I nod, not really paying attention.
“Is there any possibility you could be pregnant?” the doctor asks.
I almost say no, but then I think back. My period should have started today. “I'm not sure,” I say instead.
“We'll do a pregnancy test before the x-rays,” he says. I watch him leave. I relish the quiet silence once he leaves. I want to be alone. If I close my eyes and hold perfectly still, I can almost pretend that nothing happened. That it was all just a bad dream. And that's all I want it to be.
“Vesper?”
John Norwood is here for me, I think as I startle awake. I claw at the thin sheet, desperate to pull it around me and hid until I realize that Mr. Norwood wouldn't call me Vesper. I take a deep breath to slow the pounding of my heart, but I'm surprised that I was able to sleep at all.
The light turns on and the curtain opens. It's Dante, not Norwood. I'm safe. He closes the curtain behind him.
Dante's eyes take in the bruises and bandages and anger curls the edges of his mouth. As his gaze goes to mine, he sees the fear still lingering in the corners of my eyes. Concern fills his eyes and anger flashes that someone would do this to me.
He's dangerous with that look.
Dante sits carefully on the edge of my bed, the anger gone from his eyes as quickly as it came. He leans forward and carefully kisses my hairline. It's the one place on my entire body that doesn't hurt and I'm glad he's the one that found it.
“What happened?” he asks. His voice is low and soothing.
“I thought I was meeting Senator Grayson,” I tell him. “I told Ethan to stay in the car. I didn't want to spook him. I wanted to prove that I could be a boss on my own.”
Shame heats my cheeks. It was such a stupid thing to do. I don't even really know why I did it. It just seemed right at the time.
“It wasn't Grayson.” I am an idiot. I should have suspected something. I should have fought back harder. I should have done a lot of things differently.
Dante growls. “I'll kill him.”
Cold fire burns in his blue eyes. Dante is my protector. He will make this right. He won't let this go unpunished. Dante will make sure I'm safe. I know this. The first tear of the night slides down my cheek, stinging the angry skin as it falls.
“I'd like that,” I whisper. I mean it. “It was John Norwood. The man I think killed my mother.”
“He's a dead man,” Dante assures me. I fold into his arms, feeling momentarily safe against his strong chest. I'm going to call Mr. Norwood's bluff. Dante is going to kill him and I'll finally be free.
What if it's not a bluff? The voice asks, but I ignore it.
“Let me take you home,” Dante says.
I nod, suddenly anxious to be home with my own things instead of trapped by wires and IVs. Dante opens the curtain and I see Ethan standing guard. Dante nods to him and Ethan goes to pick up my meager belongings from the plastic ch
air next to the gurney as Dante picks me up.
Together, my two protectors take me home.
Chapter 22
I wake in my own bed, and for a moment, I'm sure that the whole night was just a bad dream. Then I hear Dante yelling in the other room and I frown. The frown sends a streak of pain across my face and I sigh, knowing that it wasn't just a nightmare.
I sit up slowly. Luckily, all the x-rays came back negative. They seemed strangely concerned with having me cover my torso with the lead apron, but I had been to tired to care. A minor concussion, fourteen stitches on my face and twelve on the back of my head, and a full suite of bruises. The emotional trauma was just as bad. My pride is bruised as much as my body.
I see a voicemail on my phone.
“Ms. Savio. This is the doctor from last night. I need to speak with you when you get a chance. Please call me at this number.”
I frown a little. I hope they didn't find anything else wrong with my labs and tests after I left. I'd call them once I had some food.
I slither out of bed, trying to move as little as possible. I go to the living room to find Dante staring out the window, his fist balled up tight against the glass. He turns as he hears the bedroom door.