Monroe, Marla - Their Broken Lady (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Marla Monroe

  They stopped on the second floor where the ICU was located. He waited as they wheeled her out then followed as far as the double doors. Tanner clapped him on the shoulder and followed them inside.

  Bryan walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows and looked out without really seeing anything. All he could see was the bruises around her throat and the lump on her head. He would carry that sight with him always. Had it not been for the beeping of the monitor, he would have almost believed she had been dead. His heart skipped at the thought. He swallowed hard to keep the tears from forming in his eyes. When Tanner returned, they needed to agree on what was next, because he no longer wanted her to live with them. He wanted her to marry them.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Amber’s head throbbed as she fought to open her eyes. Her throat hurt, her belly hurt, her whole body hurt. She couldn’t remember what had happened, but she remembered that she needed a loaf of bread. Maybe she had fallen at the grocery store. She couldn’t get her eyes to open.

  “Wake up, Amber. We’re worried about you, baby.”

  That was Bryan’s voice. Why was he worried? She tried to speak, but her throat hurt.

  “Look, she worked her mouth,” Bryan said in an excited voice. “She’s trying to talk.”

  “Squeeze my finger, honey.”

  Tanner. That was Tanner’s voice. She felt something in her hand and squeezed. Had she squeezed it enough? She tried again.

  “That’s it, Amber. I can feel you. Do it again for me. Here, Bryan, put your finger in her hand.”

  Amber swallowed and moaned at the pain in her throat. She squeezed down on the finger in her hand. She was so tired.

  “I felt it, baby. You rest now. We’re right here with you. One of us will always be here for you.”

  Amber realized she was in the hospital. She didn’t know why, but she recognized the smells and sounds now. She hated hospitals.

  “She’s going to wake up next time, Tanner. You wait and see.”

  She wanted to wake up now. Her head hurt. She wanted some Tylenol. Why couldn’t she open her eyes?

  She drifted for a while, thinking about things. She couldn’t remember what happened, but she remembered how she felt about Bryan and Tanner. She loved them. Funny that she hadn’t realized that before. She wanted to hold them and snuggle between them. They would make her feel better.

  She wasn’t sure how long had passed, but she tried opening her eyes again, and this time they opened some. The room was dim but lit. She could see a wall across from her with a chalkboard with a date on it. She looked up some and there was a clock. It was one, but was it in the morning or the afternoon. She couldn’t remember what day it was, either. But she needed a loaf of bread.

  She turned her head a little and recognized Bryan leaning against the bedrail of the hospital bed she was in. He had his arms crossed on the rail with his head down. She swallowed and tried to say hi, but it came out in a grunt. His head jerked up, and he smiled at her.

  “You’re awake! Hey, baby. How are you feeling?” He reached over the rail and pushed something, then took her hand in his.

  She grasped it as tight as she could. Somehow she knew it wasn’t very hard. He stood up and reached over the rail, pushing a strand of hair out of her eyes.

  A nurse walked in and smiled at her. “Good to see you awake, Amber. Let’s check you over.”

  The nurse had her squeezing her fingers and pushing her feet against her hand. Then she had her follow her finger with her eyes as she moved it around in the air.

  “Can you say anything, Amber?” she asked.

  Amber swallowed and grimaced. Her throat really hurt. She opened her mouth and managed to say, “Hurts” in a raspy voice.

  “I know it does. I’ll get you some ice to suck on. Nothing to drink yet, though.” She whispered something to Bryan before leaving.

  “Hey, babe. She’s going to call Tanner and let him know you’re awake. He was up here last night with you.” Bryan held her hand and reached over the rail to kiss her on the cheek.

  “Throat hurts.” She tried again to talk.

  Bryan’s mouth grew tense then he relaxed. “I know, baby. It will get better. Just rest now. I’m not going to leave you. You’re safe.”

  Amber wasn’t sure why he said that, but decided it didn’t matter right then. She was tired. She’d ask what he meant when she woke up again.

