Stitch by Jaime Lewis (ebook reader online .txt) 📗

“I’ll take that as a no. I don’t think she knew either. She told me that she was hit in the head pretty hard. As I was examining her, I noticed a red spot just above her shoulder.  To me, it looks like an entry point of a needle.  She said she felt really woozy.  But that could have been because of the trauma to her head. Either way, to be safe, I took a blood sample and will see if it produces anything. Certain drugs can stay in the body for several days. I will drop it by the hospital on my way home and ask them to put a rush on it.

“Are you talking like a date rape drug?” Stitch asked, not liking where the conversation was heading.

Doc nodded his head. “That, amongst other drugs that can be used to incapacitate someone.”

Stitch swallowed hard, and he thought about his next question. It was one he didn’t want to ask, but it was inevitable. “Was she sexually assaulted?”

Ace raised his head, and Stitch could see the turmoil his friend was facing. Even Derek and Tink leaned slightly forward making sure they wouldn’t miss the answer. They all waited on pins and needles for the doctor to answer.

“There was quite a bit of bruising on her inner thighs, but when I asked her, she said she wasn’t.”

“If she was drugged, and then knocked out at one point, could it be possible that she was and just doesn’t remember it?” Stitch asked.

“Yes, that is possible, and I had the same revelations. However, the bruising stopped midway up her thigh.  I honestly don’t believe she was.”

Stitch hadn’t realized he was holding his breath until he started to see black spots from lack of oxygen.

Doctor O’Neal stood and looked at Stitch. “I left some pain medicine to get her through the night. She already took one. Here is a prescription for more.  She will need them, and they will keep her sedated, which is best for her body to heal. Try to keep her hydrated, and as far as food goes, keep it light; soups, smoothies, protein shakes, that sort of thing.  I hope to hell you find the sons of bitches who did this to her. No woman deserves what she went through.”

“We will. Don’t you worry,” Ace stated firmly that left no room for argument.

Stitch turned toward the doctor. “What can we do to make her more comfortable?”

“Just rest and lots of it.  She needs to stay off that ankle.  She told me to let you know that she was going to lie down.”

“Well, we all appreciate you taking time away from your family to help.”

The doc chuckled.  “I’ll tell you the same thing I told Mia upstairs. You all actually did me a favor. My family can be a bit boisterous at times.  Your call was perfect timing.”

Stitch shook his hand. “Well, regardless, it was very much appreciated, and if you ever need anything, please don’t hesitate to call.”

“Thank you, son. And like I said, be sure that young lady gets plenty of rest.”

“Yes, sir. She will be under our protection, and we will see to it she takes it easy and has plenty of rest.”

◆◆◆

The air was cold and crisp, but the twinkling stars' display coupled with the subtle glow of the moon was stunning to gaze at. In fact, it was one of the many reasons Stitch had purchased the cabin. There had been plenty of nights of just sitting outside, staring at the sky and using the peacefulness as a tool to help clear his mind and thoughts.

Stitch sat in one of the Adirondack chairs around the stone firepit.  After he had bought the cabin, the first project he tackled was the huge deck wrapped around the entire house.  Once the deck was in place, the firepit was installed along with the built-in deck lighting.

Before coming outside, he had gone upstairs to check on Mia. She was out cold and sleeping soundly. She looked tiny lying in the huge bed. It had taken willpower not to kick off his shoes and crawl in next to her.

He rubbed his hand over his jaw feeling his whiskers, and exhaled as he thought about what situation they would be facing if the Sheriff hadn’t been at the bus station when he was. He was thankful Mia had befriended that woman on the bus, and she had been nice to introduce Mia to Blake. He would have to get that nice lady’s address and send her a thank you gift.

He took a swig from his beer and heard one of the loose boards by the door creek, signaling someone had joined him. Seconds later, Ace appeared and took the chair across from him. He looked across the glowing fire and met Stitch’s gaze.

“You okay, man?”

He nodded his head. “Just thinking how lucky we were that Blake was at the bus station tonight.”

“I agree. It’s pretty fucking scary. I still can’t believe this. I mean, we train for this type of shit, but when it hits close to home, it’s different in so many ways.”

Stitch was getting tired of seeing the women close to him fall victim to the assholes of the world. First, Alex, with her ordeal with the terrorist who kidnapped and nearly killed her. Then there was Tenley. Damn, talk about an emotional rollercoaster for that woman. She gave Potter a run for his money. Her troubles started when she was caught in the middle of two drug cartels. Next was Autumn, Frost’s wife. She had been stalked by her ex-sister-in-law but had also caught the eye of a shrewd businessman. She was kidnapped, and when she tried to escape from his yacht, she hit her head and fell into the ocean. Her son Cody was the true hero in her case. The damn kid paddled close to a mile and a half into the ocean on his surfboard to save his mom. Then last but not least,