Page 57 of Blissful Devotion

“I don’t know. I think she might have had a panic attack or something.” He doesn’t slow in his stride as he climbs back onto the boat we used to get here, and the rest of us follow.

Vince had been the one to drive us, but something tells me he won’t be giving up Kat right now, so I quickly move behind the wheel. He gives me a nod of thanks before collapsing into the seat beside me with a sigh I feel in my bones.

I’d been worried that us going after Trigger would have given Lorenzo a heads-up, and he might have moved or worse.

The only sound is the wind and the hum of the boat's motor as we head back to the mainland. I can’t help but glance his way every few minutes, needing to see Kat to reassure myself she’s actually here, and I didn’t just imagine this.

The others stand around, not exactly on top of Vince, but close, and I almost regret my decision to drive.

“She was locked in one of the cellar rooms…” His gaze is fixed on her face, his lips pulled down in a frown as he watches her, and I know he’s reliving whatever he just experienced.

“It was dark and cold, and I could tell she’d been crying from how puffy and red her eyes were.”

Desmond groans, sounding like a kicked puppy, and I can’t say the mental image didn’t hit me right in the gut too. Even more so now that I’ve laid eyes on her again. She’s somehow both smaller and bigger at the same time.

It’s impossible to miss that she’s pregnant now; her stomach's round, and while I’m relieved the baby seems to be growing well, I can’t say I’m not disappointed that she’s had to endure this alone as well.

Her face looks thinner; has she still been sick? Or was she simply not being fed right?

So much could have happened, might have happened, but she’s here with us now, and I won’t ever let anyone take her from us again.

“She looked at me like she’d never seen me before…”

Vince’s words ring out like a shot in the night, making my head spin and my vision swim.

How is that possible?

“Maybe she was caught off guard…”

“Or just scared. Maybe you read her face wrong.”

Oliver and Des scramble to rationalize it, but Alex stays quiet, and while Vince nods along, I can see he doesn’t really believe it.

I don’t either.

Somehow we make it to the island despite the distress I feel. We pile into the car with Vince still clutching her tight, and this time I can’t bring myself to move away. Desmond hops behind the wheel and gets us to the hospital in minutes. All the while, all I can do is look at the peaceful face of the woman I love more than my own life, who I’d somehow managed to fail so completely.

“Are we sure we shouldn’t take her back home?” Oliver asks, and I know he’s nervous to trust anyone we don’t know with Kat; I get it. Lorenzo left his mark on all of us, taught us a lesson we won’t soon forget.

“Let’s make sure she’s stable, and then we can get her airlifted back home if needed. We don’t know what she went through or what she might need. I don't want to wait to get her help.” Alex doesn’t wait for Oliver’s answer, doesn’t get to see his face pale as he strides into the hospital like he owns the place, demanding help.

It’s been hours; at first, everything was moving quickly as people scrambled to help. Nurses and doctors worked to get Kat a room so they could check her and the baby. She’s dehydrated and underweight but otherwise healthy. They checked the baby's heart rate and said it’s strong, still need to do an ultrasound to be sure.

“She likely blacked out from stress and possibly panic.”

We hadn’t given the doctor the full walkthrough of what happened, but enough for her to properly look Kat over.

“Right now, we’re just waiting on a toxicology screening to be sure.” The doctor hardly finished her sentence before the computer the nurse had rolled in earlier dings, stealing her attention.

I watch her face for a sign that something is wrong, but she’s good at her job; her face remains impassive.

Desmond doesn’t have the same patience as the rest of us do and simply moves to stand behind the doctor, reading over her shoulder.

“What’s scopolamine?”

Dr. Sterling jumps, whirling around to find him looking right over her head.

“Excuse me, you can’t—” she cuts herself off, snapping her mouth shut when Desmond turns his glare down at her.