  * * * *

  Tanner hurried through the hospital corridors to the elevator. He tapped his foot as he waited for it to open up. Once inside, he pushed the button for the second floor and shoved his hands in his pockets as it slowly moved up. He slipped through the doors as soon as they began to open again. He hurried to ICU. As soon as he walked in the big, open room, he honed in on Amber’s room, number three. He heard Bryan talking.

  When he opened the curtain and eased into the room, he was greeted with the welcome sight of Amber’s brilliant blue eyes. They were slightly dull, but he could see signs of her in there.

  “Hey, Amber.” He walked up to the other side of the bed from Bryan and touched her cheek with his lips. He didn’t try to hold her hand since it was the one with the IV fluids attached.

  “Tanner,” she whispered in a raspy voice. “I needed bread.”

  Tanner looked over at Bryan. His brother shrugged, looking worried. He moved around the bed to the other side, and Bryan moved farther down the bed to let him get closer to her.

  “I’ll get you some bread, honey. How are you feeling?”

  “Head, throat, hurts.”

  “I know. You have a bump on your head where you hit it.”

  He didn’t say anything about her throat. He didn’t want to bring up that she was attacked. She needed to remember on her own if possible.

  “Why am I in hospital?” she asked.

  “You were in a car wreck, honey.” Tanner looked up at Bryan who nodded.

  “Oh. I don’t remember.” She tried to clear her throat and tears came to her eyes.

  “Easy, baby.” Bryan put a piece of crushed ice on her lips.

  Tanner watched her suck it in her mouth and move it around. She looked at Bryan and he put another piece to her lips for her.

  “How long has she been awake?” Tanner asked.

  “About thirty minutes. The nurse called you as soon as she woke up.”

  “Has she said anything much?”

  “She’s mentioned the bread several times, but that’s all. I figure she must have stopped to get a loaf of bread and that’s the last thing she remembers.”

  “Bryan, she might not ever remember what actually happened,” Tanner warned.

  “I’m fine with that as long as she gets well. I don’t want her to remember some.” He stopped and looked at her as she watched him. “You know what I mean?”

  Tanner knew exactly what he meant. He didn’t want Amber to remember someone strangling her, either. She would have more nightmares, and she already had too many of those. Damn the police for not catching the son of a bitch that had done this to her.

  “Go home, Tanner.” Amber’s raspy voice got his attention again.

  “You want me to leave?” he asked.

  “No, me,” she said with a frown. “Go home.”

  “As soon as they let you out of here. You’re still hurt, honey. Let’s get you well first.”

  Amber sighed and closed her eyes. He figured she was tired by now. She would sleep again for a while. He looked over at Bryan and nodded his head toward the door. Bryan followed him outside the room.

  “She’s going to need rest, but anytime she’s awake, tell her what day and time it is. She’s going to be confused sleeping in little bits and pieces. Don’t push her about what happened. She needs to remember that on her own. Have the police been by yet?” he asked.

  “Not yet. I figure they will be here this afternoon. The nurses said they would hold off calling them until after her doctor has seen her. He’s on his way.” Bryan kept looking toward the door to her
room.

  “I’ll stay and talk to him when he’s finished seeing her. Then I’ll have to go back to work. I have a waiting room full of patients.” He sighed.

  “You’re going to have to sleep tonight. I’ll stay with her, and you can get some sleep and stay with her tomorrow.”

  “We’ll see. If they put her in a room tonight, we can both stay with her and sleep some. There are lounge chairs in the rooms.”

  Amber’s doctor walked up and interrupted them. “I hear she’s awake. How is she, Tanner?”

  “She’s disoriented, naturally, but she’s awake and knows us. She’s focused on the last thing she remembers, though. It probably has to do with going to the grocery store.”

  “I’ll look her over and maybe we can transfer her to a room so I don’t have to run interference with everyone about your brother here being in the room all the time.”

  Tanner smiled. “I appreciate your understanding.”

  The doctor disappeared into Amber’s room along with a nurse. Tanner pulled Bryan farther away so he could talk to him, and Bryan wouldn’t hear if the doctor made Amber cry out. He would be pressing on her abdomen some.

