Stitch by Jaime Lewis
Chapter Eleven
Mia gasped as the doctor pressed on a tender spot near her hip, and the older man frowned. When the Sheriff had called him and explained Mia’s situation, he was glad he had been on his way home and could make the trip over. Seeing her cringe in pain each time he touched her upset him.
“It hurts that bad, honey?”
“Well, when your ribs and back take a size thirteen boot beating, it is bound to be a little uncomfortable.” She tried masking her agony with a little humor, but she failed miserably. He took a deep breath and exhaled, wondering how this woman managed to survive and escape the hands of such evil bastards. Mia was close in age to his own daughters, and imagining either of them in a predicament like Mia’s angered him. He dug into his bag and pulled out an ace bandage, and began to wrap her ribs. She wasn’t going to be doing much at all for the next couple of days except for resting. He wished she would let him take her to the hospital to get an x-ray. Whomever she was running from, she was extra careful not to make her whereabouts known.
He stepped back from the bed and surveyed her. “Well, my dear, you are going to be very sore for the next week or so. Don’t be surprised if you feel worse over the next couple of days before you start to feel better. Your orders are to rest, rest, and more rest. No moving around if you don’t have to. And, keep icing that ankle, the ribs, and your cheek. I’m going to leave some pain medicine to get you through tonight. I’ll leave a prescription with Stitch for you to fill. Make sure you take them. It will help with your recovery. Let those men downstairs help you.”
His eyes traveled to her legs, specifically the bruising on her inner thighs. He had noticed the discoloration when he arrived but avoided asking that question from the start, but it was something he needed to know.
“Mia, I need to ask you something, and I want you to be truthful.”
“Okay.”
“Honey, were you sexually assaulted?”
A tear slid down her cheek, and immediately he thought the worst. This poor young woman had been through hell and back. He couldn’t help it as his fatherly instincts kicked in, and he leaned down to pull her into a gentle hug while she cried. Obviously, the frightened woman needed to vent her emotions, and he would certainly hold her while she did. Hell, he needed to calm himself down. After letting her cry for a bit, he asked, “Mia?” He pressed, needing an answer.
She looked up at him with those brown eyes that were now red and glassy from crying, and his heart broke. But seeing her shake her head no before she answered helped bring his temper down a notch, and he gave her a soft smile. He still had his arm around her and gave her another hug as he thanked the lord above.
He pulled away and stood. “Get some rest. I will leave both my office and cell number with Stitch. You call me at any time, okay?”
She gave him a small smile. “Thank you, Doctor O’Neal. I’m sorry that my situation pulled you away from your family.”
“Oh, honey, with the houseful of people that followed me home from my brothers, your call couldn’t have come at a better time, although I wish it would have been under different circumstances.”
She painstakingly slid under the covers, and he helped tuck her in nice and tight.
She smiled up at him. “Could you please let the guys know I’m going to lie down? I’m really tired.”
“I will, but take this first.” He handed her one of the pain pills. “That will ensure you sleep. Something you need a lot of right now.”
He couldn’t resist. She needed all the love and comfort right now. He bent down and kissed her forehead, and she smiled up at him before closing her eyes.
◆◆◆
Stitch sat on the arm of the sofa. His leg bounced in anticipation of hearing what the doctor had to say. Not much was said between the guys since Doc O’Neal had arrived, which was about 45 minutes ago. Tink and Derek sat talking amongst themselves about who they knew up in New York that could help. Ace, on the other hand, was back to pacing the living room. He knew this was hard for his friend. Hell, it was hard for himself. He cared for Mia so much.
Moments later, Doc finally emerged from the bedroom and walked downstairs.
“What’s the verdict?” Stitch asked as the doc walked further into the room and took a seat in the empty chair. He gestured for everyone to sit. Stitch was reluctant to. He felt restless, and sitting would only make him fidget more.
The older man removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Obviously, this had been hard on him as well.
“She’s in a rough state right now, but I expect her to make a full recovery. She has a lot of bruising, but I don’t think anything is broken; however, I can’t be a hundred percent without taking x-rays. Did she mention to you that she was drugged?”
From the blank expressions on everyone's face, it was apparent that this was new information.
“I’ll take that as a no. I don’t think she knew either. She told me that she was hit in the head pretty hard. As I was examining her, I noticed a red spot just above her shoulder. To me, it looks like an entry point of a needle. She said she felt really woozy. But that could have been because of the trauma to her head. Either way, to be safe, I took a blood sample and will see if it produces anything. Certain drugs can stay in the body for several days. I will drop it by the hospital on my way home and ask them to put a rush on it.
“Are you talking like a date rape drug?” Stitch asked, not liking where the conversation was heading.
