Page 50 of My Highland Fling
The plane hurtled along the runway and barreled into the sky.Pre-dawn and black, with only the moon and stars for light, they left the confines of the airstrip.
When the plane leveled off, Isabella turned to Tilly.“It’s safe to check on Gabrielle.Do you need help?”
Tilly fumbled with her seat belt.“Please.What happened?Shouldn’t she have regained consciousness by now?Did someone hit her?”
“Popov whacked her across the jaw and kicked her, but she was awake.She walked from the house under her own steam,” Isabella said.
Ramsay unfastened his seatbelt and did the same for Gabrielle.He lifted her out of her seat and laid her on the floor.He and Tilly checked for injuries, but she seemed unharmed apart from the cut cheek and the bruises on her arms.
“Perhaps we should let her sleep,” Tilly said.“Her breathing is fine.She’s paler than normal, but I can’t see any reason for her deep sleep.”
Isabella and Ramsay shared a glance.Could shock do this?
“We’ll get her to a doctor, I promise.If she takes a turn for the worse, let us know, and we’ll divert to somewhere in Europe.Otherwise, we’re flying to Edinburgh,” Saber said.
They hit a patch of turbulence, and Ramsay placed Gabrielle in her seat.He fastened the seat belt and sat and did his own.
“Try to sleep, Tilly.I’ll watch over Gabrielle.”
Saber had contacted a doctor, a shifter doctor, and he met them at the private airport.Gabrielle didn’t stir until after they’d landed.Ramsay carried Gabrielle into the waiting room and stood back to allow the doctor to examine her.
“Could it be shock, Doctor?”Ramsay asked in a low voice.“She saw me shift.She didn’t know.”
“Tilly,” the doctor said after introductions from Saber.“Does Gabrielle have any health issues I should know about?”
“No, she’s healthy and eats a restricted diet.A wholesome diet.”
The doctor took her pulse and listened to her heart.He checked the cut on her cheek and leaned closer to sniff.“That distinctive odor.It reminds me of something.It will come to me soon.Will you help me undress her?”
Ramsay stood back but sucked in a harsh breath at seeing Gabrielle’s back.Welts covered her skin—the kind made by a belt.Her curved backside also carried the same marks.
“They appear recent,” the doctor said.
“They weren’t there the last time I saw Gabrielle,” Ramsay said.
“She has an infection.Her breathing and heartbeat are normal.I assume she’s stressed, and this is her body’s way of coping.If she doesn’t wake in an hour, I’ll start more tests, but truly, I think she’s sleeping.”
“Doctor,” Tilly said.“Her parents placed a tracker at the base of her skull.Would you be able to remove it?”
“Does Gabrielle know of its presence?”the doctor asked.
“She recently learned, and the discovery shocked her,” Tilly said.
“Let me see if I can locate it,” the doctor said.“Ah, yes.There is a tiny bump.Easy enough to take it out.”
“Do it,” Ramsay said, his voice hard.“No one should have that sort of control over their adult child.This tracker is an invasion of privacy.”
The doctor turned Gabrielle onto her side.“Please hold her in position.”
Ramsay held her and watched the quick slice of the doctor’s scalpel.“Got it,” the doctor said and dropped it into a silver bowl along with his used instruments.“How do you want to destroy it?”
Ramsay shrugged.
The doctor grinned, the curve of his lips taking on an air of cunning.“I have a suggestion.A friend of mine is visiting the Orkney Islands tomorrow.He could take it and drop it in the ocean.The tracker will remain live for longer, but this will confuse anyone who searches for it.”
“Done,” Ramsay said.
“I’ll be off then.If she doesn’t wake in the next few hours, call me.I’ll come immediately,” the doctor said.
