Her Vigilant Seal (3 page)

“They just got her top off, but they cut her pretty badly on the arm. I’ve got her bandaged and most of the bleeding stopped. She’s going to need a shit-load of stitches. What’s the ETA on the ambulance?” Mason shifted her gently as he again gave the cop a penetrating stare.

“It’s about fifteen more minutes. There was a bad pile-up on the Five Freeway with fatalities. You did good work tonight. You military?” the cop asked as he assessed Mason.

“SEAL.”

“I was Navy too,” the cop said. “You okay with her while I work on getting these two assholes taken care of?” The cop nodded towards the two thugs who were sitting handcuffed in the alley and being looked after by his partner.

“I’ve got her.” Mason looked down at Sophia again ensuring she was okay. “What about the girl who made the call?”

“What girl?” the cop asked.

Mason looked around and realized the girl and his phone were long gone.

“There was another girl who looked like she’d been beaten too. She got me to come over here to help.” Mason gave the information like he was reporting to his commander.

“She must have taken off after she called for help,” the officer said.

“Oh no,” came the soft words. Mason looked down and saw green eyes clouded with worry looking up at him.

“What? Did you say something Sophia?” he asked.

“The girl is gone? She’s hurt.” It was hard to understand her through her bruised mouth.

“Settle honey, you’re hurt. You need to stay calm and rest until the ambulance comes.” Mason watched as she struggled to get up, and then cried out in pain. She collapsed against him. Fuck, it had to be her shoulder. He’d already taken off his shirt and used it as a bandage and a tourniquet earlier. He eased back the leather jacket that he had placed over her to see if it had come loose.

“Don’t move again, okay Sophia.”
God, when will the ambulance get here?

“You’ve got to find the girl I think they cut her too. I’ve got to get up, I need to look for Billy. Please don’t hold me down. I need to get up, let me up,” she damn near screamed the last few words. Mason realized she was delirious. The cop looked over at him and he shook his head.

“Sophia, my name is Mason. We’re going to get you to the hospital. Do you understand me, honey?” He waited to see if she was tracking. She finally nodded. “Good, after they’re done taking care of you, you can come look for Billy again.” She relaxed a little, and he relaxed a little as well.

“And the girl? Can I look for the girl too?” she begged him with big eyes.

“Yes, you can look for the girl too.” He stroked the hair from her forehead.

“Do you promise Mason?” She tried to lift her arm to grab the front of his jacket and let out a small shriek of pain. “Why does it hurt?” He saw her start to tremble and wrapped his jacket closer around her ensuring it was snug so she couldn’t move her arms any longer.

“Are you warm now?”

“Yes. Will I be able to go to work and then look for Billy tomorrow?” It took a moment for him to understand her, and when he did it took him a few seconds to formulate a response other than ‘Hell No’.

“I think you’re going to be in the hospital for at least a couple of days.”

“No, I hate hospitals, don’t make me go to the hospital.” He watched as tears dripped down her temples into her silky blonde hair.

“Honey, you have to go you’ve been injured. A doctor has to help you.” She was trembling so bad he was worried she was going into shock.

“I can’t afford a hospital. Can you take me home?” God, she was breaking his heart.

“Let’s see what the doctor says first.”

Mason heard the siren and Sophia must have heard it too. Somehow she pushed off the heavy leather coat. “No, no ambulance, no hospital. I have to find Billy.” She tried getting up one last time and groaned as she put pressure on her cut shoulder.

“You’ve got to stay still.” He couldn’t believe the compassion this woman had, here she was bleeding and bruised, almost raped, and her entire concern was for her brother and the other girl. She was beautiful inside and out.

Just then she gripped her head where he saw a large bruise and lump forming. He saw her green eyes begin to glaze over. “Honey, stay with me.” He brushed his fingers tenderly along her cheek willing her to stay awake.

“Mason’s a nice name,” her words were slurred.

Just as the EMTs arrived she passed out.

A second patrol car picked up the two perps. Mason asked the cop who knew Sophia if he could catch a ride with him to the hospital.

“Sure. Stan already took your statement?” Mason nodded. “You just want to check on Sophia, right?”

“Yeah. I’d drive myself, but my car is over at my house in Lincoln Park. I was out for a walk.”

