He paused. “I swear I didn’t send Brody to Hannah’s room.”
Leo chuckled. “She didn’t say anything about it. She only asked to see you.”
His head stopped throbbing as his chest filled with anticipation. She didn’t seem as angry at him as she did before.
“I’ll drive him,” Patch volunteered. “I think he hurt his head.”
“Why?” Cole ranted good-naturedly. “Haven’t you taught Sparky how to drive blind yet? I think you need to bring her with us. I want Doc to ensure she can’t see. Those punches hurt. Good job, Sparky.”
She grinned from ear to ear. “Thanks, Cole. Don’t you have a call sign?”
Cole paused before opening the door. “Yeah. They called me Bone. All the dogs loved me and when Brody stuck to my side, they used to say ‘oh here comes the dog with the bone.”
Scarlett shook her head. “I don’t like it. Leo, he needs a new name.”
“You know it doesn’t work that way. He has to earn it,” Leo said. “I have a feeling he’ll be with us for a while. We’ll have time to come up with one.”
Cole walked down the hall. His eye throbbed and his head pounded, yet he couldn’t stop smiling. The team made him one of the guys and even though he got his ass beat by a blind woman, she had his six. What more could a guy ask for? Hannah’s eyes flashed before him as he walked to Patch’s truck and got in. He wanted Hannah to come out of her room and participate in life. As he thought about it more, it turned from a want to a desperate wish.
CHAPTER 12
Hannah glanced out the window,watching the leaves fall from the tree. Cole and his dog never came in to see her, making her believe she dreamed them. The days passed with visits from Kassie, Dr. Meyers, and Scarlett, and she wanted to ask where the handsome man with the blue eyes and his dog went. But her body refused to cooperate. It refused to let her beg for anything. She screamed and pleaded with her captors as they tortured and raped her. When she realized they got off on hearing her cries, she went silent. The longer she stayed, the more her body built concrete walls around her heart, mind, and soul.
“Hello, Hannah,” Kassie greeted her. “The nurses says you’re not eating again. Can I get you something else?”
Hannah didn’t reply. She drifted back to her dreary world.
“We’re celebrating Thanksgiving next Thursday. How about we get you out of this room and you join us for dinner?” she asked. “I won’t be here over the next few days. We’re taking the kids and the grans on a little trip. We want to spend Thanksgiving Day here with everyone. Your mom called and asked if you needed anything. She’s planning their trip to visit you.”
Hannah continued to watch the trees. She missed them when she stayed in the desert. Fall always brought color and beauty. Now, she wished to become like one of the remaining leaves on the trees and drift away with the winter wind.
A whine caught her attention and Cole’s dog pressed against her hand. Her fingers attempted to curl and scratch his head. He must not have felt it as he let out a series of groans and growls, trying to get her attention. His sweet head lay in her lap as his big, soft brown eyes stared at her.
Then Cole entered, appearing flustered. He said something, but she didn’t hear him. Hannah struggled to grasp Brody’s fur. She wanted, no, needed to feel something. Then, he tugged the beautiful animal away from her.
She watched as they left the room. Kassie picked up the brush and removed the hairband. She brushed through Hannah’s thick, brown mass. “Your hair needs a trim. If you don’t mind, I can ask Samantha, a friend of mine, to come do it for you.”
Hannah stared at the door. Wanting the dog to return and perhaps even Cole, she tuned Kassie out.
“Dr. Meyers and Scarlett will be dropping in to check on you while I’m away. Think about Thanksgiving. We can use an extra hand with all these teens running around. Imagine your parents’ faces when they come to see you and you’re talking. What a wonderful surprise. Have a great weekend, Hannah and I’ll see you when I return.”
Kassie left her alone. It didn’t matter. Even when people entered her room, she felt the same way. Nothing seemed able to penetrate the rigid walls until she met Brody with his cute little pinecone gift. Did Cole throw it away?
An hour later, a nurse entered with her dinner. Hannah didn’t even lift the lid. In her mind, she dreamed of the creamy mac and cheese, recalling the taste on her tongue. Everythingelse reminded her of the stale, moldy bread, and dirty water they forced her to drink.
Another hour ticked slowly by and an aide picked up the tray and left.
Time ticked slowly by as Hannah breathed and watched the clock, knowing the nurse wouldn’t show for another two hours with her meds. Then, two hours later, they’d return to help her to bed, making the nightmares in her head come to life in the dark. The evening sky grew darker earlier, leaving her nothing to watch.
On the other side of the hospital, Kassie greeted Cole and Brody. She let him sit in her office while she examined his eye and sent for more ice.
“Thank you for seeing me. If it’s about earlier, I promise Brody meant no harm and I didn’t let him loose,” he said while she poked around the tender spots, making him wince.
“Who did this to you?” she demanded.
“Sparky,” he confessed.
Kassie grinned. “I’ll be damned. I owe Patch a twenty.”