  “That’s good news. If he lets her go to a room, then she’s out of danger for the most part. We can stay with her, and she’s that much closer to going home.”

  “She’s coming home with us,” Bryan said.

  “She’s coming home with us,” Tanner agreed.

  “We can convince her to marry us once she recovers. By then, maybe they will have found that bastard and shoved him in jail.”

  “Let’s take this one day at a time, Bryan. She’s going to need time to recover even once they send her home.”

  “I’m not going to push her, Tanner. I know she’s got to heal. But I want to make sure you understand that I plan to marry her.”

  “I’m marrying her, brother,” Tanner teased.

  “Same difference.” Bryan smiled.

  It was the first real smile Tanner had seen on Bryan’s face since before the accident. He looked older now, though. The wreck had aged him. He had lines around his eyes he hadn’t had before. He supposed he probably did, too. Neither of them had had any sleep in the last two days.

  Amber’s doctor walked up and smiled. “She’s doing remarkably well considering what she’s been through. I don’t see any reason we can’t transfer her to a room on the floor. Her abdomen is still soft, and the last X-ray looked stable. She’ll get well faster in a more normal environment.”

  “Thanks, doc.” Bryan shook the man’s hand and immediately slipped back into Amber’s room.

  Tanner smiled then looked at his colleague. “Does she have any lasting damage from the lack of oxygen?”

  He sighed and pressed his lips together. “Honestly, I can’t say. With the head injury, we don’t know how much of her memory loss is due to that, and how much is from the strangulation. We don’t know how long she was without oxygen before he was interrupted. She can move all her extremities and she follows directions, so if memory loss is all she has, she’s damn lucky. Don’t ask for more.”

  “I’m not. I’m just concerned if there is anything we need to watch for,” Tanner said.

  “I think you’re on the downside of the hill and heading in the right direction. I’ll keep a check on her, but her regular doctor should follow her now.”

  “I’ll find out who that is.” Tanner hadn’t even thought about her having a doctor.

  Thanks.” They shook hands and Tanner returned to Amber’s room. Bryan was scowling.

  “What?” he asked.

  “He hurt her,” Bryan said.

  “He poked on her belly to make sure she wasn’t bleeding, Bryan. Get over it.” Tanner just shook his head.

  “Amber, honey, who’s your normal doctor?”

  She looked confused for a few seconds then shrugged slightly. “You.”

  “Honey, I can’t be your doctor and your boyfriend, too. Have you seen anyone since you’ve lived here?”

  “No,” she said.

  “I’ll find someone, then. Do you remember about the loaf of bread now?” he asked.

  “Went to the store to get it. I didn’t get back home, though, did I?” she asked.

  “No, honey. You had a wreck.”

  “Someone was there.” She squeezed her eyebrows down. “Someone hit me.” She frowned harder.

  “Don’t worry about it now, baby.” Bryan said, interrupting them. “You’ll just make your head hurt more.”

  Tanner sighed. Bryan was right. She could remember more later. The police would be by soon enough to question her. He needed to get back to his patients.

  “I’ve got to go, Bryan. When the police get here, remember that they have to ask questions, and don’t get thrown in jail for interfering. I need you to watch over her when I’m at work.”

  Bryan smiled crookedly. “I’ll behave. McKenny knows me.”

  “Yeah, he knows you all right, and will toss your ass in jail if you cross him.” Tanner clapped Bryan on the shoulder and turned to leave. He looked one more time at Amber. She had her eyes closed once more. He went back and bent over the bed rail to kiss her. She opened her eyes and smiled.

  “Let me know what room they put her in,” he said, looking deep into her eyes. She was there. He could see her.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Amber sighed and pushed herself up in bed. Bryan was immediately there to help her. She didn’t move a muscle that he was there waiting to help her.

  “I’m okay, Bryan. I’m just ready to get out of this bed.” Her voice was still raspy, but not as much as it had been. This was her second day in a regular room. They promised she could go home in another twenty-four hours. She was going to make sure they kept their promise.

