Page 2 of Healed By Doc
“Abby,” she sniffs, taking tentative steps toward the door. “My head hurts.”
“Let’s get you inside so you can rest as we wait for the doctor.”
Some of the women rush to help when they spot us, taking most of Abby’s weight as we guide her to our medical room and help her onto the exam bed. It’s not the most comfortable place to rest, but it’s the best to assess her injuries and get her patched up. With the number of battered women who come through our doors, a room like this is a necessity. I take Abby’s hand to comfort her as the other women quietly file out of the room. “He was so mad at me. I’ve never seen him that angry before. God, what if he comes after me?” She whimpers, a tremor racking her body.
“No one can get to you here, Abby,” I reassure her. “This place is safe.Youare safe here, I promise you.”
She nods and is about to say something when Samantha walks in, informing us that Saint, the Steel Rebels MC president, is on his way with a doctor. We don’t often call in doctors, as most of the staff are trained in first aid and Samantha herself isa retired nurse. If she called for a doctor, the injuries on Abby must have her very concerned. Until we know more about her situation, we won’t risk taking her to the hospital unless we have to. We learned the hard way how dangerous that can be. Sometimes the worst abusers have the best connections.
“How long do you think they’ll take to get here?” I ask Samantha, worried by the glazed look in the girl’s eyes.
“Not long,” she assures me. “Why don’t you go into the kitchen to get her some water?”
“Okay.” I pat Abby’s hand before rushing out and to the kitchen. My hands are trembling as I grab a bottle of water for her. It’s not often that the demons of my past come out to play, but when they do, they’re brutal.
I’m okay…better than okay.
I’ve molded myself into someone who can help others deal with their own monsters. I’m no longer that little girl who was startled by the smallest of noises. I’m stronger. For women like Abby, I have to be.
With a deep sigh to rein in my nerves, I walk back to the exam room, drawing up short when I catch male voices coming from inside. I recognize the first as Saint’s, who I’ve met a few times, and the other, much calmer voice must belong to the doctor.
Saint and Samantha are standing to the right, murmuring in low tones as the doctor, whose back is turned to me, speaks to Abby. I step into the room, ready to head to Abby’s side and hold her hand for support, when the doctor suddenly turns around to retrieve something from his bag and…my heart stops.
For a second, perhaps longer, my world tilts on its axis as I stare into the face of a ghost from a past I have longed to forget.
He’s here.
In a white shirt, crisp and clean, that strikingly contrasts with the ink peeking out from beneath the rolled-up sleeves, is the one man I thought I would never see again. His skin is just as I remember, the color of sun-soaked olives and glowing with a healthy warmth. He’s more muscular and rugged than the last time I saw him. Now his body appears to be a sculpture come to life, all lean muscles that look like they’ve been carved from granite. His dark hair is longer and neatly slicked back, so different from the short military buzz cut he’d had when I saw him last.
And Christ, was that during his sentencing nine years ago?
He’s out of prison. I had no idea he had been released. Good lord, could he now be looking for those who put him there? I imagine he’d love nothing more than to avenge the life that was stolen from him, and I am, no doubt, at the top of the list.
The thought brings a tremble to my hands, and I drop the bottle, attracting attention to me. He turns around, and I suck in a sharp breath when those dark eyes lock on mine. God, I remember those eyes the most. Pools of rich dark brown that betray little of the man’s thoughts. The same eyes that had watched me as I’d said the words that sealed his fate.
I hold my breath as I wait for him to recognize me. For his eyes to cloud with rage and announce to everyone in the room the kind of heartless monster that I am, but his eyes simply drop to the bottled water on the floor before turning back to his patient.
He doesn’t recognize me.
I don’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed. Sure, I was no more than a girl when I ruined his life, but how can he not recognize me? Is this it? The guilt I’ve held for years…
“Hey,” Samantha’s soothing voice is followed by a gentle hand on my arm, and then I’m being steered out of the room. “Come with me.”
With a last glance at the man’s back, I let Samantha drag me away from the room, down the hall, and to the kitchen. “Sam…”
“You’re pale,” she whispers, walking to the fridge and grabbing another bottle of water before uncapping it for me. “Drink this.”
“Thanks,” I say, taking a few sips of the water before my trembling hands threaten to drop it, so I quickly place it on the counter.
“What’s wrong, Cara?” she asks, placing a gentle hand over my forehead. “Do you need to see Doc too?”
My brows wing up. “Doc?”
“Yeah, the doctor Saint brought with him. He’s been by a couple of times to attend to the women, but I suppose you’ve never seen him before,” she says, leaning against the counter opposite and watching me. “What’s gotten into you today, Cara?”
Ghosts of my past.
I consider not telling her the truth, but before I know it, the words are spilling out of my mouth. “I know him,” I say, my voice shaky with nerves. “The doctor… Oh no. No, no, no.” I cover my face with my hands and shake my head.
