Page 10 of Caged
"Thanks. I'll talk to you guys soon."
"Good luck," D said a second before the call disconnected.
Marshall parked and made his way into the emergency, ready to be told to wait. To his shock, the moment he asked about Danny, he was escorted back.
"He's been refusing to let anyone see him until you arrived." The nurse led him through a short maze of halls before stopping at a room.
"Thanks." Marshall tapped softly on the open door. "Can I come in?" He kept a smile on his face despite how weak and thin Danny looked in the hospital bed.
"You came." Danny looked relieved.
"Of course, I did. I said I would. I don't lie." He moved to Danny's bedside. "Did you let them examine you?"
"Kind of." A look of shame passed over Danny's face. "They want to run a bunch of tests, but I'm not sure what they are. I don't know who to trust."
Marshall settled his hand gently on Danny's arm. For some reason, the guy seemed to trust him. "I can help you decide what you want to do, but I think you can trust everyone here. They just want to make sure you're okay. I know you're scared, and I probably would be too, but you're safe here."
"How do you know? What if Larry comes for me?"
"He wouldn't dare show up here. He'd be arrested before he could get back here to see you. I promise." He wasn't about to tell him the police hadn't caught him. That was something he'd find out soon enough. Whatever Marshall knew about the case from Jeremy, he wasn't going to bring it up with Danny yet. He needed time to adjust before he dealt with timelines and things like that. "What did the doctors want to do?"
"The only thing I understood was x-ray. They mentioned scans and such, but I don't know what kind."
Marshall had to remember that Danny hadn't been in public since he was seven. He probably had no clue how to function as an adult in the world now. Everything had to be strange and overwhelming to him. "If you want me to talk to the doctors, I will. I can help explain things to you and remind them that the last time you were outside that house was years ago. It might help them understand your fear better."
Danny tugged at the neckline of the hospital gown he wore. "Have they called my mom?"
"I don't know. I'll find out if you want."
"No, don't go yet. I don't like being alone." He glanced at the door, a flash of fear in his eyes.
"Then I'll stay right here with you." He slid his hand down Danny's arm and linked their fingers together.
"Thanks. I'm sorry I dragged you into this."
"It's okay. I'm glad to help. If you're comfortable with me, then I'm happy to be here for you until your mother gets here. Can I get you anything?"
He shook his head. "I'm too nervous."
"Understandable. I don't like hospitals much either, but sometimes they are necessary."
"What have you had to come for?" Danny asked.
"Several things. I broke my arm when I was eight. Decided I'd try to jump off the roof of our shed and see if I could fly. Then when I was seventeen, I had to have a pencil removed from my arm. Then right after that, I tripped over a shoe on the way to the bathroom in the dark and dislocated my kneecap. That one was probably the worst. I didn't think it would ever heal."
"How'd you get a pencil in your arm?"
He grinned. "Messed up, isn't it? I was stupid and let a friend stab me with it. I honestly never thought it would go into my arm. I thought maybe the tip, but no, I had to be the guy where the whole pencil went in. My aunt was so pissed at me."
"Your aunt?"
"Yeah, my parents both died when I was little. My aunt took me in and raised me. She died almost two years ago."
"I'm sorry."
"Me too. She was a good lady. I miss her. Anyway, as you can see, I've been right where you are, lying in that bed, waiting for the doctors to decide what to do." Marshall gave his hand a squeeze. "They know what they're doing around here. I promise. And I'm pretty sure they've been alerted to your situation and no one will be getting close to you any time soon. Until they are sure Larry is locked up, they'll protect you." At least he hoped they would. He couldn't imagine they wouldn't worry about Larry coming after Danny and the other boys to keep them from testifying against him. Then again, he'd seen some dumb criminals over the last year that he'd worked with STK. "Are you sure you don't want me to—"
"Feeling okay?" A doctor walked into the room holding a pair of bolt cutters. "Oh, I'm sorry. Is this the friend you were waiting for?"