  “We’ll sit you in the chair to eat your dinner. You did good at lunchtime,” Bryan told her

  A nurse walked in and smiled at him. Amber just shook her head. They were all jealous of her because she had both men looking after her. They weren’t mean about it, though. When Bryan stepped outside so they could help her bathe, they giggled about her having two men to take care of her.

  Amber realized that dating both of them really hadn’t disrupted her life near as much as she had believed it would. Whoever was after her had caused more problems than anything. Maybe being part of a ménage relationship wasn’t that bad. She could easily see herself living with them.

  She decided that if they asked her again, she would really consider it. She knew she loved them. The idea of never seeing them again turned her heart upside down. She didn’t want to even imagine not having them with her.

  “What do you want to wear home, Amber?” Bryan asked. “I’ll go pick it up when Tanner comes to stay with you.”

  “I have that green lounging pants outfit that Tanner got for me. I like the way that feels.”

  “I know the one. I’ll bring that back,” he said with a smile.

  “No bra, though. I can’t stand anything across my chest yet.”

  He frowned but nodded. She realized he hated thinking about anything that hurt her. He was so sweet to her.

  “Bryan?”

  “Yeah, baby?”

  “Did I tell the police that the man who ran me off the road was wearing a ski mask and driving a really big truck?”

  “Yeah, baby. You told them.”

  “I think he was there when I was stuck in the car, too. I think he tried to choke me. That’s why my throat is so sore.” She watched Bryan’s face. He paled then swallowed.

  “No. You didn’t tell them that. Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, I can remember him walking up to the car and breaking the window. I couldn’t move, so I honked the horn. That’s all I can clearly remember, but I think he choked me.”

  “We’ll tell the police about it, baby. You just stop worrying about it. I don’t want you upset.”

  Tanner walked in the room with a great big smile.

  “Hey, Tanner!” Amber held out her
arms for his hug and kiss.

  “How are you doing, honey?”

  “Ready to go home. Why do I have to wait until tomorrow afternoon? I’m ready now.”

  “Just one more night so they can watch you.

  “Yeah, one more day to charge her insurance another night of room and board,” Bryan said with a wink.

  Tanner frowned at him but shook his head. He sat on the edge of Amber’s bed and squeezed her hand.

  “So, Bryan said you did really well sitting up to eat lunch today. Ready for dinner?”

  “If you don’t get me out of this bed soon, I’m going to scream.”

  Tanner chuckled. “Don’t go stirring up the nurses, baby. They already think we make out in the bed.”

  “Tell me about it. When they help me sponge off they ask me what it’s like to have two hunky men in my bed.”

  “You’re kidding,” Tanner said. “I was just kidding.”

  “I’m not. They are so jealous of me.” Amber grinned.

  “I’m going to steal Bryan from you for a few minutes. You behave while we’re gone,” Tanner said.

  She waved them off and switched on the TV. She would catch the weather. It was supposed to get much colder over the next few days. She was secretly hoping for snow, but not before she got to go home. The doctor said that if the weather was bad he wouldn’t let her go home.

  When the weather was over, she switched the channel and found a movie that had just come on. She watched it for a few minutes, then closed her eyes. She was tired, but really wasn’t sleepy. She would just rest her eyes for a few minutes.

  The sound of the door opening made her smile. They were back. They’d be real quiet so as not to wake her up. She was used to them by now. A sound near the bed told her one of them was looking at her. When a pillow lowered over her face and pressed down on her, she realized it wasn’t her men. She fought the hands trying to suffocate her. She tried to scream, but the pillow muffled her yell. She began grabbing at all the controls on the handrails in hopes she would press the nurses button. Finally, she grabbed above her on the wall and pulled something that made a loud noise.

  The pressure was suddenly gone from her face and there were sounds of fighting. She tried to move the pillow off her face, but didn’t have the energy. A loud crash followed soon after a grunt. She kept shoving until finally the pillow was off her face.