“Thank you.” I pushed open the door, and my heart faltered. They had changed Tessa into a hospital gown, but there was still dried blood caked on her face and arms. I couldn’t let her wake up to that. I looked at one of the nurses. “Can you get me a washcloth and a basin of warm water?”
The nurse gave me a gentle smile. “Of course. We were planning to clean Ms. Fitzpatrick up as soon as we got her upstairs, but you can do it yourself if you’d prefer.”
I swallowed hard. “I’d like to.” I needed to dosomething. I’d failed Tessa in so many ways, but I’d be with her every step of the way now.
The nurse nodded. “They have her room ready, so let’s take her upstairs first. That’ll give you more privacy.”
An orderly unlocked the bed and rolled her towards the door. Walker and Tuck took Tessa in as we passed, rage lighting both of their gazes. Walker’s jaw worked. “I’m going to head out to the waiting room and let everyone know Tessa’s going to be just fine.”
I locked eyes with him and Tuck. “Thank you. For everything.”
Walker jerked his chin in a nod. “Of course.”
I stayed in step with Tessa’s bed until we reached a room. It was a private one, thankfully. It had a window that looked out at the mountains. She’d like that. The orderly locked the bed in place and turned to leave.
Tessa was so pale. So very still. I fucking hated it. I took the hand that wasn’t connected to an IV and placed it in mine. “You’re safe now. No one is ever going to hurt you again.”
A soft knock sounded on the open door, and I turned. The same nurse was there, but now she wielded a cart with towels and a basin of water. “This should do the trick. Just be careful around her head and the IV line.”
“I will.” I looked from the nurse to Tessa and back again. “Any idea when she might wake up?”
The nurse settled the cart next to the hospital bed. “It’s a waiting game now. She’s been through an incredible trauma, both mentally and physically.” My gut clenched, hating that I hadn’t been there. “We’ll be back to try and rouse her in an hour or so.”
I took a washcloth from the cart. “Thank you.”
The nurse gave me a kind smile. “Just hit the call button if you need anything at all.”
“I will.”
The woman left, pulling the door closed behind her.
I dipped the cloth into the warm water, squeezing out the excess liquid. “Let’s get you cleaned up.” Carefully, I began to wipe the fabric against Tessa’s unmarred cheek. As the terrycloth turned pink, an invisible fist gripped my heart. I felt wetness on my face, but it took me a moment to realize it was my tears.
I could’ve lost her. It was fucking close. I didn’t know how I’d ever let her out of my sight again. I couldn’t process everything I was feeling. Instead, I poured all my emotion into the task at hand: cleaning every sign of what that bastard had done to Tessa from her skin. I couldn’t erase the bruises, but I could eradicate the blood.
I worked methodically and as gently as possible until there was not even one dot of dried blood left. Then, as lightly as possible, I brushed my lips against Tessa’s bruised temple. “I’ve got you. Come back to me.”
47
Tessa
There was a familiar voice calling to me. Tendrils of music swirled around me. I wanted to crawl into the warm, rich sound and never leave. The last notes of a song, familiar somehow, floated away. I needed to hear it again.
“Come on, Tessa. Time to show me those pretty eyes.”
My lids fluttered. The light made my head pound.
“There you go.”
The room, blurry, came into focus in degrees. “Hurts.”
“Can you turn that light down?” the voice asked.
“Of course,” another voice answered. The lights dimmed, and the pain subsided along with it.
“Hey there.” Liam’s face filled my vision. “What hurts?”
I took a mental inventory of my body. “My head. My throat.” My voice had a rasp to it that was usually reserved for Liam’s crooning. Things came back in flashes. The room. Garrett. Blood. My body jolted, and I cried out at the sharp pain in my skull.
