I don’t really know how long it has been, but I wake up in a completely different spot than where I last was. I am in a clean white room. There is a tv at the end of the bed that I am laying in. Crisp clean white blankets and sheets are spread over my body. I have tubes and wires connected to my arm and chest. I feel groggy as hell, but the pain has gone away. I can hear a monitor off to my left. The room reeks of antiseptic.
Thankfully I don’t have to wait long before someone comes into the room. “Oh, you are up. Thank goodness. We were starting to worry that you would never wake up. Deputy Morison was scared out of his wits when he brought you in.”
I cough a little. “Where am I?”
“You are in Southern County hospital. It’s in Middleton.”
I sigh in relief. I am out of the territory. They can’t reach me. At least for now. “What is next?”
She shuffles around the room. Checking monitors and checking sheets and things. “Well, we are going to get you checked out by the doctor. You are going to be here for the next day or so. We want to make sure that you are fine and not going to have any further damage. There was a lot of internal bleeding. We couldn’t really tell what was causing it. Deputy Morison said that your husband hurt you.”
“Yes,” I can feel tears. I wonder if it was Sasha again. Probably was, just to hurt me the most.
“Is his name Markus?”
“No, that is a friend.” Then I realized. “How do you know his name?”
She looks a little sheepish. “Sorry, you talked in your sleep. Would you like to call your friend?”
“No, he is also my husband’s brother. If I call him then my husband will find me.”
She sits on the side of the bed. “I know how you feel. I was like you once. I got married at sixteen. I thought I was in love. He was really abusive like your husband. Eventually I got away. I didn’t want to talk about it either. Just move on. It was hard and eventually I was able to talk about it with some of the other girls. You will get through this. Deputy Morison said that when you are ready for discharge he is going to take you to the shelter himself. He was really worried about you.”
I smile a little. “I’ll heal. I always do. Thank Deputy Morison for me.”
I hear someone clear their throat at the door. I look over and see the Deputy standing there. “Or you can tell him yourself. I’m going to go get the doctor.” She smiles and rushes out of the room.
Deputy Morison has flowers in one hand and his hat in the other. “Sophia. You’re awake.”
I smile. “Yeah, thanks. I don’t know what would have happened to me if you weren’t there.”
He steps further into the room. “I have never been so scared in my life. You know they train you for that stuff in basic but seeing it in person was freaky.”
I giggle a little. “Sorry, I shouldn’t laugh. It’s just the way you said it.”
He chuckles a little. “Well, at least you can laugh, I guess that is a good sign.” He sets the flowers that are in a vase on the counter. “I figured you might need something to brighten up the room. It is pretty white in here.” It’s wildflowers, nothing really too romantic but still they are very thoughtful.
“Thank you. You didn’t have to. You don’t really know me.”
“You’re right I don’t. But who else do you have?”
“I guess you’re right. I don’t really have anyone.”
He pulls a bag from his back pocket. It’s one of those big gallon sized zipper sealed bags. “This is your personal effects. I didn’t want to just leave it laying around.” It’s just my phone and my wallet.
I take the bag. “Thanks. How long have I been here?”
“Three days.”
“Well, I guess there’s a good sign. He hasn’t found me yet.”
“The hospital knows your situation and they are not releasing any information on your whereabouts. There have been a few calls, just so that you are aware. Someone claiming to be your mother. Someone claiming to be your brother. And of course someone claiming to be your husband. All were told that you were not here.”
“Thank you. They are all his family. I don’t have anyone except my aunt and uncle and I doubt they would ever look for me.”
“Do you want to press charges?”
“No, I just want to get away from him. I want nothing more to do with him.”
He sighs but nods. “That is your choice. Once the doctor releases you I will take you to the women’s shelter and they will help you get set up with a new life.” He gives me a small smile. I am sure he wants my husband behind bars, but that isn’t going to help Darius. Darius has issues that can’t be fixed by jail.
“Thank you for all that you have done for me. I am really grateful.”
