“Get Shep!” he hisses. Coop raises and eyebrow until he looks inside the room. He nods and leaves quickly.
“Give us a few minutes ladies,” he suggests.
Maggie is sitting on a chair, wrapped in a blanket and trembling. “Maggie!” he rushes forward and squats down in front of her.
“What happened?” he demands.
“He wanted to know where Abbie was. He said… that he had one job, to stop her from returning to Nebraska. He didn’t like my answer,” Maggie says looking up at him.
Mrs. McDoogle steps back inside, “The doctor is here to check Maggie over. You can wait outside.”
Maggie doesn’t respond, she waits until the door closes and swipes a tear from her bruised cheek.
Wyatt looks at Tess and Mrs. McDoogle. “I need to look her room over,” Tess nods.
“I’ll be in the lobby if you need me,” Mrs. McDoogle says.
After she leaves Wyatt grins at Tess. “I need your help.”
Tess eyes the handsome man warily, but she follows him to Abbie’s room.
Chapter 35
Shepherd is sipping his coffee when he hears a pounding at the door. “Shep!” Cooper yells. “Open up!”
“I’m coming!” Shep shouts back and rips open the door. “What’s wrong?” he asks his friend.
“Maggie was attacked. You need to come with me.”
“What?” His heart drops to his stomach. “Is she…”
“She’s alive, Shep, but bruised up. Wyatt’s with her. Let’s go!”
Maggie answers the Doctor’s questions and winces as he cleans her split lip and bruised cheeks. “Anything else I need to know, Miss Rose?” Dr. Santon asks.
“No. Just my scalp.”
Dr. Santon frowns and has her look down and finds some contusions, but nothing that won’t heal on its own. “You were lucky, Miss Rose. I can give you something for pain. I will recommend you take a few days off work and rest.”
“Okay, thank you.”
When he opens the door, he is stunned to find three large men waiting. “Gentlemen, may I help you?”
“You can get out of my way,” Shep demands and Maggie’s head whips up.
“Who are you?” Dr. Santon asks, not moving a muscle.
“It’s okay, Dr. Santon. They can come in.”
“If you’re sure,” he glances at her with concern and the men step back to let him leave.
Wyatt walks with him to question his findings and Coop says, “We’ll be in her room.”
Shep rushes to her and squats down to look at her. Her hair is a mess, her face is bruised and the lips he kissed not long ago are swollen and bloody.
Maggie looks into his eyes and smiles weakly. “I’m so sorry, Shep, I tried not to say anything,” when the first tear breaks free, she begins to tremble. The kind of quakes that have her whole body shaking.
“Maggie girl, none of this is your fault,” he reaches for her, but she flinches away from him.
Maggie stands up and pulls the blanket tighter around her shoulders. “I need to give Tess her room back.”
Shep is nothing but trouble, she tells herself as she hurries across the hall. She can’t get used to having him around.
Shep follows Maggie back to her room and they find Wyatt and Coop inside cleaning up the mess. Maggie glances around and spots the tea kettle. She tosses the blanket onto the chair and misses the look of shock that passes between the three men.
“Maggie, are you bleeding?” Cooper asks hoarsely.
She glances down at her torn bodice of her beloved dark pink dress and frowns at the splattered blood staining it. Wide ice blue eyes glance up and she quips, “It’s not my blood.” The look of surprise on their faces has her laughing. The laughter turns to sobs and Shep grabs her before her legs give out.
“He wouldn’t listen, Shep. I told him I didn’t know anything,” she sobs into his arms. “He wouldn’t listen.”
“It’s okay, darling, everything’s alright,” he promises and sits with her on the edge of her bed until her tears subside.
“Did he tell you anything else, Maggie?” Wyatt asks after her tears stop.
“His name. He said that his name was Clint Hayden.”
“Why would he tell you his name?” Coop asks.
Maggie pushes out of Shep’s arms and attempts to get some space between them.
“He said vile things. I don’t think he was going to let me go.” A shudder runs through her body and she wraps her arms around herself.
Tess hurries to her and puts an arm around her shoulder. “It’s okay, Maggie, your safe now,” she whispers. Maggie hides her face against her friend’s shoulder, and his decision is made.
“Pack her a bag,” he tells her friend Tess.
“Already done and loaded on the carriage,” Wyatt explains.
Maggie stiffens and looks at them with fury. “You three don’t get to say what happens!” she hisses.
Tess backs away as Shepherd walks over to her and cups her face tenderly, “Look at me, Maggie.”
“No, I’ve had enough…” angry eyes sweep up to look at him.
“Do you think he’ll come back?” Shep demands.
The room falls quiet for a moment and she whispers, “Yes.”
“That’s all I need to hear.”
Clint Hayden screams Maggie’s name as they pull his shirt from his chest. It peels away the blisters that formed beneath with the cloth, leaving raw skin open to the air.
“He’s lucky. It could’ve been his face,” the doctor snaps after he gives Clint a dose of morphine for pain.
“Tomorrow, I will make them all pay!” His father says after talking to him.
“How hard can it be to find a nurse working at the Children’s Ward? I know the owner of the boarding house. He and I will have a talk. I’ll have her for you waiting for you, Son.”
“Thank you, Dad,” Clint slurs. “Maggie Rose, that’s her name.”
