Page 39 of Hunted

“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 nocomplications. 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.

Chapter twelve

Reece

“West, did you notice if that gift shop sold cell phones?” I ask, my mind racing through ideas of how to get us home.

“I didn’t see any, no.”

Moving to the window, I glance out and see a few stores across the street. “I’m going to go see if I can get one.”

“Do you have your wallet?” West asks, making me stop in my tracks. My hands go to my pockets, but I already know the answer. No. I lost mine ages ago.