She tried to smile and groaned when her lips pulled and cracked. "Let me put something on that for you."
Stacey held her breath while a cool cream was smoothed over her dry lips.
"Thanks." Her voice sounded raspy to her ears.
"No problem. I fear we have a lot to thank you for. I have to apologize for the despicable way in which my manager treated you. I will make it up to you any way I can. But for now I want you to take it easy and rest up. Anything you want, get in touch with me."
Stacey swallowed before she spoke.
"I don't need your money. I want nothing from you at all, understand."
"Yes I do and I applaud you for that. But, I feel you should talk to my little brother about what you do two are going to do. Don't blow it Stacey. From what Nigel tells me, you are head over heels in love with this guy and I know he feels the same way about you even if he doesn't know it himself."
"Nigel says way too much."
"That may be so but he has your best interests at heart. Now he has promised me a steak to die for tonight so I had better get going and let them all know how you are. Rest easy and take your time getting well. There are a lot of people out there worried about you."
She felt the air shift as he leaned down and dropped a kiss on her forehead. Tears slipped out between the swollen eyelids and ran down her cheek.
"Now don't you dare tell my wife I made you cry. She will kill me."
The door closed behind him and the room was silent again. Drifting off to sleep, Stacey dreamed of the dark tunnels and movements she couldn't see.
Something tore at her throat and chewed on her fingertips. She screamed and thrashed around trying to break free of the arms that held her.
"Shh, Stacey, shhh." Warm breath rolled over her face and hands cradled her head. "I have you, it's okay."
She clung to him, shaking with fear as she relived the terror of being left alone in the dark dank tunnel. Her face streaked with tears and the sobs subsiding, she lay back against the pillows.
Morgan pushed her a tissue into her hands and she blew her nose. Lifting her eyelids as far as they would go, she gazed at him. His face was drawn and there were dark smudges under his eyes.
"How long have I been here?"
"This is day two. I found you two days ago early in the morning. It seems like longer than that."
"Thanks. For finding me I mean."
"I owe you so much more than that. I can't believe he came and took you." He ran a finger over the bruise on her cheek and pulled his hand away when she shuddered. "Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. I want to make it better."
"It didn't hurt you touching me Morgan, I was just remembering what he did to me."
"He will never get the chance to hurt anyone again. Assault, theft, kidnapping, extortion. The list goes on. He will be going away for quite some time."
"That's good. You don't have to stay you know. With me I mean, I'll be okay."
He looked down at her and she almost cried out loud to see the hurt she had inflicted upon him.
"I want to stay and I won't leave, not again. Look," he took her hand again and ran his fingertips over her palm, "I have a lot to answer for I know that. I let you down, I slammed you for getting pregnant. I was an ass and I don't blame you for not wanting to listen to me but I would appreciate just a few minutes more."
She held her breath and waited for him to continue.
"When I met you I was just getting over a messy break up and was hurting. You see, my families money is a magnet and I got burned more than once because of it. It seemed like the thing to do, come out here and not say who I was or why I was here." He lifted her hand and kissed her fingertips.
"I saw things differently and went back home full of ideas for saving the waterfalls and Sid's house and his junk collection. There is so much history I feel shouldn't be lost and I kind of got caught up in your plans. It seemed like the least we as a company could do. I threw the idea out to Bran and he made me put it to the board. Luckily they saw it the way I wanted them too." He gave a small laugh. "It didn't hurt that it made the company look good in the process either. Big mining companies get a bad rap so it made sense business wise to set up a community plan to preserve everything you wanted saving."
"So why didn't you come back and tell me that? Why leave me hanging so damned long? It's not enough Morgan. I need someone who will be there for me and put me and my child first." She reached for the buzzer and waited for the nurse. When the door opened and the ward nurse put her head in the door Stacey closed her eyes. "Please take him out and don't let him back in."
She turned her face into the pillow trying to hide the tears that ran down her cheeks.
* * *
"Honey you have to eat," Nigel pleaded with her. "Doc won't let you come home until you are better and this isn't helping anyone."
Stacey looked out the window
