Turning around, he pushed the bar with his back and found Dom"s car screeching to a halt in front of him.
The pa.s.senger door slammed. Alistair rushed around the vehicle and helped him get Gemma inside. His face paled at the sight of her, but his expression remained as tough as old boot leather. Pulling out his phone, he pushed Harrison into the front seat and jumped in beside Gemma, cradling her head on his lap. Dominic accelerated out of the parking lot and swerved into the street, ignoring the irate blasting of car horns as he took off towards the hospital.
"Penelope, Gemma"s hurt. It looks bad. Meet us at the hospital."
Clicking the phone shut, he didn"t take his eyes off Gemma.
"Drive like h.e.l.l, Dominic, or she"s not going to make it."
Chapter Twenty-Four.
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida - 2011AD Harrison had never been tortured before. He"d seen it in movies, watched the victims agonize in various ways. Not once did he think he"d suffer the same plight, unless, of course, he counted the surreal experience from earlier that day. Thankfully he had avoided the 14th Century torture chamber. Now he sat in a 21st Century one and he was positive it was just as excruciating. Waiting to find out if Gemma would live or die. It was pure torture.
The minutes ticked by in slow motion as he limped a trench into the linoleum. Dom sat in a chair, his elbows on his knees and his eyes locked on the checkerboard floor. Ruby sat beside him, her legs curled beneath her. Her eyes were wide and unmoving. Her delicate fingers played with her bottom lip as she stared at nothing and waited in the deafening silence.
It was a calm contrast to their arrival at the hospital. Dom had been yelling for a gurney, while Alistair pushed Harrison firmly away from his daughter. Penelope rushed to her side demanding details. They"d trundled Gemma through ER and that was the last Harrison had seen of her.
Thirty minutes later Alistair"s clipped steps echoed down the corridor. Harrison watched him approaching, hoping for good news. Instead he faced a tornado of pent up fury. Alistair"s face was hard as he grabbed Harrison"s collar and slammed him against the wall.
"If she doesn"t make it through this, I"m going to kill you."
Harrison believed every word. Too shocked to utter a sound, he blinked stupidly at the man while waiting to be lowered to the floor. What seemed like a month later, the steaming man dropped him. Harrison crumpled to the floor. Leaning against the wall, he pulled his knees up and rested his arms across them, creating a square pillow for his forehead. He remained that way until his mother and Bryan rushed in.
She was flapping about demanding medical attention for her boy. After some stern words from Bryan, Harrison reluctantly limped to a bed where someone st.i.tched up his leg and sterilized his swelling face. Dom accompanied them after a flick of Alistair"s head. He ran through the story a couple of times, making sure the Grangers knew all the ugly details of the "mugging." Harrison sat in stony silence, staring at the rainbow poster on the wall.
"Harrison, you should sit. It"s not good for your leg."
"I"m fine, Mom." He ran his hand through his hair and gripped the back of his neck. His leg was numb, as was his brain. He studied the fluorescent lights on the ceiling then jumped at the sound of slow steps in the corridor.
Penelope walked into the room. She didn"t say anything or look his way, but the expression on her face set Harrison free. Stumbling back against the wall, he felt his lungs take in their first full breath. His eyes stung with relief.
Ruby let out a loud sob, covering her face with her hands and crumpling to the floor like a rag doll. Blinking at his own tears, Dom scooped her up and placed her gently back onto her seat. She clung to his shirt, drenching the fabric.
Alistair wrapped his wife in a firm hug and they remained that way until some quiet persuasion from a nurse had them heading home for some rest.
"She"ll be in recovery for another hour or so then we"ll move her up to a private room. There"s nothing to worry about Dr. Hart. We"ll take good care of her."
"You"re probably right, Cynthia. Call me if anything changes."
"You have my word." The large woman smiled then turned to Harrison. "You too, son. Go home and get some rest."
"I"m not leaving."
His soft voice froze the waiting room as waves of black anger radiated towards him. Penelope"s steps were like gunshots as she approached him.
"You are not going near my daughter again! You understand me?"
Harrison watched his mother frown at the woman"s reaction and open her mouth to intervene. He held his hand up to silence her.
"I"m sorry, Mrs. Hart, but I can"t do that. I"m staying."
"No you are not!"
"Yes I am." He kept his voice quiet.
Penelope"s nostrils flared. "How dare you contradict me? You are n.o.body. Do you understand that? You are not a part of my daughter"s future. Now leave!"
"No."
Harrison wasn"t sure what swayed her decision. It could have been the fact she didn"t have the energy for the fight, it could have been the fact she saw in Harrison a stubborn will that could not be broken. Most likely it was the fact that a nurse from recovery arrived looking for him.
"Harrison? Gemma"s asking for you."
He was too overwhelmed to feel smug. Without a backward glance he followed the nurse to recovery. Gemma had drifted back to unconsciousness by the time he got there, but just seeing her chest rise and fall in a steady rhythm was enough. Standing beside her bed, he ran his fingers gently over her hand, relishing the soft flame warming his fingertips.
Oblivious to human traffic, he stayed where he was. As he watched her sleep, his mind conjured up arguments that would allow him to stay by her side, but the need was taken away when a nurse arrived to transport Gemma to her own room.
"We"ve set up an extra bed for you."
Harrison"s eyebrows rose with surprise.
"When she first arrived in recovery, she was still unstable," the nurse explained as they entered the large lift. Pulling Gemma"s bed in behind her, she pressed the b.u.t.ton and watched the doors close. "She kept mumbling your name over and over. When you got there she stabilized almost immediately. I explained this to Dr. Hart and she said you could stay." She gave him a soft smile. "Your parents have gone home too. They"ll call you in the morning."
