Page 13 of Give Me Peace

Sitting in the seat beside me is the man with the honey-colored eyes. He’s wearing square, black-framed glasses now, but it’s definitely him. And he’s staring right at me. He sits up straighter when he sees I’m awake, but he doesn’t speak. My heart begins to race, because I’m certain I’ve never met him a day in my life. But he’s here. There’s an actual person within touching distance. It’s so overwhelming it brings tears to my eyes. I’ve been alone for so long, the relief of being in the vicinity of someone else is almost too much. My gaze moves behind him, just now noticing there’s another man sitting on the floor, his head rested against the wall as he sleeps.

“That’s Roan,” the stranger beside me whispers. “And my name is Lochlan. He and I work together.” I say nothing, but quickly scan his outfit. There’s no indication that he’s cop, but he could just be off duty. “Are you in pain?” He questions, a furrow forming between his brows as he looks me over.

Honestly, I feel kind of numb. It could be a side effect of whatever medication they gave me earlier, or maybe I’m so checked out mentally there’s nothing left to feel. I shake my head, the slight action barely discernable.

“Okay, that’s good.” The man, Lochlan, runs his palms over his knees nervously. “Would you like for me to explain everything now, or would you prefer to wait?” His tone is soft, as if he’s speaking to a wounded animal.

“Now, please.” His eyes widen, clearly caught off guard by the voiced response. My throat feels raw, so I doubt I’ll be offering more, but I need to know how I got here.

“Three nights ago, the agent assigned to your case received a call with information on your whereabouts. A search warrant was executed at Liam Price’s home.” I cringe at hearing his name said aloud.

Lochlan continues to explain the events that followed, that it was Liam’s own mother who made the claim. That shocks me, because as far as I was aware, no one else knew about me or where I was. I hadn’t even known where I’d been. He’d drugged me before we made it there. I get the breakdown of how they found me, as well as a list of my injuries. It’s a dump of information that leaves me sad and tired.

“That’s the CliffsNotes version, but we can go over any details you’d like to know once you’re feeling up to it. For now, I’m going to let the nurse know that you’re awake.” Lochlan gives me a hesitant smile. He looks just as exhausted as me, his brown hair mussed and button-down wrinkled. As he slips away, my gaze connects with the other man. Roan. I’m not sure how long he’s been awake, but his eyes are locked with mine. I swallow thickly. While I can’t make out any details since the lighting is low, it’s obvious, even from his seated position, how huge he is.

Lochlan reappears quicker than I expected, but he’s alone. He takes in the scene before him, his friend and I locked in a staring contest, before walking over to help the other man up. He groans, twisting from side to side. I can attest that the ground does not make a great bed. They both take cautious steps towards me, but other than a slight tightening of my muscles, I’m not feeling overly threatened.

“Saylor, I’d like you to officially meet Roan.” He nods beside him, gesturing to the walking skyscraper. I have to tilt my head back against my pillow to maintain eye contact. “And Ro, this is Saylor.” Lochlan smiles, like it’s brought him immense joy to finally introduce the two of us. It confuses me, but seeing his happiness—anyone’s really, makes me feel a little less hollow on the inside. Coming from someone else, it seems more achievable, a possibility of something I might feel again one day.

“Hey.” Roan greets me softly, his voice sounding strained.

“Hi.” I mouth the word, but no sound comes out.

“The nurse will be here any minute now, but I wanted to make sure you know that no one outside of the hospital staff, Agent Denvers, myself and Roan have access to this room. Ro here is a brick shithouse and if anyone tries to get in here, they’ll have to go through him first.” Lochlan jokes, but I can hear the underlying threat. A string of tension snaps free, easing my mind a little. “Whatever you need, you let us know. If there’s someone who makes you uncomfortable, just say the word and they’re gone.” I nod, my attention going to the female nurse who’s pushing a cart through the door.

“We’ll give you privacy.” Lochlan moves to leave, but Roan looks like he’d rather have a root canal administered with no anesthesia than follow his friend. His eyes, which I can now see are green, bore into mine, like he’s trying to communicate without the use of words. I blink at him, unsure of what he’s looking for.

“Be back soon, Little Fighter,” Roan grumbles, stomping towards the door but clearly unhappy about it. The nurse shuts it behind him and then pulls the privacy curtain into place.