Doc nodded his head. “That, amongst other drugs that can be used to incapacitate someone.”
Stitch swallowed hard, and he thought about his next question. It was one he didn’t want to ask, but it was inevitable. “Was she sexually assaulted?”
Ace raised his head, and Stitch could see the turmoil his friend was facing. Even Derek and Tink leaned slightly forward making sure they wouldn’t miss the answer. They all waited on pins and needles for the doctor to answer.
“There was quite a bit of bruising on her inner thighs, but when I asked her, she said she wasn’t.”
“If she was drugged, and then knocked out at one point, could it be possible that she was and just doesn’t remember it?” Stitch asked.
“Yes, that is possible, and I had the same revelations. However, the bruising stopped midway up her thigh. I honestly don’t believe she was.”
Stitch hadn’t realized he was holding his breath until he started to see black spots from lack of oxygen.
Doctor O’Neal stood and looked at Stitch. “I left some pain medicine to get her through the night. She already took one. Here is a prescription for more. She will need them, and they will keep her sedated, which is best for her body to heal. Try to keep her hydrated, and as far as food goes, keep it light; soups, smoothies, protein shakes, that sort of thing. I hope to hell you find the sons of bitches who did this to her. No woman deserves what she went through.”
“We will. Don’t you worry,” Ace stated firmly that left no room for argument.
Stitch turned toward the doctor. “What can we do to make her more comfortable?”
“Just rest and lots of it. She needs to stay off that ankle. She told me to let you know that she was going to lie down.”
“Well, we all appreciate you taking time away from your family to help.”
The doc chuckled. “I’ll tell you the same thing I told Mia upstairs. You all actually did me a favor. My family can be a bit boisterous at times. Your call was perfect timing.”
Stitch shook his hand. “Well, regardless, it was very much appreciated, and if you ever need anything, please don’t hesitate to call.”
“Thank you, son. And like I said, be sure that young lady gets plenty of rest.”
“Yes, sir. She will be under our protection, and we will see to it she takes it easy and has plenty of rest.”
◆◆◆
The air was cold and crisp, but the twinkling stars' display coupled with the subtle glow of the moon was stunning to gaze at. In fact, it was one of the many reasons Stitch had purchased the cabin. There had been plenty of nights of just sitting outside, staring at the sky and using the peacefulness as a tool to help clear his mind and thoughts.
Stitch sat in one of the Adirondack chairs around the stone firepit. After he had bought the cabin, the first project he tackled was the huge deck wrapped around the entire house. Once the deck was in place, the firepit was installed along with the built-in deck lighting.
Before coming outside, he had gone upstairs to check on Mia. She was out cold and sleeping soundly. She looked tiny lying in the huge bed. It had taken willpower not to kick off his shoes and crawl in next to her.
He rubbed his hand over his jaw feeling his whiskers, and exhaled as he thought about what situation they would be facing if the Sheriff hadn’t been at the bus station when he was. He was thankful Mia had befriended that woman on the bus, and she had been nice to introduce Mia to Blake. He would have to get that nice lady’s address and send her a thank you gift.
He took a swig from his beer and heard one of the loose boards by the door creek, signaling someone had joined him. Seconds later, Ace appeared and took the chair across from him. He looked across the glowing fire and met Stitch’s gaze.
“You okay, man?”
He nodded his head. “Just thinking how lucky we were that Blake was at the bus station tonight.”
“I agree. It’s pretty fucking scary. I still can’t believe this. I mean, we train for this type of shit, but when it hits close to home, it’s different in so many ways.”
Stitch was getting tired of seeing the women close to him fall victim to the assholes of the world. First, Alex, with her ordeal with the terrorist who kidnapped and nearly killed her. Then there was Tenley. Damn, talk about an emotional rollercoaster for that woman. She gave Potter a run for his money. Her troubles started when she was caught in the middle of two drug cartels. Next was Autumn, Frost’s wife. She had been stalked by her ex-sister-in-law but had also caught the eye of a shrewd businessman. She was kidnapped, and when she tried to escape from his yacht, she hit her head and fell into the ocean. Her son Cody was the true hero in her case. The damn kid paddled close to a mile and a half into the ocean on his surfboard to save his mom. Then last but not least, there was Bailey. Sweet Bailey, Irish’s new wife. She put herself in harm’s way after she too was kidnapped by a greedy guy who was after her money. Her parents were in on the set-up as well. When the asshole tried to shoot at the team, Bailey had wrestled him for the gun and ended up being shot. Her situation had been touch and go for a while, but as the weeks went by, she recovered. Except for the fact that she may never be able to carry a child. Now, here they sat, trying to figure out what type of mess Mia had found herself in.
“Did Derek get a hold of the Colonel?”
