Arielle Immortal Struggle (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 7) (18 page)

“What do you want me to do?”

 “Please ring Gabby, Isabella, Paul, and Loren. I’m going to wait for

Sebastian and hopefully he will be here before Arielle’s parents do.”

“Okay, love. I’ll be there shortly. I love you, Ian.”

“I love you, too, baby.”

Unfortunately, Arielle’s parents arrived at the hospital shortly after receiving Ian’s call. They were in a complete panic.

“Wh—why is Arielle here? Where is she?” Danielle Lloyd asked anxiously.

“She’s in the emergency room,” Ian replied.

Their eyes widened in sheer horror. “What happened?” James Lloyd asked apprehensively.

“She was taken from campus this morning and we didn’t know where she was until later this afternoon.”

“Taken—? What do you mean by taken, taken by whom?” her father asked swallowing hard.

“We don’t know,” Ian said thoughtfully.

“But… but you were all on campus together. I don’t understand. How could she be taken?” her mother cried, utterly confused.

“I’m not sure,” Ian replied. “I don’t think anyone of us knows exactly what happened.” He heard James Lloyd gasp out loud.

“She just disappeared from class?” her father repeated, staring at Ian potently, his voice hitting a sharp high tone.

Ian’s eyebrows rose to the sharp tone of his voice.

James Lloyd missed Ian’s reaction, his attention turned to his wife. His arm was wrapped around her, trying to support her weight. She was trembling uncontrollably.

Ian understood the turmoil that was ripping through them and kept his voice calm. “Arielle had chemistry this morning, and she was to meet Gabrielle after class, but she never showed up. Professor Allworth said that she did go inside the auditorium, but for just a short moment. She then turned around and ran out again. She seemed as if she had forgotten something, but she never returned to class.”

Arielle’s parents appeared bewildered. There was a long silence, and it grew heavier and heavier. “How did you find her?” James Lloyd asked finally. He remained quiet, waiting for Ian to say something. It seemed like eternity before he decided to answer his question.

“Well, when she didn’t show up, we spread out to search for her, but she was nowhere to be found. Her car was still in the parking lot, so we really didn’t know where to start. We tried to phone her, but she didn’t answer the call.”

“This is insane,” Arielle’s mother muttered. It was becoming a very complex puzzle. Trying to put the pieces together would turn out to become a mammoth task for the Lloyds.

“So how did you find her?” Mr. Lloyd asked incredulously, further probing for more information.

“I will tell you as much as I know, but first you need to go to the admitting desk. The lady has asked me twice to tell you that she needs to see you as soon as you arrive. You must complete some paperwork before they can move Arielle from ER to a room. Her desk is right around that corner,” he said and gestured toward the admissions office. To his relief, they nodded with grim reluctance and headed that direction.

They found the admissions clerk waiting for them. They introduced themselves politely. “We are Arielle Lloyd’s parents. She was brought into the emergency a short time ago,” James Lloyd stated. “We understand that you need some information from us.”

“Yes, sir, I would like for you to fill out these forms about your daughter. I will also need insurance information and identification card,” she said and handed them two forms and a pen. “The second sheet is for you to list if she has any allergies and if she is taking any medications right now,” she added.

James Lloyd pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and gave the clerk his insurance identification card. “Can you please find out how she is doing while we are completing these forms?”

Their expression was that of worry and wretchedness. The girls felt bad for them. “Just a moment, please, sir. I will check for you,” she replied kindly. She stepped away from her desk and disappeared behind a closed door. She returned shortly. “The attending physician will be sent to the waiting room to give you status as soon as they are finished.”

 “Thank you,” they both mumbled and started filling in the forms and answering her questions.

Ian disappeared around the corner and walked back into the lobby. He pulled his mobile out and rang Sebastian. He picked up on the first ring.

“Everything okay, Ian?”

 “Yes, Arielle is being taken care off, but her parents are here. They are busy filling some forms, but as soon as they come back, they’ll be asking questions. I need to know what I should say.”

“Is Christian there?”

“I have not seen him as of yet. He may be here somewhere.”

Sebastian in a few words explained to Ian the scenario he came up with. “Don’t worry; we are on our way. We should be there shortly.”

“Okay. No worries; at least I know what to say now. I’ll see you soon.” He shut his phone and slipped it into his pocket.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Arielle’s friends burst inside, expressions anxious and extremely worried. Eva fell into his arms, and he held her tight.

“How is she?” Gabrielle and Eva asked in unison.

“We don’t know yet,” Ian replied, placing a soft kiss on Eva’s lips. “We’re waiting

for one of the attending physicians to give us some information. Let’s go to the waiting room.” He kept his arm around Eva, happy that she was by his side.

 “Have you called her parents?” Eva asked.

“Yes, they are here; they are filling out some paperwork. They should be here shortly.” Soon Christian showed up and Isabella was happy to see him. They all agreed to let Ian talk if there were questions asked to keep the story straight until Sebastian and Troy arrived.

It wasn’t long before the Lloyds walked in, looking apprehensive and nervous.

They all took turns in expressing their sadness about Arielle’s situation. After chatting with them for a few minutes, they move to take a seat and lost themselves into their own thoughts.

James Lloyd turned to Ian. “Have you contacted the authorities?”

“The authorities?” Ian asked, startled.

“Yes.”

He wasn’t prepared for that question, but he recovered quickly. “I didn’t,” he replied. “But the hospital did. It’s a hospital policy I was told. There is nothing more that I could tell them, but for what I have already said to you,” he furthered. “They will have to wait for Arielle to come around and tell them what happened. She’s the only one that has the facts,” he said tightly.

