Page 47 of Zale's Little Girl
Pippa opened her eyes and found her vision limited. Why wouldn’t her eyes open? “Please. Let him stay. I’m so scared,” she pleaded as she tried to move her head to see what was happening. Her throat rebelled, and she started to cough.
“Settle down, little girl. Hold still.”
The steel in his tone made her freeze. “Okay,” she whispered.
“She was at home recovering from a bout of strep throat. Could she have a sip of water?”
“Better not until we get the okay from the doctor.” That same voice continued, but was directed to her. “Pippa, I’m your nurse, Daniel. You’re here at the hospital. You are safe. We’re going to take good care of you.”
“I can’t see,” she whispered. Her voice sounded harsh to her ears.
“Your eyes are swollen. That’s what’s keeping you from seeing. You also have a head injury. We’re going to get you up for a scan in just a few minutes. Here’s Dr. Abbott. He’s the best we have,” Daniel told her. “This is Pippa, Doctor.”
“Hi, Pippa. That’s such a cute name. You look like you’ve had a rough day. Can you tell me what happened?”
“He tried to take me. I was stupid and went for a walk. My daddy told me I wasn’t ready to go back to work, and I had to prove him wrong.” A sob interrupted her story, and she tried to get herself back under control. Her awful cough started.
“She’s just getting over strep throat. Could she have some ice chips?” Zale asked.
“Daniel, go grab her some ice,” the doctor instructed. “I don’t want you to stress your throat. Whisper to us.”
“Okay. I’m sorry, Daddy.” She needed him to know that.
“Pippa, you are not to blame here. Going for a walk shouldn’t endanger you. Tell us how he hurt you,” Zale urged.
She could hear the anguish in his voice. The nurse returned with some ice and spooned a few nuggets into her mouth. Pippa celebrated the coolness on her parched throat before whispering, “He dragged me to his car. I tried everything to stop from getting in there. Finally, I clung to a mailbox at the curb. He—he kicked me. I don’t remember anything after that.”
“You were so smart to fight, kitten. You gave the police time to get to you. The neighbor called for help when she heard the ruckus,” Zale told her.
“Where did he kick you, Pippa?” the doctor asked.
“In my ribs, back, and head. I must have passed out. I don’t know anything else.”
“We’re going to check everything out. Just relax, Pippa. You’re here and safe. If I’m not mistaken, this buff soldier is going with you everywhere. I’m not going to try to take you out of his sight,” Dr. Abbott told her.
“Thank you.” The adrenaline evaporated from her, leaving her exhausted.
“I need to check you over. I’ll try not to hurt you,” the doctor told her.
Pippa gritted her teeth as he pushed back her eyelids to flash a light in her eyes and performed his exam. She knew he was trying to be careful, but every inch of her body seemed to hurt.
“Sorry, Pippa. That wasn’t comfortable. A quick trip to the imaging center and I’ll have some answers for you. So far, things are looking much better than they could be. I’m going to order a mild pain reliever to help as your bed rolls upstairs.”
Zale moved back by her bed as they waited for transport. The nurse returned with a syringe and injected it in Pippa’s IV. Pippa exhaled strongly as the medicine flowed through her veins a bit later. “Better.”
“Just relax, little girl. They’re taking good care of you.”
“I’m so glad you’re here. Do you know what happened after I passed out?”
“Do you want to talk about that later?”
“No, now. Please tell me he can’t come get me,” she begged.
“He can’t come get you, kitten. He was shot in the skirmish with the police,” Zale told her.
“It wasn’t Scroggins. Or at least not the same one I met earlier.” How many guys were after her?
“We’re going to figure this out, kitten. For now, getting you checked out is the most important thing.”
