Evan had been palpating his sister’s neck and nodded grimly. “Yes, let’s get her off the floor.”
Alik was about to slip his hands under his sister to lift her when she rolled her head and grimaced. Everyone stopped talking to watch—her lips were moving. She moaned as though in great pain. “Cole,” she whispered. “Cole….”
Margo and Theo exchanged horrified looks. “Where’s Cole?”
“I haven’t seen him since breakfast,” Farrow offered as she paused to grab more paper towels. She was trying to clean up the broken glass and creamy spread.
“Me either,” the others added.
“I noticed the SUV was gone a couple hours ago,” Evan said.
Creed, completely focused on Meg, had inched his way back to her side. With the strength and grace of a cat he slipped his hands under her body and lifted her easily, his eyes never leaving her face. He only half listened to everyone try to figure out where Cole was, when he left, why he hadn’t taken his cell phone, and so on.
For the second time that day, Creed was alone with the girl of his dreams, only this time she was hurting. He frowned deeply at the angry gashes marring her beautiful skin. She moaned in his arms just as he was about to lower her to the sofa, and gripped his T-shirt in a white-knuckled fist. Still trapped in her empath’s pain, Meg sought comfort and buried her face into his chest. He didn’t have the heart to let her go. There he stood, unsure how best to help the beauty in his arms, when Alik, Evan and Margo hurried into room. It didn’t take an empath to read what Meg wanted at that moment. She was clinging to the soldier like her next breath depended on him.
Margo’s worried brow softened slightly at the sight of her traumatized daughter being comforted. She walked to Creed. He stiffened; worried he’d overstepped his boundaries, though completely unsure where the boundaries should be when it came to the girl in his arms.
“Why don’t you sit down with her? She seems to really need you right now,” Margo put a hand on the hulking soldier with weary eyes and gently nudged him to sit.
Creed nodded and offered the mother of the angel in his arms a half smile. He didn’t know what he would have done if they had tried to take the girl away from him just then. His protective instincts were working on a level he’d never felt before. Creed felt such heart pounding need for her. Magnets were under their skin pulling them together. He’d felt the pull even from halfway around the world.
He looked down at Meg as she curled in his lap still clutching his shirt and felt what he was sure was his heart aching with what could only be love. He swallowed the emotion in his throat and lifted one muscular leg only to rest its ankle on the knee of the other. This position felt a little better to him.
It was the closest he could get to what he craved more than air. He really wanted to curl himself around her and protect her from anything, everything…always.
He watched the lines of pain smooth across her torn brow and her clinched fist relaxed, though she didn’t let go. Whatever was hurting her, it seemed to be letting up.
Time stood still as he held the beauty that held his heart.
Theo and Margo were pacing the room, cell phones to their ears. They’d taken to calling hospitals. Gavil, Slider, Farrow, Alik and Evan were debating going to look for Cole.
“He could be anywhere,” Evan offered logically.
“If Meg were awake would she be able to find him?” Slider asked.
“She’s in no condition to help any more than she already has,” Alik frowned at the metasoldier.
“What happened to her?” Farrow was looking across the room at Creed and Meg still on the sofa.
“I have a theory,” Evan began, “but until she wakes and can tell us what she experienced, it would just be a guess.”
Evan and Alik exchanged worried looks.
Theo’s voice rose above the rest of the voices in the room. “Greenbriar General is about to receive a patient via Life Flight who fits Cole’s description.” His face was the same color as the white wall behind him. His eyes darted, terrified as he ran his hands through his thinning hair.
“Oh, dear God, no!” Margo breathed, hand held to her lips.
“I have to get to the hospital.” Theo looked more and more disconnected with each passing moment.
“I’ll drive you.” Margo was already yanking the keys out of her purse and walking to the front door.
The others in the room stared, feeling helplessness.
Margo was dragging Theo by the arm toward the front door when she looked over her shoulder and said, “Keep your cell phones on. I’ll call you once we know his condition. Pray for him. Pray for all of us.” The door slammed shut behind Theo’s stunned face.
“Holy shit,” Gavil said, breaking the silence left in their wake.
“That’s what was happening to Meg?” Farrow asked the room. “Was she experiencing Cole’s accident?”