The Secret

by Maggie Cole

"Let me go get the forms." She turned and walked out.

  I gave him another kiss.

  He pulled back, "What's your room number?"

  "I don't have one. I left it when I woke up and have my rollaway."

  He looked at me funny. "I don't understand."

  "I've been waiting for you with the others."

  His face turned red with anger. "They let you do that? You're seriously injured."

  I laughed, "So I keep being told. No one was going to stop me, Collin. So Tom made them bring me a rollaway, so I was off the couch. Keri carried me, so I didn't have to walk. Sam convinced the police to let me in so we could beat the crap out of Matt."

  Horror filled Collin's face.

  "Oh yeah. Keri found me a doctor. Tom made me get checked every forty-five minutes for internal bleeding."

  Collin's head whipped around. "Internal bleeding? Meg, what is going on?"

  "Calm down. I'm not in the ICU. You are. Remember?"

  Collin pulled my face up to his. "Meg, I'm not playing here. Concussions and internal bleeding are life threatening. This isn't to be made light of. You need to rest."

  "I'll rest here, now that I know you're awake. Although I'll feel a lot better when you're out of the ICU."

  He smiled. "They didn't tell you?"

  "I don't get any information and Stacey left, so…"

  He gave me an 'I'm sorry' look then, "I'm being moved to a private room today. I got the all-clear before you came in here."

  "Collin, that's great!" I reached up and kissed him again.

  As my tongue explored his, I rolled slightly on top of him and felt him start to get aroused.

  Good thing those bullets didn't affect that area.

  He kissed me harder. I reached under the sheets as the nurse came in and cleared her voice.

  As I rolled back, my face turned bright red.

  She seemed amused. "Here are the forms you requested, and if you add the names of those you want to be able to visit on this sheet, I'll make sure the system gets updated."

  "Thank you." Collin gave her an appreciative smile.

  A thought entered my mind. "I forgot to tell you; the police officer is a huge fan of your baller skills."

  A big grin formed on his face. "Oh, really?"

  "Yup. It's why he let me in."

  "You need to fill me in a little more about this." He pressed again.

  I grabbed the blanket and snuggled into Collin. "I promise, I will later, but I'm tired and need some sleep."

  "Okay, babe. Whatever you need, you can have."

  I smiled. I was back where I belonged.

  22

  Meg

  We stayed for four days in the hospital before they would release Collin. They gave me a rollaway, but I slept curled up into him. I was cleared by the doctor that I was no longer at risk of internal bleeding, and my head started to feel a bit better. My back, breasts, and hips were still bruised, but I didn’t care. I was happy that Collin and I were back together and he was on the mend.

  We were finally allowed to go home.

  When the car pulled up to Collin’s, there were paparazzi camped out everywhere.

  Tom and Liv had warned us how bad it was, but I had forgotten about their warning. This time, we didn’t open the door and waited for security to open it for us after they cleared a path.

  We stepped out of the car. The paparazzi shouted at us as they all tried to get some story. I kept my head down and was shocked to see blood. Even though the city washed the sidewalk, you could still see traces of it all over.

  Collin glanced around with his negotiator's face on. He shook his head, grabbed my hand tighter, and led me up the stairs and into the building.

  We went straight to the bedroom, exhausted and ready to be home.

  “I’m going to shower,” I told Collin.

  His cocky smile appeared. “I think I’ll join you.”

  I smirked at him. “Are you having your nurse fantasies again?”

  “Did they ever go away?” He licked his lips.

  “Ha, ha!”

  We went into the bathroom, and Collin undressed. I removed his bandages. It was the first time I saw the full extent of his wounds.

  “The surgeons did a great job stitching you up.” I admired his naked body.

  He kissed me and started to get aroused. He grabbed my shirt and pulled it over my head and gasped.

  My bruises had turned a yellowish purple color. They extended from right above my breasts down to my upper thighs. While Collin saw my back the first day, he didn’t know about the rest.

