Caroline heard Jameson’s voice and instantly knew death didn’t take her. By the second day in the cage, she no longer felt the cold. As if they forgot all about her, Caroline assumed she met her end. Like an abandoned animal, she sat in her own filth, mud dried and matted to her hair, as she huddled on the ground, hoping to fall asleep and never wake up.
She heard muted voices, and when they removed her from her prison, she felt too weak to cry out in pain from staying in the same position for hours. Her chest hurt, and Caroline struggled to breathe. The warm cloth pressed to her face sent her nerve endings into overload. The welts on her back pulled and stung. Her eyes refused to open, but she felt the warm blanket cover her, making her feel safe.
Safe. A word she no longer believed possible. Cain taught her there wasn’t any place in the world where he didn’t have eyes to find her. After all, he discovered her four times without much effort. She believed him.
Then, Jameson’s deep voice filtered through her brain as he whispered, “Keep fighting, Caroline. You’re safe now. No one will hurt you again.”
Her body refused to cooperate, so she lay in silence until the plane landed.
The four women Cain brought to the house deplaned first, then a woman examined her.
“Hello, Caroline. I don’t know if you can hear me, but I’m a friend of Jameson’s. I’m here to examine you with a friend of mine, Dr. Welsh.”
A man knelt beside her, listening to her chest.
“We’ll need an X-ray to confirm, but it sounds like pneumonia. We’ll need a plastic surgeon to inspect her back,” he advised.
“Do you think we can set her up at the ranch?” Dr. Greene asked. “The fewer people who know, the better we can protect her.”
“Let’s take her to the ranch, and if she worsens, we can fly her out,” he suggested. “If we can get her started on antibiotics, we have a good chance of clearing the lungs. Her back will need special care,” Dr. Welsh said as he covered her.
“I’ll have Rebecca fly someone here,” Dr. Greene told him before turning to Jameson. “I brought the medical van to ensure we have everything. Can you carry her to it? The others can ride in the second vehicle.”
Caroline felt Jameson lift her while his friend followed, holding the IV. She felt mortified they even touched her, knowing she stunk beyond measure. It felt easier to let her body shut down than to think about what she resembled or how bad she smelled.
Jameson lay her on a cot, and the van drove away. It felt like forever before it slowed, and he lifted her again.
“You’re home, Caroline. You’ll be safe here,” he murmured, kissing her forehead before laying her on the hospital bed.
Bright lights jerked her away as two people pulled and tugged on her body. Someone shone a light in her eyes, checked herears, and her throat. Caroline tried to scream at them to stop, but only whimpers came from her throat.
A warm hand held hers as Jameson spoke softly in her ear. “I’m right here, sweetheart. Dr. Greene needs to check your body for any injuries,” he informed her. “Stop fighting, I’m watching over you. No one will hurt you again as long as I can help it.”
Caroline didn’t realize she struggled against them, and his words relaxed her. She let her body surrender to the dark.
Garrett enteredthe bedroom where they transferred Caroline, placing a hot meal before Jameson.
“You have to eat,” he insisted. “If you want to help her, you can’t wither away while you wait for her to wake up.”
“Dr. Greene started IV antibiotics. I don’t understand. We brought her here with no fever, and now she’s burning up. I’m wiping her down with cool rags, and they gave her something for it, and it keeps climbing higher,” he said, voicing his frustration.
“Easy, brother,” Garrett said, staring down at Caroline. “You know firsthand what she’s gone through. Like all the survivors, she’s half-starved, beaten, and the bastards left her out in the rain during a thunderstorm. I can’t imagine how scared she must’ve felt while lightning lit up the sky. I bet the assholes got a laugh at making her feel like an animal and defenseless while she sat in a metal cage.”
“I can’t go there, man. Every time I think of how Cain treated her, my blood pressure rises. This makes me…”
“I know what you mean,” Garrett sympathized. “How about you take a shower and get some rest? Riley and I will watch over her. Tara slept over at Rachel and Matthew’s with Kara. They’revolunteering tomorrow at the clubhouse, watching the kids, and making crafts.”
“I’m not leaving her. You resemble a bear. Imagine waking up and seeing you at her bedside. We saved her to heal her, not give her a heart attack,” Jameson snarked.
“Ha. You’re funny. Riley will be with me. It might be good to speak with another female about what she’s experienced,” Garrett suggested, pushing the tray closer to Jameson.
Rubbing his forehead, Jameson let out a long sigh. “Fine. I’ll eat, shower, and change. I’ll sleep in the chair. When she wakes, I want her to see me. I need her to know I never stopped searching,” he confessed.
“There’ll be time for a frank discussion. You need to assure her she’s safe here. Did Dr. Greene say anything about her prognosis?”
“Caroline has pneumonia for starters,” Jameson picked up a spoon and dug into the hearty beef stew and fresh bread. “They cleaned and removed the remnants of her shirt from the welts. They added cream and covered them. If I ever see Cain again, I’ll…”
“I’ll help you do it. No one deserves this sort of treatment,” Garrett agreed.
