Page 19 of Blinded By Love

“No. Stop. Please stop. No. Not again, please.” I scream, my voice hoarse and my breath coming in rapid pants. My chest is tight and the restraints are only making my panic worse. I’m stuck in between the past and present and I can’t seem to shake the pain. There is always pain. Why can’t I escape it?

“Wren. Wren! Wake up. Open your eyes!” That’s when I realize my eyes are closed tight. “Little bird, please open your eyes.” The gruff voice above me says and my body instantly becomes stone still but not in relief but more fear. I know that voice. Xander. That night hearing his voice after he killed that man and then yesterday hearing the name, he called me and again just now.

My eyes snap open but it’s all the same. Darkness. Never ending darkness that feels consuming this time. “There are those pretty eyes of yours.” I blink in confusion. Who is he talking to, it can’t be me.

“Little bird, I need you to calm down and breathe. Your heart rate is off the charts and the doc will give us a lecture again if he sees this.” My chest starts to burn and I realize that I am indeed holding my breath. I start to wiggle and try to break free but his hands tighten on my arms and I wince. He immediately lets go. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to hurt you. You were screaming and I didn’t know what else to do.” I take another shaky breath and try to figure out what happened and how I got here.

I had the meeting with Xander and Maverick. Maverick was an asshole and pissed me off. They left and I started to think of ways to save the Cozy Nook. Then Xander showed up and called me little bird. I knew who he was then, the man from the alley. I ran home, fell on the stairs, showered, packed and was about to leave town for good when I heard someone in the room. But it wasn’t Xander, it was, it was Jax. Oh god. He was there that night too. How did he get into my apartment? I turned to run but slipped and knocked myself out. But then where am I and how did I get here?

“Why were you running, Wren?” Xander asks in an accusing tone like this is all my fault. I wouldn’t be in this situation if they didn’t kill a guy behind my book shop. I ignore his question and try to use my senses to figure out where I’m at.

I can hear the beeping of machines. Can feel the cushion of what feels like a hospital bed but it doesn’t have that kind of smell. Hospitals always smell like heavy cleaning products but all I smell is him. I try to listen for anything else but my head is still pounding so hard that I can’t think straight. The only thing running through my mind is why. So, I stop thinking and just say it.

“Why?” I ask, my voice low, rough and throat sore. Was I really screaming that loud for it to feel so sore?

“Why what?” he asks but he has to know what I’m asking. Why am I still alive? Why did they save me? Why am I here, wherever here is? And most importantly why me? Unfortunately, I don’t get to ask and he doesn’t answer because there is a sudden knock on the door to my right and then an unfamiliar voice asking if he can come in?

“Ahh, you’re awake. Perfect. How are you feeling dear?” The new man’s voice is softer than Xander’s and sounds older, gentler. My shoulders relax just slightly at his light tone but I’m still so confused where I am and what is going on. When I don’t answer he continues on like it wasn’t an issue. I move my head in the direction of his voice as he speaks knowing there is a bigger threat in the room but needing to take my mind off the possible death, he could cause me. “I’m the doctor that stitched you up last night.” I frown at that. I couldn’t tell what had been done to me with my entire body feeling like it got hit by a mack truck but I can feel my clothes are still the ones I put on after my shower last night. Small mercies, I suppose. “You can call me Doc. You came to me pretty rough looking last night. I see they cleaned up some blood though. Can I take a look at your injuries to make sure everything is looking okay and I didn’t miss anything?”

I continue to sit there in silence, not sure if I can trust Doc if he works with Xander. “How about we start with a formal meeti-“ I hear an intake of breath from in front of me and realize he didn’t know I was blind. My eyes always startle someone when they don’t realize I am not normal. I hear a growl from my left and snap my head in that direction. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. I didn’t mean to offend you, ummm.”

“Wren.” I answer without thinking, tilting my head down so he doesn’t have to look at my creepy eyes without my glasses anymore.

“That’s a pretty name Wren. Like I said, I am Doc. Do you mind if I check the stitches I did last night? You have several on the back of your head, a few on the side of your head. Your lip was also cut up pretty bad but I didn’t think it needed a stitch. Can you tell me what else hurts today?” I hear his voice to my right but I’m too afraid to say anything. Doc must realize I’m uncomfortable because I hear a soft hum before he speaks again. “Xander, do you mind stepping out while I check Wren over?” His question sounds innocent but Xander doesn’t think so.