“Of course. Well, I am going to get going. The hospital knows to call me when you are ready for discharge.”
He starts to bow out. “Wait.” He turns and looks at me. “What is your first name? It just seems really impersonal to call you Deputy Morison after everything you have done for me.”
His smile gets bigger. “Daniel.”
“Thank you Daniel.”
After that he leaves. I dig my phone out of the bag and see what damage is done. There is a text from Sasha.
SASHA: Knew your weak ass couldn’t handle a man like him.
Yeah, thanks cous.
There are like a million texts from Darius. I don’t even try to read those. I see a few from Markus.
MARKUS: You know I am going to find you.
MARKUS: I have been looking for you for ten years, I’ll be damned if I will lose you now.
MARKUS: Please call me. I just need to know that you are safe.
I don’t want Markus to worry but at the same time he could find out where I am just by me calling. Would he tell Darius? I don’t think so, but I don’t know if I want to take that chance. I sat there for a while staring at my phone.
Finally my love for Markus won out. I don’t want him to worry about me. I click on his contact information and wait for the answer. It doesn’t take long. “Please tell me that you are safe.”
I get a small smile. “I am safe. As long as Darius keeps it in his pants, I should be fine.”
“Tell me where you are. I will be there as soon as I can get in my truck.”
“I’m not going to tell you Markus. Darius will find me. I can’t do that.”
“Sophia. What is going on? Darius looks sicker by the minute. My parents are going crazy trying to figure it out. He refuses to go to the doctor. He says he just needs you.”
“Darius is sick. He doesn’t want to do the treatments to get better. He is going to die within a year without treatment. I can’t be there and watch him die. So I left. Then he slept with someone, I don’t know who and I don’t care to know. I wound up passing out on the side of the highway. He told me I was nothing. I don’t see why he really cares that I am gone. He ruined any chance that I ever had at happiness. Until he comes clean to everyone, I am not stepping foot in those lands again.”
“Sophia, please just tell me where you are. You know I will find you eventually. You are my mate and I will never give up looking for you.”
“I know, but try Markus. It’s just better this way.”
“Better for who? You are the only person that I have thought about for ten years. Now you are just gone. How am I supposed to deal with that?”
“Isn’t it better than seeing me with Darius all the time?”
“I would rather see you with Darius than not at all. I know you care about him. You don’t love him but you do care.”
“Yeah, I do. Only he wants to die. I am not going to be there for that.”
“I am going to find you Sophia. You know you are terrible at hiding.”
I chuckle. “Yeah, you’re right I am. But it took you ten years last time.”
“Only because I had others look for you. This time it is me. I will find you.”
“Well, if you do, then we will talk about this. Until then. I am going dark. I don’t want Darius to find me.”
“I am the one that is going to find you. Not him.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too Sophia.”
I click the end button. I have tears streaming down my face. I didn’t even notice the doctor at the end of the bed. “Do you need a minute?”
I wipe the tears away. “No, I’m fine.”
She nods. “Well, as you already know you had some internal bleeding. Likely caused by the abuse you suffered. We got it stopped and you are healing at a remarkable pace. I have a few things that we can remove and we are going to check your progress over the next twenty four hours, if you have no other problems then you can be out of here tomorrow.”
“That sounds like a plan.”
“I have already put in an order for some food. The nurse will be in here in a few to remove your catheter and the IV. You can start walking around, but only with a nurse present for a while. After I check you a couple of times we can let you move more freely on your own. We just don’t want you to collapse again.”
She gives me a few more instructions, then leaves only for the nurse to come in and remove the things she is supposed to. I still have to have my heart monitored, but at least it isn’t tubes to my heart anymore. Just this thing on my finger that I can remove if I need to use the bathroom.
The rest of my stay in the hospital is pretty boring. I just want to be able to do something. I am already healed. I can feel it. I can’t tell that to these people. They don’t understand a wolf’s healing abilities. Thankfully Darius keeps it in his pants. I am able to get out of the hospital the next day.