Lost & Found (Possessed 3)

Pepper, however, hadn’t woken up yet, and that worried them.

James had spent the better part of two hours explaining to his sergeant what the hell he was even doing in an incident like this. While Nick was stuck with a stack of paperwork, Ace had brushed it off the minute the RCMP tried to hand it to him.

He was the only lucky one with no one to officially answer to. So, he waited and drank burnt coffee, and watched as doctors and nurses floated around. But no one came to give him any information on Pepper.

The sun had set hours ago, and he was getting antsy. Murphy’s Law swore that as soon as he left the stuffy room smelling of antiseptic and stale food, someone would come with information. And so, he waited.

He watched other families get news on their loved ones. Sometimes good, usually bad.

He really didn’t want the bad.

The snick of the door opening had his head looking up as a doctor came in the room. “Mr. Wallace?” he asked softly.

“He’s in a conference room. I’m Pepper’s fiancé,” he lied. At least for now.

The doctor eyed Ace up and down, determining his worth before finally answering, “Alright, Mr. …”

“Mitchell.” He reached out to shake the man’s hand. “Ace Mitchell.”

“Ahhh, yes, the not so official deputy.” The doctor nodded. “Okay, here’s the deal. There are no physical marks anywhere on Pepper aside from superficial bruising and a few blisters from her boots. I understand she had to hike quite a ways while being chased?” Ace nodded confirmation, not wanting to imagine how scared she must have been. “Well, this is all normal then.”

“What’s not normal?” He was quick to ask.

“When she was brought in, her body temperature was quite low. Which with all her stress, she wouldn’t have noticed for quite a few more hours, but we’ve controlled that.” Ace’s mind was running in circles. “Her heart rate, though, is still quite low. Much lower than expected for someone so healthy.”

“A few weeks ago, she was attacked and left for dead on the side of the mountain. Sheriff Kelly and I found her before the first big storm,” he explained.

“Did she see a doctor?”

“Yes and no. She woke up with amnesia, and Nick’s neighbor is a doctor, so he came out to see her a couple times. Never said anything more than bruised ribs and a slight concussion.” Fuck, he hoped they hadn’t missed something there.

“Hmm, well, I suppose something could have been missed. Without testing being done, I have nothing to compare to now. In all honesty, deputy, it feels more like she’s taking a rest to heal.”

“That makes sense,” he murmured, more to himself than the doctor. “She saw something pretty horrific up there.”

“The body is a funny thing. In my opinion, I believe Pepper is probably in a healing sleep. Her mind has shut down to block the trauma while her heart is giving her time to move forward. We’ll continue to run tests and monitor her vitals, but it’s a waiting game.”

“Thanks, doctor,” he said as the man left the room.

“Let me know if you need anything or have any questions.” With that, he was gone.

Ace slumped into the chair he’d sat in before. Relief swamped him. Knowing there was nothing seriously wrong was huge. Having her locked in her mind was worrisome.

Nick’s impatience was wearing thin. The constable briefing him and James was irritating the hell out of him. Kept babbling about protocol, and laws, and a bunch of other shit he knew about but had ignored.

It wasn’t important then, and it sure as hell wasn’t now. All he wanted was to see Pepper. She was the only thing important to him.

“Sheriff!” the man snapped.

“What?” he gave him right back, ready to bite the man’s head off if need be.

“You could be written up for your actions,” he threatened.

The problem was, Nick hadn’t exactly done anything wrong, and that’s what was pissing the man off. Neither had James. Since Nick was Sheriff and had given James permission to work the case with him, there was no wrong doing.

“Look, Constable, you have nothing to hang a nail on, or you’d have done it by now. It’s not as though I shot and killed some perp for kicks. This man attacked and left Pepper for dead, tossed her off a fucking mountainside. Then when he learnt she was alive, he came after her. No two which ways about it. She ran into a cave because she feared for her life.”

“It’s not like she can control wild animals,” James helpfully pointed out.