Yet Autumn wanted to see him. She wanted to know where he’d been. She wanted to know why he’d canceled their date and why he hadn’t answered her texts. Slowly Autumn joined them as they made their way to Cage’s rooms. Like Autumn he had his own area at the top of the tower. Autumn had rarely been there and had only ever seen his bedroom once when she’d first arrived.
They entered the hallway leading to Cage’s rooms and Autumn noticed five guards. Cage nodded to them as Fredric went to two large double doors. He scanned not only his fingerprint but his eye. He also added a code. The doors made a sound as they unlocked, almost like a vault. Cage and Lane walked in, while Fredric waited for Autumn. Once she was through the doors Fredric went in and they shut, locking tight once more. He scanned his eye again, and swiped his thumb before he added more codes.
The doors locked and then Autumn saw steel rods bolt through the doors. Autumn bit her lip as she wondered why Cage wasn’t going to his office and why he was bringing her to his rooms. As soon as Fredric was done locking the doors he quickly rushed past Autumn and stood next to Cage. She watched as he took up Cage’s other arm and wrapped it around him as he seemed to lift him. Autumn paused then as she realized something wasn’t right.
She looked at Lane, realizing Cage had put his arm around her for support. Then Autumn realized Cage was hurt. She stumbled forward as she wondered what had happened. Lane, Cage and Fredric moved faster now as they nearly carried Cage to his bed. Autumn almost broke into a run to keep up with them. She stopped a few feet from Cage’s large four poster bed as Lane and Fredric slowly eased him onto the end of the mattress. Autumn saw Cage wince in pain. And though the lighting in the room was a bit dim, she could see he was sweating.
Cage slowly leaned up against one of the bed posts as Lane quickly arranged the bed. She undid the silk covers and rearranged the dozen or so pillows so that Cage could sit up when he eventually went to lay down. As Lane arranged the bed, Fredric waited for Cage to catch his breath. Once he had, Fredric bent down and removed Cage's shoes and socks. Then he helped him out of his trench coat.
He folded it before putting it on a nearby chair. After that he helped Cage remove his suit jacket. Autumn gasped when she saw blood stains on Cage’s white shirt, coming from one of his arms. She held her hand over her mouth as she watched Fredric unbutton it and remove it. His right arm was bandaged and bloody. A large bandage wrapped around his chest and part of his stomach. He looked weaker now, more sickly, as he leaned against the bed post.
Fredric took a good look at Cage and shook his head as he scolded him. “You shouldn’t have walked in here. You should have used a chair.”
“You know my reasons.” said Cage as he stiffly attempted to reach his belt. Fredric moved his hands away, able to get to it better. He removed it, and then removed Cage’s pants. Autumn saw more blood had trickled from a bandage on Cage’s left leg. Fredric was noticeably upset then as he cursed under his breath. “You’ve burst these stitches too.”
Cage didn’t seem to care as he calmly said, “Then fix them, and get more bandages.”
Autumn looked at Cage, stepping closer to him. She could tell he must have been in a lot of pain but he was holding himself together. Lane finished with the bed before she looked to Fredric for orders. He didn’t look away from Cage as he said, “Byron should be here by now. Go let him in and get more bandages.”
Lane nodded and quickly rushed off. As she passed Autumn looked at her, giving her a dirty look. She wondered how long Lane had known Cage was injured and why she hadn’t told Autumn. This whole time Cage could have been dying and Autumn wouldn’t have known. Whether they were ordered to or not, someone should have let her know. Autumn was furious but she kept her rage in as she stepped up to Cage. “You’re hurt.”
Cage looked at her as she stood before him. He let out a low laugh before he leaned away from the bedpost so he could sit up straight and said. “You noticed that, did you?”
“Does it hurt?” asked Autumn, before feeling like an idiot. Here Cage was injured and all she could do was point it out and ask a stupid question.
Cage smiled at Autumn and lied to her as he said, “Not badly. I’ve been through worse.”