  “Meg, why didn’t you tell me about this?”

  I shrugged. “It isn’t a big deal.”

  “Are you kidding me? I can’t believe I did this to you. I’m so sorry.” Tears welled up in his eyes as he spun me around and gasped.

  From my neck to my knees, I was a bruised mess.

  “Babe, you have to be in so much pain.” He spun me back around.

  I rolled my eyes. “You don’t get it, do you?”

  He pinched his brows. “Get what?”

  “When I say that this isn’t a big deal, it’s not. I’ve had much worse done to me.”

  “You think that makes this okay?”

  “You saved my life because you love me. You didn’t beat me or hurt me on purpose. I’ve had bruises before, and they were bruises of evil. These are bruises of love. There’s a big difference.” I wouldn’t let Collin go down a guilty path because he saved my life.

  Collin closed his eyes, shook his head, and tried to process what I was saying.

  He opened his eyes. “You’re hurt. It is a big deal. I don’t want you diminishing this.”

  “And I don’t want you obsessing over this and how it happened.”

  I turned on the shower heads and stepped into the hot water. The pressure of the water hurt my body, and as much as I tried, I couldn’t stand in it without wincing.

  Collin observed me.

  He reached in and turned the water off, grabbed my hand, and pulled me out of the shower.

  “What are you doing?”

  He walked over and started a bath. “Get in.”

  “I need to wash my hair.”

  “Get in.” He repeated and pointed to the tub.

  I stepped into the tub. Collin grabbed my shampoo and conditioner from the shower.

  “Scooch up.” He stepped into the tub but sat on the top ledge behind me.

  I moved forward as he grabbed the sprayer and gently pulled my head toward him so he could wet my hair.

  He kissed my neck, then my mouth, and grabbed the shampoo. He rubbed it into my hair and gave me a scalp massage that could have given the best salon in New York a run for its money.

  Collin rinsed my hair, conditioned it, and when he was done, grabbed my claw clip. He twisted my hair and secured it, then kissed me again. “Relax, Meg.”

  Before he stepped out of the bath, he turned the water off and grabbed me by the armpits, to slide me back so that I could lay in the tub.

  “Why don’t you get in?”

  He wagged his finger. “That’s a no-no. Wounds.”

  Oh yeah, I had forgotten about his wounds.

  He turned the shower back on and jumped in.

  I sat in the tub and watched him. Water spilled all over his sexy body. I started smiling.

  He finished showering and put a towel around his lower body. “What are you smiling about?”

  “The show I got to watch.”

  “Ha, ha.”

  I unplugged the tub and stood up. He came over, wrapped a towel around me, and helped me out.

  “Time to dress up your wounds,” I grabbed the stuff the hospital gave us, bandaged him up, and kissed him.

  Collin pulled open the drawer, reached in, and pulled a tube out. “Your turn.”

  I slyly licked my lips.

  He laughed. “Not that, dirty girl. Arnica, for these bruises.” He squirted a bunch on his hands.

 
I rolled my eyes.

  “Don’t roll your eyes at me. I can’t believe the hospital didn’t give you something for this.” He gently started to spread the arnica on my chest and over my breasts.

  Well, they may have, but I wasn’t about to use it in the hospital and have to show Collin my bruises.

  I winced as he rubbed the arnica on my breast.

  He stopped. “Meg, when is the last time you took a painkiller or ibuprofen?”

  I thought for a minute and shrugged my shoulders. I had been released three days before Collin.

  Collin shook his head, not happy with me. “Hold on. Stay here.”

  He left the room and came back with the pills that I hadn’t taken in over three days. Collin handed me a glass of water.

  I took the pills, and he continued to put the Arnica on me, as I tried not to wince.

  “Sorry, babe.” He kissed me. “I know this hurts, but it’s going to help you heal faster.”

  I nodded. I was tired, sore, and didn’t want to argue.

