Lies Inside (28 page)

“They said since it was only a few minutes long and that it was probably her first one, they hope there will be no permanent damage.”

Finn sighed as his father gave him a hug. Rylan, Aiden, and Jack had kept Finn company in the ICU waiting room as Murphy consulted with the neurologist taking care of Lucy.

“After everything...I can’t lose her now.”

“I know. I know.” Murphy held onto his son. Finn heard his name and turned in response. His picture flashed across the television screen.

“Rylan, turn it up.”

Rylan went over and turned up the volume as the pretty reporter with brown hair came on screen.

“This tragic story has taken another turn for the worse as Lucy Butler was rushed to the emergency room in Clarkstown, New York after an apparent seizure earlier today. She is listed in critical condition. We expect the family to make a statement. When we have it, we will break in.”

The screen returned to the news anchor who continued to report the story. “This all comes on the day that the alleged kidnappers, Viktor and Camille Karpov, were formally charged in Montana Federal Court. The charges included kidnapping and aggravated sexual abuse. There is speculation that addition charges will be added as the prosecution continues to gather evidence.”

Finn shut off the television before picking up a magazine and throwing it across the room. He started pacing, raking his fingers wildly through his hair.

The others stood stunned. They had no idea what to do for him. He hadn’t the faintest idea himself.

Lane walked in with Lucy’s doctor, and they all turned to him. “We’re finished with the EEG. She’s still unconscious, but she’s stable.”

“Can I go in?” Finn knew he had to be near her, protect her, no matter what.

“If it’s approved by her father.” The doctor looked to Lane, and Lane nodded his approval. “Go ahead.”

Finn entered the ICU, leaving the others behind. No one tried to stop him or come with him. They knew better than to get in Finn’s way when he wanted to get to Lucy.

Soon enough, he was at her bedside, looking at all the monitors hooked up to her and the IV giving her fluids and medication. He took her hand and sat down beside her, pressing his lips to her skin.

“Not now. Not now. Not now. God, please. Don’t take her away from me. Haven’t we been through enough? Please give us a chance. Give us a chance to be happy.”

“You promised a happily ever after.”

Finn looked up to see those sparkling gray-blue eyes flutter open. She squeezed his hand as he got up and kissed her forehead before pressing the button to alert the nurse’s station.

“Don’t ever do that again,” he warned. “I can’t lose you.”

“Believe me; I didn’t enjoy one minute of it. What happened?” Her words were soft and slightly slurred.

“Rylan found you on the couch. She thought you were sleeping, but then you started to seize.”

“A seizure?” She asked as he sat back down next to her. “I’ve never had one before, but maybe the nightmare or…”

“You were having a nightmare?”

“Sort of. It was kind of a memory, but it didn’t happen exactly like it did the first time.” She drowsily recounted what she could remember of her dream.

Finn felt it was his fault. Viktor would have never touched her if it hadn’t been for him.

“It actually happened like that a couple of times, but it was always when he knew you weren’t around. He’d fight me, then shock me, and I’d pass out.”

“He could’ve...He might of...”

“He didn’t,” she assured him as he tried to blink away the tears in his eyes. “The doctors in Billings did a rape kit. They said I hadn’t been...I’m still…intact…not broken yet. So, I don’t see that he could’ve.”

Finn felt some relief.

“Glad to see those big blue eyes.” Murphy walked in and stood at the opposite side of Lucy’s bed. He caressed her forehead, brushing her hair away from her eyes. “How are you feeling?”

“Really tired.”

“You need your rest.”

“What happened though? Do they know why I had a seizure?”

“At first, we thought it might have been the drugs that they had given you. Then Finn told us that you said he only drugged you that one time when you rode to Montana, so that wasn’t likely the cause.”

“She was having a nightmare she was being shocked when it happened? Could that have triggered it?”

Murphy nodded his head. “Possibly. The nightmare might have been your mind dealing with the seizure. They’re going to continue monitoring you and do a few more tests. We’ll have a clearer picture in the morning. Right now, Lucy, you need your rest.”

“Don’t look at me. I’m not moving.” He was sure they’d have to drag him kicking and screaming if they wanted him out of the room.

“Fine, but promise me you’ll let her rest and you won’t get in the way.”

“He promises.” Lucy gave his hand another squeeze as he kissed it. “Thank you, Murphy.”

“You know, you can start calling me Dad. Only a few more weeks, and I kind of will be.”

Finn saw the corners of Lucy’s mouth turn up as her cheeks turned a beautiful shade of pink.

“I don’t think I could call you Dad. I think I’ll stick with Murphy if that’s alright.”

“Okay, rest then.”

Murphy left the room as Finn turned to capture his fiancée’s cherry cheeks.

