Never to Keep (Accepting Fate #1) (16 page)

“I saved her.”

Ethan saved her? A raging fire burned in the depths of my soul; this time the anger was directed inward. He had been there to protect her, and I’d simply walked away because of my petty fears. This was proof that I wasn’t capable of taking care of anyone but myself.

“What were you doing at the club?” I asked him.

“I was worried, not that it’s any of your business,” he snapped at me.

“Why were you worried?” Madison asked in a small voice. I turned to look at her. My stomach churned as I noticed a patch of purple covering her left shoulder.

“You always call me after your shift. You were over an hour late and weren’t answering your phone. I drove out there to make sure you were okay. I’m so sorry I didn’t get to you sooner.”

“I’m just glad you showed up. I don’t remember what happened, but I can only imagine how much worse it could have been.”

I took a breath and asked Ethan the only question that truly mattered. “Is she going to be okay?”

“We’ll know more after her tests.”

“I don’t want any more tests.”

“Why not?” I asked.

“I don’t have insurance and can’t afford the bill. I’d rather not make it any higher than it already is.”

“You’re telling me the hospital doesn’t provide health insurance to its employees?” I scoffed.

“I’m a student nurse. I don’t actually work here. No paycheck and no benefits.” Her earlier comments about being poor suddenly made more sense. She looked around in a panic as if trying to figure out where she was. “Fuck, Ethan. Why did you bring me here? Child Services is going to find out about my job and take Peyton away.”

“Don’t worry. This isn’t our hospital. We’re in a different county, so they won’t find out,” Ethan reassured her. She melted back into the bed with relief.

“Did they do a rape kit?” she asked quietly.

My body felt like it was going to implode. Fury pushed concern out of the way. “Did your attacker violate you?”

“Not in the way you’re thinking,” Ethan responded. His face turned an unnatural shade of scarlet. Without warning or concern for my presence, he yanked the sheet up from the bottom of the small bed and then pried her legs apart. “Fuck!” He leaned in closer and spread her folds with his bare hands. Now I would have to buy two tarps and a shovel.

“I know the guy who jumped you in the parking lot didn’t rape you, but someone sure as hell did.” He covered her up and rounded on me. “Did you hurt her?” He stabbed the air in her direction with his index finger. “Is that why you’re conveniently in the area and so concerned for her care? Want to make sure your tracks are covered?”

“What? No!” How could anyone think I would hurt her? “We fucked, but it was consensual. We were both just a little…enthusiastic.”

Ethan looked to Madison for confirmation.

“I don’t remember what happened, but I believe him.” Madison’s eyes darted around the room and landed on my hand that gripped her bed rail. I’d completely forgotten about the pain in my finger. Given the current circumstances, I wasn’t about to complain now.

“What’s wrong with your hand?” Madison asked with concern in her eyes. She was a natural caregiver and one of the most selfless people I’d ever met.

“It’s nothing.” I tried to pull my hand away, but she had a firm grip.

“Let me see,” she insisted as she tugged it closer. “You moron,” she scolded. “Didn’t I tell you to get the stitches out in seven to ten days? It’s been weeks. Ethan, did you see this?”

Ethan leaned in closer to look. “Way to go, man. That’s a nasty infection.”

As if on cue, the nurse came with my prescription and found me in Madison’s room. Madison grabbed the papers from the nurse before I could look at them.

“Are you trying to kill him?” she scolded the nurse. “You gave him amoxicillin. He’s allergic to penicillin.” She tore up the small slip of paper and handed the pieces back to the older woman.

“You remember that?” I asked, both pleased and a little freaked out. I certainly didn’t need another mother.

“Remember what?” Her face fell in defeat. She laid back and closed her eyes.

“It’s almost eight; Peyton should be waking up soon. I’m going to call Nana and ask her to watch her the rest of the day. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Ethan said.

A radiology technician, who introduced herself as Jenna, came to take Madison for her MRI as soon as Ethan left the room.

“You should stay here in case they bring your new prescription while I’m gone,” Madison slurred. “Then you can go home and get some sleep. I’ll be okay.”

“Not happening.”

“Wait,” Madison mumbled as Jenna started to help her from the bed to a wheelchair. “Not dressed.”

