Something warm had her hand. That bothered her. What was it? Where was she? Her eyes fluttered open, and she blinked rapidly against the light. She tried to move, but her limbs felt heavy, as if they were weighed down by invisible chains. Panic rose in her chest as she realized he had her hand. She tried to pull away, but his grip tightened.
“Please, let me go.” She’d said that, but that wasn’t her voice.
“Kendall, hey, baby.”
She knew that voice. As her vision cleared, she realized she was in a hospital room. The antiseptic smell assaulted hersenses, and the steady beeping of the heart monitor echoed in her ears. She turned her head slightly and saw Cooper sitting in a chair beside her bed.
“There she is,” he said. He reached across her and pushed a button. “The doctor will be here in a minute. How do you feel?”
“I… Why do I sound funny?” And why did her throat hurt when she talked?
“Let’s wait until the doctor sees you, and then I’ll answer all your questions.”
A nurse came in, took one look at her and smiled. “I see you’re back with us. I’m Corina. Dr. Andrews will be here in a minute. While we’re waiting, I’ll get some vitals.”
While the nurse took her blood pressure, Kendall kept her eyes on Cooper. If he was here, she was safe. “He came back.” She knew he would keep coming for her. Tears filled her eyes. “He’ll come back again.”
Cooper shook his head. “He’s never coming back. I promise. It’s over, Kendall.”
He’d promised he wouldn’t let the man hurt her, and yet, he had. Chad, she remembered the man saying. Cooper didn’t understand. It would never be over. She could hide, but he’d always find her.
“Why do I sound funny?” she asked again. “Tell me now.”
He glanced at the nurse before looking back at her. “Your voice box was damaged. It’s just temporary. You’ll sound like yourself soon.”
That puzzled her. She tried to remember how she’d damaged her voice box, but it hurt to think, so she decided she didn’t care.
“I hear our girl is awake,” a man said, coming next to her bed. “Glad to see you back with us, Kendall. I’m Dr. Andrews. Let’s take a look at that wound.”
What wound? When he reached for the edge of the hospital gown, she pushed his hand away. “Don’t touch me.” Her eyes darted around the room. “Where am I?”
“You’re in the hospital in Atlanta,” Cooper said. “You were shot in the shoulder, Kens. Dr. Andrews just needs to make sure everything looks okay. He’s not going to hurt you.”
She was shot? How did she not know that? She was in Atlanta? How did she get here? Livie! How could she have forgotten about her daughter? “Where’s Livie?”
Cooper took her hand again. “She’s at Grayson’s house. She’s safe and having fun with Tyler and Ruby. Let Dr. Andrews take a look at the wound, okay?”
“Okay,” she whispered even though she didn’t want anyone touching her. When the doctor folded over her gown, she closed her eyes. The temptation to go back to that dark place where he couldn’t find her was impossible to resist and she let the blackness take her.
“I think we’re going to find that she’s suffering from an extreme case of PTSD,” a woman said, her voice penetrating her hiding spot.
Whom were they talking about?
“Physically, she’s in good shape. The shoulder wound is healing nicely, and there’s not any permanent damage to her voice box.”
That was the doctor. Dr. Andrews, she thought he said. Were they talking about her?
“It’s been three days. If she’s fine physically, why isn’t she waking up?”
She knew that voice. Her father was here.
“Because she doesn’t want to,” the woman said.
“She’s been through an extremely traumatic experience. I’ve seen PTSD firsthand with soldiers I served with, and I think Dr. Croft is probably right. Right now, Kendall feels it’s safer to hide.”
That was Cooper. If her father and Cooper were here, she was safe. She could leave this dark place. They wouldn’t let the monster take her.
“So, what do we do to help her?” her father said.