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Nora sat with her head turned away from Paul. She was disgusted and scared at the same time, and quite frankly, she really didn't want to have to look at him.
"Ms. Dumas?" a nurse holding a cliboard called, glancing around the interior of the waiting room.
The brunette's head shot up in the woman's direction, and her heart pounded in triple-time at the sound of her friend's last name.
"C'mon, that's us," Levesque reminded her with a whisper.
Nora swallowed hard, finally remembering that the idiot had entered Amy's surname and Stephanie's first name on her insurance entry form. She glared at him as he yanked her up by the arm. How in hell did he expect to get away with this?
"Right this way," the nurse instructed, and they followed her into the emergency room. There was a multitude of beds set up within, most of which were occupied by patients suffering a variety of maladies, illnesses and injuries. Being a pro-wrestler, the brunette was no stranger to hospitals, although she'd been fortunate not to suffer any really serious injuries over the years. However, seeing sick people was a different story. She cringed as the nurse led her to a vacant bed in the far corner.
She hopped up onto the mattress, and it wouldn't have been that terrible had Paul not been there. But he was there, and no doubt he would refuse to give her any privacy or leave her alone for even a minute. He didn't trust her, and he was actually smart in that regard. Nora wondered if she could even go to use the bathroom on her own without him throwing his weight around and insisting on supervising her. That thought made her want to roll her eyes.
"The doctor will be with you the first chance he has," the nurse said, her hand on top of hers in a comforting manner. Or it would have been so if she stayed. How could she lay here and feel even the least bit at ease while that maniac was seated at her bedside, watching her lika a hawk? She knew he would never let her out of his sight. She blinked back the tears she feared wanted to come, looking pointedly away from him. If only she could just close her eyes and picture her sweet, solid Jay right there with her... But there was no way in hell she would allow herself that luxury, not even to close her eyes. Who knew what Levesque would try to do?
"Remember what I said," the man muttered in a low voice. His already harsh features were even more so as he fixed his beady amber eyes on her. "Nothing funny. You know I'll make good on my promise."
The brunette glared back at him, now doing nothing to hide how she truly felt about him. If she weren't so scared and worried, she probably would have spat on him. She hated him, hated him with all her being. She sincerely hoped that once this entire ordeal was over and done with, the man would rot in hell.
"Well, what seems to be the problem?"
They were both startled by the voice. A doctor stood over the bed, smiling down at Nora. He was a balding man who looked to be in his early fifties. He reached for the chart the nurse had left hanging on the side of the bed.
"My nose," the brunette said. "It might be broken."
"Aw, well, that's not good. How did the injury happen?" the man, whose name she read from the tag on his white coat, was Dr. Alan Harris, questioned.
Nora opened her mouth to reply, but Paul cut her off, doing the honors for her.
"She got up in the middle of the night and walked right into a door."
Dr. Harris looked a bit skeptical at the 'explanation.' The brunette wondered what was going through the man's mind.
"Oh," he said, "well, we'll just have a look at you, Miss..." He peered at the chart in his hands. "... Dumas. I'll have someone come for you to take you up for a cat scan." He pointedly looked at Levesque for a beat before smiling at the young woman and stepped away.
Paul's features hardened as he watched the physician disappear. He turned his gaze back on his onetime girlfriend. This time, he didn't utter a word, just gave her that same harsh look as he'd done before. She didn't say anything, either, and tried her best to ignore him.
Moments later, a physician's assistant came by wheeling a stretcher. The man neared and asked, "You supposed to get a cat scan?"
Nora nodded and hopped off the bed. The man helped her to get onto the stretcher, then started to wheel her away.
"You can't go in there," he said, eyeing Paul as the other man had begun to follow.
"What do you mean?" Levesque practically barked. "I brought her in here!"
"I understand that, sir... But it's doctor's orders. Only the patient can go up there, unless they're a child under the age of twelve."
The angry man merely stood glaring, his hands clenched.
"Please have a seat out in the waiting room," the assistant spoke.
Paul shot Nora a look, fury plain in his eyes. He glared at the assistant, wishing looks could kill at that very moment, before he stalked away. He glanced back at the brunette from over his shoulder a few times on the way, reluctant to leave her by herself.
Nora smiled with triumph. The man wheeling her to the elevators had no idea that she was thinking of him as a hero right about then. The moment an elevator arrived, she decided now was her chance.
"That man isn't with me," she said.
"Excuse me?"
"The man downstairs? He brought me here but isn't a boyfriend or even a friend," Nora said in a fast whisper.
"He's the guy that escaped prison! He kidnapped me! I need help, and fast!"