Page 21 of The Mountain Man's Determined Bride
“Maybe we should let the hospital know not to let her in to see Morgan if she shows up.”
“Yeah I agree. I’ll call as soon as we hang up.”
After a lengthy and in depth conversation with the hospital about restricting visitors, Luke was almost home and dead on his feet. Barely able to keep both eyes open, he turned into the long drive that led to his homestead.
Staring longingly at his bed and as tired as he was, unfortunately sleep was the furthest thing from his mind. Convinced a shower would be more useful to him come morning, he kicked off his boots then jeans and flung his coat and t-shirt on the floor and fell into bed. He made sure his cell was charging and the volume on its highest level in case the hospital called, then he turned off the light. His mind too him back to the last time they’d shared a bed and as sleep consumed him, he prayed the last time wouldn’t betheirlast.
Chapter Seventeen
Morgan stood at the window, supported with extremely uncomfortable non-padded crutches watching for Luke’s truck to pull in the lot. She’d called him over an hour ago and woke him up. She felt a little bad for doing it but she was ready to go home.
A knock on the wood entryway had her expressing her joy at his arrival before she’d fully turned around. “Oh, I thought you were someone else.” As if trying to protect or guard herself, Morgan moved away from the window to the other side of the bed. “What are you doing here?”
“Now is that any way to treat your best friend?” The visitor pushed the door mostly closed and moved further into the private sleeping area.
“We are not best friends Margie. We haven’t been in a very long time and I don’t see it happening in the near future either. I’m not sure what you’re doing here or what you could possibly want from me but you can leave now!” To emphasize the finality of her demand, Morgan locked her fingers across her chest as best she could and turned her back on her ex-best friend.
She didn’t hear footsteps again or a door clicking in place from being shut but a voice suddenly whispered into her ear at the same moment she felt something hard poke into the middle of her back.
“What’s going on…?”
“Shut up Morgan, it’s my turn to talk now and if you eventhinkabout screaming, I’ll shoot you and be gone before they ever have a clue what happened.”
Oh my God, really?Morgan began to panic now. Never in her wildest dreams would she think Margie capable of pulling a stunt like this but her best instincts told her this was serious and that was a gun stuck in the middle of her spine. Margie wasn’t bluffing and this sure wasn’t the friend she remembered.
Cooperation was the key, that and a lot of prayers. Luke had to be showing up any minute and she’d love him forever if he could make it right now.
“Alright, I already know they released you and I told the nurse’s desk I was your sister and would be taking you home, I just never specified whose home. Have a seat in that wheel chair and we’ll be on our way.”
Was she being serious right now?This cannot be happening.Hurrying as fast as her crutches would carry her, she made it to the wheel chair. Struggling with the sitting part, she managed to prop her casted leg on the kick plate where the feet rest. Margie dropped the duffle bag into her lap them pushed her into the hallway.
“Remember, don’t try anything stupid.” She pushed the gun into the base of Morgan’s neck and bent down close in order to use her arms to help steer.
“I don’t understand Margie. What did I do to you?”
“What did you do to me? Little Miss Princess in her own little world, I’m not surprised you have no clue. You walk around like you’re God’s gift to men. Everybody stares, they all want a piece of the unattainable orphan. Oh but wait, there is one certifiable idiot who for some reason is blinded by your holier-than-thou Queen of Sheba bullshit. I never did understand what he saw in you but that won’t matter after today now will it?”
Tears hovered at the edges of her lashes, afraid someone would notice and approach them but equally afraid Margie had gone off the deep end and was taking her somewhere to kill her. Both women had gone right past the front desk at the main entrance and no one, not one person had noticed the gun pushing into her skin. She never should have agreed to be checked out early.
After roughly being loaded into a beat up truck, the tears ran freely and Morgan could only thing of Luke as she watched the medical center become further and further way.
* * * *
Luke could hardly contain himself as he approached the hospital. Morgan had called early and woke him up to tell him she’d been released and was ready to leave. He stumbled out of bed and rushed through a hot shower, poured out a weakly made pot of coffee and ran out the door. Even though she’d told him she’d call, he feared the prerogative to change her mind would have her calling her Uncle Bill to get her instead.
“Hey watch it! Damn women drivers.” A truck going faster than usual blew right through the stop sign at the entrance. As it went by, the passenger looking through the back glass window caused him to do a double-take. It looked just like Morgan. “Nah, it couldn’t be. She’s waiting inside.” He hurried to park and run in the rotating double doors, sprinting down the hallway to make sure Morgan was still there.
“Excuse me sir?”
Luke turned to see an on-duty nurse he recognized from a few nights ago.
“Oh, sorry, I’m just here to pick up Morgan Masters. She called me a little while ago.” He continued walking toward her room.
“Sir. Please sir, she’s already gone.”
“What? What do you mean gone? She calledmeto pick her up. Why would she be gone?”
The nurse looked genuinely unaware. Shaking her head, she explained that she’d just come on shift and Morgan was already gone.