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Paul cursed mentally as soon as the police approached him. Damn that little worthless bitch Nora! He'd known as soon as hospital security had approached him, acting all weird, that something was up.
A single police officer slammed him up against the wall, a second reading him his Miranda rights. He couldn't believe his damn luck! What the hell had he been thinking when he'd grabbed his stupid ex-girlfriend? At that very moment, he couldn't conceive of an answer to that question. However, he was certain of one thing... He wasn't going to go back to prison. After all the trouble he'd endured, all the strenuous hours of endless, strategic planning with his resourceful cell buddy, he would be damned if that happened.
*
"Can I ask you a question?" Stephanie said, looking her good friend directly in the eye. It was the one thing that no one seemed to want to voice, though the brunette had her suspicions Jay was planning on asking her as well.
"Of course," Nora said.
"Did Paul... Well, when he kidnapped you, did he..." In spite of herself, Stephanie was unable to finish her question.
"No... Thank God, no."
"Thank God is right!" Torrie cried. Her eyes were wide with fright over the thought that the maniac could have raped her friend again, much like he'd done to both of them years earlier.
"Nora, how did your nose get to be broken?" Amy asked, concern in her hazel eyes. She glanced from the little brunette in the hospital bed to Adam. She knew instantly that he was sharing her thoughts on that one. It was so obvious.
"He... He hit me," the young woman revealed. Her gaze lowered as she averted it from her friends.
"That no good son of a bitch..." Kurt muttered between clenched teeth. "... If ever the day comes when he and I are face-to-face and he's not safely behind bars, I'll kick his ass so hard, he won't be able to walk."
"And I'll join you," Shane chimed in. He tightened his grip on Torrie as his arm was around her waist. So-called 'men' who physically struck women - or abused them in any fashion - sickened him.
"Guys, I think we should probably allow Nora and Jay to have their time alone," Adam said. He cast his best friend a knowing glance.
"Yeah, you're right, Adam," Stephanie said as she offered her dear friend a smile. Then, directing her words to the other brunette, "It's so good to have you back, sweetie." She gave the other woman's hand a squeeze. Then, slowly, she and Kurt left the room arm-in-arm.
Torrie and Shane lingered a little, the platinum blonde's blue eyes shining with unshed tears. They were, of course, tears of happiness and relief at their friend being safe and sound.
"We'll see you later, Nora," the dark-haired man said with a wink. With that, he wrapped an arm around his girlfriend's waist and gently steered her out of the room.
"Okay, so... We'll be right out in the waiting room down the hall," Adam said as he and Amy clasped hands. "Take it easy, kid."
The brunette nodded appreciatively and gave her friends a little smile. The moment they left, Jay was almost kneeling by her bedside, his face close to hers. He took gentle hold of her hand and kissed the back of it.
"What you said in response to Stephanie's question before..." he began nervously. "... Was it the truth?"
Nora gazed deeply up into her husband's pools of blue and saw all the love, concern and even fear shining within. She squeezed his hand as she spoke, her gaze never wavering from his.
"Yes, Jay... I swear - he never did anything sexual to me."
"Thank goodness," the Canadian breathed. "If he'd done anything-"
"Honey, no... Let it go," Nora insisted in a soft, surprisingly even tone. "Please." She gently untangled her hand from his to place it against his handsome, stubbled face. Her fingers gently stroked his cheek and down to his jawline. Emotions ran high within as she noticed tears welling up in his eyes.
Jay nodded.
"Okay," he said softly. "For you, I'd do anything." He moved a bit so that he could hug his wife again. "I love you."
*
Levesque sneered at the sole police officer with him, a feeling of victory beginning to creep up as an unbelievable realization came...
... The handcuffs the guy had put on him were defective! He'd pulled a bit at them, and sure enough, they unlocked. They were loose enough that he'd been able to separate his wrists from behind his back as he sat on a chair in the hospital administrator's office. The officer's partner was elsewhere, discussing the distuation with the administrator.
Either the police were extremely stupid or incompetent, or as he'd originally suspected, the handcuffs were no good. He saw an opening and damn sure knew he was going to take advantage of it.
So quickly the fat cop had no chance, Levesque swung his arms around, catching the man in the face with the cuffs. The policeman collapsed in a heap to the floor, unconscious. Paul glanced around quickly and snatched the gun, fleeing the office with it.
There was going to be hell to pay now.