Her Broken Wings - FINALLY Completed

Chapter 27

"Don't touch him," my words came out a strangled screech.

My fingers clawed at Shawn's hold as he turned me away from the men that were carefully lifting Sam's body out of the room. Where were they taking him? Now that he was out of my sight I had the most terrible sensation, as if I would never see him again. I needed to see him again.

Shawn's muttered assurances landed on deaf ears. As I sobbed into his chest my senses slowly came back into focus. I could feel his touch, trying to warm me, but I was ice cold. So cold. The ache in my shoulders was almost as intense as the fiery pain that was flaring up in my skull. That was good right. Feeling something was good. Anything was better than the aching numbness that had gathering in my soul.

"Rose, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" I heard Shawn's firm voice as if out of a haze. I had the feeling this wasn't the first time he had asked me this.

"I'm ..." My eyes fixed on a point in the wall as I tried to find the words to describe how I was feeling. I was broken, shattered, distraught. But he hadn't asked about how I was feeling. He'd asked if I was injured.

"My head." At my blank expression and monotone Shawn's face shifted to one of concern.

"Did you hit your head?" When I nodded slowly, Shawn let out a sigh. "Okay. We need to get you to the hospital."

With gentle nudges, he guided me out the door and up a set of stairs. The early light of dawn was creeping over the edge of the buildings and I let the subtle light warm me. Why did I feel so cold?

Shawn opened the passenger door of a black sedan, ushering me into the seat. After he had buckled me in and closed the door, he ran around to the drivers side to get in. The next few minutes were a blur. My vision seemed to go in and out of focus, the blurry edges somehow giving clarity to my jumbled thoughts. I wanted so badly for this all to be some terrible dream. None of this was real. But it was. Sam was dead. And my step-dad, my stepdad ...

"My step-dad." My voice was like ice, practically unfamiliar to my ears.

"You won't have to worry about him anymore." Shawn's words were grim. I knew what that meant. He was dead. His death barely registered in my mind. I'm sure I would contemplate it deeply later, maybe even shed a tear for all the years wasted under his abusive hand, but not right now.

"You won't have to worry about any of the others anymore. We made the final arrest two nights ago. I was here wrapping things up. That's why we were on hand when Sam called to tell us you were missing. You're lucky. He was able to hack into your step-dad's phone. We would have never found you in time if it weren't for him." Shawn's words were both comforting and painful.

Right now, I wished that Sam hadn't tracked me down. At least then he would still be alive.

When we reached the hospital, Shawn helped me out of the car. Despite my protests his arms remained around me as he led me to the doors, as if he thought I would collapse at any moment. His concern was the first chip in the ice that had surrounded my heart. After explaining the circumstances to the doctors we were told to sit down in the waiting room. I don't know how long we sat there. Every time my eyes closed for more than a minute, Shawn would shake me awake.

Finally we were called into a back room and seen by a doctor. They'd poked and prodded at the back of my skull, making my head pound like a bitch. I wanted to bring up some anger at the rough treatment but couldn't seem to manage the effort. I still felt numb, cold as ice.

"You don't need stitches but you've got quite a serious concussion. We're going to keep you here for observation. Do you want someone to stay with you?" The doctor's voice was clinical.