“I am not leaving her alone with you. I am not leaving period, so do what you need to do and don’t fuck it up.” His voice is deep, anger pulsing through it, like Doc even asking the question was absurd. I jump at what sounds like a threat in his tone. The machine next to me starts to beep loud and erratically as I try to calm my racing heart.

“Mr. Ashford, you are scaring the young lady. If you want me to do my job, you will step out of the room and allow me to calm her down and make sure I didn’t miss anything last night. I am sure she is in lots of pain and you are preventing me from easing it.” Doc says in a sterner voice, making sure Xander knows he is serious. I could hear the nervousness in his voice earlier but now it’s all business. You could cut the tension in the room with a butter knife, it’s so thick. I assume there is some sort of stare off happening and I let out a small groan of pain as I shift positions. “Maybe you could get her some clean clothes or something to eat? The pain medication I will be giving her will upset her stomach if she doesn’t eat.” He adds and Xander must finally fold.

“I will be back in fifteen minutes.” I sit still, listen as footsteps lead away from me before I hear a door open. I don’t hear it close so I decide to stay quiet in case anyone is listening just outside.

“Please untie me.” I say, wiggling and proving once again I am restrained. I feel hands immediately start to undo the strap across my chest, jumping slightly but hiding it behind rubbing my arms where the band just was.

“Wren, can you tell me what happened last night? How did you get so banged up?” He asks and I tense up. Can I trust him? Can he help me get out of here? The beeping starts up again and I hear a soft curse. “Hey, breathe Wren. I’m not going to hurt you. I promise. I just need to know what happened and if you might have been damaged anywhere else?” I snort at that.

“My whole body hurts.”

Chapter twenty

Wren

I decided if I have any chance of escape I might as well tell Doc what happened and hope he can help me get out. I tell him mostly everything. I can’t trust him or anyone for that matter so I tell him how I was rushing up the stairs to my apartment thinking I heard someone behind me and that’s how I fell the first time injuring my lip and side of my head. I explained I went and showered because I didn’t think I hurt it that bad, even though I felt all the blood. I told him about packing and rushing around the room after getting dressed and that I was about to leave the apartment when I heard someone behind me, scaring me and then making me trip over my own two feet because a blind woman is clumsy, of course. He laughed at that but then tried to cover it with a cough.

“I knocked myself out when I tripped and that’s the last thing I remember. Where am I anyways?” I ask since Xander wasn’t telling me anything.

“Oh, Mr. Adler had called me and I showed up right as Mr. Ledger was pulling you out of his back seat. You are at Mr. Ashford estate but Mr. Ledger and Mr. Adler both live here as well.” I frown. Who is Mr. Ledger? What happened to Jax? I swear I heard him last night, was I wrong?

“I would like to go home now please.” I say as I toss my legs over the bed placing my feet down on the cold floor. I push myself up and a sharp intense pain shoots through my right ankle. Gravity decides to take full control and I reach my arms and hands out in a desperate attempt at not hurting myself further but only catching empty air. I can tell Doc sees the inevitable as I hear him yell out but before I can land face first once again two strong arms wrap around me and whip me up and against a firm chest.

“I got you, Princess.” Jax. His voice is the same as yesterday in the coffee shop and last night in my apartment. I suck in a deep breath, it was him. “I’m not going to hurt you.” He says softly as he leans down and sets me gently back on the bed. His voice sounds tender and kind of pained, almost like he is upset that I think he might hurt me.

“Why were you there? In my apartment?” I hear him step away as I ask the question, I feel like I already know the answer to but I have to know for sure. He was so different at the coffee shop so, I don’t know, not “I’ve killed a man in an alley before” kind of guy. He was nervous and what I thought was shy yesterday morning. I thought for half a second he sounded familiar but I just assumed I’ve heard him at the shop before.

I lay there in silence as my mind starts to fill with other insane possibilities. He just happened to be there at the same time as me. Xander and Maverick didn’t know I needed an investor. Maybe this is all just some crazy dream nightmare thing and I’ll be waking up any second. A few minutes pass and no one says a word but I can hear who I think is Doc moving around behind me.

“Wren, can I check these stitches now?” Doc’s calm voice says from beside me and I just nod. “Thank you. You will feel my hands move across your head. Does anything else hurt now?” I wince as he slowly starts to bend my neck and separates my hair to get a better view at the back.

“Careful with her.” Jax barks out making me jump and cry out more as my head hits Doc’s hands. “Shit, I’m sorry princess. I just don’t like seeing you like this.” I hear shuffling and imagine Jax is leaving but then a large warm hand grips mine. “Squeeze if it hurts.” I yank my hand away.

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