The Alpha's Saviour

Chapter 2

Hayley POV

I blink my eyes open and squint, looking up at some glaring fluorescent lights which are uncomfortably bright and not helping my pounding headache. It takes me a second to remember what happened and realize where I am. Groaning out loud, I cover my eyes with my arm. I am supposed to be staying below the radar and this does not fit in with my plans. A nurse who is writing something onto what must be my chart smiles at me as she sees me stir.

“Welcome back Hayley. Headache?” she says brightly, picking up a cup of water from the sideboard in the room and placing it on the locker beside my hospital bed, before handing me a container with a couple of painkillers in it.

“Yes, thank you” I say, tipping the tablets into my mouth before reaching over to pick up the water and take a few sips. I scoot back up the bed into a sitting position, pulling the blanket up with me.

“How are you feeling? You have been out for a few hours” she asks gently, coming to my side to take my pulse, and pulling over the blood pressure monitor.

“Fine” I answer, “I feel like a bit of a fraud for taking up a hospital bed though to be honest”.

“Hush, I heard what happened, I know you’re not physically hurt but you were in shock and nearly hypothermic when they brought you in, you must be exhausted. We will keep you here overnight just to be on the safe side, and to make sure you rest up properly. Anyone you need me to call for you?” I freeze for a second and then swallow hard, pausing to make sure my voice is steady before I answer, shaking my head.

“No, I’ve just moved here and don’t really know anyone yet. My parents live a good distance away and my dad is sick, so I don’t want to worry them. I’ll be home again before they could even get here.”

She frowns as if she picked up on my anxiety at her question but says nothing. Maybe it is a bit strange that I don’t have anyone to call but she is too polite to question it. She pats my arm reassuringly and after finishing all her checks, she updates the notes, turning on the softer light behind the bed instead of the overhead light before she quietly leaves me alone in the room. 

My mind immediately turns to the man in the river, and my gut clenches as I wonder how he is doing.  I should have asked the nurse. He must have been brought to the same hospital because there isn’t another one within two hour’s drive. I picked Pine Ridge to relocate to precisely because it was small and remote compared to New York where I lived for the last 8 years. I wanted a clean break and fresh start somewhere that I could feel safe, and a small town in the middle of nowhere seemed like a great place to disappear to.

A sudden tightness appears in my chest as I contemplate whether the man could have survived. My physical response to just thinking he might have died shocks me, it’s not as if I know him. Maybe it’s common to feel emotionally connected to someone after a traumatic event, but this seems a bit dramatic for me, I’m normally a pretty calm and level-headed person. My stomach churns every time I replay the horrific scene in my mind. I try to picture his face but all I can remember are his beautiful deep brown eyes looking up at me as the emergency services took over and I was pulled away. With all the blood, cuts and bruises to his face I never really got a proper look at him. He must be a brave man to have done what he did, sacrificing himself for a child without hesitation. This is the type of man I would be lucky to meet, maybe when I get my life back on track, I’ll be fortunate enough to have someone like that in my life. I sigh and roll my eyes to heaven as I consider just how bad my love life must be for my brain to be wandering in this direction while the man is fighting for his life and I don’t even know what he looks like.

A soft knock on the door distracts me from my thoughts and a familiar pair of light blue eyes peer around the door, it’s my blonde helper from the scene of the accident.

“You’re awake” he says simply, and I nod at him, “Is it ok if I come in?”.

“Sure, come on in” I say, and he smiles brightly, shutting the door gently behind him and crossing the room in two long strides. It didn’t really register at the river with all that was going on, but I now realize that this man is drop dead gorgeous. I am normally a tall, dark and handsome kind of gal but nobody could fail to see how attractive he was, with his blonde jaw length hair raked back, tanned skin and strong jawline. He is tall, 6 ft 3 at least and strong, I recall how he easily carried me in his arms. Looking at his biceps bulging out from under the sleeves of his t-shirt as he moves, that makes a bit more sense now. I suddenly feel a bit exposed in my thin hospital gown next to this handsome hunk and I’m grateful when he doesn’t stand too close.

“How are you feeling?” he asks me quietly. His face is friendly, but his tone is serious as though he really cares for my wellbeing.

“Oh god, I’m fine! They’re just keeping me in overnight as a precaution.” I dismiss his concerns with a wave of my hand, and he frowns a bit, as though he is not convinced that I am telling the truth.

“How is your friend?” I ask in almost a whisper, afraid to hear the answer. I glance up from under my eyelashes when he hasn’t answered and find his piercing eyes are studying me intently. I am never one to shy away from eye contact but even I find this a bit too intense, it’s as if he is reading me like an open book. The urge to look away is strong, but I hold out and c**k an eyebrow at him, desperate to know one way or the other. It is feels as if he is deciding what to tell me, and I wonder is he worried about breaking bad news to me. I feel nauseous at the thought.

“Cooper’s alive, thanks to you,” he tells me, “But he is pretty banged up obviously. He had surgery for some internal injuries, and he has some broken bones and lots of stitches, but by some miracle they’re pretty sure it’s nothing that won’t heal.”

“Thank f**k!” I let out the breath that I didn’t realize I was holding, and he smirks at my colourful language. I drop my head back against the pillows and feel tears welling up in my eyes. I wipe them away quickly, embarrassed at my emotional response. If anyone should be upset, it should be the man in front of me who obviously is far closer to him than me but is able to hold it together and act perfectly composed.

“Sorry, sorry, I’m just so relieved. I did everything I could but… I guess I just didn’t see how he could make it”. I draw in a ragged breath, and shake my head, as if trying to remove those negative thoughts from my brain. He stares at me again as if trying to work out a puzzle, and then just nods once and smiles, as if he has decided something. He sucks in a big deep breath and pauses before responding.

“I really just wanted to stop by and thank you, Cooper wouldn’t have made it if you hadn’t done what you did. It’s a miracle he didn’t drown. If you need anything at all, anything, please just let me know. We are forever in your debt, Hayley” he adds, leaning slightly forward and staring directly into my eyes.

We. Who is we? Does that mean Cooper has a girlfriend or a wife?

Again, I mentally chastise myself for having such strange thoughts about a man I don’t know. Whether he is in a relationship or not is none of my business. He reaches out and places a piece of paper into my palm with his name and phone number written on it, before folding my fingers tightly around it. His hand lingers on mine for a couple of seconds before he releases it quickly and shoves both his hands back into his pockets, looking away and stepping back awkwardly. It was just enough to transform it from an innocent gesture to a more intimate or overly familiar one, and he seemed to be a bit embarrassed by his actions.

“Please, I am glad I was there to help. … Ethan.” I say glancing down and reading the name on the paper, before blushing and gazing back up at him. A small smile tugs up the corners of his mouth as he hears me say his name and he nods again, before turning and striding out of the door without looking back. Odd. I can’t decide if he was just expressing his gratitude or if he was hitting on me, and I wonder again what is going on with my brain. I dismiss the thought immediately, surely a man as a man as confident and good-looking as that isn’t shy around the ladies? If he was hitting on me, I am pretty sure I would know all about it.