Cupid’s Surprises (A Valentine’s Day Romance Anthology Book 2), page 86
“I thought you needed to see that, Troy. Were you serious about marrying her?” Grant asked me.
“I was.”
“I suggest you get a ring and be ready when she wakes up. It sounds like an entire world of men will be seeking her company. Marry the girl or you’ll lose her.”
I ended the call as his words rang in my ear. ‘Marry her or you’ll lose her.’
I knew he was right, too.
I had told my parents about everything before the news traveled too far. They were shocked and disappointed, but they had my back and promised not to believe any of the crap on television. And they both made me promise to bring her home with me when she was out of the hospital. My mother wasn’t going to have it any other way. She’d nurse her back to health, and I was not to leave Blyss’ side unless she sent me away. And even then, mom would still take care of her.
Dad asked me about my intentions with Blyss, to which I told him I wanted to marry her. He told me I should get to that, then. With my family on my side, I made a call and got the biggest diamond ring I could find from the best jewelry store in Portland. In only a couple of days, I had the ring in my possession and was only waiting for my sleeping beauty to wake up. In the meantime, I made my way to the hospital every morning and every night. I didn’t care about the reporters who were camped out in the parking lot. I smiled and waved at the bastards.
“She’s my love, guys. Sorry.”
That ring stayed with me. If I caught her awake, I wasn’t about to wait to ask her the big question. I wanted things to be solid between us. And I wasn’t about to let her hem haw around about it while millions of men sought her attention. Finally, the day arrived when I caught the doctors leaving her room in the ICU. I stayed back so they wouldn’t see me and I could listen in. One of the doctors was talking to a nurse.
“The medication is to be stopped. Monitor her pain levels and keep us informed of any changes in her vital signs. One of us will be back in a few hours to see how things are going.”
She was being taken off the drugs!
I was set to stay put until she was awake. Maybe, if she asked for me, they’d let me go into her room. Even if all they’d allow me to do was to look at her through the window, I’d take it. After the doctors had cleared out, I went into the small waiting area by the nurses’ desk. Sitting quietly, I watched and counted the nurses that were in there. Five of them were watching over Blyss and the other three patients who were under their protection.
“You guys are a lot like angels,” I said to try to break the ice.
“That’s been said before,” one of the female nurses responded to me.
Not many of the hospital staff were fans of mine. I was the big, bad man who took the little girl to the bad place. If they only knew how much I hadn’t wanted to take her there, then things might’ve been different. I wasn’t about to go spouting off that Blyss wanted to be there. Pointing the finger at the victim isn’t a smart thing to do. But I did plan on letting Blyss know she’d never be stepping foot in a place like that again. Not ever!
I wasn’t going to lay a hand on her again, but I was going to exert my authority over her in other ways. Like making her let me take care of her. And love her. And worship the ground she walked on. In those regards, I’d stay her Dom.
Three hours later, one of the nurses came out and gave me a little smile. “She said your name, Troy.”
I jumped up and begged, “Please let me see her! Please! I’ll give you a million dollars if you’ll just sneak me in to see her!”
She nurse looked around, then wiggled her finger at me. “I don’t want your money. But I will give you a tiny bit of information. The night nurses will be coming in soon. There are scrubs in the closet that’s just outside of the bathroom over there. I’ll put the name, Physician’s Assistant Tad Stevens, down in the book, making evaluations for the Surgeons’ General Office. Maybe you’ll be able to pull off a little visit after we get off. Best if you’re not sitting here, waiting, when the night shift comes in.”
With a nod, I turned to leave. Taking a look at the closet, I turned back to find she was looking away on purpose. Going to it, I grabbed a set of scrubs out and covered them with the blanket I’d brought for Blyss if she did wake up. I was set to make a visit. I just had to wait around for another three hours, then I could finally get to her. I was a ball of energy, to say the least.
