“What? Is Brandon okay? Did someone else get hurt?” her voice rose.
“Brandon is in DC. The doctors are operating. No one else was hurt. This is about you. The CT scan showed something unexpected. We can see a soft tissue mass in your uterus. We need to do some more testing. Ellie, were you ever pregnant?”
The monitor alarmed with her sky-rocketing heartbeat. “I can’t…I can’t.” She burst into tears.
“Ellie, okay. Breathe with me. Two milligrams Ativan, now,” Sam Baker ordered. “It was a basic medical history question. We didn’t mean to alarm you.”
“Darlin’, it doesn’t matter how it got there; at least let us investigate it,” Tuck asked.
“No…leave it alone. Stitch me up and let me go back to work,” she begged.
“Okay, we will talk again,” Sam Baker said. He spent the next half hour closing her wound.
* * *
“Iwant eyes on her,” Wes said to TJ.
“Why would Desi do that?” TJ asked.
“There was more to it than bullying. What was she accomplishing? Was it to make Ellie want to run, more than she already does? I don’t trust Starr either. His job is to protect her, but there’s something else...” Wes slammed his desk.
Troy knocked and entered. “They finished suturing her up. She’s insisting on going back to work.”
“Great,” Wes sounded defeated.
“Baker says she needs to rest,” Troy added.
“Even better. I’ll deal with her.” Wes left his office.
Wes stepped inside Eleanor’s room. In the dim light, he could see her looking at him. “Hey, Curly.” He pulled up a seat beside her.
“Tell them to let me go back to work,” she begged.
Taking her hand between his, he kissed her palm. “It’s about one o’clock. Close your eyes and rest. I’ll wake you up at six. We will share a meal and see where you’re at. What do you need done with the horses?”
“Prince Valiant…they killed him,” she sobbed. Her shoulders bowed and shook.
“I know. I’m so sorry. We will bury him when the necropsy is done. Bert is alright. And Linus is a hero…he protected you.” He slid the backs of his fingers along her cheek.
“I need to call Lance Starr.” She turned her head away from him.
“He’s here. Kieran Chase was in touch with him,” Wes admitted.
“Oh.” Her voice was flat.
“Tell me about the horses. What do I need to do for tomorrow?” He cocked his head.
Eleanor swallowed hard. “Have a team meeting. Make sure the horses are groomed. Double-check all the tack. Make sure they have their treatment plans ready.”
“You got it. Anything else?” Wes asked.
“Confirm our participants,” Eleanor whispered.
Wes nodded. “Okay, I’ll let you rest now.”
“Thank you.” She closed her eyes, effectively ending the conversation.
