Her Angels (The Roses, Book 2) Completed

14. Gabriel

I watched Mike leave the room before my focus returned to Eve.
"How is she?" I asked the paramedic Dave, who we had met before through work.
"Her stats are all good, we will need to take her in, she may have concussion which will have to be watched, the cut on her face is not too bad and won't need stitches, I can't see any other wounds or bruising but again we can check this further once she's at the hospital"
"I'm coming with you" I tell him, sharing a glance with Lo.
"You can't, its family only, you'll have to follow" he replied carefully strapping Eve to the stretcher.
"She's his fiancée, he's allowed to go with her" Lo growled.
Dave looked at us "sorry man, I didn't know"
"It's very recent and not public knowledge, so if you could keep it need to know" Lo added.
"Sure thing, right we're ready to travel, let's go"
Lo put his hand on my shoulder "look after our girl, we'll be there as soon as we're done with the police"
"Tell the dads.." Lo cuts me off.
"Focus on Eve, I'll tell the police and the dads, keep us informed if anything changes before we get to you"
I follow the stretcher out, climbing into the ambulance and reaching for Eve's hand, fear stirring at how cold she feels. I rub her hand between mine and Dave puts another blanket over her as we speed towards the hospital.
We reach the outskirts of town before she comes awake with a cry, fighting the straps that hold her in place, she is lost in her fear until Dave loosens the straps and I can pull her into my arms,
"Eve, baby, ssshh, I've got you, breathe baby, come on, in , out, in, out" I kept repeating to her while rocking her in my arms.
"Gabe" she sobbed finally relaxing in my arms.
"I've got you baby" I tell her again, my own eyes watering as I hug her tight to my body.
Dave's hand on my shoulder brought my head up, I hadn't realised the ambulance had stopped, so focused on Eve.
"I need to check her"
"Eve, baby" she was curled into my chest clutching at my jumper.
"Eve, this is Dave, he's a paramedic, he's going to check you over" I move to lay her back on the stretcher but her cry of fear stops me.
"Keep her there" Dave tells me, moving to crouch in front of us, in Eve's eyesight.  "Eve, can you tell me if anything hurts"
"My face hurts and my head and body is aching" she replied quietly.
"Good, now can I hold your wrist to check your pulse"
"Yes" she whispered and raised her arm to him.
"Okay, it's a bit fast but that's to be expected, we're on our way into the hospital and they can check you over fully" Dave told her, moving back "you should be back in the stretcher but I can see that is not what's best for the patient so hold tight till we get there" he instructs as the vehicle moves again.
I rock her gently in my arms, relieved that she is awake "are you okay" I whisper to her.
"I am now, how did you know?"
We turned into the hospital and I knew I had little time.
"I will tell you later but just to warn you, we told them I was your fiancée so I could stay with you"
"But..."
"Eve, you will not disagree" I growled at her, smiling as I felt the shiver run through her body at my words.
"Do you understand me"
"Yes sir" she replied breathlessly looking up at me, just as the doors opened.
I lifted her into the wheelchair that was waiting for her and followed her inside, cursing as she was whisked off to a room to be checked over and I was made to stay outside.
I texted Lo and Mike that she was awake and being checked and paced outside the door until her cry of fear made me rush to her side.
"Doc?" I asked as I held her crying body against mine.
"I'm sorry patient confidentiality...." she starts to say but I'm not having that, we need to know to help her.
"Eve, do you give permission for them to talk to me" I ask the sobbing girl in my arms.
"Eve" I prompt her again to the splutter of the doctor.
"Yes, it's okay to tell him" she finally tells the doctor.
"Along with the obvious visual damage to the face, there is finger shaped bruising along both arms and on the breast area which could suggest a sexual assault was intentioned" I felt Eve shake in my arms at her words.
"Get out" I growled at the doctor, whose bedside manner was not at all what Eve needed now.
"Baby, are you in pain or do you want to go home?" I asked her softly.
"I want to go home" she whispered sadly.
I settled onto the side of the hospital bed and tucked her in tight to my side as I pulled out my phone.
"Mom, I'm bringing Eve home, she's going to need you" I explain without telling her what happened. "We will be there as soon as I can get her released"
"I'll be waiting" she replied emotionally, I knew she would be the best one to help Eve fight what could have happened to her.
I kissed Eve's head before making the next call
"Dad, Eve's awake and we are at the hospital but I need to get her home to mom as soon as I can, can you put the police off until she's ready to talk?"
I had heard his gasp when I said she needed mom, he knew what I was hinting at.
"Dad, I need you to warn Lo and Mike, she wasn't but she has upper body bruising that suggests intent, I need them here to help me bring her home."
"They're on their way to you now but I call and update them, keep in touch and we'll see you soon"
I lay back beside her and held her tight in my arms , silently promising I would never let her go.