The hours ticked by slower than maple syrup in the winter. But finally, I saw the first shift of ICU nurses leaving the hospital from my strategic location near the lobby bathrooms. I had changed a few minutes earlier and had hidden my clothes under the sink in the bathroom. I had the ring in the pocket of my scrubs and was heading to see Blyss. My heart was pounding with each step I took.
It was almost midnight, the hospital was dim, and no one was around except an old security guard who was already snoring as I passed by him. Not that I was worried about him. I was under cover in my scrubs after all. The night shift was quietly whispering as I came into the ICU waiting room. I acted like I was tired, yawning and stretching. “Hey, guys. Tad Stevens from Surgeons’ General …”
“Yeah, man, sign the book and do what you gotta do. We just started our shifts. We have shit to do,” one of the nurses told me. “The paperwork on one of our comas is like a mountain.”
I nodded, scribbled the name in indiscernible writing, then headed down the hallway to find my lady. I found her watching television as she laid in bed. Her eyes were wide open and I nearly fell to my knees in thanks to the Lord above.
“Blyss,” I hissed as I came into her room.
She looked at me for a second before a smile moved over her lips. “Troy!”
Her heart monitor sped up and I put my finger to my lips. “Stay calm, baby. I snuck in here to see you.”
“I’ve been asking for you since I first woke up. They told me only family could come in. I can’t believe you did this. Weren’t you afraid you’d get caught?” She tried to pick up her hand, but was too weak to do it. “I can barely move. They said I’ll have to start therapy in a few days.”
“I’ve missed you,” I said as I ran my hand over her cheek. “I love you, Blyss. Can you ever forgive me?”
She looked at me with blank eyes. “For what?”
“You do know what happened to you, right?”
“Was I in an auto accident? The doctors won’t tell me any more than that I was brought here in bad shape. They had to do surgery to fix me up, and they’ll tell me more when I’m ready to hear it.” Her eyes roamed over my face. “How was it you weren’t hurt too? I had to have been riding with you.”
“You weren’t in an accident. But I don’t want to get into that right now. If the doctors think it’s better to wait, then I’m not about to go against their suggestion.” A sigh escaped as I looked at her. “You have no idea how good it is to see you awake.”
“How long have I been asleep?” she asked as she looked passed me. One of the nurses came in and was looking at all her lines and wires. “Hello, I’m Blyss Danner.”
The male nurse smiled at her. “I know. I’ve been taking care of you for a little over a week. It’s good to see you awake. How do you feel on a scale of one to ten?”
“Um, some things hurt on me. My stomach feels sore, my back is aching, and my throat is sore and dry. Anything we can do about all that?” For a woman in that much pain, she was in good spirits. I was more than a bit surprised.
“I’ll give you a dose of morphine.” The nurse left to get the drug, and I suddenly recalled the fact the Blyss had been addicted to a lot of things when she was born.
“Try not to take too many painkillers, baby. You do remember your problem when you were a baby, right?” I ran my hand over her arm and couldn’t help but notice the red whelps that were still on the back of it. My heart stuttered as I tried to hold back my anger at the man who did that to her.
“Do you think I should tell him not to give me anything? It didn’t occur to me that they don’t know my history. I’m glad you snuck in here. I really could use you here, Troy. I’m so weak, and I’m bored to pieces. Could you bring me some books or something?”
“I’ll bring you an e-reader in the morning, and you can order all the books you want. I’ll set up an account on it. Maybe if you tell your doctors you need me, they’ll decide to allow me in. But it won’t be for long periods of time. Five minutes in the morning and five in the evening.”
“That’s it?” She looked sad, and I hated to see that look on her face.
“It’s okay. It won’t last long. And when you get out of here, I’m taking you home to Napa Valley. My family is dying to meet you and my mother has told me she will be taking care of you until you’re healthy again.”
“How does your family know about me?”
“There’s a ton to tell you, baby.”
