Inferno (2 page)

The drive to Flagstaff seemed to take forever. Sebastian cursed traffic lights and drivers alike, his balled fists slamming against the steering wheel in agitation anytime either got in his way. Sweat slicked his palms and traced his temples by the time he skidded into one of the parking spaces near the emergency room entrance.

Guilt twisted his insides as he remembered silencing Josh’s call. How many more precious minutes had he wasted? Was he too late?

The thought was almost more than he could bear.

Sebastian’s heart pounded in the base of his throat as he pushed the doors open and scanned his surroundings. Plowing both hands through his hair, his eyes darted over the vast sea of white, blue, and green uniforms, searching for someone to help him. Despite the abundance of staff, he’d never felt more helpless or alone. Reaching out, he snared the nearest doctor, his fingers curling around the sleeve of the man’s starched lab coat.

“I’m looking for someone,” he explained, his voice strained as he flashed his badge. “Her name is Taylor. She’s twenty-one, long dark hair, grey eyes. She was in a car accident.” The doctor’s gaze shifted pointedly to the death grip Sebastian maintained on his coat. Flushing, he forced himself to let go. “Please,” he added with a hint of desperation.

The man’s warm, brown eyes softened and he nodded as he smoothed his clothes. “We have a Jane Doe matching that description, but I’m afraid I can’t give out much more information.”

“I need to see her. I need to know if she’s okay.”

The man studied him for a long moment, his warm brown eyes both gentle and intense as he mulled those words over. After several long seconds, his high, smooth forehead creased, and he gave a thoughtful nod. “I see. I believe she’s still undergoing some tests. I’ll check on her status. You’re more than welcome to wait here.”

Swallowing against the lump in his throat, Sebastian drew a measured breath and scanned the waiting room, but he saw no sign of Taylor’s burly Cajun bodyguard. Pushing his worry aside, he ignored the doctor’s suggestion and followed the man through the set of doors leading past triage and into the corridor housing the patients.

The doctor stopped short outside one of the rooms. He seemed to draw himself up, extending his lanky height, before he squared his shoulders and tuned to face Sebastian.

“I believe I asked you to wait outside.”

He studied the laminated identification tag clipped to the front of the man’s coat before leveling his gaze. “That isn’t going to happen, Dr. Polaski. This woman means a great deal to me on both a personal and a professional level, and I’m not about to let her out of my sight. You can either deal with that fact, or you can try to remove me yourself.”

“And risk you slapping me with assault or federal charges?” the man asked dryly.

Sebastian forced a cold smile. “We all have choices to make in life.”

Giving a disgruntled shake of his head, the doctor opened the door and stepped aside, allowing Sebastian access to the vacant room. His knees wobbled as he took in the small pile of tattered and bloody clothing discarded in the corner, and he braced a hand against the wall to steady himself. Pride be damned, the fear of losing her was starting to get the better of him. Blinking against the bitter sting in his eyes, his shoulders slumped. Something close to a prayer bordered on his lips. Deity or devil, it didn’t matter which. He would have gladly promised the blackened remains of his soul to either if it meant saving her.

“It shouldn’t be much longer,” the doctor stated softly, some of his reservations fading. “They took her up about thirty minutes ago.”

Sebastian turned on his heels, almost grateful for the distraction. “Are you the physician treating her?”

“Yes.”

A mute nod was all he could manage. As much as he wanted to press for more information, the words remained locked in his throat. Cinching his hands behind his back, Sebastian moved to the door and searched the hall for any sign of Taylor.

“What do you know?” he asked once his back was turned and his emotions were somewhat shielded.

“Not much at this point. She was unconscious when they brought her in. She took some nasty blows on impact. The tests should tell us more.”

Sebastian released a shaky breath. His fingers knotted tighter behind his back. “You have to be careful with her. She’s…she’s expecting, but please don’t put that on her paperwork. Not yet.”

“Thank you. That’s very valuable information to have. We try not take any unnecessary risks with women until their condition is clear. I will let the rest of the staff know.”

“There was a large gentleman with a scar and a heavy accent riding in the car with her. Where is he?”

“I believe he is under Dr. Jacob’s, care. Would you like me to check on his status?”