“Finally.” She shakes her head in exasperation. “Those two are pains in the ass, but at least they’re pretty.” I feel like I should smile, but it just won’t form.

“Let’s get you upright. That sound, okay?” She hovers beside me, waiting for my response. I nod, albeit reluctantly, as she presses a button to bring the bed to a seated position. “My name is Karley. I worked with your mom a few times.” Her smile is sad, but her declaration makes me stiffen. Mom floated, going wherever she was needed at any given time, so it’s not improbable that their paths crossed at some point.

“Mr. Calloway said he explained your injuries, but if you have any questions feel free to ask them.” I’m assuming she’s talking about Lochlan. “We removed your catheter a few hours ago, so if you need assistance getting to the bathroom just press this button here.” I glance to where she’s pointing, seeing a small ‘call’ symbol.

“Now, for the most important part…” She reaches behind her, grabbing something from the cart she brought in. “Are you ready for a nice, hot shower?” Karley wiggles a shampoo bottle in her hand and I nearly groan at the sight. She must see the gleam in my eyes because she laughs.

“Thought so, but I need to know that you’re okay with having assistance. You won’t be able to get all that pretty blonde hair clean with just one hand.” I hesitate, having overlooked that very important detail. “This is my job, honey, but the last thing I want is to make you feel uncomfortable.” I weigh my options, but the last thing I want is to lie here with remnants of the worst years of my life still clinging to my skin.

“I’m okay with it,” I answer.

“Alrighty then.” Karley holds her hand out to help me from the bed. Pain shoots through my ribs, making me hiss, but we slowly make our way to the connecting bathroom. She turns the water on, letting it heat up, as she motions for me to spin around. “I’m going to let you wash yourself while I change your bedding, then I’ll get your hair taken care of.” She works the ties of my gown free, letting it pool to the floor, then removes the brace from my wrist. With careful steps, I position myself beneath the spray.

It's quite possibly the best thing I’ve ever felt. For five years, I had to make do with a small sink. The water was barely warm and it was strictly meant for a single purpose: to get clean. It wasn’t relaxing or enjoyable. Before, I’d take baths every night, the water so hot my skin would be tinged pink by the time I got out. But I loved it. I stand there for a while, just soaking in the heat. It hurts to run the soap across my body, but there’s relief, too, as I watch the dirty water swirl around the drain.

“Ready?” Karley pops back in, shampoo and conditioner at the ready. I nod, folding my arms across my chest in order to feel some sense of modesty. She washes my hair twice, working the suds through every strand, while being mindful of my tender scalp. The same process is repeated with the conditioner, hopefully loosening all the tangles. Silently, tears slip from my eyes. I should feel traumatized that yet another person is viewing my body, but the dominant emotion tightening my chest is graciousness. I wish it was Mom here doing this, but I think it helps that it’s someone she knew.

Karley hands me a towel to wrap myself in, then uses a second one to dry my hair. Lastly, she ties a fresh gown around me, slides my brace on and helps me back to bed. My legs tremble from the small amount of exertion it took to shower, and any pain medication that’d been in my system is quickly wearing off.

“Sip on this.” I’m handed a cup of ice water, the straw making it easier to reach without lifting my head back up. “I’ll request a dinner tray, but it’ll be liquids only. We don’t want to overwhelm your body with too much all at once.” Karley pulls the clean blankets over me, patting my hand once she’s done.

“Thank you.” I force the words out, my eyes burning with emotion.

“No thanks necessary.” She smiles and gathers up the old bedding. “I’ll have that plate up as soon as possible, and then we’ll get another round of meds going.” I think I nod, but my eyes are already closing before she walks out. I have no idea what happens from here. There are so many questions I still need the answers to, but they can wait.

“Saylor?” Lochlan softly calls my name. I must have dozed off. He’s standing beside me with the tray Karley sent for. “Ready to eat?” I don’t respond, but he situates a table over my bed and places the food on top. There’s a bowl of broth, a few crackers, and some juice. He takes the same seat he’d been in earlier, then peels back the top of my drink for me. I look around, but his shadow is nowhere to be found.

“Roan’s grabbing our dinner,” Lochlan offers without me needing to ask.