Page 17 of Hunted (Desert Island Duet #2)

I turn on the tap and clean my hands first, then scoop up some water to drink.

I’m not sure if the tap water here is drinkable, but it’s got to be better than the island.

I decide to only have a few sips before I start scrubbing at my face.

I use as much soap as I can, enjoying the feeling of being clean. I wish I could shower right now, too.

I scrub at my arms and make sure I have no more blood or dirt left showing on my skin.

But my clothes are disgusting. Reaching into one of the side pockets on my cargo pants, I pull out my wallet.

It’s been sitting there, unused for months.

It got wet when I landed in the ocean, but it dried out a long time ago, and now I’m extremely pleased I hadn’t lost it or left it in the hut.

When I exit the washroom, there’s a staircase directly in front of me and I decide to go down to the main floor where there’s likely a gift shop.

I’m pleasantly surprised when a nurse directs me to it, and it’s just around the corner. What’s even better is that they sell clothing.

I grab a shopping basket and quickly pick out some scrub pants for the five of us and then seek out the t-shirts.

Unfortunately, there are no plain ones, they’re all covered in inspirational quotes.

At first, I’m annoyed by them, but then some of them start to resonate, making me think of Darla.

I decide to pick ones that are messages meant for her to hear.

The one I choose for myself says: You are braver than you believe . Because she is, and I want her to know that. I quickly find ones for the other guys, but finding one for Darla is a little harder.

I move to another rack and a bright pink shirt grabs my attention. Pulling it out, I read I'm a limited edition — handle with care .

Perfect.

I shove it in my basket along with the others, then move to the fridges lining the back wall.

Fuck, I haven’t had a cold drink in so long.

I grab a bunch of bottles of water, not bothering to count them as I make my way to the cashier.

I grab some granola bars, so we have something to snack on while we wait.

I doubt any of us will want to eat a meal until we know Darla’s out of surgery and awake.

The last thing I grab is a backpack with the hospital logo on it, so we have something to put our stuff in.

I hold my breath when I insert my visa card, praying it wasn’t cancelled, and am relieved when it pings in approval.

I take my bags and quickly head back upstairs, going back to the bathroom and changing into my new clothes.

I wish they had underwear in the gift shop, but new pants and a shirt will have to do for now.

When I get to the waiting room, the other three are there. Reece is pacing and the other two jump up when they see me.

“She’s in surgery,” I tell them before they start asking questions.

I drop the bags on two chairs and pull out water bottles, handing them each one. They all take them and greedily drink as I do the same.

“Granola bars.” I point to one bag. “Shirts and pants,” I tell them, pointing to the other. “There’s a bathroom just around the corner on your right.”

Bower reaches into the bag and pulls out a shirt, holding it up as he reads, "You are someone's reason to smile."

King grabs one for himself. "Believe in miracles.” He looks up at me as he asks, “What are these?”

“There wasn’t much selection of clothing in the gift shop, so I picked ones I thought could be messages for Darla. ”

He glances at my shirt, reading it before a smile pulls at his lips.

“Good idea.” He grabs a pair of pants, looks at the size, then tosses them at Bower before reaching back in for a smaller size.

The two of them take their clothes and head to the washroom as Reece reaches in and pulls out the pink shirt.

“That one’s for Darla,” I tell him.

He takes a moment to read the front of it, his hands tightening on the fabric as he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

“She’s gonna be okay, Reece.” I take a seat and another sip of water.

His eyes narrow on me as he replies. “You don’t know that.”

“Her pulse was strong the whole way here. It didn’t weaken at all. Besides, you know she’s strong. After everything she’s survived, you know she can survive this, too.”

He watches me for a moment, like he’s trying to figure out if he believes me. But he stays silent, the tension only breaking when he turns away, putting Darla’s shirt back in the bag and pulling out his own clothes.

He doesn’t bother reading it as he heads to the bathroom. I lean back and close my eyes, wondering how long it’s going to take them to fix Darla.

I grab a granola bar and start munching on it slowly, but it tastes like cardboard.

The others come back one at a time, wearing their new clothes, and I show them the backpack where they can stash their old ones.

Although I’m not sure why none of us are just throwing them out. They aren’t salvageable at this point.

Everyone takes a seat around the room as we wait in silence, all of us lost in our own heads. And when someone in a white lab coat steps into the room, we all jump to our feet on alert .

