“Belle, they need a SANE nurse in room six. I’ll take over here,” an older nurse said, slipping on a pair of gloves.
“Okay.” She walked back into the hall, her stomach knotting as she prepared for the worst and hoped for the best.
She peeked in the empty room. After picking up the chart, she reviewed the information. Patient’s name was Charlotte Reed. Brought in via ambulance after she was attacked.
“Oh good. You’re already here,” Doctor Stanley said as two men pushed the hospital bed inside. Belle stepped out of the way as they maneuvered it in the middle of the room.
Dried blood streaked down her patient’s face from a gash on her eye and nose. Her lip was swollen and purple, but she was still familiar.
The woman from the bar.
Charlotte winced in pain and held her side with a bruised and scraped hand. She’d fought hard by the looks of it.
Doctor Stanley lifted the X-rays to the lightbox. “Looks like a couple cracked ribs. No internal bleeding. We’ll get a few sutures on the cut by your eye.
“Okay,” Charlotte said, her voice hoarse.
Doctor Stanley looked at Belle, giving her a nod.
Belle walked over and adjusted the IV bags. “Charlotte, is there any chance you could have been sexually assaulted?”
Charlotte closed her eyes tight. Tears mingled with the dried blood, spilling down her cheeks. “I don’t think so. I passed out at some point. But my clothes were still on me when I woke up. I’m sore everywhere, so it’s hard to tell.”
“Okay.” Belle put her hand gently on hers to comfort her. “Is there someone you’d like me to call for you that you’d like to keep you company?”
“My husband is deployed in Afghanistan. There’s no one else.”
“I’ll be here with you the whole way. My name is Belle. You’re going to get through this, sweetheart. You survived, and now you can start to heal.”
“Okay. Please call me Charli—everyone does. Can I have some water?” Charli asked.
“Of course. I’ll be right back.” Belle slipped out of the room and grabbed a cup of ice water with a straw before heading towards her patient’s room. The sight of the tan uniform made her do a double take as a stampede of wild horses stomped all over her heart. “Sheriff?”
Bently turned towards her, his shoulders tensing and his jaw set. Butterflies of apprehension tumbled in her belly. It had been a week since their last encounter, and her unease had faded. She’d thought life had returned to normal.
“What—” she said, at the same time Bently said, “I—”
They both stopped, Bently’s eyes looking anywhere but her it seemed.
“I’m here to see Charli,” he said.
Belle shook her head. “Wait. I have to ask her if she even wants you here.” She darted in front of him, expecting to have to fight for her patient’s privacy.
“That’s fine. Can you just make sure to tell her it’s me that’s come? If she prefers Deputy Vargas, I can call her in. She might be more comfortable with a woman.” He backed down.
It wasn’t what she’d been expecting at all. “I—uh . . . yes.”
His thoughtfulness threw her for a loop. Belle went into the room and handed the water to Charli. “The sheriff is outside. He wants to know if you would like to speak with him. He offered to call the deputy if you would rather have a female officer.”
“Bent is fine.” Charli nodded.
Belle went back out. Bently was leaning against the opposite wall, his arms crossed. His black hair was tousled like he’d just crawled out of bed. He looked up at her expectantly.
“She’ll talk to you.”
Bently walked past her, going immediately to her patient’s side. “Charli, what happened?” Concern emanated from him as he sat in a chair next to her. His big hand reached out to hold hers.
Belle got to work checking Charli’s vitals.
“I had some trouble with a few guys at the bar an hour before closing. Mason kicked them out. He usually stays and walks me to my car after my shift. But his nanny called—his daughter was throwing up, so I told him to go on home.”
Charli took a breath before she continued. “I locked up and walked to my car. I had this feelin’ like I wasn’t alone. I hurried to my car and unlocked it. As soon as I got the door open, someone grabbed me from behind. It all happened so fast. I’ll never forget that voice.” She shuddered. “He was angry that I embarrassed him in front of his buddies. He . . . threatened to . . .”
Bently rubbed her tattooed arm soothingly. “It’s okay. Take your time.”
She looked down. “He said he’d teach me a lesson and pulled at my pants. I bit him, and that’s when he gave me this.” She pointed to the gash on her face. “I fought so hard.” She began to sob.
Bently wrapped his arms carefully around her as best as he could from her side. “Shhhh, it’s okay. It’s over. You’re safe now.”
Belle’s chest tightened. Seeing this caring, nurturing side to Bently made her heart prick with guilt over their last exchange. Was she wrong about him?
“Did he get that far?” Bently asked, his jaw tensing.
“I don’t think so. I passed out at some point.” She pointed to the ring of bruises around her neck. “When I woke, my clothes were on.”
Bently nodded. “I’m so sorry this happened to you. I’m gonna find the man who did this,” he promised, his voice full of conviction. “I’m going to step outside so Belle here can finish examining you. I’m gonna need your clothes as evidence, and tomorrow I’ll come over to your house and get a full statement if that’s okay with you.”
Charli nodded. “Okay.”
“How long until Lieutenant Reed gets home from deployment?” Bently asked.
“Just a few more months now.” Charli’s lips turned up into a watery broken
