Page 12 of Kael

Lena moved to the bedside, setting her bag down and pulling on a pair of gloves. She checked Bria’s pulse, then gently lifted one eyelid to check her pupils.

“When did the addiction start?” she asked without looking up.

I hesitated. “I’m… not entirely sure. Her ex got her hooked.”

Lena glanced at me, one eyebrow raised. “You don’t know the timeline? How long has she been using heavily? Daily? What’s her usual amount? Any previous medical complications?”

I stayed silent. I didn’t have those answers, and Bria didn’t look capable of giving them.

Lena sighed softly but didn’t push. “Alright. I see Zia sent the equipment I needed, but she didn’t have any information either, so we’re flying a little blind here. I’ll assume heavy, long-term opioid use, and we’ll treat it as such.”

She worked efficiently, checking vitals, starting an IV with fluids, and administering medication for the nausea and seizures. While she worked, she explained everything in a calm, steady voice.

“Dehydration is the biggest immediate risk right now. Her fever is too high—we need to bring it down safely. If she seizes, we have to protect her airway. This isn’t ideal without proper monitoring equipment, but we can manage for now.”

She looked up at me, her eyes lingering on my face. “You’re very tense, Mr. Voss. When was the last time you slept?”

I ignored the question. “Will she make it through this anytime soon?”

“With proper care? Yes. But she needs real medical oversight. This kind of cold-turkey detox is brutal on the body.” Lena stood, peeling off her gloves. “I’ll stay on-site for the worst of it. Zia said your… guest’s mother approved this arrangement.”

I studied her for a moment. She sounded like she knew what she was doing. Confident.

“Fine,” I said. “You handle the medical side, but you follow my rules. No questions that don’t concern her immediate care. No contact with the outside world unless I approve it. And if she asks you for help leaving…”

Lena tilted her head, a small smile playing on her lips. “I’m a professional, Mr. Voss. I know how to stay in my lane.”

I gave her a cold look. “Good. Don’t forget it.”

I turned toward the bed. Bunny stirred weakly, her eyes fluttering open. They landed on Lena first, then on me. Fresh fear filled her gaze.

“Kael…” she rasped.

I moved to her side immediately, sitting on the edge of the mattress and brushing the damp hair from her forehead. “This is Lena,” I told her quietly. “She’s a nurse. She’s going to help you through the worst of it.”

Lena watched the exchange with a carefully neutral expression, but I caught the slight raise of her brow. An observation, then a conclusion.

“Interesting,” she murmured.

“What is?”

“Is she your girlfriend or your wife?”

“Neither, but she’s mine.” I stood, giving the nurse space to work. “Take care of her,” I said, my voice low.

Lena smiled, but there was something sneaky about it. “Understood, Mr. Voss.”

I left the room to give them space.

Chapter 8

Bria

Everything hurt worse than before. Every single nerve ending, straight down to my fucking fingertips, felt raw and exposed. I was in so much pain that I made a silent promise to myself right then and there… if I actually survived to see the other side of clean this time, I was staying there. No more lies. Not to myself, and not to my parents.

This time, the reality of what I’d become stared back at me in the dark, and it was scary. A literal stranger had kidnapped me just to force the drugs out of my system. How bad had I gotten? How far down had I fallen?

I rolled over and groaned.