“Yeah, and according to him, my mother is a basket case right now and is demanding to see Mia.”
“Shit…”
“Yep, my thoughts exactly. You know my mom, there is no stopping her when she puts her mind to something, and I know she’ll find a way to manipulate the Colonel. Then before you know it, she’ll have him driving her up here.” He took a drink of his beer and grinned. “You think I’m joking?”
Stitch didn’t doubt that at all. Charlotte Chambers was a force to be reckoned with. A few years ago, having lost her husband, the spunky and determined woman took on the task of running a ranch and succeeded. That woman could bust balls like there was no tomorrow.
“Maybe if Mia’s feeling up to it tomorrow or the next day, we could arrange a Skype or Facetime call between the two of them.”
“That might work.”
For the next couple of minutes, they both sat there staring at the fire as it crackled and flickered in the darkness. They both were trying to process the situation. Now would be a perfect time for Stitch to speak with Ace about Mia and the feelings he had for her. After today’s drama, there was no way in hell he was taking a backseat. Either Ace accepted it, or he didn’t. If he didn’t, Stitch would deal with it, even if it meant parting ways with the team he trusted and loved, but he would to avoid any conflict with Ace.
Just as he sat up straighter and was ready to talk, Ace cleared his throat.
“So, you and my sister, huh?”
Okay, apparently, Ace was thinking along the same lines. Since Ace was allowing him to come clean, he needed to not fuck it up. Ace was a straight-forward guy. No bullshit, just the god’s honest truth was what he wanted and expected, and Stitch respected him for that. Both as a friend and his team leader.
He looked Ace in the eye from across the fire pit. “I’m not gonna lie, man. I’m in love with Mia, and I have been for a while. Before you ask, no, there has been nothing between us. But I can’t hold back any longer. Though she and I never talked about it, I tried keeping my distance out of respect for you. And yes, she and I have been in contact a lot over the last year, but that was the extent of it. Do I wish I had acted on my feelings before now? Abso-fucking-lutely, because if I had, we wouldn’t be sitting here right now while the woman that we both love is lying upstairs beaten to hell.” His nostrils flared. He was fired up, and holy shit, did it feel good to say all of that out loud finally.
Ace stared at him, and Stitch wasn’t sure if Ace had heard him or if he was silently plotting his death.
After a few eerily silent moments, Ace said, “I appreciate your honesty. It is quite obvious you care for her a lot. From the way she latched herself onto you earlier, I can see she reciprocates the same feelings for you.” Ace took a moment as if gathering his thoughts. Stitch knew this had to be challenging for him. Hell, if he himself had a sister and one of the guys made a move on her, he’d probably feel the same way. Then Ace pulled a total one-eighty and grinned as he leaned forward, perching his elbows on his knees. He clasped his fingers together and rested his chin on his fists. “This is probably going to shock you, but I am happy as fuck to hear that.”
Stitch’s eyes widened with that shared information. And, definitely not what he was expecting. From the conversations that Stitch had with Mia, Mia and Ace were very close, not to mention how protective Ace was of her, especially when it came to men. She had told Stitch that when Ace first joined the teams, he had given her a lecture about not getting close to any of his teammates because he knew firsthand how most of the guys operated around women.
“But, since you’re being honest, I feel I should do the same. I think I’ve known for a while. The signs were there, people talked, but I chose to ignore it. Looking back, her face always lit up when you walked into the room or whenever your name came up in conversation; there was more excitement to her voice.”
“I don’t know when it happened, and I am sorry for not coming to you sooner. All that I can say is that she makes me happy.”
“All I want is for her to be happy, and I can tell that you do that. Just promise me you will love and treat her with respect. As I know, she will do the same for you.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way. She is my number one priority. I’m just glad I gave her that key when I last saw her or god knows what we would be dealing with.”
“Yeah, I’ve been wondering how in the hell she got a key to this place.” Stitch explained how that came about, and Ace closed his eyes. “Damn, I feel like I’ve failed her. I’ve tried to watch out for her since she was the youngest. I’ve been so preoccupied with other things that I didn’t even notice.”
“You’re too hard on yourself, man. You live a busy life, and so does Mia. I almost didn’t see her struggles at first, either.”
“Well, maybe now you can help us convince her to move to Virginia Beach.”
Stitch grinned and took a drink from his bottle. “That was the second discussion I planned on having with her.”
Ace gave him a sideways look. “What is the first?”
“Telling her that I love her. Especially now that I got her big brother's stamp of approval.”
Ace laughed. “You are such an ass.”
The two shook hands and guzzled down the rest of their beers before calling it a night. Tomorrow they would put plans in motion to hunt down the individuals responsible for Mia’s assault.
