"It"s okay, baby. We"re on our way to the hospital. You"re going to be fine."
She licks her lips and tries to talk. "I"m sorry..."
I rear back. Why in the f.u.c.k is she apologizing to me? I was the one that wasn"t there when she needed me. The rational part of me knows that there was nothing I could do. If I had known that this would happen then, of course, I wouldn"t have let her go, but I didn"t know. There"s no way I could know. The irrational part of me doesn"t care about that. I should have protected her, somehow.
I put my finger over her lips to silence her. "Shh...don"t talk. Just rest, okay? We"ll talk later."
Her eyes close, and she drifts off again. The ride to the hospital doesn"t take long. They rush her inside and to the back. When I try to follow, a nurse stops me.
"Sir, I can"t allow you to go back. We"ve been made aware of her condition and there are some tests we need to perform. We"ll let you know when you can go back." She looks at me with sympathy.
I know what tests she"s talking about. It"s obvious that Mia was given Rohypnol. I know the signs and symptoms intimately. She"ll need a rape kit done.
I give the nurse a jerky nod, and she walks away. I walk over to a chair and sit down. I drop my head into my hands and grip the strands of my hair. The chance of both of us being given a roofie is too low to ignore. Obviously, someone slipped her the drug knowing exactly who she was. I just don"t understand why. Why is someone hara.s.sing and trying to hurt Mia? This is the second incident. First, her tire was sliced and now the roofie. It just doesn"t make any sense.
Again, an image of the rage on Tessa"s face at seeing Mia at my house the other day plays through my mind. She"s obviously capable of drugging someone to get something she wants, but it still makes no sense for her to do it to Mia. Tessa knows there is no chance of us getting back together. I made d.a.m.n sure of that. What would her reasoning be? Does she hate Mia so much that she would have Mia raped, knowing that I would suspect her after the way she acted towards Mia and what she"s done in the past? Tessa knows that I know about the drug. It was a big reason why we didn"t stay married. She tried one other time to slip me something, but I caught her. She was so desperate for me to sleep with her again that the crazy b.i.t.c.h thought she could pull the same s.h.i.t twice. What she never figured out was that I always watched myself around her. She was one that I never trusted. After that second time, I couldn"t take watching over my shoulder anymore around her, and I told her so. Two days later, I filed for divorce. I told her that if she ever tried anything like that again I would take T away from her. That scared her because T was her only tie to me. She never tried anything again. Until now? I don"t know, but I plan on finding out. She better hope and pray she was not involved in this.
I feel a hand on my shoulder, look up, and see Bailey. She takes a seat beside me and grabs my hand. Chris takes the other seat with Karyn on her other side. I blow out a breath and try to gather my dark thoughts.
"How is she?" Nick asks, walking up to us.
"I don"t know. They took her to the back to do some tests. Said they"ll let me know once I can go back."
A look pa.s.ses between Nick and me. He knows what kind of tests they need to do as well.
"Where are Jaxon and Andrew?"
"Still at Lucki"s. Andrew obviously beat the s.h.i.t out of the guy. They wouldn"t let him leave without questioning him. Jaxon stayed behind to make sure they don"t take him in. They should be here soon."
I nod and glance down. The f.u.c.ker got off easy. He"s lucky to be breathing right now. I"ll forever be in Andrew"s debt for coming to Mia"s rescue when I couldn"t myself. I"ll use whatever resources I have if they try to charge Andrew, but I don"t think they will. The drug tests will confirm it, but it"s apparent that Mia was drugged and couldn"t make her own coherent decisions. No lawyer would press charges against a guy that was trying to save a woman from being raped.
Chapter Sixteen.
Mia Her integrity...
I hear a faint beeping noise, and it"s annoying the s.h.i.t out of me. All I want to do is sleep. My head is pounding, my throat is as dry as sawdust, and my body feels like it"s made of bricks. I try to open my eyes to see what the exasperating sound is so I can throw something at it, but they are too heavy and they feel like they"re filled with sand.
