Page 175 of Protecting Peyton

“Clean lateral surface lacerations,” Mindy answered.

“I want to go home.” All I really wanted was Zane.

“How did these happen?” He asked looking at Mindy.

I answered for her. “A maniac.”

Larson nodded. “We’ll deal with those second. Let’s start with the CT.” The doctor then was called to assess another patient.

I’d been cycledthrough the CAT scan room, had my cuts tended to, and only had to wait on the results of my scan to be able to get out of here.

Dr. Holland, the same woman who’d seen me last time I was here, shifted the curtain aside and walked into my exam area. “The CT won’t take much longer.” She approached and reached for my neck. “May I?”

I nodded and turned my head.

She lifted the bandage to check out the cut on my neck.

I squinted into the overhead light and shivered as the moment Lucifer had threatened to slit my throat almost overwhelmed me.

“Does the light bother you?”

“A little.” I knew it wasn’t a good sign.

“I’ll have them re-bandage this. And as much as you enjoyed your last time here, you really should stop banging your head around just to get to see me,” Dr. Holland joked.

I gave her a wan smile. “It wasn’t my fault this time either.” She lifted the hospital gown they’d put on me to examine my cuts. “How did this happen?”

“The Boyfriend,” were the only words I got out before a coughing fit overcame me.

“Boyfriend, huh?”

Just then, the curtain shifted, and my mood improved a million-fold.

Zane walked in.

CHAPTER 42

Zane

It suckedthat I had to do this, but it was all about her safety.

I never hesitated when called upon to jump out of a perfectly good airplane at thirty thousand feet at night in the freezing cold and free-fall over enemy territory, but this scared the shit out of me.

After asking the desk nurse where she was and getting told her exam space number, I spent a good five minutes in the waiting area, getting my nerve up to face Peyton, the woman I couldn’t live with or without.

I had to get this done before Duke and Serena arrived.

Serena would probably tell Duke to kick my ass for what I was about to do, and it was already going to be hard enough without that hassle.

As soon as I pulled open the curtain, my Peyton gifted me one of her wonderful smiles. “Zane.”

The doctor blocked my path and appraised me with an ice-cold stare. “You can’t be in here.” She shoved my shoulder. “Out now.”

“No. It wasn’t him. I want him to stay.”

The doctor stopped pushing me and turned back to Peyton. “You said boyfriend.”

“The Boyfriend Strangler,” Peyton said. “Zane saved me from the criminal.”