Her Outlaw Saviour

Waking

Elspeth came to with the worst headache she could ever remember. Everything seemed strange and unusual until she realised where she was. All of a sudden, her memory snapped clean into focus. She remembered Kevin assaulting her, running, and Audrey. Poor Audrey. How could she be dead? Then Elspeth began to panic. "CONNOR?! WHERE IS MY SON?!" She screamed through a sore windpipe.

"It's okay, Miss Ross," said a familiar voice from the doorway. "When you fainted, I grabbed him before you hit the ground. My name is Lee Harper. I don't know if you remember me."

"I remember you." She replied, "You caught him? Thank you, Lee. May I have him, please?"

"You've been unconscious for 18 hours. The S.A.N.E. nurse has been waiting to talk to you and examine you for further damage." Lee said. He continued with a slight menacing tone to his voice, "A r**e kit was collected. The dna under your nails and in the fluids collected have already been compared to Mr. Treacle. He won't get away with assaulting you or the murder of your friend."

Elspeth began to cry heavy, wracking sobs. 'It is all my f*****g fault!' She screamed inside her own head. 'Audrey tried to help me and he killed her!'

Lee slowly approached the bed and though he never reached out to her, She could feel him. When she looked up he was standing beside her. He was incredible looking. Nearly six feet, she could see his wiry muscled frame under his shirt. Built thin but obviously very strong, and covered in tattoos on both of his arms and hands. On his left hand was a single red rose. She looked at his face, and her breath caught in her chest. His lips were a perfect cupids bow below a moustache that belonged on Doc Holliday. He had Native American cheekbones and jawline, and eyes the golden-amber brown of a mountain wolf. His hair was below his shoulders and even tied back under his E.M.T. cap, she could see the thick waves. He was magnificent, and she hated herself for feeling what he made her feel.

'You are so stupid, Beth...hes a medic. Being here is his job! Why would he be taking a personal interest in you?'

As if he could read her mind, Lee said, " You must be wondering why I came back after my shift. I can't explain it. I HAD to. You had no one here, and after what you suffered, all I could do was hope you wouldn't send me away. I'm not coming onto you, Elspeth, as that's the last thing you need after what you have endured. Though, before I go, I am going to write down my number so you can text me anytime."

He seemed pensive for a moment. "I don't usually take a personal interest in my calls. Something about you MADE me come back. I needed to make sure you and that little boy would be okay."

He stood there as if waiting for her to reply, but she couldn't. Why should he care? She was sure he had seen situations like hers before. Why should SHE make such an impression on him? Why now?

As she was about to speak, a blonde lady in a white coat, with a tag reading S.A.N.E. knocked.

"Miss Ross? My name is Hanna Cosack, and i will be dpoing the rest of your trauma exam now that you are with us again. Are you alright? You have six, very deep abdominal wounds, Can I get you anything for pain before i take you back?"

Elspeth felt a pang of fear once again at the thought of Lee not being there to soothe her nerves. "Why did you do the r**e kit while I was passed out?" She asked.

"The circumstances that brought you to us are not usual. May i call you Elspeth?" She asked. When Elspeth nodded, she continued.

"Your r**e and assault are connected with a homicide investigation. Xithvthe severity of your wounds, the D.A. is going for Murder in the 1st degree, and premeditated attempted murder. We had to take the evidence while it was still viable. I apologise that we could not wait for consent. I do have the forms for you so we may finish with detailing what happened and what kind of damage that man did to you. You are so lucky to be alive." She handed Elspeth a small stack of paper and indicated for her to sign the bottom sheet.

Once the papers were signed, Elspeth was wheeled on her bed through one long corridor after another. They got to Hanna's office, and she explained what she had to do.

"Alright, Dear. When i did your r**e kit, I swabbed the semen that was left in your v****a by your attacker as well as scraped and cut your fingernails for the skin cells gathered under them. What I would like to do is photograph you with this camera. It takes special pictures that can see bruising even before the eyes can see it.I want you to know, you have extensive visible bruising. This will show us what is underneath."

Elspeth nodded, and Hanna began photo documenting her wounds. Eslpeth had blackened hand-shaped bruises on her neck. Her ribcage was beginning to show signs of bruising, and her thighs were lacerated.The knife wounds in her abdomen felt tender with every breath. Elspeth could not remember the knife or being stabbed. She described her attack in detail, as well as she could recall. Hannah took notes. She took a lit magnifier and looked in Elspeth's left ear and mentioned a broken eardrum, then she looked at her eyes.

"Elspeth," she said. "He really did a great deal of damage. Can you see very well right now?"

"Well, considering my eyes is swollen nearly shut, no." she replied curtly.

"I see you have managed to keep a bit of feistiness that he didn't break. That is good, because you are going to need it. I am going to refer you to an E.N.T. doctor to check on the severity of the damage to your ear and throat, as well as an eye doctor to keep a watch on that eye. You may also wish to see a counselor for the mental crush you are bound to feel after such brutalization. Do not try to cope alone."

"One question." Elspeth said. "Is Kevin in custody?"

"Yes, on murder charges among others. I ran a pregnancy test for your peace of mind. You are not pregnant." replied the wonderfully, gentle and kind, Hanna Cosack.

"I am going to take you back to your friend now, and make sure you can hold your son."