“What the hell are you doing walking in this neighborhood?” Officer Duffy asked giving him an incredulous look. Mason rubbed the back of his neck.

“Look. You and I both know there are a lot of homeless vets out here. I bring them some sandwiches on some nights when I can’t sleep. Sometimes I talk to them.” Duffy didn’t say anything for a while, just looked at him and finally nodded.

“Lucky for Sophia.” He clapped Mason on his shoulder. “Yeah, I’ll drive you over.”

The ER was a mess. Duffy was able to get them into the back where they finally found Sophia in a curtained area. She was holding Mason’s shirt to her shoulder and wearing Mason’s coat. He was wearing a spare T-Shirt the officer had in his duffel bag.

As soon as they spotted her the cop veered off and went to find someone to see about her treatment. Officer Duffy brought back an intern.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Anderson, we’ve had some critically injured people come in with the car wreck on the Five Freeway. Let’s get you situated where I can take a look at your wound, shall we?” Mason was liking Duffy more and more.

“Doc, I’m going to have to ask her some questions,” Duffy said apologetically.

“After I get her settled,” the doctor said. He shooed Mason and Duffy away, and then a few minutes later opened the curtain. Sophia was lying down. She looked alert but in pain.

“Who are you?” the doctor asked Mason.

“I’m her fiancée,” Mason lied easily. Sophia’s eyes fluttered open, but then she closed them again. Officer Duffy went to the head of the bed.

“Sophia, are you up for answering a couple of questions?” the cop asked her.

“Doctor Jefferson? We need you STAT,” a nurse called.

The doctor looked at Sophia, and pulled some gauze and handed it to Mason. “Keep that on her arm and apply steady pressure. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“Officer Duffy?” Sophia whispered.

“What Sophia.”

“Get a nurse,” Sophia sounded desperate.

Duffy looked around, and it was clear everyone was really busy.

“No one’s available is there anything I can help you with?” he asked kindly.

“I’m going to be sick.” Duffy found a pan underneath the bed, and held it up. Sophia tried to grab it, but failed. Mason helped her to lean over and pulled back her hair while she threw up. She fell back weakly against the pillow, and then immediately tried to sit back up.

“Just lie down,” Duffy insisted.

“Can’t it’s making the room spin.” Mason found the remote and brought the bed up into a sitting position.

“Thanks, boyfriend.” She gave a wan smile.

“Fiancée. You need to get these things right for when the doc gets back.” She took a deep breath in through her mouth.

“I’m going to go get a fresh pan.” Duffy darted out of the cubicle.

“Why are you here?” she asked him.

“I’ve got to hold the gauze.” She arched an eyebrow.

“To tell you the truth I don’t really know. I had to come.” She looked at him in confusion, like nobody had ever been there for her before. Her next words proved it.

“Seriously, you didn’t need to. I’ll be fine.” She gave a guilty look to his jacket sitting on the chair in a corner. “I’ll have that dry-cleaned.” Was she out of her mind?

“Honey, it’s fine.” She reached up and grabbed the gauze.

“I can hold it you don’t have to.” It was clear she didn’t want to be a bother.

“I’m your fiancée. What would the doctor think if I left?” She laughed. “But seriously Sophia, I’m fine to do this tonight.”

Duffy came back with a new clean pan. “So do you feel up for questions?”

“Not really, I’d prefer to put this out of my mind? Is there Clorox for bad memories?” her voice sounded so forlorn.

“Ah sweetie, I wish there were.” The cop was one of the good guys.

“Okay, let’s get this over with.” Sophia grimaced.

Mason was impressed how the officer asked the questions thoroughly yet kindly. He never made Sophia feel demeaned. The only time Sophia broke down was over her worry for her brother and the unknown woman. She was beaten, bruised and cut, and she was thinking of others. She was amazing. It was obvious Duffy thought so as well. As Duffy was closing his notebook the doctor came back.

“Okay, let’s take a look at you.” He pulled back the gauze.

“How’d this happen?”

“Would you believe a bar fight?” Sophia asked. The doctor frowned at her. “It’s a broken beer bottle. I was attacked.”

“Anyplace else you were hurt?” he asked briskly.