All of a sudden, I feel a presence at my side and hear murmurs. The voices sound familiar, but I can"t quite place them. I strain my ears to try to make out what they are saying. For some reason, my hearing seems to be off. The voices seem like they are being spoken through a tunnel. I try to adjust my body so I can get closer, but it won"t move.
What the h.e.l.l?
I lay there wondering what the f.u.c.k is wrong with me. After a few minutes, the murmurs become clearer.
"Did you get anything out of him?" I"d know that voice from anywhere. What is he doing here?
"d.a.m.n straight I did. He says someone paid him to slip it to her and take her to the back."
That"s Jaxon. What the f.u.c.k is going on? Why are they both in my room?
"Did he tell you who paid him?" Mac again.
"He didn"t know the guy. Never met him before. All he had was a description. Tall guy with brown hair. Said he was built." Jaxon.
"Do you believe that was all he knew?
"Yes. After the s.h.i.t Andrew and you did to him, and my threats, he was p.i.s.sing himself. He didn"t know anything else."
"This just doesn"t make any sense. Who in the f.u.c.k would want to hurt her?"
I can hear the worry in Mac"s voice, and I don"t like it. What are he and Jaxon talking about? Who is trying to hurt whom? And what did Andrew and Mac do to cause a guy to p.i.s.s himself?
I try to shake my head to clear it, but it causes a sharp pain to rush through my head. I give off a light moan. Mac and Jaxon stop talking, and I feel a warm, strong hand grab mine.
"Pix, are you okay? Can you open your eyes for me?" Mac asks.
I force myself to crack my eyes open and immediately close them again at the bright lights.
"Lights," I hear myself moan.
"Hit the lights, Jaxon." A couple seconds later, Mac says, "They"re off, Mia. Let me see your eyes, baby."
I slit my eyes open a little and when the searing pain doesn"t come back, I open them more. My head still hurts, but not as bad with the lights dimmed.
"There"s my pretty girl." I see Mac standing directly over me, gazing into my eyes. The concern I see in his eyes confuses me. What is he worried about? And why is my mind so hazy? The last thing I remember is going out with the girls and Andrew.
Wait! Where am I?
I look around and don"t recognize anything, but the room is white and sterile. It looks and smells like a hospital.
"Where..." I go to speak, but my mouth is too dry and it comes out scratchy.
Mac reaches over and grabs a plastic cup with a straw. He bends the straw down and slightly lifts my head so I can take a sip. I almost moan at the coolness rushing down my throat. Never has water tasted so good. After a couple more sips, I lay back and clear my throat.
"Where am I?" My voice is still scratchy and weak, but not as bad.
Mac looks up and over across me. I follow his line of sight and see Jaxon on the other side of my bed. His gaze is just as worried as Mac"s. He takes a step closer and places his hand on my cheek, rubbing his finger across my cheek.
"What"s going on guys? You"re scaring me." My voice is stronger, but my throat is still dry.
"What do you remember?" Mac"s question brings my gaze back to him.
I think for a minute before I reply, "Andrew, the girls, and I were at Lucki"s. I decided to take a break and went to the bar."
I try to think harder for what happened next, but the pain in my head grows. I squeeze my eyes shut.
"Mia," Mac calls my name, but I ignore him, trying to remember. Slowly, snippets start appearing in my head. A guy at the bar was. .h.i.tting on me before I almost broke his wrist. The guy beside me warning me about people slipping something in my drink. Me realizing I drank too much. The guy leading me to the dark hallway. Me being placed on the counter and my skirt riding up. Oh G.o.d! The pain of the guy shoving his fingers in me.