Autumn dropped to her knees before him and asked, “What happened?”
Cage looked down at her. He reached out, but let his hand drop. He coughed for a second before he said, “Car…accident. Can you believe it? I was wearing a seatbelt and Fredric wasn’t. Bastard has barely got a scratch on him. Just a fucking concussion, and a nice scar to show the ladies.”
Fredric scoffed at him, not finding it funny. Neither did Autumn. She could see he was attempting to be strong. He was always so strong. Why couldn’t he ever just let her in? Let her know what had really happened? She pleaded with him as she asked, “Is that really what happened?”
“Yes.” said Cage, rolling his eyes. “Don’t get dramatic.”
“Why did you walk up here? Fredric’s right, you should have used a chair.”
“Pfft, you should know by now that things aren’t that simple.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Don’t you?” said Cage. “Really, after all this time, you don’t know the way my world works? I can’t afford to show weakness, Autumn.”
“So you injured yourself more? That doesn’t make sense.”
Cage sighed painfully before he said, “I don’t feel like arguing with you. What did you want? Lane said you wanted to see me. I got your texts.”
“I thought you were back and I wanted to know where you were. I wanted to know what was happening.”
“I think you know now.” said Cage, moving to lean back against the bedpost.
“I do.” said Autumn. She wanted to know more but she had a feeling he wouldn’t tell her.
“You’ll forgive me for canceling the opera.” said Cage as the doors to the room opened. “I’m glad you enjoyed the…mini golf. I heard you played it twice.”
“So much for my surprise.” said Autumn.
“What surprise?” asked Cage.
“I planned to get really good at it so that I can beat you at something.”
Cage let out a laugh before he winced in pain. “You? Beat me? Never.”
Autumn’s eyes began to water as her voice caught in her throat. She attempted some light humor. “I doubt that, with the way you are now. I guess we'll never know.”
“I could beat you, even now, like this.” said Cage. He moved his arms to reach out for her. He leaned a little bit forward, touching her hair. Tears slowly streamed down her cheeks as a man cleared his throat and said, “But you won't.”
Autumn turned to see who it was. She was caught off guard by seeing Penna’s brother. He looked so much like his picture. She’d heard his name earlier, but hadn’t really thought about it. Now here he was, standing before her in a lab coat and glasses. He looked tired and upset. Autumn wanted to reach out to him. She wanted to tell him so many things. But she knew this wasn’t the time or the place.
Cage pulled his hand back as he moved to rest against the bedpost once more. Byron continued, “You need to rest. I told you, you shouldn’t be walking. You shouldn’t be bending. You should be resting on your back.”
“Hmp,” said Cage. “Fredric has already scolded me enough. Now do your job.”
“I’m trying to.” said Byron through gritted teeth. “But you have to listen to me. You should have stayed in the recovery room.”
“THIS… will be my recovery room.” said Cage before he stiffly looked around the room “Do whatever it takes to make it one.”
Byron looked like he wanted to argue some more but instead he just rubbed his temple before looking to Autumn. He said, “She should go.”
Fredric nodded, agreeing with him. He stepped forward and leaned down, grabbing Autumn's arm roughly. He pulled Autumn to her feet. She struggled against him but he wouldn’t let her go. She quickly turned to Cage and protested, “No, I want to stay! Cage?”
<
br /> Cage looked at Autumn for a moment as she pleaded to him with her eyes. She thought he was going to tell them she could stay, but Byron stepped forward and cleared his throat. Quietly he said, “She shouldn’t be here for this. Do you want her to see?”
Cage looked distant for a moment before he motioned for Fredric to take her away. Autumn continued to struggle with Fredric as he pulled her out of the room. She wanted to stay with Cage. She wanted to know how badly he’d been injured and what he needed to get better. But most of all she just wanted to be with him. As they reached the door to the room, Autumn called out to Cage. But after what Byron had said he wouldn’t look at her.
