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Mrs. Williams gives Lukas one last disapproving look and follows Bennet to the desk.
Bennet
Straightening myself to my full height, I walk back to the desk where the receptionist is waiting expectantly. I give her my most charming smile and look her directly in the eye, knowing she’s going to give me exactly what I want.
It makes me sick to my stomach - this infamous Adley I own the world attitude - but it works. I always get what I want. And right now, I want to know what happened to that girl. I don’t know why I feel so strongly about it, but from the moment she looked up at me with searching grey eyes, I was done for. She pulled me in so hard I felt empty the moment her eyes left mine.
“Mr. Adley, thank you for being so patient. I’ve talked to the shift manager, and I’m sorry but we cannot allow you and your friends back or give you any information. All I can legally tell you is that she is in stable condition.”
“Thank you…” I check the nametag on her shirt before slowly looking back up to meet her gaze. “Jenny.” She almost preens. “I appreciate your help. If you don’t mind, my friends and I are going to wait for a little while longer.” I give her a little wink as I turn away, pulling out my phone and searching for the contact I need.
I’ll pull every string I need to get back there to her.
Mrs. Williams is standing nearby, pretending not to listen as she straightens up the desk. Making sure I am within hearing distance, I dial the Chief Administrative Officer for the entire hospital. I will be allowed wherever our Jane Doe is being cared for, and I won’t have to do much for the privilege.
“Yes, good afternoon Tori, it’s Bennet Adley. Yes, I’m doing well, I hope you are. Would you mind connecting me with Larry, please?”
Mrs. Williams looks surprised that I am on a first-name basis with her boss’s boss. Good. I’m not in the mood for arguments, and I’m not above subtle threats.
I chat with Larry for a few minutes, giving him a bare-bones explanation of what’s going on. I doubt he actually cares. The call has barely disconnected before the desk phone is ringing. Mrs. William answers it, pursing her lips and giving curt, but polite responses to whatever is being said.
“Mr. Adley, if you would follow me please?” It looks for a moment like she wants to say something about my companions, but she thinks better of it.
“Damn, Adley, I’ve never seen my mom squirm like that.” Micah laughs under his breath. I scoff, cringing a little at being called Adley.
“Just Bennet is fine.”
We are handed visitor badges and escorted across the ER to the trauma area. A nurse opens a curtain, and we file into a small room where she is lying unconscious. There are tubes and wires stuck all over her for fluids, a blood pressure cuff, and a heart monitor that is beeping steadily.
My nerves are a bit calmer now that she’s in my sight again. They’ve cleaned some of the blood from her face and arms and replaced her bloody clothes with a hospital gown, so she looks a little less terrifying. She looks almost peaceful if you can ignore our current surroundings and the remaining bits of gore.
What can be seen of her hair is matted and dark with blood, but her features are soft. My eyes travel over her high cheekbones and heart-shaped face. She has a delicate, straight nose and full lips. The paleness of her skin is intensified by the dark red cuts that mar her pretty face.
I wish she’d open her eyes again so I can breathe properly.
A trauma doctor joins us, holding a clipboard.
“Good afternoon, gentlemen. I understand that you’ve been given clearance to discuss our Jane Doe here. Can you tell me anything about her?” He looks at us expectantly, receiving only silence in return.
He huffs and hesitates, thumbing through the information in her chart. “She’s been through a lot, if you know anything…” I understand what he’s trying to do, and I appreciate his concern for his patient.
“None of us had met or seen her until today. We each aided her in the park when she collapsed, and we followed the ambulance to make sure she was okay.” I hope our concern will reassure him that we had no part in whatever happened to her.
The machine beeps, filling the silence as the doctor considers us.
“Our Jane Doe here has suffered- a lot. She is dangerously dehydrated. It is clear that she has undergone significant abuse, likely over an extended period of time. She is underweight, and malnourished and has recently been through extensive trauma. There are defensive wounds on her arms. The worst of it, however, is a significant head wound that was sustained recently. There is damage to her skull and some brain swelling, which is the cause of her current coma. The neurosurgeon is going to be down, probably within the next half hour, to take her up to surgery to help relieve the pressure, and then she’ll be taken to a private room to recover.”
He directs the last bit of information to me. When I talked to Larry, I requested that she get the very best accommodations, at my expense.
“Defensive wounds?” Luis can’t quite seem to form the words he needs, but his meaning is clear enough.
Every one of us faces the doctor, our expressions dark. My jaw tightens.
“She has extensive bruising on her body, including on her inner thighs, but the initial trauma exam didn’t tell us much. We won’t know for sure until a thorough sexual assault examination can be done.”
A growl reverberates in my chest at the thought of anyone touching her. Luis’ body is tense, his molars grinding. Jackson’s eyebrows are pulled together in concern. Micah’s arms cross, muscles bulging. Lukas stares at the girl with sad eyes.
“The surgery should help relieve the swelling in her brain, and eventually bring her out of the coma. Then we can learn more about who she is and what she’s been through. Fair warning, it could take days for her to wake up, depending on how extensive the damage is.” Once it’s clear we don’t have any further questions, he leaves us with her.
