The Highest Bidder

❊ Cʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ Fᴏʀᴛʏ﹣Fɪᴠᴇ ❊

I sat on the floor next to Eva's door, my head resting against the wall and my eyes closed. I couldn't count how many times I checked my watch. And I wasn't completely sure if I fell asleep or not. But four hours passed with no word from the doctor or the nurse. There were times when I stood, telling myself that it couldn't take as long as it had. Times when I almost walked into her room and demanded answers. But I knew that wouldn't do anything for her.

Sophia exited her room and looked down at me, up at the door, then back down at me. "They're still working on her?"

I sighed and closed my eyes. "Yes. They haven't come out since she got here."

"I'll go get you some coffee." She smiled slightly before turning on her heel and walking towards the kitchen.

Avoiding the emails to Eva's parents didn't seem to be bothering her mother, but I knew I had to explain what happened to her daughter sooner or later. I doubted Eva would be the same after everything that happened to her. Maverick kept his promise, he'd said. She was successfully broken. All because I couldn't get to her in time.

Sophia handed me a cup of coffee and I took it with a grateful smile. I wasn't sure how much longer I would be sitting on the floor, so it was nice to have something to drink. The rest of my employees were probably getting ready to head to breakfast, so she would be busy without having a second hand. It didn't seem like she minded, though. She never did.

When she was gone from sight, I began sipping at my coffee. Coffee never really did anything for me in terms of waking up, but with how exhausted I was, I hoped it'd do something.

Twenty more minutes passed before the door opened. I stood to my feet and turned to face Carmen.

He lowered his mask and gave me a small smile. "Don't tell me you've been waiting out here all this time, Enzo?"

I lifted the coffee cup up to my lips and cocked an eyebrow.

"You can go in." He opened the door wide enough for me to pass through.

When I got into the room, my eyes immediately fell on her. There were pillows shoved under her back, keeping her propped up. The blood that once covered her body was cleaned off, but scabs and scars still marred her skin. A heart rate monitor beeped at her right side, the cables disappearing under an open-back gown. There was an IV in her arm as well as a feeding tube that disappeared under her gown.

"It took about an hour and a half to get rid of the stench," he said. "Her heart rate was low and her blood pressure was abnormally high. Since she hasn't had food in quite some time, I put her on a tube feed until I believe she's ready for regular food. Being as malnourished as she is, it may not be for a while. I put in a foley and she has a diaper on. I'll be giving her medication every six hours and I'll be checking her temperature, blood sugar, and blood pressure every thirty minutes. She's constantly being fed from the tube feed, although not much. Her body can't handle copious amounts of food right now. And surprisingly, none of her bones are broken. Just a slight sprain in her right wrist."

I nodded subtly and walked over to her side. The nurse exited the bathroom and gave me a smile before taking her leave. I was sure they were both exhausted and needed sleep, so I wasn't surprised when Carmen didn't argue when I told him that he could go.

"I will be back in thirty minutes." He waved and exited the room, leaving me alone with Eva.

It looked like Maverick stayed away from her face except for a black eye and a split lip - both of which could heal without leaving marks. A bruise in the form of a handprint was dark against her pale skin and I could just see his hand around her throat.

I moved a chair to the side of the bed and sat down, only taking my eyes off of her long enough to look up at the heart rate monitor. Her heart was going strong and her chest rose and fell with breath as she slept.

I reached over and placed my hand over her cold one. "I'm so sorry, Eva. I shouldn't have let this happen. But if I would have tried to stop him, you'd be dead right now instead of...well, I guess maybe you'd rather be dead than feel this kind of pain. I know I would. And I know I would blame me, so it's okay if you do."

Sighing, I rested my head back against the cloth chair and closed my eyes. She probably couldn't even hear me speaking to her, so I wasn't sure why I was trying. Getting it off of my chest would only work if I knew she'd hear. And since I didn't know for sure, my heart still felt heavy with guilt.

I wondered, not for the first time, why it was that I didn't realize my true feelings for her before she was taken from me. She was the first person to make me smile in an incredibly long time, and her own smile always took my breath away. The night we spent together, I could barely sleep because all I could do was listen to her breathing beside me. The kiss we shared was anything but soft and I would have given anything to kiss her again more gently.

But she was dead to the world, lost in a dreamland until the doctor's treatments began to work. And when she woke up, she'd have to go through therapy and eventually I was sure she'd want to go home. I would let her, too.

Slowly, I allowed myself to relax, warming her hand in mine. She was back, and I could rest easy until things changed. Being by her side, I could protect her better than anyone else. I still had my pistol, which I wished I would have had on the day Maverick took her. But I wouldn't hesitate again. I wouldn't allow anyone to hurt her again, because I had hurt her enough as it was.