Page 24 of Echoes of You

“Sure.” My hands trembled as they fisted in it, the paper crinkling. Slowly, I lifted.

Doc’s lips pursed as if she were trying to keep herself from cursing. “On a scale of one to ten, what is your pain level?”

I worried my bottom lip. “Maybe a six? A seven when I move wrong.”

She studied the bruising along my side. “Any difficulty breathing?”

“It just hurts when I breathe too deeply.”

“That makes sense. You have at least bruised bones, but I wouldn’t be surprised if something was broken.” She met my gaze. “Before I do a physical exam, I need to ask you a question.”

“Okay…”

“Maddie, were you raped?”

Tears welled in my eyes. “No. He didn’t—it never went there.” Adam would do the opposite in his rages. Tell me I was disgusting. A whore. Sick and twisted.

“Okay.” Doc nodded, pulling something out of her pocket. “I’m going to give you the name of a therapist in town. She’s amazing and hosts a support group I think you might find helpful.”

“I don’t need—”

Doc extended her hand, offering the tiny rectangle of paper. “Just take the card. You can decide if you want to use it later.”

“All right.”

She smiled at me. “I’m going to have to poke and prod a little. It’s not going to feel great. If it gets to be too much, just tell me.”

I nodded.

Doc’s fingers were gentle as she moved around my ribs. I squeezed my eyes closed as each press intensified my pain. She moved up an inch, exploring a new rib, and white-hot agony lanced me.

I couldn’t help the yelp that escaped my lips.

Doc’s hands were gone in a flash, but it was too late. The door flew open, and six feet five inches of pissed-off Nash filled the doorway.

8

NASH

I hadn’t beenable to sit still. Being confined to one place only let the memories drag me under. So, I’d begun to walk. From the clinic’s door to the mouth of the hallway, back and forth. I counted my steps each time: thirteen there, thirteen back.

Then I’d heard Maddie’s cry of pain. My reaction had been pure instinct. The door to the exam room slammed into the wall.

“Nash!” Doc snapped at me.

I didn’t give a damn. I only had eyes for Maddie. I crossed to her in three long strides, my hands going to her face. “What happened? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“You screamed.”

She blew out a breath. “It wasn’t a scream. I just…I yelped. My ribs are tender, but the doctor needs to examine me to figure out what’s wrong.”

I sent Doc a scathing look. “I brought her here so you could help her, not hurt her.”

Doc sighed. “I needed to do an examination.”

I glared at her.

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