Chapter 10 - Chapter 10

The first time he saw Caylee after they had her settled in the ICU, Nolan looked down at her and felt tears sting his eyes. Her whole head was wrapped in a white bandage beside one side of her face. What he could see were bruises and scrapes. She had a brace on her wrist and another on her ankle from the damage done by the bastard and the way he fell on her in the elevator. Fortunately, nothing was broken, and she'd have the braces off in a week or so. She had a bandage around her chest and shoulder where the man had bitten her and torn the skin enough with his teeth that they'd needed to put in stitches.God, he wished he could kill the fucker. It had taken six men to hold him back. When they got the guy in another ambulance, a few friends had settled him down enough that they'd let him in the ER to see Caylee. He knew if he were still acting crazy by the time he got to the hospital, they'd ban him from going in.His first glance at her in the ER horrified him. There was blood everywhere. They'd ripped her clothes off and had her covered with a simple sheet that was more red than white.She hadn't gained consciousness, and they talked about taking her up to the ICU, which worried the hell out of him. The doctor told him her vitals looked good, so he wasn't too worried. They were just taking precautions and putting her where she could be watched every minute."Are you feeling any pain?" he asked."My head, but I know they can't give me too much for that because of the concussion.""You act like you've had one before."She was careful how she moved. "Yes, a few times.""Why?" he asked."My parents.""I've got so many questions, but they can wait until later. I want you to get some rest right now."Her eyelids started to droop. "I think I'll rest. I'm very tired."He pressed another kiss to her forehead and then stared down at her until the nurse kicked him out. "You can come back in thirty minutes, but it might be good to go home and get some rest. I doubt she'll wake up before morning."He had no idea if a threat remained, and he wasn't taking a chance. "I can't. Not until I know she's out of the woods. I'm going to keep two guards on her. They won't come in here, but they'll be right outside the doors."The nurse nodded and adjusted Caylee's IV. "I heard what the poor girl was going through. I hope you got all the men involved with the human trafficking.""We'll never get them all, but we think we got the ones that were a threat to Caylee.""I hope so. I'll come out when you can see her again," the nurse said.Nolan walked out of the ICU to find Travis, Drake, Dustin, and a few others waiting for him.One of them handed him a cup of coffee."How is she?" Drake asked.Nolan took a few sips of his coffee. "She has a concussion, a sprained wrist and ankle, bruises and cuts all over her, and a wound on her shoulder where the bastard bit her. It was deep enough that the doctor had to stitch it.""Jesus Christ," Dustin said.The rest of them cursed and asked more questions."Why don't you sit down before you fall?" Travis said.Nolan sat and sipped his coffee for a minute. "How did the bastards get in?"Drake cleared his throat. "Through the nonprofit Lacey and Cason have. They were with a group of businessmen who were interested in becoming involved. I'm not sure how they got the elevator code, so I think you guys should change them.""What about Jones?" Nolan asked."He was picked up. The feds have a few people who have rolled on him and think they have enough evidence to convict.""Unless he has one of those pricey lawyers that know every loophole," Dustin said."I'm telling you guys now if he gets off, I'm taking him out," Nolan said."Fuck, man, we'll help you," Drake said.They all nodded."I'll stay here if you want to head home and get some rest," Dustin said.Nolan shook his head. "No. But thank you. I've already let her down. I'm not going to do it again.""What the hell does that mean?" Drake asked."I was supposed to keep her safe, and I failed," he told them."That's bullshit, man. Please don't do this to yourself, or it's going to affect your relationship with her," Dustin said.Nolan looked down. He wasn't going to tell them it already had. He didn't want to hear it anymore. He couldn't take it. "I'm staying, but you guys go on home. I'll keep everyone up-to-date on her progress."Reluctantly, everyone besides the two guards left. Nolan spent the time he couldn't be by Caylee's side sitting in the corner of the waiting room. Every minute that passed, his anger at himself grew. He knew a bit of it was the stress and the exhaustion, but he couldn't get over how disappointed he was in himself, and he wouldn't be surprised if Caylee was too."Sir, she's awake again."Nolan jerked awake and stood. "How is she?" He walked beside the nurse through the double doors."Good. Her vitals are fine, and there is no evidence of the concussion damaging her brain. She'll have a headache for a few days, but the doctor might give her something this morning when he comes in to check on her.""I hope so. I don't want her in pain."The nurse smiled and nodded. "It's still a ten-minute visiting limit. You'll be able to stay with her when we take her to a private room.""When will that be?""It could be today. We'll have to see what the doctor says."He nodded and walked over to the side of the bed. His first look at her shocked him. If anything, she looked worse than she had the day before. He knew in his head that it was normal, but seeing his little look so broken made him crazy."Hi," she said.He reached for her hand. "Hi, baby girl.""You didn't get any sleep, did you?"He shook his head. "I'm worried about you.""Don't be. I'm going to be okay.""I know that." He also knew that this would affect him for years to come, and he didn't know how to handle this type of situation. He'd never failed to this degree before, and with someone he loved this deeply.