“What?”

Finn smiled. “I think it’s cute how you get all embarrassed around my dad.”

“I told you, it’s because he’s so much like you.”

“Sure.” Finn nodded as she rolled her eyes, then let them drift shut.

“Still sleeping?” Murphy checked in a couple of hours later.

“Yeah, but she hasn’t been moving around like she usually does. Must be the medication.”

“Can I talk to you out here for a minute?”

“Sure.” Finn lifted himself from the chair he’d inhabited for the past few hours. He stretched his arms above his head and twisted his body at the waist to relieve the stiffness in his muscles. He gave Lucy a soft kiss on the forehead before walking out to talk with his father.

“What’s going on, Dad?”

“I wanted to fill you in on a couple more things.” He wiped his brow and tussled his hair as he always did when he was trying to tell his son something important but wasn’t really sure how to say it. “They’ve done the EEG, which showed abnormal brain activity. They also did an MRI. I just went over it with her neurologist and the radiologist. It confirmed the presence of abnormal electrical activity in her brain. They want to try a few drugs on her. Find one that will prevent future seizures. I’ve had success with several patients on one in particular. Hopefully, this drug will work for Lucy. Now...she told you she was having a nightmare when it happened?”

“Uh...yeah. She said it was about Viktor shocking her. I guess it happened a lot more than I knew about. She said he would shock her until she passed out. I don’t even want to think what he could have—” Finn broke down at just the thought of Viktor putting any part of his body on her.

Murphy wrapped his arms around Finn as his coworkers watched his grown son cry like a baby. At that moment, Finn didn’t care. All that mattered was Lucy.

“You need to let us take care of you for awhile, Son.” Murphy pulled him from his shoulder and placed his hands on either side of Finn’s face. “When was the last time you ate?”

Finn shrugged. “Breakfast, I guess.”

“Your sister is in the waiting room. Why don’t you go down to the cafeteria with her? I promise to call you if anything changes.”

Finn knew he was right. His stomach sounded like a thunderstorm with all the growling. “I know I should, but do you think eating with Rylan will help?”

“Jack’s with her. Just try to eat something and take a few minutes to relax. I really need to discuss a few things with Lane.”

“I’ll be back in a little while. Tell her where I am if she wakes up.”

“I will.” He patted Finn’s shoulder before Finn walked out the door and into Rylan’s bone-crushing embrace.

Lucy’s eyes opened, but she was barely awake. She tried to make her eyes focus, but all she could see were two blurs floating around the room. She squinted as one figure came in closer. She could distinguish his hair. Then she felt a smile cross her face as she stared into those cobalt blue eyes.

“Feeling any better?”

“Still a little woozy. My head still really hurts.”

As Lucy’s vision cleared, she saw Murphy turn to a nurse who pushed a few buttons on the monitor connected to Lucy’s IV.

“That should help.”

“Thanks, Murphy.” Lucy lifted her hand and took his.

Whenever she was with Murphy, she felt one of two extremely different things. She was either a total wreck of teenage hormones or completely at ease. It could have very well have been the drugs, but she was slowly feeling at peace.

Murphy sat down next to Lucy, her eyes following him as he did.

“We’ve done several tests. They all point to a seizure. We hope that with some medication, we can stop it from happening again. We can’t be sure what the trigger to the seizure was because you were sleeping when it started. Finn said you were having a nightmare?”

Visions of Viktor pushing her up on the counter, his hands pulling at her zipper began to flood her mind. “A nightmare? I wish, it was more like a memory.”

“It’s possible the seizure was brought on by emotional stress. That coupled with all the shocks you received—”

“Caused a seizure. I get it. Just tell me, am I going to be alright?”

“I’m going to do everything I can, Lucy. My hope is that this is just an isolated incident.”

“Humph.” She laughed as she laid her head back to stare at the ceiling. “I guess I should have known better than to take a nap without Finn.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well.” Lucy turned her head back to him. “Even though every day we were being put through some sort of hell, it was a completely different story at night. Lying in his arms, I had the most magnificent dreams.” Lucy fell back into a state of complete relaxation. She never had a nightmare as long as she was in Finn’s arms. “The only time my nights were as bad as my days were those nights they hid him from me.”

“It really amazes me how physically connected you two are.”

A shocked and bewildered look swept across her face as a blush covered to her cheeks. “We never...I mean, we haven’t...”

“I know. What I meant was the two of you balance each other out physically as well as emotionally. Like when Finn had that attack in the ER in Billings. All you had to do was hold him, and he calmed down instantly. Even today, when he was in here just holding your hand while you slept, you looked completely peaceful. The drugs might have had a little to do with that, but truly I’ve never seen two people as wrapped up in each other as you two are.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”