Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 127249 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 636(@200wpm)___ 509(@250wpm)___ 424(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127249 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 636(@200wpm)___ 509(@250wpm)___ 424(@300wpm)
Her eyes flare at the sight of an unconscious Tatiana in my arms. “What can I do?”
My command is brusque. “Get warm water and clean towels.”
The doctor pushes past her, carrying his doctor’s case in one hand.
I lead the way to the stairs while Emily scurries away to get what I need.
Inside my room, I lay Tatiana gently down on the bed.
The doctor leaves his case on the bench at the foot end and walks to the en-suite bathroom. While he scrubs his hands with soap in the basin, he calls through the open door, “We need to strip her.”
Every part of my being protests at the idea of him seeing her naked. I’d sooner poke out his eyes, but I remind myself why it’s necessary.
He must’ve seen something on my face, because he steps out of the bathroom gingerly, keeping his distance. “I can call a female colleague if you prefer.”
I clench my fingers until my knuckles crack. “You’re here now. If she needs treatment, I don’t want to delay it.”
He goes to his doctor’s case and unclips it.
I stare at her pale face, agony beating in my chest. “What do you think happened to her?”
He comes closer and bends over her to study the cut above her temple. “My guess is she knocked her head against something. Maybe it was an accident.”
My gut tightens. “A car accident?”
“It’s hard to say, but judging by the state of her clothes, it’s possible.” He taps her cheek. “Mrs. Morici, it’s time to wake up.”
I grab his arm, locking my fingers hard around his wrist. “What are you doing?”
He winces. “I need her conscious to determine if she’s suffering from head trauma.”
Releasing my fingers one by one, I let him go.
He slaps her cheek lightly again. “Mrs. Morici.”
Tatiana stirs and then whimpers.
“Open your eyes, Mrs. Morici.”
Her golden eyelashes flutter. Her eyelids lift, revealing those magnificent green pools.
Blinking, she looks around the room before focusing on my face. “Dante?”
I take her hand, my pulse thumping in my temples. “I’m here, darling.”
She frowns at the doctor. “Where am I?”
“At home.” I wipe a stray curl from her face and caress her cheek with my knuckles. “You’re safe now. The doctor is here to examine you.”
“Home?” She tightens her fingers around my hand. “Why am I not in the condo? Where’s my mom?”
The doctor and I exchange a look. He knows her family history.
He smiles at her. “Can you tell me your name?”
“Tatiana. Tatiana Teszner.”
I stiffen at the use of her maiden name.
“Do you know what day it is?” he asks.
She thinks for a moment before an anxious look comes over her features.
“Mrs. Morici, do you remember what happened to you?”
She touches her head with her free hand and sucks air through her teeth when she finds the cut.
“Easy, darling.” I pull her hand away. “You’re injured.”
“Can you tell us what happened?” the doctor asks again.
Panic flashes through her eyes as she fixes them on me. “I–I don’t know.”
“That’s all right.” The doctor’s tone is soothing. “You don’t have to remember right away. Let’s have a look at you first.”
When I try to free my hand, she clings to me. “Dante?”
“I’m here.” I sit down on the edge of the bed and rub her arm. “You’re going to be fine.”
The touch seems to soothe her. She remains still, letting me caress her, but her chest rises and falls rapidly with her breaths when I make to get up again.
Grabbing my wrist in both her hands, she digs her nails into my skin. “Don’t leave me.”
“No one is going to hurt you.” I kiss her forehead and gently extract myself from her grip to give the doctor space to work.
“No.” She starts struggling when I let her go, jackknifing into a sitting position and crawling into my lap. “Don’t leave me.”
Seeing her like this… it’s fucking killing me.
I wrap my arms around her. “Never.”
She fights harder, clinging to me while crying out over and over, “Don’t leave me.”
“Tatiana, I’ve got you.”
I hold her close and mutter words of comfort in her hair, but no matter what I say, she grows more hysterical by the second.
The doctor approaches with a hypodermic needle. “Hold her steady.”
“No,” she screams, clawing to get closer to me even though she can’t get any closer. “Don’t. Dante, please.”
Holding her in place while she fights like a wild animal and begs me not to do this to her is like flogging myself with barbed wire. It hurts me like nothing ever has when the doctor sticks that needle into her bicep.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, kissing the top of her head as she puts up a futile fight before going slack again. “I’m right here. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Her eyes turn hazy, and then they close, her body slumped in my arms.