“Is she okay?” Bower asks as we all watch the man nervously.

“Did you all come in on the helicopter with the blonde woman?”

“Darla, and yes, that was us,” Reece tells him.

“Darla…” the man says slowly as he writes that down on the clipboard he’s holding. “Right. I’m Dr. Rahar. I was Darla’s surgeon. She’s out of surgery now and is stable.”

We release a collective breath as Reece starts in with the questions. “What were the injuries? Were there any complications? When will she wake up?”

Dr. Rahar looks around at the four of us, assessing our appearance as he narrows his eyes at Reece and asks, “And how do you know Miss… Darla?”

“We’re her family,” Reece says through clenched teeth.

“Brothers?” he asks, his eyes bouncing between us all.

“No.” He doesn’t elaborate, and the doctor narrows his eyes once more.

“Well, without some sort of proof of relationship to her, I’m afraid I can’t give you more information.”

“Can we at least see her?” Bower asks desperately, but the doctor shakes his head.

“Not without ID or her confirmation that she wants you there.”

Reece takes a menacing step towards him, his hands clenching into fists at his side.

“Look, Dr. Rahar, that woman in there has been stranded on a deserted island by herself for fifteen fucking years.” The doctor’s eyes widen as he continues.

“The four of us are the only people in the entire world that she knows. She suffers from panic attacks, and lord knows how she will respond to waking up in a hospital room. ”

He takes another step towards him, leaning down as he growls.

“Maurice Benson. Google me. You’ll see I’m not a man to make an enemy of.

I promise you that the four of us did not harm her, nor would we ever.

And if she wakes up without us, and freaks out, I will sue this hospital and everyone in it. ”

The doctor swallows heavily, taking a small step back.

“Do you understand?”

He nods quickly, his eyes bouncing around and avoiding Reece as he replies, “Y-yes. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize the extent of her situation.

Come with me and I’ll bring you to her room.

” He turns on his heel and I quickly grab our stuff and follow the others as the doctor leads us up a flight of stairs and along two hallways.

He pushes into a large room that is oddly empty of the woman we’re all looking for.

He turns to us quickly as he speaks. “I’ll have them bring her in here right away. She is in a smaller room right now, and I think this one will be much more appropriate for her recovery.”

He scurries out, and we all turn to Reece as Bower huffs out a laugh. “Good job, man!” He slaps Reece on the back, and I move over to the long bench in front of a large window, setting the bags down before turning to face the others.

We don’t have to wait long before Dr. Rahar pushes the doors open and is followed by a team of nurses surrounding a stretcher. The second I get a glimpse of her, my heart leaps in my chest.

She has oxygen going into her nose and an IV drip in her arm. She still looks peaceful, like she's merely sleeping.

As the nurses get her into place, hooking up at the monitors, Dr. Rahar turns to us.

“Her surgery went smoothly. There were no complications. She was lucky, the bullet missed her organs and bones. One inch to the right and it would have missed her completely. One inch to the left, and it might be a different story. She’s under heavy sedation right now, but I see no reason to keep her under.

When they wear off, she will start to wake up.

That could be a few hours, or it could be tomorrow. It’s hard to say.”

I turn to look at her, hoping I don’t have to wait until tomorrow to see those beautiful eyes.

“Once she’s awake, it will be easier to control her pain medication as she can tell us how she’s feeling.”

“How about moving? Can she walk?” King asks.

“It’s best to keep her immobile for two weeks to let the stitches fully heal.”

“Two weeks?!” Reece exclaims, glancing at the rest of us. “We’re hoping to get back to the states as soon as possible. If we have her on a stretcher the whole time, would it be possible to fly her home sooner?”

“Well, technically, she can stand and walk. But the less she does, the better. She has a catheter in right now, and I would strongly advise keeping her in that bed for at least forty-eight hours. After that, we’ll remove it and see how she does walking to the bathroom and back.

If she can do that without pulling her stitches, I’ll sign off on her release.

But keeping her laying down for as much of the two weeks as possible is ideal. ”

“Thank you, Doc,” Bower says as the nurses leave. He moves to her side, so I grab a chair and sit opposite, covering her hand with mine.

Reece and Dr. Rahar exchange a few more words before I hear the door close. Then Reece and King come to stand beside us, and we all watch her, silently hoping she’ll wake up any moment.