When the commotion quieted down, he opened his eyes to take a look. The fire was burning to the right side of the house, where he supposed the oil tanks must have been. He felt they were lucky, or they might have felt that explosion a lot more than they did. Flying debris was landing all over the place, but thankfully, didn’t fall toward the front of the house where the cars were parked.
Adrien…
He looked, but he doubted they had him, or the police wouldn’t be running around so much.
One of them jogged over to the ambulance.
“Sir, I think you and the young miss should head over to the hospital. Someone’s putting in a call to the fire brigade and calling for more paramedics.”
“Is anyone hurt?” he asked immediately.
His first priority was Camila, but he wasn’t completely heartless.
“A few officers got caught in the blast and there are some injuries, but nothing life threatening. As for your brother… we believe he was inside when it happened, sir. We couldn’t drag him out.”
Samuel nodded, though his mind was preoccupied. In all honesty, he didn’t know how to feel. Adrien might be injured in there, even dead, but he was just numb inside at the thought of him.
He didn’t have much time to ponder what was going on anyway, as one of the paramedics jumped into the back of the car, and the other took the front. The doors were closed, and the car started to move.
“Sir, do you mind if I take a look at her?” the paramedic offered. “You don’t have to let her go, but I need to check on her, just in case.”
Samuel was relatively sure she was fine. She didn’t look like she’d broken anything, and she didn’t look injured. Aside from losing a lot of weight, and the bruising on her face.
The real problem, would be her mind. But he should probably have her checked before they talk so he could gauge how she was doing.
“It’s fine,” he muttered. “Just be careful.”
The paramedic nodded, then picked up a bag and opened it. Then, he took out a stethoscope, and moved to sit on the other side of the cot in the cramped space. “Ma’am, I’m going to look you over. Will this be okay with you?” His voice was soft and careful.
Camila remained tense for another moment, then nodded.
Samuel adjusted her so she was seated properly on the cot. As the paramedic did his thing, Samuel looked out the back window at the burning farmhouse as they left it far behind. He hoped they’d find Adrien, and then he could relax.
They arrived at the hospital in no time. Samuel needed to leave Camila to go to the reception and fill in the paperwork so she could get a room and treatment, but when he tried to release her, she started kicking up a fuss.
In the end, a compromise was made. Because she wasn’t injured, other than the bruised cheek and busted lip, and would just need a checkup, they would be given a room and the nurse would bring the papers for him to fill out. At first they were going to give her a bed in a ward, but Samuel wasn’t having that. "No, I want her in a private room,” he demanded.
“Sir—” the nurse attempted to persuade him.
“You aren’t listening. A. Private. Room. Now.” His tone brooked no argument.
“Let me see what I can do,” the nurse replied with a sigh.
She returned a moment later. “We have one available, it’s this way.” She led them down the hall to the elevator and pushed a button. After a minute of riding up to the next floor, they stepped out and she continued leading them to the room. “It’s not really necessary for her injuries, I doubt we’ll be keeping her long—”
“That is not the point.” Samuel set her down on the bed, and gently released her arms from his neck. She was asleep, so he sat with her as she lay on the bed. "I’ll fill out the paperwork while we wait for the doctor,” he whispered, not wanting to wake her.
He took the clipboard from the nurse and waited until she left the room before he started. He heard Camila give a little whimper in her sleep, but he kept writing as he glanced at her to make sure she was all right. He knew she was right there; with him and safe. But his heart still hadn't calmed down. It still hadn't sunk in that he had her back after so long apart.
A different nurse stopped by a while later to pick up the paperwork. “A doctor will be coming in to see her shortly,” she said in assurance.
“That’s fine. Also, could I get a phone in here, please? Or is using my cell phone okay?”
He had to let Morganna and Brianna know. He was sure they were both anxious for news. He hadn't received any calls or texts, but they were probably just too nervous to bother him.
“Please don’t use your cell phone within this ward of the hospital. It will mess with other patients’ equipment. There is a phone in the bottom cabinet of the table next to the bed. We don’t keep it out because it is a distraction to the patients.” With that, she turned and went about setting up an IV, she even managed to attach it to her hand without waking her. When she was finished, she left them alone in the room.
Samuel turned to look at Camila. Then, he stood up and dragged a chair closer to the bed. She was lying on her back with the IV drip attached to the back of her right hand.
Seeing her lying there, she looked so small and pale. It made his chest ache, and he wondered what Adrien could have put her through to have her acting the way she was. He wanted to know what her time had been like with him, but he was sure it wouldn’t be good to ask. He didn’t want to make her think of bad things, but the thought wouldn’t leave him.
He knew Adrien had hit her, though, he could see that plainly on her face. The huge bruise on her cheek had been hard to ignore and he knew it had to hurt as much as her busted lip. Carefully, he reached his hand out, but didn’t dare poke at the mark. It look fresh, so Adrien must have done it just before they arrived. His hand clenched, an inch away from Camila’s face, and he drew it slowly back. He held his clenched fist in his other hand, and just watched her.