The nurse came back with the morphine, and I decided to use my fake position to get some information. “I came across this young lady’s file earlier today. That’s why I’m here tonight. I heard she was taken off the meds and would be waking up. You guys are aware of her history, right?”
“We have no prior history. What do you have that we don’t?”
“Um, just a thing her boyfriend gave us. Miss Danner here was born addicted to a lot of different drugs and alcohol. I think staying away from all opioids would be the best thing for her. Don’t you?” I looked at Blyss. “You should most likely tell this nurse about your problems when you were born. That way you won’t end up with bigger problems than you already have.”
“I should tell you my little tale, I guess. Then you can decide what pain medication is best for me.” Blyss closed her eyes and looked as if she was worn out.
“I’ll go get a pad of paper. Be right back.” The nurse left us alone, and I felt I had a small window of time to ask her to marry me.
“Blyss, are you tired, baby?”
“Very. My head hurts. I could really use that pain medicine. It feels as if I have cuts all over the back of my body.” She looked at me with wide eyes. “Troy, I remember now. I was going to one of those rooms. You were going to punish me.” Her jaw hung open. “Troy, did you do this to me?”
“God no!” I shouted just as the nurse walked back in.
“Is everything okay in here?” he said as he looked at me.
Blyss looked right at the man. “Everything is fine. I want to be left alone. Can you make him leave, please?”
“Blyss, I didn’t do …”
The nurse looked at me, then pointed at the door. “Don’t make me call the cops.”
I stumbled backward as Blyss closed her eyes. “I have to remember it all. Until then, I don’t want you anywhere near me, Troy.”
“I can tell you …”
“Get out,” the nurse said. “I have no idea how I missed recognizing you, but I have now. Out or I’ll kick your ass myself.”
“Tell her the truth. You know the truth. Tell her it wasn’t me. Please!”
The other two nurses showed up, and I knew I was about to go to jail if I didn’t leave. My heart was aching that she’d think I’d hurt her that way. As I left, I could hear her saying, “He warned me there was a beast inside him. I should’ve listened.”
Blyss
It made perfect sense after Troy nearly ran away. He’d turned into that savage he’d said he could become and he’d hurt me. Hurt me so badly, I’d been in a coma for over a week! My heart rate was up, and the nurses heard it on the machine. “It’s okay. Calm down, sweetie,” one of the female nurses said as she patted me on the shoulder.
“He hurt me. He promised he’d never hurt me and he did this to me!” I was in shock that Troy would actually do such a horrible thing. Then it occurred to me that he shouldn’t be walking the streets. “How come he isn’t in jail?”
“I’m telling her,” the other male nurse said as he crossed his arms.
“The doctors said not to,” the other male nurse cautioned him.
“Well, I don’t care. It’s a crime to let her think the man who loves her would do such a terrible thing.” He put his hands on his hips and looked at me. “Another man did this to you. And he is in jail. I don’t know the entire truth, as the media has told so many versions of the story it’s hard to tell which story is true. All I know is that your man did not do this to you. He had no part in it at all. You were locked away from him for a little while, is what was said. Another man got to you, and he’s the animal who did this to you.”
He was telling me things that had bursts of memory shooting through my aching brain. “He was wearing a mask! It wasn’t Troy! It was another man who said he’d bid on me. I guess he was jealous of Troy. He said things like Troy had ruined me and that he was weak or something like that.” I was happy I finally remembered it all. “Oh, God! Can you get Troy back here for me? Please, I don’t want him thinking I think he hurt me. Please.”
All three of the nurses shook their heads, then the lady said, “We don’t have his cell number. In the morning, we can get it from admission. He’s been taking care of the hospital bills, so they should have it.”
“I hate this,” I said as I closed my eyes. “He’s been the one who tried to stop me from doing all this BDSM stuff.”
“Hold on,” one of the men said. “The guy who won you, your Dom, tried to stop you from doing what?”