Fredric took her from the room. He dragged her down the hallway into the main area and back into another hallway. When they were less than halfway to her room she knew it was pointless to fight him. She stopped making him have to drag her like a child and straightened herself. She asked, “How badly is he hurt?”
“Bad enough.” said Fredric in a gruff voice. “Worse since he refuses to stay in the hospital. He should have stayed in the recovery room.”
“Why would he refuse to stay there? Why did he come back if he's hurt?”
Fredric stared at her for a moment. “Think about it.” he said, rolling his eyes.
Autumn didn’t know what to say to that and Fredric didn’t seem to want a response. When they got to her room he said, “I don't want to see you wandering around anymore tonight. Stay in here. Go to sleep, or not. I don't care. Just stay away from Cage! He needs to rest.”
Without another word Fredric turned, closing the door on his way out. Autumn stood there for a moment thinking about what he’d said. Why had Cage come back from the hospital? Had Cage come back for her. Had he injured himself more because she had asked to see him? Autumn sighed, thinking if she’d known she never would have asked to see him. If she had known he was hurt she never would have bugged him or anyone. She would have been worried and upset like she was now, but she’d never purposely put him in danger.
Poppi barked as he saw Autumn had returned. Earlier he’d woken seeing she was gone and was upset to find she did not return with treats. He did a circle around her, attempting to jump up on her. Autumn bent and took him in her arms before she brought him over to the bed. She sat down on the bed before letting him go. He bounced around for a bit before slowly coming back to her.
She petted Poppi for a few minutes before she finally laid back down. As she settled, her mind raced with all sorts of thoughts. Part of her was grateful to finally know what was going on, but she found it hard to rest easy knowing Cage was seriously hurt. She felt bad for all the horrible things she'd thought he might be doing while he was away. She wished she could go to him now and get some real answers, but she knew he’d never give them to her. Not now, and most likely not ever. Still, she wanted to know. And she wanted to make sure he was going to be okay.
Autumn bit her lip as she tossed and turned in bed. She thought she was being foolish, but part of her wondered what if Cage died? Not today, but one day. What if something really horrible happened to him? What would happen to her? Where would she go? Would they just let her go?
Could she just return to her family? Or would they make her work for the Zisgani? After all, Penna had to, and when she passed Byron was brought in. What happened when Cage died? Was she still considered property of the Zisgani? Would she be passed around like some sort of object? Would she be made to do some job or duty until the day she died?
Autumn knew she was being selfish thinking about herself at a time like this. But she knew she was really distracting herself from thinking of Cage. She was scared that he really was hurt and that he really might be dying. She didn’t want to admit it to herself, but she cared. Autumn finally did feel something for him. She liked him and she didn’t want to lose him.
Chapter Eleven
Autumn barely slept that night. The next morning she woke early, determined to see Cage. She didn’t schedule a single thing and refused to even order her breakfast until she saw him. As soon as she was up she quickly dressed and brushed her hair. Then she rushed off to his rooms. When she got to the entrance to Cage’s room, there were two bodyguards standing in front of the double vault like doors.
Autumn simply walked up to them and said, “I want to see him.”
Neither guard made a move to let her in as one said, “He doesn’t wish to be disturbed.”
“Well, I won't be disturbing him.” said Autumn.
“We have our orders.” said the other bodyguard. Then they both fell silent.
Autumn stood there for several minutes, wondering what she should do. She wanted to see him but she knew she couldn’t just push past the guards and break down the doors. She sighed, realizing she’d have to wait. She asked, “Can you at least inform him I want to see him?”
The bodyguards looked at each other but before either of them could decide on anything the double doors unlocked and they were given orders to let her pass. Both men stepped aside as Autumn rushed in. She nearly ran to see Cage but slowed herself to a fast walk. She could barely wait to get to him. She wanted to know how he was doing and if the damage from yesterday had been fixed.
When she got to his bedroom it was nearly pitch black. Autumn could barely see her own hands in front of her. She paused for a moment, waiting for her eyes to adjust. She could see a few lights coming from the bed. A heart monitor machine and several others machines had been set up.
