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When Aris spots me, he sprints to me and stops just shy of our noses touching. His eyes rake over me as he assesses my trauma.
“I’m okay,” I tell him, trying to appease his stress. “A few bumps and bruises, but I’ll be good as new in no time.”
“Watch for her head, ribs, and hip, Aris,” Garrick laments. “Those are her injury points.”
Aris’ hands raise, they tremble as he reaches out and cups my cheeks. “Don’t you ever do that to me again, Berlynn. I’ve never been so terrified in my life.”
“There wasn’t any other choice I could make,” I argue back. “I had a way for you to track me, Addison didn’t.”
“We’ll talk later about the fact that you don’t see yourself as important enough to not purposefully place yourself in danger,” he growls, causing me to shiver.
“I know I’m important, Aris. But so is Addison. Nobody was answering their phones and I didn’t have a lot of time nor the luxury to sit around and wait. I was given a specific time and location. I didn’t trust them not to do something to your sister, my best friend, if I didn’t comply with my dad’s demands. I’m sorry if that upsets you but seeing that I was on my own to figure it out, there wasn’t another alternative that would get her out alive or keep her from being auctioned off.”
“Kayson,” a man interrupts. He’s wearing the traditional Texas Ranger uniform. Tan shirt with the star emblem on the chest, tight Wranglers that cup his frame like a second skin, and a brown cowboy hat accompanied by the same shade of boots. He’s a western romance novel cover model come to life. He’s so fucking handsome that I’m worried about drooling in front of the man I love.
“Hamburg,” Kayson says, shaking the man’s hand. “Berlynn needs to go to the twenty-four hour clinic. Can she give her report there? I’d like to get her checked out sooner rather than later.”
“That should be fine. Let me make sure their rights have been read and they’re on their way to lockup and I’ll meet y’all there. I want to make sure this is done by the books so they can’t claim we didn’t follow procedure.”
“We’ll see you there,” Kayson claims.
Aris gently swoops me up into his arms and carries me out. I lay my head on his shoulder and breathe him in.
“Come on, baby. Let’s get out of here.”
CHAPTER
TWENTY-FOUR
ARIS
The entire wayto the clinic, I kept Berlynn in my lap, softly combing my fingers through her tangled hair and massaging her scalp. She purred like a kitten and nestled down into me. My heart was still racing as we pulled into the parking lot. Kayson and Garrick helped me slide out of the vehicle so that I didn’t have to release her. Putting her on that bed and stepping back was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to do, but it was necessary so that the doctors had room to assess her.
Hamburg came in as the doctor and nurse left the room to order tests. He managed to get his statement before the tech came in to take her to their radiation department where she underwent X-rays, CAT scans, and tubes of blood were drawn at the lab. Through all of that I raged. Dad showed up and gave my ass a good chewing, making me see reason. I’m still not going to let her out of my sight, but my anger and fear has somewhat subsided into a slow simmer instead of the raging inferno it was.
“You were lucky, young lady,” Dr. Emerson says as she goes over the results. “No breaks or tears, just a bunch of nasty bruising. You need to take things easy over the next two weeks, but you should start feeling more like yourself in seven to ten days. Until then, use the Ibuprofen prescription I’m giving you as needed, apply ice, heat, and get an insurmountable amount of rest. If you show any signs of dizziness, fevers, or nausea call the number on top of your discharge papers or go see your primary doctor.”
“What about her headache?” I ask. She’s been moaning and grabbing her head between her palms trying to add some pressure on her temples to ease the throbbing.
“The only thing that’ll help her there is sleep and the use of over-the-counter pain relievers. Unfortunately, it’s something she’s going to have to ride out,” Dr. Emerson explains.
“Can’t you give her something stronger?” I probe.
“I don’t want anything like that, Aris,” Berlynn whispers. “I told her nothing stronger than Tylenol or Ibuprofen. My stomach doesn’t tolerate anything stronger than them, and I’m afraid that if I’m always at the toilet, it’ll make me feel worse.”
“And could cause further injury,” Dr. Emerson tacks on.
“Can we just go home, Aris? All I want to do is sleep in your arms,” my woman begs.
“Okay, baby girl. Let’s go home.”
Two days later, we’re lounging in the living room with Berkley, Addison, and Tracker when there’s a knock on the door.
“Expecting anyone?” Berlynn asks me.
“Kayson messaged me earlier and told me that he and Hamburg would be stopping by with updates on your parents,” I answer as I reluctantly unwind my arms from around her shoulders and go let our guests in.
After greeting them at the door, I lead them back to where Berlynn is waiting for me.