“Yes, please,” Sebastian stated quietly.

The silence and stillness that followed was numbing. Dropping into a chair stationed near the vacant slot where the bed used to be, he scrubbed a hand over the tension and worry that tightened his face. His eyes burned with unshed emotion and his breath left him in a shaky exhale. The hustle and bustle of the hospital echoed around him, the sound of soft sneaker soles slapping against linoleum, the ragged coughs and groans of the elderly and ailed, the rhythmic whir and beep of machinery, but his world—his entire life—stood completely and utterly still.

~*~*~*~

The sense of being somewhere unfamiliar and strange filtered through the fragmented dreams surrounding Taylor. A cool, comfortable darkness enveloped her, but the faint medicinal smell clinging to the inside of her nose pulled her from her slumber. Fighting their leaden weight, she forced her eyes to flutter open and blinked against the elongated shadows blanketing the room. The gentle whir of machines and rhythmic beeps set her heart pounding in her chest. A keening whimper pushed past her lips, and her body throbbed in protest as she struggled to sit up. Lifting a shaking hand, she fingered the Steri-stips stretched above her left eye and winced at the searing pain still shooting through her skull. Her eyes darted around the room before settling on the hazy outline of the man dozing beside her bed. The memories came crashing back full force and Taylor pressed a hand to her mouth to smother her cry.

The other flew to her abdomen in a moment of blind panic.

Her stomach churned, and for one terrifying moment, she feared she would get sick as the sounds of crunching metal and splintering glass replayed in her ears. It all still felt so real. So fresh. Horrified, she winced as Sebastian’s sleeping form came into view.

The five o’clock shadow usually dotting his face had darkened to a seven, and his pristine uniform hung disheveled and rumpled on his frame. Thick, sandy curls stood on end in wild disarray and it looked like he’d aged years since the last time she’d seen him. Her eyes settled on the dull glint of the silver skull and crossbones still clipped to his collar and a crushing guilt consumed her as Taylor realized he hadn’t been home.

Her brow knitted as Sebastian sat up and stretched with a grunt. Yawning, he ran his hands over his hair to smooth it down and glanced her way. He rocked forward with surprising speed and grace, his sage eyes widening. She watched him glance at the monitors beside her bed and her breath caught as those piercing green pools once again swung her way.

“Baby, thank God you’re awake. How are you feeling?” he asked. His voice was husky and broken with remnants of sleep and concern.

“Okay,” she whispered. “My head hurts.”

“I know, sweetie.”

The back of her throat closed around a lump. Her eyes drifted shut and she tensed as she felt him slide into bed beside her. The burgeoning sense of guilt she felt threatened to crush her. So many questions burned unanswered on the tip of her tongue. She struggled to find a way to fight through the fog and spit them out, but she was so scared the answers wouldn’t be ones she wanted to hear. The mere thought alone made her want to cry.

“The baby…” she choked, her hands fluttering instinctually to her stomach.

“Shh. It’s okay, sweetheart. Both of you are going to be okay. You’re all right,” he soothed, pressing a tender kiss against her temple.

Relief swept over her and the lump strangling her lessened enough that she could breathe.

“How?” she trailed off, uncertain how to ask. Talking alone felt so foreign and draining.

“I had them do an ultrasound while they still had you listed as a Jane Doe. Your doctor is a very kind and understanding man who promised to keep those results separate from your records. Our little one is healthy and safe. Everything is fine, sweetheart.”

“You got to see it?”

She could feel him smile against the top of her head as he wrapped his arms around her and nodded. “I did. They let me hear the heartbeat and everything. You’re around eleven weeks along,” he murmured.

“Eleven weeks,” she whispered. “That’s almost three months.”

“I know. You must have gotten pregnant the very first time we were together after the attack.”

She smiled, comforted by his words and the memories that came with them. “In the shower,” she mused.

Sebastian’s soft chuckle filled the room. “More than likely.”

She peered at him, trying to contain her amusement.

“What?” he asked, pinning her with a questioning look.

“You weren’t kidding about the super breed. Your little guys really do know how to swim.”

Laughing softly beneath his breath, he offered a knowing wink.

“I’d hate to see what happens when you
try
.”

