stops in his tracks.
“Didn’t realize I was walking in on a show.”
The amusement in his face changes as he gets a look at my face.
“What’s going on?” he demands, all business now.
“Natalie got attacked. I have to go to the hospital.”
“I’ll drive you.”
Relief floods me. If Rick is willing to attack Natalie after the police reports, I doubt he’d have any guilt about attacking me, and he’s already made it clear what he wants to do to me, none of which is good. Having Shane with me makes me feel less on edge, more in control and safe.
Shane borrows a truck from the club and he drives us to the hospital. He doesn’t speak much on the way, leaving me to my thoughts, which I’m grateful for. As we pull into a space in the hospital and he cuts the engine, I turn to him.
“Is this my fault? Did I cause this?”
“Babe? What the fuck? No.”
“I pushed her to file a complaint, to do the police report. If I’d left it alone—”
“This still would have happened. Men like this fucker only know one language—violence. He would have escalated to that point, with or without you taking action, Amy.”
He’s right, I know he is, but guilt still crawls through me. I should have kept her safe. I’m supposed to be a safe place for her, not the cause of her getting hurt.
Shane grabs my hand. “Ain’t your fault,” he tells me, his voice stern. “None of this shit is, so stop thinking it.”
I give him a wry smile. “Can you read minds now?”
He leans over and kisses me. “I can read yours.”
I huff out a breath. “You’re too good to me.”
“Not good enough, babe. Come on, let’s go and see Natalie.”
We climb out of the car and he takes my hand in his before we make our way inside the hospital. It’s always weird being here and not being on duty. The urge to jump in and help is always overwhelming, but we make our way to the nurses’ station and main reception area. Julia is there and her eyes flare when she sees me with Shane before she manages to cover her reaction.
“Amy. I didn’t expect to see you in today.”
“I’m here to see a patient.”
I give her Natalie’s name and she heads over to the charts, rummaging through them before she pulls the right on out. “She’s in exam four.”
“You want me to come in with you?” Shane asks.
“Can you wait here?” Natalie might have a problem trusting men after what she’s been through.
He kisses my cheek and I let my fingers slip away from him. I hate losing his touch. It makes me feel so vulnerable.
When I step into the room, I can’t stop the gasp that escapes me. Natalie’s face is a mass of bruises and cuts. She looks so small sitting in the bed, so vulnerable. My heart aches for her.
“Oh, Natalie!” I come to her side, and grip her hand. “I’m so sorry. What happened?”
“He was waiting for me when I got home after work. The police say he broke in through a back window. He…” She swallows hard and a single tear falls down her cheek before another follows. “He hit me over and over, calling me names. I think a neighbor heard the commotion. Someone came in anyway and Rick ran off.”
A knock on the door has my head coming up. Cobi and my brother are standing in the entrance. Chase’s eyes go to Natalie and his jaw clenches as he takes in her injuries before coming back to me.
“We need to talk to Natalie,” he says softly.
“Amy can stay,” Natalie says. “I don’t want to be alone right now.”
Cobi moves forward. “Can you tell us what happened?”
She recounts the incident and as she speaks tears clog my throat, even though I’ve heard the story already. The way her voice shakes makes me grip her hand tighter until she’s done.
“I thought you said the restraining order would work!” she sobs and my heart breaks for her. She doesn’t deserve this.
“We can’t predict what a person will do,” Chase says, his voice soft, “but it was needed to give you legal protection.”
“We’ll put out an APB on him,” Cobi says, flipping his notebook closed. His eyes come to me. “He contacts you or comes near you, call the police. No vigilante justice from your boyfriend.”
A chill goes through me. “Is Rick likely to contact me?”
“Just be vigilant,” he tells me.
Chase squeezes my shoulder. “You