His chest constricted as he gazed at her. He’d never seen her so still. She was always bustling here or there, eager to be of service.
Lord, please let her be all right. She doesn’t deserve this conflict. All she’s trying to do is help women in trouble.
He brought her hand to his lips, then rested it against his cheek. “You’re going to be all right, Olivia. You have to be. Those women need you.” The urge to hold her, to protect her from further harm, became almost impossible to fight. But propriety held him in check, and he settled for watching her in silence. He would stay until the nurse or security came to throw him out.
Minutes later, however, Olivia’s lids fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes. Wincing, she pulled her hand free and strained to sit up.
“Take it easy,” he said. “You’ve had a bad blow to the head.”
“Darius?”
“I’m right here. You’re in the hospital.”
Her gaze darted from the bedside tray to the curtained partition. She jerked upright and plucked at the sheet covering her.
“Olivia, no.” He reached for her hand again. “You need to lie back and rest.”
Just then a different nurse entered the cramped area. She was a short woman, wearing a full-length white apron and cap, and had a stethoscope draped around her neck.
Olivia stiffened, the look of fear increasing. Her whole body shook as she shrank back in the bed.
“It’s only the nurse,” he said in his most soothing tone, one he used for Sofia after a nightmare. “She’s here to check on you.”
Olivia turned and buried her face in his shoulder. “Don’t let her hurt me.”
Why would she think the woman would hurt her? Perhaps her injury had made her confused. He put an arm around her and murmured soothing words, hating to see her in such distress.
The nurse came forward. “There’s nothing to worry about, dear. I just need to check your vital signs.”
But Olivia continued to shrink away.
The woman speared Darius with a suspicious stare. “Are you responsible for this?”
“Of course not!” Heat flooded his chest. “I would never hurt a woman.”
“What happened, then? Who gave her that wound?”
Darius debated how much to reveal but decided on the truth. “She was defending her home from protestors when she got hit with a rock.”
The nurse recoiled in surprise. “What were they protesting?”
“I guess you haven’t seen the paper. They were opposing the new maternity home in the neighborhood.”
She glanced at Olivia, who still cowered against him. “This woman lives at a maternity home? There’s no indication on her chart that she’s expecting.”
Darius shook his head. “Olivia helps run the facility. She’s committed her life to helping women in crisis.” A fierce pride laced his words, and he tightened his grip around her.
The nurse’s demeanor softened. “It’s a brave thing you’re doing, Miss Rosetti. I’m sorry you got injured.”
Whether it was the woman’s words or the extra gentleness to her tone Darius wasn’t sure, but Olivia slowly raised her head.
“Can I go home?” she whispered.
The nurse scanned the paper on her clipboard, then looked up. “If you have someone to watch over you for the next twenty-four hours, I’ll see what I can do to get you released. But the doctor will have the final say.”
“I’m sure the women at the home will help,” Darius said.
“All right, but you’ll need to impress upon them to follow the doctor’s instructions to the letter.”
“I will, ma’am.”
She turned her attention to Olivia. “If you’ll allow me to check your stitches and take your vital signs, I’ll go find the doctor.”
Olivia moved slightly away from Darius. “No needles?”
“No. I’ll give you medication that you can take orally.”
Only then did Olivia appear to relax. “All right.”
Darius rose. “I’ll wait outside while—”
“No.” Olivia’s fearful brown gaze flew to him. “Please stay.”
His heart twisted in his chest. How could he refuse such a plea? He turned to the nurse. “Is that all right?”
“As long as you don’t get in my way, I’ve no objection.”
He nodded. “I’ll be right here, then.” He stood by the footrail where Olivia could see him.
What had her so spooked about the hospital? She seemed terrified of the nurse, yet she was fine with Dr. Henshaw. Was it the building or the profession? More and more things about Olivia Rosetti puzzled him.
The nurse took Olivia’s temperature, listened to her heart rate, which was likely sky-high given her fear, and then checked her head wound.
“The doctor did a nice job on those stitches,” she announced as she re-bound the area. “If you’re lucky, the scar will barely show.”
Olivia remained silent.
“Any headache? Blurred vision?”
“No.”
“What about dizziness, nausea, or vomiting?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Your temperature is normal, which is a good sign. If you develop any hint of a fever, call your doctor right away.”
“I will.”
The nurse stepped back. “I’ll go and see about your release now.”
Only once the woman left did Darius realize that Olivia’s eyes had been trained on him the whole time. What had her so traumatized?
Olivia gulped in a lungful of fresh air, thankful to get away from the horrible antiseptic smells that she would forever associate with the Mercer clinic.
Darius helped her into his car, and she sat back with a sigh of relief, not even caring that her clothes were covered in dried blood and smelled like rotten produce. Darius had a fair bit of blood on him as well, likely from carrying her.
She couldn’t believe he’d gone out of his way, waiting at the hospital all that time and then doing his best to calm her fears. It was more than she could comprehend.
“Thank you for staying with me,” she said once he’d started the car. She stared straight ahead, unable to look at him. What must he think of her strange reaction?
“I was glad I could be there.” He turned onto another street and beeped the horn at a slow-moving vehicle in front of him. “If it’s not too personal, may I ask why the nurse frightened you so much?”
She
