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I reach out a hand as far as I can and snag the curtain from my sitting position on the bed. After pulling it back, my heartbeat climbs into my throat.
There are two men in this room. Two very large, very tattooed, very bearded men. “Who the fuck are you?” I bite out, adrenaline giving me the strength to ignore the pain in my body as I shoot out of bed and dart forward where they’re leaning over Audra who’s lying on a table naked. The IV line pulls me up short before I can reach my daughter. The line that’s tugging in my left hand and tethering me inches from being able to reach her.
They whip their heads in my direction. Bearded dude number one has his hand resting on Audra’s tummy so she doesn’t roll off the table. I reach for my left hand, intent on ripping the IV out, when one of them starts talking.
“Hey, Maisie — Hey, now, don’t do that. You’re safe. I’m Rhett Calhoun. This is my brother Jedd. Our brother, Harlan, is the sheriff. You took a pretty hard knock to the head when you ran off the road last night. You’re safe, I promise. You’re in the hospital here in Everette, Idaho. How about you sit back down?” His voice is incredibly soft, but the mention of his brother being the head cop in this town is enough to send terror rushing through me. He takes a step toward me, and I instinctively step back, fighting off the flinch that wants to curl my shoulders.
I need to go. I need to go right now.
“I’m fine.” I grit out between clenched teeth at the pain in my head at my sudden movements.
Sweat beads along my hairline and my hands start to shake from the adrenaline and shock.
Audra coos behind the bearded behemoths, and I lock my eyes on my daughter.
Shit. What kind of mother am I?
“Is she okay? What did the doctor say about Audra?”
The one with his hand on my girl glances back, as if checking that she’s okay before turning back to me. “Doctor said she was right as rain except a couple of bruises. We were just trying to change her diaper.” He offers me a sheepish smile. “But we couldn’t get it right.” He turns back to Audra and sweeps her up in his arms, her cute little tushy resting on his forearm. The sudden movement makes her belly laugh come out, and it eases some of the tension in my shoulders.
He passes her to me with the diaper. Once her butt is covered with it, I sit back on the bed and hug her to me. Her hands find my hair and start to tug.
Oh god. Thank god she’s okay. My eyes sting at the thought of her being seriously hurt.
Fuck. I should have pulled off and just slept in the camper, lumpy mattress be damned.
I press my face to her head and take a deep breath of my daughter, the smell of her familiar baby shampoo a comfort beyond words.
“She’s really okay?” I ask, my voice watery from the tears I’m fighting off.
Jedd nods. “The doc should be able to come in and let you know the details of what all they checked out on her. Let me just call them in.” He reaches to the bedside and picks up a remote before pressing the call button on it.
Hospitals, like cops, freak me out. I’ve been in enough of them to know that they’re a minefield waiting to happen. One wrong word means a world of pain, and in my panic, I start to hyperventilate.
Rhett steps forward. “Hey, now. You’re safe. Your girl is safe. You’re okay. Take a deep breath.” I can barely hear him through the rushing in my ears. “Why don’t you let us take her —” Whatever he was about to say is cut off by my guttural growl.
“Maybe not,” Jedd says with a light chuckle.
Maybe not is right. I’m not letting my daughter go for anything in the world.
I don’t know these people. I don’t know why they’re in my room, or why they’re holding my daughter.
Trust no one.
I focus on sucking in enough air to fill my starving lungs and the pressure of oxygen deprivation makes my head pound in stereo.
The door behind the men opens and a Black woman in a lab coat who looks to be in her late sixties steps through the door.
“Hello, Ms. Williams. I’m Doctor Aldric. How are you feeling?”
“Like shit,” I rasp out.
She eyes my room guards before saying, “Clear the room, boys.” She waves them out, and once the door closes behind them, she steps forward toward the bed.
I fight the urge to lean away from her. “I’m just going to check your head. Give me one second.” She bypasses me and goes to a sink to wash her hands before sliding on a pair of gloves. I focus on her quick efficient movements as she steps forward and prods the bump on the side of my scalp that stings like hellfire. I don’t manage to bite back the hiss of breath that shudders from her touch.
“Yeah. That’s going to be tender for a couple of days yet. Do you remember what happened?”