“That’s the main place,” Sophia said.

“Her chest and her ribs. I also saw a guy sitting on her legs,” Mason interrupted. Sophia looked at him and her eyes were wide with shock.

“The wedding’s off. I didn’t know you were a tattletale,” she said with mock horror. Mason laughed out loud. He was trying to take her mind off a terrible set of circumstances, but she was giving as good as she got.

The doctor looked from one to the other, clearly not knowing how to take them.

“Do you want him in the room with us while I examine you?” In a second, her brave front crumpled and she looked lost, her green eyes were huge. He wanted to hug her, but there didn’t look like a spot on her body that wouldn’t hurt. He went with his gut and bent over and kissed her forehead.

“I’m going to leave, honey. I’ll be right outside the curtain, and then I’ll be back when he puts in the stitches,” he assured her.

She nodded and gave him a grateful smile. He couldn’t make out what was being said, but he heard the small screech she made at one point.

“We need to get you to X-Ray,” he heard the doctor say. Jesus, what had those animals done to her? Mason waited for what seemed like forever before the curtain was pulled back.

“You can come back in. I’ve just given her something for the pain and something to numb the area and cleaned it out. We need to get her up to X-Ray, but I know they’re backed up so it could be a while.” Mason moved over to her left side and Sophia held out her hand. He was more than happy to hold it.

“It’s pretty ragged, you’ll want to consult with a plastic surgeon later on,” the doctor said matter-of-factly, as he closed the wound.

“I’m having trouble moving it. Will that be permanent?” Sophia tried to reply in kind, but fell short.

“Nope don’t worry, this didn’t damage the muscle or nerves,” the doctor assured her. Sophia didn’t watch as he sewed her up, instead she gave Mason a shaky smile.

“X-Ray is actually ready for her,” a nurse said as she pushed passed the curtain.

“We were due a miracle,” the doctor muttered.

“How are all the people from the wreck?” Sophia asked.

“It’s been bad. We had to airlift some up to Mission Hospital. We had fatalities. It was a drunk driver.” She gave Mason’s hand a tight squeeze. He hated to hear about those kinds of accidents.

“Nurse, I’m done here. I need pictures of her ribs. I’m hoping they’re just bruised, but better safe than sorry.” The doctor looked at Mason. “You’ll have to stay here. She’ll be back in about twenty minutes.”

“Mason, you don’t need to stay.” He looked at the woman with the bruised face, green eyes, and honey blonde hair, and knew he’d be staying even if it was for all night.

“I’ll be here,” he assured her in a soft tone.

When they finally brought her back the pain was obviously worse and they gave her more medicine, which made her very sleepy.

“Sophia, we’re just going to have you rest down here for a bit longer. If we can, we’ll get you a bed upstairs. If not, you’ll just spend the night downstairs with us, is that okay?”

“Whatever you want.” Sophia waved her good arm and gave them a goofy smile. Mason and the nurse laughed.

“So you’re not admitting her?” Mason asked.

“We don’t have a room right now. We want to keep her overnight for observation. You can take her home tomorrow.”

“I can go home by my…my…my shelf.” Mason laughed with the nurse again. Sophia looked at them both and then she started laughing too

“I’ll be here tomorrow, Sophia. I need to get my truck and get cleaned up.” He grinned.

“No need,” she slurred.

“I’ll be here, I promise,” his voice was firm, and he gave her his best commander voice.

“I’m fine,” she insisted. The nurse gave him a sideways glance as she and the orderly started to wheel the bed to a corner.

“That’s my fiancée, always thinking she can handle things on her own,” Mason joked.

“Can. Can take care of myself. Always do.” It was the last thing he heard as the bed was pushed into the cubicle and the curtain pulled closed.

****

Sophia remembered small moments of time from being overnight in in the ER. She definitely remembered the stitches they gave her. Thirty-two in all. There had been so much activity because of a huge pile-up on the freeway, and was why she had slept in the ER.

Actually, it wasn’t all she remembered. She remembered Mason. She remembered him being so nice and funny. She was pretty sure it wasn’t just the drugs either. Could he be anymore wonderful? First he saved her from being raped, and then he pretended to be her fiancée and kept her company for hours. Come to think of it, it must be the drugs.