He wanted to pace, but if he showed distress, they would misread his intentions and end up restraining him again. He couldn’t show anything. Keep it inside, old boy, keep it inside.
Phoenix waited. She never came. Still he waited. He felt like a caged beast. He wanted out of there. He wanted to find her, and yet he had no idea where she was. Sure, his bear sense of smell was good, but it wasn’t that good. He wasn’t some kind of god damn super hero. He was simply a bear and a man…nothing more, nothing less. And his bear hadn’t been free in longer than he cared to admit. Being locked up in this hospital kept him subdued, and he wanted out. He needed to find her.
Chapter 10 Lily
She’d have one chance. He’d boarded the first window, but he’d have to go down the ladder to get the second board. The window was her only option; the door wouldn’t budge. If she timed it just right and could get through the window, she could tip the ladder while he climbed on it, throwing him back. That would give her time as he writhed below. She felt like a caged beast trying to escape from a zoo. She needed to get out. Panic was setting in.
He was trying to close her in, shut her down. He had no intentions of letting her go. It was him or her. Lily knew what she had to do.
He stepped onto the ladder and started to climb down for the second board. Terrified, but using the last bit of adrenalin she could find, Lily burst through the window, glass shattering around her. She landed on the small porch roof-top, thankful she didn’t roll off. He quickly realized what was happening and started to climb back up the ladder. He needed to stop her. She lunged forward and pushed the edges of the ladder. As it fell backward, her husband slammed against the tree behind him and then slumped onto the ground. She couldn't tell if he was still breathing, but he was unconscious.
Lily screamed bloody murder as the panic laced through her. She had no way to get down. The roof was higher than she thought. She’d miss the branch of the tree, and knew it was too large for her to get her hands around if she jumped. If she didn’t find a way down and he was still alive, he could come back up after her. If he was dead, she would rot up there until someone found both of their bodies. She couldn’t break through the bedroom door to the other side.
Lily cried and said a prayer. She jumped for the tree, and tried to grab on. Her fingers dug into the bark, and then she fell straight down beside her husband. Pain wracked through her legs. She was certain one was broken.
Her husband cried in a soft whimper. He was still alive. He clawed at her and grabbed her ankle. Lily screamed and kicked him, trying to pull away. They were both wounded, uncertain how badly hurt the other was. Lily pulled herself as far away from him as she could, clawing at the grass, dragging her body, unable to stand.
Her husband had a pool of blood draining out of him. He didn’t have long now, but if he was going to die, she was going with him. He’d make sure of that.
Chapter 11 Phoenix
Everything inside of him needed to break free. Phoenix had to find her. It was getting harder to hold his bear in. It wanted to come out; he felt territorial. He’d been unable to focus, but lately they’d lowered his meds since he was cooperative. He had some of his senses about him again.
Only Lily found Phoenix, before he found her. Based on the cuts and scrapes, they told him that she’d crawled, dragging her body with a broken leg and a broken ankle, and that when she got to the roadway she flagged somebody down. She had bruising on her face as well. It was obvious that she’d been through a living hell. Lily begged the driver to bring her here, not to her own hospital. She would contact the police at the hospital. She was recovering in another wing. The last thing she said before she fell into unconsciousness was, ‘let Phoenix Monroe know I’m here,’ and then she closed her eyes.
They wouldn’t let him down to see her. She was on the other side of the hospital, and he was in the locked down section. He had to wait until she could come to him. His insides ached on hearing about her injuries. He needed to see her, to sit by her side as she had sat by his.
When Lily stabilized from the trauma and stress, they agreed to wheel her to his room at her request. She gave her statement to the police department, and while her story checked out based on the things they found, her husband was nowhere to be found. She last saw him in a pool of blood on the ground. Lily froze. Was he still alive? Was he coming to get her? She panicked. He wouldn’t forget what she’d done to him.
When they wheeled Lily into Phoenix’s room, horror and relief washed over him. His angel was back, but she was broken. He wanted to kill the man that harmed his sweet Lily. Phoenix stood to greet her, and rushed to her side. His big, masculine hand was tender and soft. He drew it through her hair and leaned in to kiss her forehead the way she had done to him.