“It’s probably better that way, even if she’s a little angry. I’ll tell her it was my idea. Once she feels more together, she’ll be able to handle everything better. She might not fuss as much if I’m stronger.”
“I think she might feel better knowing you’re alive,” Zane answered drily.
“Not yet. Please.” Ellie knew Chloe, and she’d be heartsick if she saw her right now, emaciated and torn up from James’s frequent beatings. She didn’t want her best friend to see her as she was now, not when Chloe had been through so much herself.
“Stop worrying about Chloe. She’s doing a hell of a lot better than you are right now. Do you need anything?” Zane asked hesitantly, looking impatient, like he needed something to occupy himself.
She was going to need a lot of things, but she refused to think about that right now. “No. How long have I been here?”
“Two days,” he answered gruffly.
“I don’t remember,” she admitted, unable to recall her transport to the hospital.
“Totally understandable,” Zane informed her. “You were confused because of the dehydration. Luckily, there shouldn’t be any permanent damage once you’re completely healed. Now that you’re getting what you need, everything will correct itself. It will take time to put some weight back on, and you’ll need time to recover from the weakness, but it’s all reversible.”
Ellie noticed that Zane looked completely done in. His expression was weary, his eyes were bloodshot, and there were shadows beneath those expressive gray eyes.
“Have you slept at all? You have a house here in Denver, right? Maybe you should go home and get some rest.” Even as she said the words, her heart lurched at the thought of him leaving her alone. Rationally, she knew she was out of danger, but she selfishly wanted Zane to stay with her for a little while longer.
“Do you honestly think I’m going anywhere? Jesus! I tore up most of Colorado looking for you. I’m not leaving,” he said stubbornly, crossing his arms over his broad chest.
“Then at least sleep tonight.” She glanced out the window, noticing it was dark. There was an extra bed in the room right next to her.
“I can’t believe you’re worried about me. Christ, Ellie. You nearly died, and spent seven months in chains. Me getting some sleep is not a fucking priority.”
She knew if she started to relive the last several months, she’d end up a mess. “Sometimes it’s easier not to think about it. I’m here now. I’m alive. All because of you. I’m getting good care, and I’m awake and talking. There’s no reason for you not to rest.”
“I’ll lie down once you sleep again. I have a feeling it won’t be long.”
Ellie’s eyelids were already feeling heavy, but she fought the welcoming void of darkness, where she knew she’d forget what happened for the moment. “When can I go home?”
“When the doctors say it’s safe,” Zane said testily.
“I don’t even know if I still have a home. I have no vehicle. I don’t have a job.” She started to hyperventilate as she thought about all she’d lost. She had been broke before she took the job with James, and she hadn’t worked there long enough to even get her first check.
“Don’t worry about any of that right now,” Zane ordered firmly. “Everything will work itself out. You can come home with me. You won’t have fully regained your strength when you leave here, and you still have injuries to heal and nutritional deficiencies.”
Her chin lifted. “I can take care of myself.” The last thing Ellie needed was Zane’s pity.
“You’re going to be stubborn after everything that’s happened? You can’t take a little help from friends?”
“I may not have a choice,” Ellie admitted. She didn’t know if her apartment was still hers, she had no source of income, and no way to even get around to apply for a job.
“As far as I’m concerned, you don’t have options. I’m taking you home with me even if I have to toss you over my shoulder and drag you there. You need help, and after what happened, I don’t want you out of my sight.”
Friends? Were she and Zane really friends? Yeah, back in high school she would have said they were, even though she’d also been majorly infatuated with him. But she’d only seen him a handful of times since then, and they hadn’t spoken much. Really, he was the brother of her best friend and just some guy she’d had a crush on in her early years of high school. He had no reason to be stuck to her like glue. Nevertheless, he obviously cared about what happened to her.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Ellie confessed. “I’m feeling a little lost.” Actually she was feeling plenty lost, but didn’t want to admit it. Since she was physically weak, the obstacles in front of her seemed overwhelming. Psychologically, she was finding herself almost incapable of not panicking about her future.
“Someday, you’ll have to deal with what happened to you. But that day is not today. You need rest and you need to get well. I’ll be right here. I’m not going anywhere,” Zane told her tenaciously.
Ellie shuddered, dreading the time when she’d need to deal with her confinement, the memories of never knowing if the next time James came to the cabin he’d bring supplies…or just kill her off.
Feeling like she had heavy weights on her eyelids, she gave up the struggle of staying awake and closed them. “Someday,” she whispered, wondering if she’d ever be strong enough to actually talk about her experiences when trying to forget seemed so much easier.
“Sleep, Ellie,” Zane said in a deep, hypnotic voice, his hand reaching for hers. He clasped it tightly.
Her first instinct was to flinch away from his touch since every bit of human contact in the last seven months had led to pain. Eventually, the gentleness of his comforting gesture made her relax again. She tried to squeeze his fingers, but everything was too much effort. Taking comfort in the fact that Zane was nearby, she slept.
Ellie spent a lot of time sleeping the next few days. Her mom came to see her, and they had a very joyful but short reunion since her mother had a business to help run with her husband back in Montana. Knowing her sole parent had experienced more than her fair share of poverty in the past, the last thing Ellie wanted was for her ordeal to force her mom back into financial difficulties. Her mother still lived from day-to-day financially, never knowing how much the business was going to make that month. But Ellie was glad her mom had a warm home to sleep in, food on the table, and a husband who loved her. Her mom was finally happy, and Ellie didn’t want to do anything to take away that contentment.
Aileen, the Colter matriarch, was a frequent visitor, as were Tate and Lara Colter, Chloe’s youngest brother and his wife.