Page 73 of Backdraft
I was safe.
* * *
Taylor had insisted they pull the CCTV footage of the hospital. The police got involved and supported Taylor's request.
It was important to find out who the nurse had seen in Drea's room. Not only had the guy come into her room, he’d left a note in her sheets. Taylor was pretty sure if Drea knew that, she would be unhinged.
They’d decided not to tell her about the note in the room just yet.
All it said was:
I showed you, didn’t I?
The cops had the note now, and they would handle whatever needed to be done.
Taylor dropped his hand from his chin and looked at the video. Sure enough, he recognized the man who'd been standing by the nurses’ station that first day.
They'd made eye contact, and Taylor was furious with himself that he’d walked away. The fact he couldn't have known this man was stalking Drea wasn't good enough. He should have been more on the ball. He shouldn't have left her.
More than ever, he wanted Drea to wake up so they could see if she recognized him.
The police inquired after the other incidents and asked if she'd kept notes. He went home for a very short while, not wanting to leave her for too long, to see if he could find anything that would help.
She kept a call log. He’d scanned down the entries and discovered she had reached out to her previous employer to inquire about Benjamin Clark. Notations beside the date said he was still in prison. There was no way he could be here, so he'd been ruled him out as a suspect. Taylor reached for Drea's hand, scooping it gently into his.
"Who is this guy? And why is he after you?" Taylor's gaze roved over her sleeping face. She was helpless and vulnerable in this state.
What were the intentions of this guy? What had he come here to do? And why?
Taylor gritted his teeth. Had the guy really been scared off and disappeared? It was good, but also bad. It meant he could come back at any time and continue harassing Drea.
They had to find him.
He spoke to the police about putting a guard on her door while she was in hospital. They did for twenty-four hours after the intrusion. Taylor had stayed by her side too.
This was the third day in, and she was still sleeping. He'd never tire of watching her. She woke occasionally but was still very groggy from the painkillers and getting her noggin scrambled a bit.
The first time she'd woken up had been amazing. He’d finally accepted she would be okay. Even if she had been rather out of it.
He'd been shocked when the first words she’d said were to ask who he was. He'd thought she had amnesia and was about to call the doctor when she gave the tiniest smile. Relief had made his knees weak, but she was on the mend now.
He'd opened the drapes earlier, and sun rays shone in her window, falling on her face. He reached out and brushed his knuckles over her cheek. The nurses had cleaned her up, washed her face and did what they could with her hair under the circumstance. She still looked beat up, but at least she was resting and comfortable.
He dropped his head and closed his eyes for a moment. Heavy exhaustion weighed him down, he longed for his bed, only with Drea in it.
A soft moan made him sit upright.
"Drea, babe, I'm here." He leaned over her.
He saw her lips move, but there was no sound. Her head nodded slightly though. He was glad to see her respond. She still hadn't woken completely, and he was eager for the time when she would. Having her fully back, awake and alert, was what he prayed for every day.
"It's okay, babe. Go back to sleep."
Her mouth moved again, and this time he faintly heard the word, "Stay."
Taylor held her right hand, careful of her broken thumb.
"I'm not going anywhere, sweetheart."