There was also that strange collar around her neck. It didn’t look like it was hurting her, but she had flinched when he’d touched it…
The doctor was supposed to come and give her a check-up, but because he knew he wouldn’t be allowed inside while that was happening, he would make sure they waited until she was awake and consenting first. If she didn’t want anyone touching her…
After a while, there was a light knock on the door. He thought it was the nurse coming back with the doctor, so with a glance over at her, he got up and went to the door. Only, there was a cop there, instead.
Knowing it had to be about Adrien, he stepped out and partially closed the door behind him.
“Did they find him?” he demanded.
The officer shook his head. “The firefighters arrived a while ago, and are working on putting out the flames at the farmhouse, though it’s slow going. Nothing else yet.”
He nodded, figuring it hadn't been that long yet.
“Thank you for letting me know.”
“They will be looking for your brother… or his body later, if you’d like to be there, sir. Please excuse me.”
The officer turned and walked away. Samuel didn’t want to leave Camila alone, but he was really tempted to go, just to make sure…
Luckily, he remembered what the nurse had said about the phone and he returned to the room. He found it and phoned Camila’s mother.
“I’ve got her, Camila is safe, Morganna. We are at the hospital…”
"Which one?” Morganna asked, sounding relieved.
“St. Peters.”
“I want to be there,” Morganna insisted.
“Yes, of course, just have one of my drivers bring you and Brianna, if she is up to it.”
Samuel waited patiently by Camila's bedside until Morganna came flying through the door half an hour later with Bri right behind her.
“Camila! Oh, god, her face!” Morgan a pushed past him to reach her daughter. “Is she going to be okay?”
Samuel nodded as Bri rushed
into his arms. “Physically, I think so. The doctor hasn’t been in yet, though.” Letting Bri go to Camila’s bedside, Samuel worriedly checked his cell, hoping Jacobs would send him an update, but still, no word. “Morganna, I have to go make sure they either have Adrien in custody, or he's dead. I swear, I will be back. Stay with her, please?”
“We’re not going anywhere.” Morganna nodded.
He left knowing she would look after Camila’s interests just as fiercely as he would. He found his driver, who was waiting in the lobby, and took the keys from him before driving himself back to the farmhouse. It had been at least an hour already, but the fire wasn’t completely put out yet. He had to wait around for another hour before the flames were down, then a little longer before the heat went down and they could get near.
When he stated his interest in joining for the search, they gave him protective gear and a mask. More than half the house had fallen, and what remained of it looked on the edge of caving in. He had to wait while the firefighters knocked it all down, after making sure there was no one around that side, so it wouldn’t fall on them during the search, and they waited a little more for the dust to clear up.
Then, they started the search for a body, because there was no way Adrien would have been alive, considering the house was now flattened.
In the end, they only found Tansy’s body in the basement. In all the confusion, it seemed that Adrien had escaped. Again.
Chapter Sixteen
Samuel left the firefighters and police to deal with everything else, and made the trip back to the hospital, feeling worried.
Since Adrien wasn’t in the destroyed farmhouse, the police were going to launch a search for him in the area. He would have run out the back door and gone into the fields, it was the only way they could have missed him, even with the fire burning.
It was so late already, Samuel didn’t think they would have much luck in the dark. Especially since it had been hours since the house caught on fire, which meant Adrien had a huge head start in running off.
That was bad, but his thoughts went back to Camila. He had been gone for so long, she must have woken up already. He hoped she was okay with her mom there. Brianna was there too, he knew she wanted to be there for Camila, but because he knew she didn’t feel secure enough to leave the house on most days, he was worried about her, too.
First, they had to make sure Camila was fine, and then he was going to take her home so he and Morganna could look after the both of them.
He arrived at the hospital and made his way inside. He was sure visiting hours were over, but he didn’t even think about it as he hurried up to Camila’s room. He met Morganna outside the room, coming with a cup of water in hand. Looking through the window in the door, he could see Bri sitting at her bedside, holding Camila’s hand as a doctor spoke to her.
“So you’re back,” Morganna murmured with a sigh. “How did things go?”
He shook his head. He planned to let them know, but maybe later. They could at least feel relieved to find Camila for a while before he had to drop the bad news.
“How’s Camila doing?”
Morganna arched an eyebrow at how he ignored the subject, but didn’t complain.
“She woke up a while ago. I left her with the doctor to do the check-up, but Bri stayed with her, the doctor said it would be fine. They should be done by now, I think.”
Just as she said so, the door opened up and a female doctor in a white lab coat with a stethoscope around her neck stepped out.
“Ah, it’s good that you’re here, Mrs. Blake,” she said. She happened to catch sight of Samuel and paused, eying him. “Are you also family?”
Samuel opened his mouth immediately to say yes so he could get in on the conversation, but he hesitated. His family had been the cause of this, even if it was only Adrien, so he didn’t feel like it would be appropriate. He slanted his gaze at Morganna, to get her reaction.
Morganna put her hand on his arm and nodded. “Samuel is Camila’s fiancé,” she lied eloquently and didn’t even bat an eye. “Whatever you have to say, Doc, he gets to hear.”