"Oh my G.o.d!" My eyes shoot open and focus on Mac. I feel sick to my stomach, and my hand flies to my mouth. I see Mac grab the trash can beside the bed just in time for me to lean over and lose the contents of my stomach. When I"m done, I lean back on the bed and close my eyes. The strain of vomiting definitely didn"t help my head. I feel a cool cloth being placed on my head. I open my eyes and see Mac. He helps me take another swallow of water.
"What do you remember?" Jaxon asks from the other side of the bed. I don"t look at him when I answer. I keep them on Mac.
"Little bits here and there, but enough to know what happened," I say quietly. The torment in Mac"s eyes confirm what I already know. What I don"t know, and I"m not sure I want to know, is how far it went.
"Did he..." I stop, the lump in my throat not allowing me to continue.
Luckily, Mac knows what I"m trying to ask. "We don"t know yet. We"re still waiting on the results. The doctor should be here any minute."
I nod my head and turn my gaze away from Mac, not able to look at him anymore. Not because I"m ashamed of what happened, but because of my actions toward him all these years. Yes, it was stupid on my part for not paying attention to my drink, but I know it"s not my fault for what happened. What I can"t get over is the pain Mac must have felt after being violated like he was. I automatically jumped to the conclusion that he willingly gave himself up to Tessa, and then when he tried explaining to me what happened, I wouldn"t let him. He was, for all intents and purposes, raped, and he had no one. Yes, he had his parents and I"m sure they helped, but I never gave him the time of day when I should have been there for him. I was the one he should have been able to confide in. I was the one that was supposed to give comfort. I was the one that was supposed to stand by her man always. I was so caught up in my own pain that I never let myself think that it could be anything other than what I saw, Mac and Tessa having s.e.x. Yes, the visual evidence was d.a.m.ning, but I still can"t help but feel guilt for never listening to him. The first couple of months after that fateful night, Mac tried so many times to talk to me, but I always ran the other way when I saw him headed in my direction.
"Mia, look at me," Mac says. When I bring my eyes back to him, he continues, "What are you thinking?"
I swallow to hold the tears at bay and shake my head. I"ll talk to him later when we"re alone. He looks like he wants to say something else but before he can, the door whooshes open, and an older man wearing a white coat walks in.
"Good to see you"re awake, Miss. Walker. I"m Dr. Hughes. How are you feeling?" He asks with a kind smile and holds out his hand for me to shake.
I try to smile back at him, but I"m sure it comes out wobbly. "My head is pounding, and I"m really tired."
He nods and says, "That"s to be expected. The drugs are still in your system. We"ve given you an IV to try to help flush it out. You should start feeling better in the next few hours. I understand this young man is your brother," he gestures to Jaxon and then to Mac, "And this one is a close friend of yours?"
"Yes."
"Before we continue, would you like them to leave?" He asks.
I look at Mac and Jaxon, who both have determination written on their faces. It doesn"t look like they"re going anywhere anytime soon.
"No, they can stay," I tell the doctor. Jaxon is my brother and I need him here with me. Mac is, well, I"m not sure what Mac is, but he deserves to be here to.
"Okay, if you"re sure?" At my nod, he continues. "Do you remember what happened?"
"Only bits and pieces."
"I figured as much. After running some tests to confirm our suspicions, they came up as having Rohypnol, better known as the date rape drug, in your system."
The doctor stops to let me process this. Mac picks up my hand and sits on the side of the bed. The doctor sees the movement and stays quiet for a minute before continuing.
"We did a rape screen and, although we did find some bruising, there were no signs of rape. No s.e.m.e.n or spermicide was found. Even though this situation is a terrible one, the good news is, the guy didn"t get the chance to rape you."
I squeeze Mac"s hand and close my eyes, letting out a sigh of relief. My body starts to tremble and tears p.r.i.c.k the back of my eyes. That is good news.
When I open my eyes, again I see the doctor looking at me with sympathy.
"I know it may not sound like it in light of what happened, but you were very lucky your friends found you in time. It"s bad enough what happened, but it could have been worse." The doctor reaches over and squeezes my hand.