Jenna opened a cabinet and pulled out a green hospital gown. “Do you need help putting it on?” Jenna asked Madison.

Madison shook her head slightly and then winced.

“I’ll help her,” I volunteered.

“I can do it.” She pushed herself to a sitting position, but couldn’t stay up.

“I’m going to get your nurse to come help us,” Jenna said.

Madison sighed in defeat and looked at me. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Jenna went back to the cabinet and came back with a stack of linens. “The second gown is for Madison too; she can put one on backward, so she is covered from all sides. You need to change into these scrubs if you’re going to be in the room with her during the MRI. You can’t wear any metal in there. I’ll wait for you outside.” She left before Madison could protest.

I quickly shucked my shirt and jeans and caught Madison staring when I reached for the scrubs I’d set on her bed. “Like what you see?” As inappropriate as it was, my body reacted to her tired, but hungry gaze.

“No,” she lied.

“I can show you the rest if you want.”

She slowly licked her top lip. “No, this is bad enough.” She gestured toward my bare chest.

“Let me know if you change your mind,” I teased. I pulled on the worn out pale blue scrubs and turned my attention to her. “Do you think you can stand for a minute?”

“Yeah.” I helped her up and made sure she had her balance before I let go. It was my turn to stare. Bruised or not, the sight of her naked body had me at full mast.

“You can stay here and take care of your little problem,” she said while pointing to my erection. I seriously considered it for a moment.

“You shouldn’t have to go through this alone.” Truth is, I didn’t want her out of my sight after what happened the last time I left her alone.

“I think I can manage,” she said with a poor attempt at sarcasm.

“Maybe I just want to look at you in a hospital gown.” I helped her maneuver her good arm through the first gown and then tied it loosely in the back. I held the other gown up like a coat for her to ease into. She sat in the wheelchair after both gowns were secure.

I pushed her through the curtains, where Jenna took over. We followed several hallways until we saw a sign for Radiology. Jenna hit a button on the wall at the end of the hall, and a set of wide doors swung open. I followed them into the bright room with a large white machine in the center. Madison carefully climbed onto the hard table, and Jenna arranged her into the correct position.

“Just stand over there in the corner and be quiet,” Madison ordered. I actually listened this time.

Sawyer

I went to the gift shop with Ethan while a nurse helped Madison clean up. We were lucky to find a set of sweats for her to wear home. Ethan’s phone rang while I finished up with the cashier. He stepped out into the hallway to take the call.

“I have to go, they need me at work. Can I trust you with her?”

“Yes, go. I’ll take care of her.”

“You’d better, or I’ll kill you,” he said matter-of-factly before he took off in a sprint to the exit.

I walked back to Madison with the bag of clothes. The doctor followed me into the room.

“I didn’t see any bleeds in your brain, so you probably just have a concussion. We were able to reset your nose fairly easily. Your ribs and cheek are bruised, but not broken. There aren’t any signs of internal bleeding or organ damage, and your shoulder should be okay without surgery. You need to take it easy for a few weeks. I don’t want you to drive until the mental fogginess from the concussion fades.” The doctor’s tone was firm.

“That’s not an option,” she said. “I have a little girl who needs to get to school, and I have to work.”

“I’ll tell Dr. Madden to have you sent home if you set foot in the hospital in the next two weeks unless it’s as a patient. No one can physically stop you from driving, but if you get into an accident, I’ll have to tell the police you were driving against medical advice.” The doctor looked between Madison and me. “Maybe your boyfriend will help you out.”

“He’s not my—”

“Don’t worry; I’ll take good care of her,” I confirmed.

“Where did Ethan go?” she asked. I was secretly happy it took her that long to realize he was gone.

“He got called in to work,” I explained. “I told him I’d make sure you got home safely.”

The doctor spoke as he wrote in her chart. “I need to speak to Ms. Miller for a few minutes in private before she’s discharged. Why don’t you go wait in the lobby? I’ll have an orderly bring her there when we’re done.”

I reluctantly left her with the doctor. I needed a few minutes on my own anyway. I found my way to the front of the hospital, and then followed the signs to Patient Accounts. I walked into the office and stopped at the first occupied desk in the long row.

