Avenging (book 3 in The Rising Series)

Chapter 3

"Nicole? Are you awake?" Kennedy spoke in her ear. The smell of antiseptic and lemony floor cleaner caused her stomach to tighten—bad things accompanied this smell. "Honey, you weren't seriously injured. The bullet just grazed you, but the doctor has some concerns about your condition."

At hearing the word doctor, her eyes flew open and she bolted upright. "Keep them away from me." The sudden movement made her dizzy. She grasped the mattress and willed the room to stop spinning. Her warm breath filled the mask on her face. She reached up to pull it off, and Kennedy grabbed her hand to stop her.

"Why am I wearing a mask?" she asked.

"Nicole baby, the doctors are worried about your condition."

"Stop calling me baby." When everything in her vision stayed put, she looked around. On a shelf at her side sat a monitor displaying a bouncing green line, along with a bunch of wires and other medical stuff. This was a waking nightmare. She pulled the blankets back and got up. Her hip flared in pain as she stumbled toward the door—only to be stopped by wires. "What did they do to me?" She looked down to find colored cords connected to her chest. Pulling off the mask, she started yanking away the wires. Flashes of pain came as she pulled skin away with them. Her hip was bandaged—she gladly left that in place.

"Stop that, you need to get back into bed," Kennedy said.

"I need to get out of here. They have no right to keep me."

She got most of the wires off, all except the IV in her hand. When she tried to peel the tape away, he grabbed her hand. "Nicole please, just hold on for a minute."

She yanked her arm away. "Don't touch me. I'm leaving and you can't stop me."

"Yes, I can. I'm the chief of police."

She narrowed her eyes and hissed, "If you try, so help me—"

"Be reasonable," he interrupted. "They have your best interest at heart."

"Yeah right." She continued to pull away the tape until the tube that was shoved into her vein was showing. She wasted no time yanking the tube out, blood dripping down her arm.

"Nicole, I—"

"Shut up."

"Is there a problem?" a grey-haired nurse in pink scrubs asked as she shuffled through the doorway.

"There's no problem, I'm leaving," Nicole answered as she looked around.

"Um, miss," the nurse said. "I don't think that's a good idea. And you need to keep your mask on."

"Why? Am I contagious?"

"Well, no, but—"

"Then it's staying off. And I'm leaving now."

"You can't. The doctors need to discuss something serious with you."

Nicole ignored her. "Where are my clothes?"

"Your clothes got pretty messed up," Kennedy said. "I can bring you more from home when they release you. But, Nicole, baby, you need to get back in bed."

"Stop calling me baby!" She gave one last look for her clothes and didn't see them. "Fine, I'm leaving in this gown." Shoving past the nurse, she walked into the hallway.

As she neared the nurse's station, all eyes rose—fear mixed with pity written on all their faces. Didn't anyone around here know about doctor-patient confidentiality? An older gentleman stood at her approach. "Ms. Lamont, you are just the person I needed to talk to. Why don't we go back to your room, where we can discuss the results of your tests?"