“But…but how did you find her?”

Everyone’s gaze landed on Ian. He took a deep breath and went with the story Sebastian gave him.

“A couple hours after we found out she was missing, Arielle sent a text to Eva, telling her that she needed help. She had no idea where she was, so we used the phone locator to find her. She said that she was hurt, so Christian and I decided to go and bring her back. I contacted Sebastian and Troy at once. They were in a meeting with Dylan Jamison, the head of intelligence with Interpol, and they should be here shortly. We found her in an empty home badly beaten, and by the time we arrived, she was unconscious. There was no one around, so we had no idea what happened or who was involved. She was in bad shape, so we thought the best thing would be to bring her here as fast as we could. That is pretty much all I know.”

Her parents looked shocked. Their apprehension grew quickly to a fearful level. Who could possibly want their daughter hurt? What do they want from her? Stony silence fell in the waiting room and grew thicker and thicker.

James Lloyd broke the awkward silence. “Thank you Ian, thank you Christian, for saving our daughter.” His voice was breaking.

It was not long before Loren and Sebastian’s parents came in, taking a seat next to the Lloyds. Christian Dillon shook hands with James Lloyd and Olivia took Danielle’s hands in hers and pressed them softly.

“How is Arielle?” Olivia asked.

“We should know shortly,” Danielle replied.

“I understand that Sebastian was in a meeting. Has someone notified him?” Olivia asked.

“Yes, Ian just told us that he is on his way.”

“Good,” Olivia whispered, as if she was talking to herself.

It was a very difficult time for everyone as the time ticked away in a very slow pace. It had been a while before a man in scrubs appeared at the door of the waiting room and asked for Arielle’s immediate family. He then introduced himself.

“I’m Doctor Slater,” he said with a kind smile on his face.

“How is she, doctor?” her father asked anxiously

“Your daughter suffered numerous injuries on her body and face. She has several lacerations that needed stitches and took a dreadful blow to the head. Our concern is mainly the mild swelling on her brain. But she is unconscious and that will help in keeping her still.”

“Swelling on her brain?” her mother shrieked.

“It is very mild and nothing to worry about. She is a strong young lady and she will come out of it just fine,” the doctor said. “She will be wheeled into a private room shortly. She’s not to have any visitors but family,” he added glancing around at the group of friends in the waiting room. “Dr. McKenna will come to see her later on. Don’t worry; she’ll do just fine,” he said encouragingly.

They both thanked him as he turned and left the waiting room.

It wasn’t long before they were notified that Arielle had been brought into a private room.

The Lloyds stood up, and glancing around the room, they thanked everyone for coming to hospital.

“Let us know how she is doing,” Olivia said. “We will wait here for Sebastian.”

James put his arm around his wife and they left the room.

Overwhelming numbness took over the Lloyds as they approached their daughter’s bed. The color drained from Danielle Lloyd’s face and rage vibrated through James Lloyd’s body. Arielle appearance was ghastly. Her beautiful face was completely distorted. The upper part of her face was black and blue. Her eyes were swollen shut and small sutures covered a six-inch laceration on her right cheek. There were IV’s in both arms and she was connected to a monitor that produced a steady beep.

Danielle Lloyd sighed deeply and tears pooled in her eyes. Her husband reached over and clasped her hand pressing it softly.

“She’ll been fine, Dani,” he whispered, but his face didn’t hide his deep concern. They had absolutely no idea how long they sat quietly at her bedside, waiting for their daughter to wake up.

Chapter 13

TAPPING OF LIGHT FOOTSTEPS
and distant murmurs grabbed Arielle’s attention. A pounding throb started in her head. Someone was approaching, the sound echoing off the floor.
Who? God, where am I?
Fear surged though her body and tears stung the back of her eyelids. A robust pain surged through her brain and spread across her body like fire, and darkness consumed her.

She found herself standing on the top of a mountain, gazing over the green blanket of the treetops. She kept her eyes across the expanse of the deep blue ocean that stretched out into the distance and fused with the horizon. The sun dipped slowly into the ocean, spurting a mixture of red and orange hues across the patterns of the gray and white clouds, turning the water to a simply breathtaking sight. The experience offered something special beyond the power of words to describe; perhaps it was just a dream.

She stood in complete stillness, draped in silence, as the light of the day started to turn dark. Why was she alone? What was she doing alone on the top of a mountain? Why everything was so quiet? Where was everyone? She tried to process and discharge the images that were passing through her hazed mind.

Time seemed to fly, and suddenly, it was dark, very dark, and she was still standing on the top of this mountain—
alone
. What was she to make of the shadows? Could the shadow’s end carry the answers to her questions? She started to panic, a blistering rush of adrenaline spreading through her veins, and she could hear the steady thud of the blood thrashing into her ears. Panic turned to fright, and a voice in the back of her mind was telling her to run, but she couldn’t move.

Her feet were sinking into the soggy soil, spreading terror through her body. She moaned fearfully and tried to run again, but to no avail. Sharp pain shot across her muscles once again and she tried to scream but there was no sound coming from her vocal cords. This had to be a horrible nightmare, and any minute she would wake up. She was tired very tired and the pain, oh the pain.
Why do I hurt this badly
? She inwardly moaned, and before any further thoughts, she was consumed by darkness once again
.

The clock was ticking away, and Arielle was still unconscious. Her father rose to his feet, his hand still stroking his wife’s back. She looked up watching him, sadness spread across her beautiful face. His hand moved to cup her cheek lovingly and she lifted her hand to cover his. She leaned against it and, closing her eyes, felt the comfort he was giving her. He bent down and pressed a soft kiss on her forehead.