“Madison Miller spent the night in the emergency room. I need you to send the bill to me.” I handed her my license, so she could put my information in the computer. “I don’t want her to know how much it cost. I also need the name and number of the best health insurance company.”

“Not a problem, Mr. Ramsay.” She scribbled on a scrap of paper when she was done typing. “It’s nice that you’re taking care of your sister.” She laid her clammy hand on top of mine and turned it over. She pressed the paper and my ID into my palm.

“She’s not my sister.” Jerking my hand away, I shoved the card and paper into my wallet, and wiped my hand on the leg of my jeans.

“Either way, it’s very kind. Maybe I could buy you a drink tonight and show you exactly how sweet I think you are.” If the look on her face was meant to be seductive, she failed miserably.

“Are you kidding me? I’m here making arrangements to pay for my girl’s care because she’s severely injured, and you’re trying to get in my bed?” I wondered if she was related to Finn’s bitch, Kristy. It didn’t seem likely that two females from the same metro area could be such awful human beings.

“Doesn’t have to be a bed. She’s probably going to be out of commission for a while, and you shouldn’t have to suffer,” she purred.

“You’re disgusting. Being celibate for the rest of my life sounds better than touching you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to my woman.” I’d have to take a shower when I got home to scrub the slime of the encounter from my body.

“I wrote my number on the paper if you change your mind.” Like most women I encountered, she must have selective hearing.

I pulled the paper from my wallet, read the name of the insurance company, then wadded it up and threw it in her face. I stormed out of the office to wait for Madison in the lobby.

“Ready?” I asked when Madison came into view. The sight of her swollen, yet beautiful, face helped erase the lingering effects of the encounter with the brazen clerk. “You look pale. What did the doctor say?”

“Not much, just showed me some lab results. I need to swing by the pharmacy and then pick up Peyton.” Her brows pulled together.

“What’s wrong?”

“Cami’s still at the club. I’m not sure how I’m going to get her back.”

“Who’s Cami? Did you carpool to work?”

“No, Cami is my car. Cami Camaro.”

“I didn’t picture you as the kind of girl who would name her car. I also wouldn’t have guessed you drive a sports car.” Especially since she told me she was broke just a few hours ago.

“She was my dad’s. I named her when I was a kid.”

“My brothers are still in town. I’ll have one of them pick it up and bring it to your house. The doctor said you shouldn’t be driving in your condition, remember?”

“How else am I supposed to get things done?” The question wasn’t the least bit snarky. Her eyes darted back and forth in thought. “I’ll get a bus pass,” she muttered, no longer talking to me. “Ethan should be able to shuttle Peyton to and from school for a week. Or we could walk.”

“Look at me.” Her rich eyes studied mine. “I meant it when I said I’d take care of you. I’ll drive you to the pharmacy; I need to pick up my antibiotics anyway. After that, I’ll take you home, so you can put on some makeup to cover the bruises before we pick up Peyton. We can figure out the rest later.”

“I don’t have any makeup.”

“You were wearing quite a bit at the club last night.”

“I only wear it at work, and borrow it from my friend.”

“I guess I didn’t realize you never wore any. We can pick some up at the store, my treat.”

“Why are you being so nice to me?” She was genuinely confused.

I had to think carefully about my answer. Honesty wouldn’t work;
I enjoy fucking you and would like to continue to do so,
didn’t seem like the best response in this situation. However, I didn’t want to lead her on either. She was a forever kind of girl, and I wasn’t the guy who could give that to her. In the end, I decided to play it safe. “I always help my friends.”

Sawyer

“Why are you picking me up?” Peyton asked with a tilt to her head. Her tiny hand grasped mine as we crossed the street to my SUV where Madison was waiting.

“I volunteered to help Madison pick you up today.”

“But Uncle Ethan picks me up with Mama.”

“He’s working.” I opened the heavy door, and she climbed in with ease. She was tough and independent, just like her aunt.

“Mama!” Peyton exclaimed as soon as she was all the way in. She leaned over the center console and kissed Madison’s uninjured cheek. She hadn’t seen the damage yet. “Why’s Mr. Ramsay here?” I shut the door behind her and took a step to the left to get in the driver’s seat.