the moment, that’s not a bad thing. I want to stay, IwishI could stay, but if I get caught in here, it’s just going to cause hell.” Sarah closed her eyes, head dipping. “If you need me, if you need anything, you tell Joanna and she’ll come to me, okay? I’ll do my damnedest to sneak back in as soon as I can.”

Jenna moaned in protest. Her body wouldn’t respond to any command now, it just lay useless and shattered in its cocoon of bandages. Labored, her breathing grew shallow as she realized the seconds of her time with Sarah were drawing to a close, and she’d be left alone again.

“I’ll give her some morphine now,” Joanna said quietly, and Sarah lifted her head from whatever silent prayer she’d been offering. “She’ll sleep for a few hours so you don’t have to worry about her, and I’ve got my chair right there beside her. Maryanne banned the dragons from the room, so she won’t be disturbed.”

There was a low snicker, and Sarah grinned. “God, I love that woman. She has the biggest balls this side of the Big Belt range. If you’re giving her meds, do it now. I’ll stay until Jenna goes under.” She sighed and rested her hand on Jenna’s forehead. “Everything will be okay, sweetheart. We’re going to make sure of it.”

Half-lidded, Jenna’s eyes tracked the nurse’s movements. Pain destroyed every fiber of her being, but if the stuff Joanna was injecting into her IV would erase Sarah’s presence from the room, Jenna didn’t want it. She’d take every moment of suffering to keep her friend beside her.

“Nice and easy, Jenna,” Sarah crooned, running her fingers through the matted blonde hair on Jenna’s head. “Just slide away for a little while. Let the pain go.”

Don’t leave me.

Jenna blinked and was gone.

*

“You’re going to need those goddamn handcuffs if you don’t let me see her soon.” Connor snapped at Zeke as he propped himself on the side of the bed. Two days after Sarah had conspired with the nurses to sedate him, he was borderline frantic with worry. “I’ll take you down, you great big orc.”

Zeke chuckled and sat elegantly in the flimsy visitor’s chair. It squeaked under his weight, but he settled himself into it without a care. “The insults are improving, kudos. I’ll worry about the cuffs when you can stand on two feet without falling over.”

Glaring, Connor blew out a hard breath and pushed himself back upright. The muscles in his thigh screamed, pain ricocheted down past his knee, but he gritted his teeth and forced his body to deal with it. “You know this qualifies as torture, right?”

“Physical therapy is often torturous, yes.” Zeke steepled his fingers and watched his friend over the peak. “But that’s not what you’re referring to.”

“At least I don’t have to spell it out for you.” He grunted as his leg began to tremble, then gave way and sent him toppling back to his starting position.

“Jenna is doing well. She has a nurse with her twenty-four-seven, and for the most part remains sedated to give her body a chance to heal. Sarah’s clandestine visits are few and far between now that the rest of Jenna’s family has descended upon us, but Jenna’s been aware of her presence.”

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