Page 7 of Rev
Thank fuck.
Hadley moved closer with a warm washcloth, gently cleaning dried blood from Delaney’s forearm while speaking softly enough not to crowd her. Throughout the entire exam, Delaney never recoiled from either of them. She tensed occasionally from pain or fear, but she never showed the kind of reaction I’d been watching for since the second I saw the condition she’d been in out on that road. She didn’t shy away from Cage touching her, didn’t panic at the presence of another man near her body, and didn’t carry that hollow, shattered look I’d seen before in women.
Cage clearly noticed too because his eyes lifted briefly toward mine before he spoke carefully. “I need to ask one thing, Delaney. Just medically necessary, okay?”
Her body tightened beneath my hand, and without thinking, I moved closer again, my palm settling gently against the back of her neck while my thumb brushed lightly beneath her hairline.
“You’re okay,” I murmured. “I’ve got you.”
Her eyes closed briefly at the sound of my voice before she gave Cage a small nod.
His tone remained professional when he finally asked, “Were you sexually assaulted?”
The room went dead silent.
Delaney’s fingers tightened painfully around mine before she shook her head. “No.”
Relief slammed through me so hard and fast it almost made me dizzy. Her captor wasn’t gonna be any less fucking deadwhen I was done with him, but it might be over a little quicker than if she’d said yes.
Cage nodded, clearly understanding far more than I wanted him to. “Okay. That’s all I needed.”
Hadley squeezed Delaney’s shoulder gently and smiled. “You’re doing really good.”
By now, the adrenaline that had carried Delaney this far was clearly fading. Her pale face looked softer with exhaustion, her lashes heavy while she fought to stay alert through the last of the bandaging. After taking a blood sample to make sure there weren’t any drugs in her system, Cage finally peeled off his gloves and tossed them into the trash before glancing toward me.
“Mostly superficial injuries. She’s dehydrated and exhausted more than anything else.” His mouth twitched faintly as he added, “And she needs sleep more than she needs you breathing down her neck every five seconds.”
“I can do both,” I muttered.
Hadley rolled her eyes. “Men.”
Cage ignored her while grabbing a folded set of navy scrubs from a cabinet nearby. Then he handed them to Delaney. “Here, you can change out of those clothes before you crash completely.”
She blinked twice, then looked down at the filthy, torn dress she was still wearing like she’d only just remembered the condition she was in.
Hadley stepped closer gently. “C’mon, sweetheart. I’ll help you change.”
Delaney hesitated, her gaze darting toward me again like she needed reassurance before agreeing to let me out of her sight. That possessive heat surged hard through my chest all over again at the realization that she trusted me instinctively.
“You can go with Hadley,” I told her quietly. “I’ll be right here when you come out.”
Some of the tension visibly eased from her shoulders at my words.
Hadley offered her a small smile while holding the scrubs out toward her. “We’ll only be a minute.”
Delaney slid carefully off the hospital bed, wincing faintly when her bandaged feet touched the floor. Instantly, I moved closer, my hand settling automatically against her waist to steady her before she could stumble. Her fingers curled briefly into the front of my shirt, the tiny movement hitting me hard enough that my chest physically tightened.
“I’ll be okay,” she whispered, though it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself than me.
My knuckles brushed lightly against her cheek before I could stop myself. “I know.”
Hadley guided her gently toward the attached bathroom, keeping her pace slow while Delaney leaned slightly into her side. Just before stepping inside, Delaney looked back at me one last time, those striking hazel eyes still filled with lingering fear and exhaustion.
Then the bathroom door closed softly behind them.
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