Page 40 of Love Me Gently

“You’re good,” the man said. “Be safe.”

With a dip of his chin and no introduction, not that it was necessary, the doors slammed closed behind him.

“You must be Cole,” the woman said to me. She still hadn’t glanced at me, but that was fine. Both of our focus was on Trina, anyway.

“I am. And you are?”

“Heather. She’s doing really well today.” Her eyes were working on hooking up clear bags filled with a clear liquid to a pole at the side of the van.

I glanced at her and then back to Trina. Her lips were swollen, and there were multiple cuts on her cheeks. Her leg was still braced. The cut at her forehead that had left smeared blood in her hair had been cleaned, and the stitches were now visible.

Fury rose like a rushing tide I choked down. “Has she been awake?”

“Some. Overnight and very early this morning, but she was disoriented. The pain meds should keep her sedated for most of the flight.”

That’d be good. I didn’t want her feeling any pain at all, but mostly I didn’t want her asking questions until we were safe and secure.

“Any word from Mr. Wolf?”

“He’s called and been told all is well.”

There’d be a fight on the hospital’s hands for this. He’d hold someone accountable, I had no doubt. I still held out hope that given her injuries and his fragile story, he wouldn’t push it too far.

A wave of relief washed over me, and my shoulders relaxed as the van pulled away from the hospital and onto the main roads and then the interstate beyond.

Thirty minutes later, we were aboard the plane, taxiing down the runway, and Trina was safe and secured in her hospital bed, locked in place to give her the smoothest flight possible.

“Thank you,” I told the nurse again. It must have been my twentieth time I’d thanked her.

“No woman should live like this.” She swiped her hands down her dark blue scrubs. “If only we could save more.”

I couldn’t agree more. But for now, I’d give my gratitude for being blessed to save one.

I still couldn’t believeit. Too afraid if I blinked, she’d disappear, which was why I still couldn’t take my eyes off Trina. She’d been carefully moved and was now resting in my guest bedroom downstairs.

In my home.

Thank God for Sheila who’d not only come over and set up the room with everything she thought Trina would need, but she’d also met us at the plane and then ridden with us in one of the Sheldon County ambulances back to my house.

Now she was here, in my bed, strapped to monitors like in the van and on the plane, still wearing the same brace and hospital gown and yet I swore she already looked better.

Twenty-four hours after getting the phone call from Valerie, I now had Trina back exactly where she belonged.

And if she didn’t see it that way, at least she was safe.

“Thanks again,” I muttered to Sheila, helplessly watching while she rechecked vitals and triple-checked to make sure her IVs were set.

“You say that every thirty seconds.”

“Yeah, well I mean it.” I rocked backed on my heels, and shook the tension out of my balled-up fists.

Like Heather had predicted, Trina slept the entire plane ride. She was still out, and while I wanted to stay in this room until she opened her eyes and woke up, my mom was also upstairs, probably pacing a worn path in my living room carpet, and I needed to call Marie. Check in with Valerie and Kip.

“Go,” Sheila said, glancing at me like she heard my racing thoughts. “I’ve got this. Ten minutes away from her isn’t going to hurt anything.”

“Is there anything you need?”

“No.” She grinned at me. “And if I did, I’m fully capable of taking care of myself. Now go. I can hear you fretting from there.”

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