“Please be gentle with her,” I told him.
“Yes, of course.”
I felt Jacobi beside me, but I couldn’t move. My eyes were still on Gigi, pleading with her soul for her to open her fucking eyes. But she just laid there, so fucking still.
“Nico, may I examine her?” Jacobi asked.
I stepped back to give him room to examine her. He set his medical bag down, and the nurse stood on the other side of the bed, looking at my angel with somber eyes.
I noticed Jacobi reaching for the blanket covering her naked body, and like a possessive fuck, I wrapped my hand around his wrist. “What the fuck are you doing?” I growled.
I knew it was stupid, given he was a doctor for fuck’s sake and that I’d called for him. But the idea of another man touching her after what happened to her was killing me inside.
Jacobi swallowed hard. “I need to see the extent of her injuries.”
“Continue.”
He nodded, and he winced as I let go of his wrist. “I’m sorry,” I muttered and stepped aside.
“No need to apologize, sir.” He gave me a small smile.
I stood by the end of the bed with my arms across my wet shirt and watched Jacobi examine her injuries. The nurse takes her vitals, temperature, and oxygen level.
“Oxygen saturation is eighty-eight percent,” she stated. “She has a fever of 101 and her blood pressure is alarmingly low.”
Jacobi nodded. “Let’s put her on oxygen, give her ibuprofen to reduce the fever, and hook up a central line for her IV. She needs fluids.”
The nurse got to work while Jacobi pulled down the blanket. I growled. Jacobi tensed but continued. When her naked body was exposed, I paused when I saw a big fucking gash on her stomach.
“This looks infected,” Jacobi said. “I’ll clean this wound and draw some blood and do some testing. I’ll also run other tests such as for pregnancy and STDs, and…”
I glared at him. “And what?”
“A rape kit.”
Every muscle locked in place, every breath a struggle. I couldn’t even close my eyes. I was fucking terrified of the images I didn’t want to see, the ones I couldn’t escape.
What happened to her… it was all because ofme.
Just the idea of it twisted my insides; it was a pain I’d never felt before, one so profound it made me want to rip my heart from my chest.
Pregnancy.
STDs.
Rape kit.
My stomach churned, and I stumbled into the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before I doubled over, the contents of my soul spilling out in a violent rush of shame.
I was not sure how long I stayed in the bathroom before there was a knock, followed by Jacobi’s voice. “Sir, are you okay?”
“No, I’m not okay. My girl was fucking kidnapped, tortured, buried alive, and left for dead!” I hissed. And god knew what other damage that piece of shit did to her.
There was a brief silence before the nurse told Jacobi everything was set.
“Thank you. Please take the blood to the lab and put a rush on the order.”
I didn’t hear what she said, but the door closed, telling me she’d left.