The comment drew his attention. Turning slightly, Sebastian leaned over her, his lips curling with a contented smirk. Trapping her beneath his stare, he let his gaze roam over her at a leisurely pace.

“You’ll find out someday, darling. That much I promise,” he said, issuing the last word in a hot whisper against her ear.

Taylor’s cheeks flushed as she shifted against his side and tried to nudge him away. “You’re horrible.”

“Mmm. That I am,” he agreed, tracing a reverent path along the underside of her jaw. “But you love me.”

“I do. I’m just trying to figure out why.”

He clicked his tongue at the barb and tipped her chin up with an admonishing shake of his head. “Careful, sweetheart. You’re going to make me feel I have something to prove.”

Her shoulders jerked with silent amusement. Turning her head, she rested her cheek against the warm, reassuring strength of his body. The movement brought a fresh wave of pain and she stiffened. Sebastian adjusted her, turning her slightly into him and soon, his cool fingertips settled above her brow and rubbed in gentle circles. It amazed her how much relief the subtle pressure brought.

“Rupert,” she asked. “Is he…”

“Shh. He’s fine, Taylor. He has some cuts and he took a beating, but he’s going to be okay. They released him this morning.”

“How long have you been here?” she asked, bracing herself for the answer. The last time she woke up in a room like this, she’d learned she’d lost three weeks of her life.

“Since yesterday,” Sebastian stated softly. “You’ve been in and out for the last few hours. They wanted to keep you comfortable and keep an eye on your head. We should be able to go home soon though now that you’re awake.”

She let out a thankful breath. “Good. You really need to wash up and change.”

The teasing helped lighten the atmosphere some. A small smile curved her lips as she felt Sebastian shake beneath her.

“It’s probably not my best look,” he admitted with a sheepish smirk. “But it’s nothing a hot shower and a shave won’t fix. Now you on the other hand…”

“I…” she faltered, her words fading as she fingered the butterfly sutures stretched above her eye. “Is it really that bad?”

Sebastian sighed. “No, baby. You will always be beautiful. Especially to me. I was just trying to be funny and failed.”

She fought a smile. “I hate to say it, but you did. You really do need a better sense of humor, Sebby.”

“So I’ve been told.” A long silence spanned between them, filling the minutes with an uneasy tension. Sebastian broke it by burying his face in her hair and pulling the scent of her deep into his lungs. “I need you to tell me what happened, Taylor. Whatever it is, no matter how bad or how upset you think I will be I need you to tell me the truth.”

She stiffened, ignoring the pain rolling through her battered body as she tried to focus. The details were fuzzy but bit-by-bit they started to filter back to her. The memories chilled her to the core and spawned a bone-numbing fear. Fear of Marx, of SKALS, of all the unseen threats that seemed to lurk, waiting, around every turn. Part of her wanted to cry, to ask God one simple question:
Why?
Hadn’t they been through enough already? Caution advised her to keep silent. For whatever reason, posing such rhetorical questions only tended to make things worse, like you were tempting fate.

They had done enough of that lately, too.

Settling against him, she let her eyes drift shut once again and released a shaky sigh.

“I don’t know, Seb. I really don’t.” She bit the inside corner of her mouth for a second and shook her head as much as she could muster. “It’s kind of blurry, but I remember the car started acting funny. We hadn’t even made it halfway down the road yet and it started shimmying and shaking. I was trying to make it to the shopping plaza so I could pull over and pop the hood. I’m no expert, but I had to jimmy things in the pickup truck so many times I thought I might be able to figure it out. The stoplight changed, but when I tried to brake, nothing happened. I put the pedal to the floor, I tried pumping it, but nothing,” she said, her breath coming quicker as she remembered gliding through the open intersection and the absolute panic that came before the deafening crunch of metal and splintering glass. “I tried everything, but I just couldn’t stop, Sebby. I couldn’t stop…”

“Shh. Okay. It’s okay.” He frowned against her temple, his fingers never stopping their soothing massage. “I’m trying to understand here, but it doesn’t make any sense, baby. The car is brand new. It didn’t even have a hundred miles on it yet and an issue with the motor wouldn’t affect the brakes.”