“I see. Nice to meet you, sir. I’m Doctor Shelton.” She looked down at the chart in her hand and then said, “I gave your daughter a thorough exam; she has been through quite a lot over the last few weeks. After she told me what she could about the events that took place, ma’am, I had a few samples taken in for tests. Once we have the results, I can give you more information, but aside from not having enough nutritional food to eat for a few days, and being a bit dehydrated, she’s just fine physically."
“What about her face, is anything broken?” Morganna asked.
“No, nothing is broken. The bruise on her face will fade and there won’t be any lasting marks.”
“And mentally?” Samuel asked, fearing the worst.
“I’m not going to lie, what she experienced, kidnaping, being held captive, shocked continuously, witnessing murder, it will leave her with some mental trauma. She may experience some PTSD, and have recurring nightmares. She’ll need support.”
Samuel’s heart broke hearing all of that, but she hadn’t said that Adrien had raped her. He knew that would have made things even worse. Samuel prayed that he hadn’t. “How long before we can take her home?” Samuel asked, worried.
“Not for a while yet. I want the results of the tests first, she didn’t say she’d been raped, but sometimes patients leave that out. She might want to speak with a counselor, after her ordeal. And perhaps she would be more comfortable if she took a shower, she mentioned she hadn’t had one in a few days.”
“Is there one in the room?” Morganna asked. “I didn’t think to check the bathroom.”
“Of course, this room is equipped with a full bathroom because it is generally given to long term care patients. She might need some help, since she is still feeling a bit unsteady on her feet at the moment. I’ve finished with everything I need to do, so now we wait on the labs. Also, I’ve been informed that a police officer is en route to speak with her about what occurred. They should be here any time. Now, if you have no other questions, I’ll let you in to see her.”
“I think you’ve covered everything for now, thank you, Doctor Shelton.” Samuel held his hand out to her and she shook it.
She nodded to them both, and then walked off in a hurry.
“Why do the police need to see her right now, hasn’t she been through enough?” Morganna grumbled.
Samuel sighed. “They’ll need to get a statement from her, Morganna. She hasn’t spoken to the yet. I grabbed her before they could and got her to the ambulance. The police were a little busy dealing with Adrien at the time. I’m sure it won’t take too long, and then we’ll bring her home.”
Morganna kept grumbling to herself, as she opened the door to the room and led the way in.
Camila was awake and leaning back against the pillows and Bri was seated in the chair next to her. Camila had been watching the door expectantly, and smiled when she saw her mom, but then her eyes slid to him as he moved more into her line of sight and she gasped, “Samuel!” She took her hand from Bri and reached for him.
He hurried over to her bedside, and leaned down to hug her. He sat down on the edge of the bed. Camila looked happy to see him, of which he was glad. He carefully took her hand in one of his own, and stroked her hair back with his other hand. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I had to step out for a while. How do you feel?”
She cleared her throat, and her eyes shot to her mom and then to Bri. “I… feel… just fine, actually, aside from my lip and cheek hurting a little.” She reached up and touched her lip self-consciously. “I don’t think there’s anything really wrong with me, so…” she picked at the sheet over her waist and wouldn’t look at him.
“You don’t have to worry, love,” he cut in. “As soon as your test results are back and they clear you, you’ll be coming home with us. You just have to stay here for a short while, all right?”
Her brow furrow
ed and she frowned, but she nodded.
He felt a bit relieved, because she looked fine, other than the obvious, nothing like when he first saw her several hours ago. He kept stroking her hair, and she leaned into the touch, making him smile. Only, she tilted her head up, and he saw the collar around her neck again, and frowned at it. He was afraid he knew what it was, considering the doctor had mentions she’d been shocked. It looked like what an owner would put on a dog to train them. His stomach rolled at the thought that Adrien had used it to torture her.
“Camila… sweetheart,” he began softly. He kept his voice gentle. “What is this collar around your neck? It looks… like a dog collar, one used to train dogs to stay in their yards. Is it?”
Her lips flattened, her eyes lost their light, and became dull, replaced with a haunted look.
He wanted to kick himself for asking, until she told him what it was, and then he was just angry. Angry at Adrien for doing this to her. Angry at himself for not protecting her. Just angry. It was a useless feeling at the moment. Being angry wouldn’t fix anything. He took her hand in his gently and just waited for her to tell him what he already knew.
Her voice was soft, almost a whisper. “It’s a shock collar Adrien put around me after he drugged me. I didn’t know it was there until later, but I woke up in the trunk of a car with it on. He has a remote for it. It’s why I didn’t try to escape sooner.” Her eyes flicked up to his and he noticed they were filled with tears.
Samuel stroked her cheek, calming her. “How do we get it off?” he asked.
“It has a small padlock at the back… I tried to find a way to break it, but Adrien hardly left me alone. When he did, I couldn’t find anything useful to get it off.”
His jaw tightened with every word out of her mouth, and when he looked over at Morganna, he noticed her fists were clenched and the expression on her face was one of rage. Not needing to hear more, Samuel, said, “We’ll get it off. I’ll get someone here now.” He stood up and Morganna took his place on the bed.
Shattered Obsession: Book 3 of the Obsession Trilogy Page 10