  He turned me around and put the arnica on my backside.

  “I missed this…us being home.”

  “Me too.” Collin grabbed my pajamas and dressed me. “Sleep. We need to sleep.”

  I didn’t argue. I slept until the next day. I woke up periodically when Collin gave me my medicine and put more arnica on me but always fell back asleep quickly.

  Collin

  It killed me that I had injured Meg. I was so stupid to get out of the car without the bodyguards. I cursed myself again.

  There was so much I still didn’t have a grip on, and I needed answers. I wasn’t happy that Meg sat in the waiting room with a concussion and possible internal bleeding, but I understood that when she put her mind to something, no one could stop her. And I was grateful that all her closest friends were there to take care of her.

  But the fact that she was allowed to be in a room with Matt had my veins pulsing. I called Tom.

  “Hey man, can you fill me in on something?”

  “Sure, what’s up?”

  I paced the room. “How did Meg get to be in Matt’s room? She won’t tell me what happened, and I’m feeling a little bit upset over this if you know what I’m saying.”

  I could hear Tom breathe. “Collin, I wasn’t going to tell her. Sam found out and told her his room number and was more than happy to go with her. I tried telling them it wasn’t a good idea, and then Liv came up, shocked the hell out of me, and told me to let her go.”

  Somehow, I could see that happening.

  “So what happened in that room?”

  “No one knows. They came back with blood all over their hands, and no one said anything. Liv took them into the bathroom and cleaned them up.”

  I closed my eyes. The thought of Meg with blood on her hands made me feel sick. “So I need to call Sam on this one?”

  “If you want answers, yes.”

  I told Tom thanks and hung up.

  What the hell were Sam and Liv thinking? My mind raced, and my blood boiled, as I thought of Meg in a room with that vile man.

  I dialed Sam’s number. He picked up right away.

  “Sam, I need some answers. What the hell were you thinking when you took Meg to see Matt?”

  Sam exhaled hard. “I figured I was eventually going to get this call.”

  “Well?”

  “He was handcuffed to the bed. You were still in bad shape. I had already assessed the situation because I was going to kill him myself for what he did to you both. When Meg demanded to know his room number, I knew she would find it some way… If she was going to go, then at least I could help her get what she needed and keep her safe.”

  I put my hands in my hair. I really couldn’t be mad at Sam. He was right. It was safer for her to go in with him than on her own, and she surely would have found out where he was. “So, what happened?”

  “He did some horrible stuff to her, Collin. She hit him in the face and punched his dick, which I was happy to see, by the way. But she yelled out all the things he must have said to her when he used to hurt her,” Sam admitted.

  I closed my eyes. “What kind of things?”

  “Honestly, Collin, you don’t want to know. I’m having a hard time getting the thoughts of what that asshole did to her out of my head. I stopped her from putting a pillow over his face.”

  “I need to take care of her.”

  “I know, man, but let her tell you what she wants. Hopefully, it helped her to beat the shit out of him.”

  “How bad was he hurt?”

  Sam let out a small laugh. “Well, imagine this. He was handcuffed to the bed. Meg slapped him around good enough his nose bled and punched him in the balls.”

  I smiled. The dickhead deserved so much more. Another thought occurred to me. “Tom told me that your hand was bleeding too...when you returned?”

  “You didn’t think I was going to let our girl instill all the pain on him, did you? And don’t worry, I put Meg outside the room and back in the wheelchair, so she didn’t have to watch.”

  “Thanks, man.”

  My beautiful Meg. She had been through so much and always tried to be so strong. But it wasn’t healthy for her to keep all this bottled up.

  Exactly like her injuries: she blew them off, and it killed me inside. She knew how to survive and deal with bad situations. Her ability to downplay serious situations astounded me.

  She had to have been in so much pain all week. While I laid in the hospital bed, on pain meds, she did nothing to take care of herself...so I wouldn’t know.