She saw Cage propped up in bed with a laptop illuminating his face. He had dark circles under his eyes, and stubble across his face. As Autumn drew closer, she could see he had an IV in his arm. When she made it to the bed he made no motion to greet her. His good hand moved about on the laptop, closing several programs before she could see what they were.
As Autumn’s eyes adjusted more she could see Fredric just off to the side. He was slumped back in a chair with his head against the wall. He looked to be sleeping. There were several coffee cups around him. Autumn wondered why he didn’t have someone replace him for a few hours. He was also injured and she thought he should go to sleep, or at least leave long enough to take a nap. But it was clear he didn’t want to leave Cage’s side.
Cage spoke and it drew her attention away from Fredric. As she turned to look at him he smiled at her. He weakly asked, “How did you sleep?”
“I didn’t.” said Autumn moving to sit on the edge of the bed. “At least, not very much.”
“Neither did I.” said Cage.
“You should.” said Autumn. “You don’t look so good.”
Cage let out a small painful laugh and again Autumn asked, “What happened?”
Cage cleared his throat before he said, “Please stop asking me. I already told you, it was a car accident.”
“What are your injuries?” asked Autumn.
“They're nothing major. In a few weeks, maybe even a few days, I’ll be back on my feet again.”
Autumn wasn’t sure if he was telling her the truth. She doubted he’d be better in a few days or weeks. From the way Fredric and Byron had worried over him, he could be out for months. Autumn felt sad Cage couldn’t just be honest with her. “Why can’t you ever tell me anything? I’m not stupid. You weren’t gone on business and you weren’t hurt in a car accident.”
Cage coughed before he said, “I’ll have you know, I WAS away on business and I WAS in a car accident.”
“But that’s not all.” said Autumn, looking intently at him.
Cage stared right back at her before he looked away and said, “You don’t need to know everything. I don’t discuss my business.”
“You don’t discuss your business. You don’t discuss your business.” said Autumn, first repeating what Cage said and then saying it to herself. She knew he didn’t discuss his business. But at times like this, at times when she thought it was important, when she thought she had the right to know, it was hard for her to accept.
She hated not knowing what was going
on. She hated being left out. Autumn wanted to argue with him but she knew she couldn’t. Not with Cage in his current state. She got off the bed and turned away from him as she said, “You should rest.”
She didn’t wait for Cage to respond as she started to walk out of the room. Cage called out to her, “I thought you wanted to see me.”
“Well, I have.” said Autumn nearly at the door.
“I want to see you.” said Cage.
Autumn stopped just before she reached the door. She turned around. She couldn’t quite see him from where she was standing but she heard him say, “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” asked Autumn.
“For making you worry.”
It was strange for Cage to apologize. He must have been on some sort of medication. Autumn slowly returned to him. She sat on the bed once more and he moved his good hand, taking hold of hers. Weakly, he pulled her to him. When she was close he lifted her wrist to his mouth, gently kissing it. Autumn couldn’t help but smile at him.
Fredric nearly fell out of his chair as he slumped to the side. He woke, quickly assessing the situation. He nearly reached for his gun when he saw that someone was in the room. When he saw that it was Autumn he let his hand drop. She didn’t have to see his face to know he wasn’t happy.
Fredric stood up and walked over to the bed as Cage let Autumn’s hand drop. But he didn’t let go. Fredric cleared his throat and said, “You should be resting.”
Cage nodded and looked to Autumn. “You should eat.”
“I will.” said Autumn, wondering how he knew she hadn’t. Maybe it was just a guess or maybe he’d been keeping an eye on her. She couldn’t be sure. Autumn stood and let go of Cage’s hand. Before she left the room she asked, “Can I come back?"
“This afternoon.” said Cage as he looked like he was about to nod off.
“This evening.” said Fredric as he leaned over the bed. He took Cage’s laptop and shut it before he looked over the machines to see how Cage was doing.
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