Harrison sighed with relief. The day had been long and harrowing. All he wanted to do now was to lie in that bed next to his girlfriend and watch her sleep. He knew there would be more battles to face tomorrow, but right now he could rest a.s.sured that there would actually be a tomorrow with Gemma in it.
Chapter Twenty-Five.
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida - 2011AD Soft beeping reached through the murky mud in Gemma"s brain. It was a consistent rhythm, like the dripping of a tap and it unnerved her. Gentle hands were pushing at her stomach, dabbing something wet and cold against her flesh. Her insides ached, her head pounded and her eyes burned. She wanted the feeling to stop. She wanted the hands on her stomach to stop!
Her eyelids cracked open and she found the light around her blinding. Two fuzzy hands cleared into view and she looked down her nose as they wiped her belly and extracted a fresh, white bandage edged in medical tape.
What are you doing? Get off me!
The words were screaming in her head, but she couldn"t say them aloud. She struggled to move her sluggish muscles and hit the hands away. She felt too weak and woozy to do anything more than open her mouth and scream. "Harrison! Harrison, help me!"
"Hey, calm down." The cool hands tried to hold her body still as she writhed away from their touch.
"Harrison!" She could hear her weepy voice and didn"t recognize it.
What"s happened to me?
Tears welled in the corners of her eyes as she felt the panic work its way up her body. As each limb came alive with the urgency of fight, she struggled against the hands that tried to hold her and felt a sharp pain sear through her abdomen.
She heard the door behind her fling open and the swift scuffle of feet approaching.
"Harrison!"
"I"m here. I"m here. Shhhh. It"s okay." His cool hands smoothed back her hair and her body relaxed as his face came into view. His lips touched her forehead softly. "It"s okay," he whispered, drawing his head back so he could look at her.
His brown eyes were lathered with warmth and relief. His cracked lips remained straight, but his eyes were shining with a smile.
She reached up and gently fingered his bruised face, confused. He didn"t flinch away from her.
"It"s okay. Everything"s fine," he whispered.
His thumb wiped at her tears. She closed her eyes, still felt him beside her and decided to try again.
Opening her eyes, she took her time to survey her surroundings. The hands that had been probing her stomach were now packing away a clump of bloodied bandages. Gemma"s eyes came to rest on the genteel face of what looked to be a nurse.
Laying a soft hand on her shoulder, the nurse sent her an understanding smile. "It"s nice to see you awake, Miss Hart. Sorry for the fright, I was just cleaning your wounds and putting on some fresh dressings." She looked down at Gemma"s bare stomach then back to her face, a slight look of awe swirling in her eyes. "I"ve never seen stab wounds heal so quickly. At this rate you"ll be home tomorrow."
Gemma could do nothing but give the woman a blank stare.
"Thank you," Harrison said.
"I"ll go tell your family you"re awake."
Gemma nodded as she fought the confused jumble of thoughts bouncing in her brain. Turning to her lifeline, she grimaced at the deep bruising on his cheekbone and jaw.
"What happened?"
"We were mugged at the mall," his voice was steady in spite of the shaking hand that brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "You were stabbed. The perpetrator got away with our wallets."
Her eyebrows puckered with confusion.
"It"s just a story for us earthlings to swallow."
She smiled then winced at the sting from her dry lips.
"Why do my chest and stomach hurt so much?"
His eyes clouded with pain as he leaned towards her.
"You took two arrows in the back while we were climbing down the tower wall. We got you into surgery just in time."
Flashes flew through her brain... a tranquil pair of eyes, a rushed escape, yelling, pleading, Harrison lying on the stairwell, climbing down a stonewall. She let out a soft gasp.
"The jail break," she whispered. "Did he make it?"
Harrison"s eyes swam with wonder as he took in her expression.
"What?"
"You"re more worried about the man, than about the fact you nearly died?" His voice broke on the last word.
"What"s the point if we fail?"
He let out a soft chuckle and shook his head. His tongue briefly flashed over his lips before answering, "According to the history books, there was a stable hand that escaped death and managed to flee to Ireland with his wife and two children. He went on to work a small piece of land and if my research is correct, he had another eight kids."
"Eight." Gemma smiled.
"He told his children the story of the angels G.o.d sent to rescue him and its been pa.s.sed down through the family."
Gemma studied his face as he leaned back in his chair. He looked exhausted, the purple shadows under his eyes throbbing in time with his pulse.
"You look tired." She ran her thumb gently over his fingers.
He chuckled and ran a hand back through his unkempt mane. "I"ve been a little too anxious to sleep."
"So you researched instead?"
He tipped his head and gave her a blushing nod, finally pointing to the laptop resting on the bed beside hers.
"I knew you"d want to know."
"You didn"t leave me?"
The look in his eyes stole her heartbeat.
"I couldn"t." His voice was raw with an emotion she wanted to erase, but knew she never could. She had nearly died and she saw the toll it had taken on him. Pulling his hand to her lips, she planted a fierce kiss on his knuckles.
"I"m sorry."
Jumping to his feet, he leaned over her and brushed his hand down her face. Their noses were nearly touching as he whispered, "Don"t be. You made it."
"I had a pretty good reason to." She lifted her hand, running a finger down his jaw. "I love you, Harrison."
The look on his face made her wonder why she"d waited so long to tell him.
"Ti amo, Gemma."
The Italian words sounded sweet on his lips and she didn"t need to ask what he had said. His eyes shone as he lowered his head and met her lips with an exquisite kiss. The fire was a warm lick of comfort as it curled around her heart and swam down to her toes.