  I cursed myself again. I should have paid better attention. She was hurt, and I needed to figure out how to help her heal—not only outside, but inside as well.

  23

  Meg

  It was around noon the next day when I was finally ready to stop sleeping. I walked out to the living room to see Collin on the phone.

  He was pacing. “Don’t take me getting shot as a sign of weakness. The number is five times, not three times.”

  The negotiator’s jaw clenched as he listened.

  “Go back to your people. You have twenty-four hours to get to five times, or we sign with your competitors. This is final.” He hung up the phone and gazed out the window.

  I walked over to him and put my hands around his waist, steered clear of his bullet wound, and kissed his back.

  He turned around and smiled. The negotiator was gone.

  “Hey, babe.” He bent down and kissed me. “How are you feeling?”

  “Better.”

  “You hungry?”

  “For you.”

  He laughed. “I meant food.”

  Actually, I was starving. “Feed me.”

  Collin laughed. “Coming right up.”

  I sat at the counter and drank coffee while Collin made me breakfast. “So Turbo is at three times?”

  He flipped the eggs in the pan. “Yeah, but they need to go higher.”

  “Three times is amazing. You think they’ll get to five times?”

  “We’ll see. They’re going to come up though.”

  “Well, if you don’t try, you can’t win!” I winked at him.

  “And that’s why I love you.”

  I smiled and thought about the night I wore only lingerie and my trench coat.

  Collin brought two plates over and sat down next to me. We ate in silence for a while. I think it was the first decent meal since our date night.

  I thought about our ‘first date.’ Collin went to a lot of effort to make it special. ‘Hey, I had a really good time the other night on our date.”

  “It was pretty nice, wasn’t it?” He smiled at me then put his hand on mine.

  “I talked to Sam this morning. Do you want to talk about what happened in the hospital?”

  I put my fork down. Why did Collin have to ruin my breakfast? I shook my head.

  “You sure? Sam mentioned it was pretty intense.”

  I took a big sigh, slightly irritated. �
�What do you want me to say, Collin? I had the chance to end his life, and I pulled the pillow off too soon? Is that what you want to hear?”

  Collin shrugged. “Don’t have any expectations, Meg. I want you to tell me whatever you want about it.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it or him ever again. The only thing I want to hear is that someone made him their bitch in prison for the rest of his life,” I spouted off in anger.

  Collin put his arm around me, his fingers stroked my shoulder, and he made sure he didn’t touch my back. "If you change your mind, I’m here.”

  I nodded, relieved he was letting it go.

  We sat in silence. I moved my eggs around on my plate as feelings of anger popped up when I thought about Matt. And I wondered how much Sam saw.

  Collin’s phone rang. “Hey, Liv.”

  Why is Liv calling?

  Walking over to the window, he gazed out. “It’s pretty intense outside. They’re still swarming.” He paused and ran his hand through his hair nervously. “You think it will help them back off?”

  My gut churned. I had a feeling I knew what Liv was telling him.

  Collin turned to me. “Why don’t you ask her? Hold on.” He walked over and handed me the phone. “Liv needs to talk to you.”

  I rolled my eyes but took the phone. “Liv, what’s up?”

  “Hey, how are you feeling?”

  I rolled my eyes again. I was tired of the constant reminders about my injuries. “Fine, I wish everyone would stop asking me.”

  Liv quieted. “Sorry.”

  “Sorry, didn’t mean to snap.”

  “It’s okay. So…”

  “What is it, Liv?”

  “Listen to what I have to say before you make any decisions, okay?”

  I knew I wasn’t going to like this. I shook my head and glared out the window. “Go on then.”

  “I think the paparazzi will back off a bit if you and Collin have a press conference. They want to know your side of what happened, and until they do, they aren’t going to back off.”

  “Absolutely not.” The last thing I wanted to do was go on TV.

  “You remember when you told me that Tom needed to go on TV?”

  I didn’t say anything.

  “Just one press conference. You know this needs to happen.”