The Ahern Brothers Collection - Claudia Burgoa Page 0,90
He gives me a hug, slapping my back. “One of the best doctors in the country is taking care of her.”
Luna looks at all of them and then at me. “As I was saying, I specialize in crimes of human trafficking. Because of what I’ve learned from the victims, I set up a center to help people just like Abby. There’s a space open for Abigail if she wants it.”
“She’ll stay with me. I can help her.”
She snickers. “Men. They think they can fix everything.”
“Luna, don’t do this. He’s already going through hell,” her husband warns her.
“This is obviously all new to him. He has no training. Loving her isn’t enough in this case.” Luna serves me a stern look. “It’s her choice, not yours. I’ve seen it all. I don’t know you, but I know that you’re hurting too. Like her, you’ll need help and support. A strong man recognizes his limits. Be that man, for her.”
I open my mouth to object the nosy bitch, but she turns around dismissing me. “Gentlemen, if you’ll excuse me. I have to find some food.”
“I’ll go with you,” her husband offers.
She turns to look at Hawk. “Go home. Your wife is due any minute now. You don’t want to miss the birth of your children.”
“The plane is waiting for you,” Bradley tells Hawk. “We’ll stay around until we know she’s out of surgery.”
Hawkins extends his arm toward me. “Nice meeting you. Take care of her.”
“Thank you,” I say and though I’m not in the mood to be polite I add, “And congrats on the babies.”
“What happened with Corbin?” I need to know more. Is he still around?
“He’s under arrest, facing multiple charges, including murder. We caught him on the border between New Mexico and Colorado,” Bradley answers, talking a deep breath. “Peyton is on her way too. She was part of the operation.”
Fuck, I feel like I failed Abby, but how could I have known? She didn’t even tell me about her past until a couple of nights ago.
“Thank you. If you ever need anything let me know,” I offer because I’m indebted to them.
“Count on it,” he grins.
— — —
Around ten in the morning, I send Sterling home to rest. Abby’s still in surgery. Bradley, Luna, and Harrison come and go. There’s always someone keeping me company. Finally, around noon, the nurse comes out telling me that she’s in the recovery room and in a couple of hours she’ll be moved into a private room. I relax slightly at the news. It feels like forever since she’d called to tell me Shaun was with her.
Bradley and I go to the cafeteria to eat some lunch. An hour later, the nurse tells me that she’s doing great and they decided to move her into the room. I almost run to get in there, but I stay outside as there’s a doctor and several nurses around the bed. Leaning against the wall, I wait for them to finish setting her up.
A few minute later, a beautiful woman wearing a white coat comes out of her room. Her captivating, light-green eyes find mine. She smiles. “You must be Weston. I’m Brynn Ward.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. Thank you so much for coming on such short notice.” I shake her hand. “How is she doing?”
“She’s resting. The nurse just gave her some meds for the pain, so she might be out for a little while. As I explained to Miss Lyons, those hands will be working fine in a few months but she’s going to have to work hard to regain her strength. The lacerations have been stitched. Everything should heal timely. We’ll keep an eye on her while she’s here.”
Numb and grief-stricken, I march toward her room. The tension in my chest spreads to every pore of my body. Bradley warned me about what I’d find when I saw her, but it’s almost impossible to be prepared. I bite back the sob rattling in my chest at the sight of her.
A pang of pain hits me when I see Abby, still and lifeless in the hospital bed. Her face is swollen with bruises purple and blue. There’s an IV connected in her right arm. There’re a couple of wires coming out of her robe and connected to the heart monitor right next to the bed.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper stepping to her side.
Leaning over her, I’m able to study her more closely. She has a few stitches on the left side of her forehead.