“All of it. I had to beg him to do the things to me that I had signed up for. He kept telling me I was fragile because I had a problematic childhood. I don’t know how I could have ever accuse him of doing such a thing. And about that. What the hell all happened to me? I feel like a truck ran over me.”
“We’ve already told her too much. Do you see what’s happening to her heart rate?” the lady said.
I felt odd, my head was pounding, and I wanted only one thing. To let Troy know I didn’t think anything bad about him. “I need him, you guys. I need him more than I need anything else. Please help me talk the doctors into letting him stay with me. I’ll get better much faster. It’s a fact that I will. Please.” I was begging and pleading for a thing that I shouldn’t have had to.
When did being in the hospital have a person losing their right to be with the person they loved?
Something was coming over me. My body felt warm, then I felt tired. “A bit of morphine shouldn’t do anything to her. She needs it anyway,” I heard one of the men say.
“Her blood pressure was rising anyway. We can’t let her get that upset anymore,” the other man said.
I knew I had to calm down and get better. But as the darkness was taking me over, I saw it all in my head. The man who took advantage of me while I was tied up. The hardness at my back. Had he?
“Was I …” I could barely speak; the medicine was pulling me under. “Raped. Was … I …”
A hand ran over my forehead. “No, you weren’t raped, Blyss. Go to sleep. It’s time to rest now.”
My mind was settled. Troy was still the only man to have touched me that way. I was still pure for him. I don’t know why that mattered so much to me, but it did. Troy and I could have that storybook life he talked about. He would always be the only man I’d ever given everything to. We could have a pristine life filled with more and more firsts.
It was then I had my first thought about having his baby. I wanted us to have our first child together. He and I would give his parents their first grandchild. Troy and I would have a baby. I hoped he’d say we could. I began to hum a lullaby as I drifted off to sleep. I could be a mom. With him to help me, I could learn to be a mother, a thing mine must’ve never learned how to be.
Everything would be fine. He wanted to marry me. He’d said so. He and I would get married, have babies, and live happily ever after. My life could be far different from what it started out being. I wasn’t going to be alone anymore. I had Troy and we’d have a family.
The sound of a siren had me stirring, then it faded away. I could hear the voices though. My nurses’ voices sounded sad as they talked in hushed tones. I could hardly make out anything they said. Until the name ‘Troy Masterson’ was said, and then I heard another word, ‘critical.’
What the hell had happened?
Part Three
Troy
My head was fuzzy as I left the hospital. As hard as I was trying to think about what I could do about Blyss, I couldn’t come up with anything. I had to hope the nurses would decide to tell her the truth, even if the doctors had said not to tell her a thing about why she was in the ICU ward of the hospital.
As I got to my Jeep, I was about to get in the car when I heard the sound of metal crunching, tires squealing, and people screaming. It was coming from down the street that ran in front of the hospital. I just started running toward the commotion. What I found were three cars piled up, and one wrapped around a light pole. Several people stood outside of the cars, but it was obvious that people were trapped in the car that had turned into a horseshoe.
Making my way to the more distressed car, I found a little girl in the back seat. A man was driving and his head was resting on the steering wheel. A woman was in the passenger seat, and she was laid back, a line of blood was running from her forehead, and her eyes were closed.
The little, dark-haired girl opened her eyes and they locked with mine. “You’re okay. I’m going to get you out.”
Even though she looked thoroughly confused, she nodded, which was a good sign she didn’t have any head trauma. Turning back to find something to break out the window with, I didn’t see anything, then my hand moved to my belt buckle.
I looked back at the little girl. “Take off your seatbelt and move as far away as you can from the window. Turn your head and cover your face. I’m going to break the window and get you out of there, okay, pumpkin?”
She nodded again and did as I’d told her to do. I gave another glance to the people in the front seat and found they were still knocked out. I tossed the blanket I had on the ground. Pulling my belt off, I wrapped it around my hand so the brass buckle was covering my knuckles and the leather protected the rest of my hand.
