Page 47 of Unbroken

Concussive Forces

"Getsecurity!"heyelled turning to the woman he had pushed past to get into the ladies' room. She started to argue with him but then took in the sight before her. "I'm on it," she said and quickly moved through the crowd.

“Maggie!” he yelled, falling to his knees next to her. She was on her hands and knees on the floor near the sink. Blood was pouring down her face and her eyes weren’t focusing. He could tell she was trying to stand but couldn’t get her feet under her.

“Don’t try to get up, baby,” Zane told her. He eased her back down to sit on the floor and took her face in his hands trying to see where all the blood was coming from. He knew logically that head wounds bled copiously even from a tiny cut but, his heart stuttered in his chest at the sight of her beautiful face and gentle hands covered in red.

“Zane?” she asked in a confused whisper. “How did you get here? Are we in the ladies’ room?”

She tried to raise her bloody hands to her head, but he caught them. “It’s ok, sweetheart. Don’t touch it anymore. Just let me see.”

He reached up and grabbed a paper towel off the dispenser and wet it in the sink, thanking God they had actual paper towels and not just a stupid blower. He dabbed carefully at her face finally finding a split just inside her hairline. When he looked up to get more towels, he saw a red splotch on the edge of the metal bathroom stall that was at almost exactly her height. That crazy bitch banged her head into the edge of the stall. He knew Shawna had done it. Had she been following him all this time? How else would she have ended up here? This was all his fault. He’d led Shawna straight to her.

He tried to calm his breathing and his racing heart as he tried to clean her up. He needed to act like a doctor here and assess her injuries, not the man who loved her and just wanted to take her pain away. He took a deep breath and willed his voice to be calm and low. “Sweetheart, can you follow my finger with your eyes?” As she did so he saw her wince, but her pupils were of equal size.

“Good, really good. Now can you tell me your full name?” Maggie looked at him like he had lost his mind. That was a good sign too.

“You know my name, Margaret Elizabeth Wade,” she intoned. She closed her eyes and grimaced. “My head really hurts, Zane. The lights are so bright.”

After thoroughly examining her head, he didn’t see any other wounds on her. Thank God. She probably had a concussion, though and he wanted to get her a CT scan.

“I know, baby, I’m sorry. We’re going to get you out of here in just a second. Can you tell me what happened?”

She looked up at him, her eyes still glazed in pain and not focusing very well. “I’m not sure. I came to the bathroom. I was about to go into the stall, and someone grabbed my hair.” Tears started falling down her face. “I didn’t see who it was. I’m so sorry,” she said, starting to cry in earnest, “I should have been paying closer attention. I’m so sorry.”

Zane sat on the floor next to her and gathered her up into his lap, cradling her like a child. “Shhh, you have nothing to be sorry for, baby. I’m pretty sure Shawna did this to you. I just saw her leaving when I was trying to get to you. I’m the one who should be sorry. She wouldn’t even know you were alive if not for me.”

He rocked her mumbling nonsense and rubbing her back for several minutes until she settled. He’d glared fiercely at the women who had opened the bathroom door and they had retreated quickly. He was mopping up the last of her tears when a man in a Mama Tried shirt with ‘security’ embroidered on his chest burst into the small room. The man’s eyes widened as he took in all the blood and Zane holding Maggie on the floor.

When Zane looked up at him, he gasped. "Dr. Savage? Is that you?"

Zane blinked, trying to figure out how the man knew him. Then it hit him. He was a retired cop who did security at the hospital as well. "Carl?"

"Yes, sir. What's happened here?"

"She was attacked by another woman. It's a long story but..." He stopped when a light bulb went off. Carl knew Shawna. He'd thrown her out of the hospital more than once when she'd been harassing Zane.

"It was Shawna, Carl, you remember? The woman I couldn't get rid of last year?"

"Shit, man. I knew she was crazy but not this crazy," Carl answered, confirming he did indeed remember her. "Are you sure?"

"I saw her going toward the doors when I was trying to get back here. She looked right at me."

Zane moved Maggie off his lap gently. "Here, help me get her up. I need to get her to the hospital."

The burly man carefully took hold of Maggie under the arms and held her steady as Zane stood. Once upright, he scooped Maggie up in his arms in what was normally once of his favorite places to have her. This time, though, it made his knees weak. "Can you help me get her out of here to my car, Carl? I need to get her to the hospital."

Carl nodded but looked concerned. "You sure we shouldn't call an ambulance instead?"

Zane shook his head, his need to get Maggie out of there and to medical help almost overwhelming. He tried to keep his voice calm as he answered. "I can have her to the ED before the ambulance can even get out of the bay if you'll just help me get through all these people."

"OK, doc, I got you," he agreed and started cutting a path through the crowds outside the bathroom doors like a linebacker. Zane followed in his wake and they quickly made it to his car. He carefully set Maggie into the passenger seat and buckled her seatbelt. He kissed her temple softly. “Hang on, baby. We’ll have you to the hospital in no time.”

Zane rounded the hood of his Audis and reached out a hand to shake with the man who had gotten them out of the club. “Thanks, Carl. I owe you. I know you're going to have to file a report. Ask for Detective Morales. He's already looking for Shawna."

The man nodded. “Will do and I'll tell them about my experience with her last year as well.”

Zane ducked his head. He could imagine what else Carl was thinking. If he'd let him file a report then, this wouldn't be happening now. He didn't want to look and see the reproach he knew had to be in the retired cop's eyes. He jumped in the Audi and sped toward the hospital.