"I know. I am grateful."
"We"re going to keep you for a few more hours to make sure you don"t have any lasting reactions to the Rohypnol. I don"t foresee any problems, but we"d like to make sure. If all goes well, then you"ll be released. Do you have any questions?"
I shake my head, "No, thank you, Dr. Hughes."
"Good. Try to get some rest. I"ll come and check on you in a few hours." He leaves with a nod to both Mac and Jaxon.
Jaxon comes to me and bends to place a kiss on my forehead. He pulls back and asks, "Are you okay?" At my nod, he searches my eyes before continuing, "I"ll give y"all a few minutes before I let the horde of people in here. The girls and Andrew are worried about you."
"You didn"t call Mom, did you?"
"No, I wanted to wait to see how bad it was first. I"ll let you talk to her."
I release the breath I was holding at my question. I don"t plan on hiding it from her, but I"d like to tell her myself. I know she"s going to be upset that she wasn"t called right away, but eventually she"ll understand.
I give him a watery smile. "Thank you."
He kisses my cheek again before nodding to Mac, turning, and walking out the door.
It"s still hard to look at Mac, but I force myself to. There is pain still in the depth of his eyes, but it"s not as p.r.o.nounced. Relief from hearing I wasn"t raped lifted a tiny bit of the weight.
"Scoot over," Mac says and sits on the side of the bed.
I slide over a bit. The bed is small and cramped, but he manages to lay on his side facing me. I"m on my back, but when he pulls me flush against him, I end up on my side with my back against his front. His arms are tight around me, and he buries his face in my hair. I feel his body shudder.
"I was so scared when I walked in that room and you were just lying there." His voice is hoa.r.s.e when he speaks in my ear. "At first I didn"t know what was wrong."
"Mac, I"m okay." I try to soothe him. I pull his arms tighter around me. I know that it should be the opposite, him consoling me, but it seems like Mac needs it more right now. Besides, him lying with his arms wrapped around me is all the comfort I need. I know I shouldn"t let him so close, but right now I don"t want to think about why I shouldn"t let him. I need him just as much as he seems to need me.
"I"m sorry I wasn"t there in time. I"m sorry I didn"t stop that b.a.s.t.a.r.d from touching you."
I release his arms so I can turn over and face him. I place my hand on his cheek. "No, Mac, don"t you dare blame yourself," I tell him firmly before softening my voice and continuing, "There is no way you, or anyone else, could know what was going to happen. Don"t let this eat at you. You have nothing to be sorry for."
He grabs my hand from his cheek and raises my wrist to his lips where he kisses it. His eyes close, and he murmurs against my skin, "I should have been there." He opens his eyes and I still see anguish there. "I hear what you"re saying, Pix, but I still should have been there. I should have protected you somehow."
I understand his pain, because I feel the same for not being there for him when he needed me when we were teenagers, but it"s different for me. I chose not to be there for him. I let my pain get in the way, whereas with him, he"s here, with me. I know he would do just about anything to take the pain away. I didn"t do that. I was selfish and thought of my feelings first and foremost, not caring how he was affected. Even though I didn"t know he was violated, it doesn"t change the fact that he was, and I never gave him the chance to tell me.
"Mac, I don"t blame you for this. No one does. Please don"t blame yourself. I know that if you could have prevented it, you would have in a heartbeat. The one to blame is the guy that did it."
He puts his hand behind my neck and pulls my head toward him where he puts his lips to my forehead. He doesn"t kiss it, just lets his lips rest there.
We stay like that for a few minutes before the door opens again and all our friends pile into the room. Mac gets up from the bed but doesn"t leave my side. I immediately miss his warmth.
Chris rushes to me and grabs my hand. "Oh my G.o.d, Mia, I was so scared. Are you okay?"
I give her hand a rea.s.suring squeeze and tell her, "I"m good, Chris."