Van, Becca - Re-awaken Me (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (10 page)

“I want to take a sample from her stomach to be tested. Just to be safe. Get a sealing container from the kitchen, and then we can clean up the rest. I don’t like this one bit. It could be that our woman is just sick, but I want to be safe rather than sorry. I’ve never seen her look so parchment white before, and her breathing is way too fast. Her heartbeat is elevated, and her skin feels hot enough to fry an egg on,” Mason stated.

Mason and his brothers kept their eyes on Pip, watching to see if she would be sick again. Mason cussed the paramedics for taking too long but knew it was just out of frustration and concern. Mason sighed in relief as he heard the screech of the paramedics’ siren in the distance.

Mason ran out the front door, waiting to direct the paramedics into the house. The hardest thing he had to do was sit back and watch as two strange men assessed their woman. The paramedics kept their opinions to themselves as they did a preliminary medical assessment and then set up a saline drip. He cursed silently when the needle penetrated the back of Pip’s delicate hand and was taped to her skin. The paramedics lifted Pip onto the gurney and guided it out into the front yard then into the back of the van.

Mason jumped into the back of the van after the paramedic who would be keeping an eye on his woman, closed the door, and kept out of the medic’s way. He didn’t even flinch when the paramedic stared at him, and Mason knew he was about to be told to get out. He didn’t say a word, just drew his sheriff’s badge from his pocket and held it up. Seconds later, they were flying down the road with sirens blaring.

* * * *

Mason was pacing the waiting room in the hospital when Randy and Chip rushed to his side. Instead of letting his brothers bombard him with questions he didn’t have answers to, he held up his hand and spoke.

“I don’t know anything yet. As far as I know, the doctors are still assessing her. All we can do is wait it out,” Mason stated. He ran the palm of his hand over his face and gave a loud sigh. He wanted to go barging into the emergency room and demand answers but knew it wouldn’t get him anywhere and he would end up pitting the medical staff against him. That was the last thing he needed right now.

It seemed as if Pip had been behind those closed doors for hours. Mason turned at the sound of the double doors of the emergency room as a male doctor walked out.

“I’m Doctor Scott Preston. Are you with Philippa Grovner?”

“Yeah. I’m Sheriff Mason Sage, and these are my brothers and deputies, Randy and Chip,” Mason introduced as he shook the doc’s proffered hand.

“Gentlemen, Miss Grovner has ingested poison somehow and is very ill. We think it may have been some sort of rodent poison, but we are still doing tests on the sample you gave to the paramedics, Sheriff. We’ve had to pump her stomach, and she will be on a drip for at least the next twenty-four hours. We need to keep her hydrated, but it’s going to be a while before she shows any sign of recovery. We’ll have her up in the intensive care unit within the next hour or so. She won’t be working for quite a while, so I would appreciate it if you could notify her employers and also any family she has. I would also like a thorough search of her home done, just to be on the safe side. Here is my cell phone number. You can contact me and let me know what you find.”

“Thanks, doc. Now, I need you to know I want a guard on Pip around the clock. I don’t know if this was an accident or not, but I’m not willing to take any chances. She’s already had some sicko leaving little messages for her at home,” Mason said.

“No problem, Sheriff. As long as the guards don’t interfere with the medical staff, there won’t be a problem. If you have any questions about Miss Grovner’s condition, call me.”

“Thanks, doc.”

The next twenty-four hours were the longest Mason and his brothers had ever lived through. Mason organized for Randy and Chip to take turns keeping vigil in Pip’s hospital room as she lay unconscious, hooked up to drips, heart monitors, and other various medical paraphernalia.

Mason was thankful when Saturday arrived. He had arranged for a deputy from an adjoining town to fill in for him and his brothers so they could spend time with Pip in the hospital without having to worry about work.

Mason arrived at the hospital with Randy early that Saturday morning to find Chip asleep in the chair beside Pip’s hospital bed, his head and shoulders resting on the bedside with Pippa’s fingers tangled in his hair. Mason moved into the room, Randy behind him, until they stood on the opposite side of the bed from Chip. Mason looked down to see Pip’s gorgeous eyes looking up at him. She smiled, removed her hand from Chip’s hair, and tried to sit up. Mason gently helped her into a sitting position while Randy adjusted the pillows behind her. When Pip sank back down onto the pillows with Mason’s help, he leaned in and kissed her forehead.

“How are you feeling, baby?”

“A little tired, but other than that, I feel fine.”

“You scared the hell out of us, sugar. I think the sight of you collapsed on the floor is going to give me nightmares for months,” Randy stated then leaned in to kiss her cheek.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you all. I should have taken my migraine pills before it got so bad. I won’t be doing that again. As soon as I feel a migraine coming on, I’ll take the damn pills.”

“You haven’t seen the doctor yet, have you, darlin’?” Chip rasped out in a sleep-roughened voice.

* * * *

“No. Why am I in the hospital, anyway?” Pip asked, waiting with trepidation as the three brothers looked at each other.

“Baby, you may have had a migraine, but you were also poisoned,” Mason said quietly.

Mason was holding her hand in his own hand, offering her comfort. Pip was almost too afraid to ask the questions in her mind.

“W–what? Poisoned? Who…how…Shit.”

Pip watched the three men surround her, each of them touching her as they tried to keep her calm.

“Baby, it’s not safe for you to be living alone right now. We’ve packed up your clothes and taken them to our house,” Mason said quietly. When Mason held up his hand when she would have interrupted, she hesitated. “I don’t want any arguments, Pip. You will do what we say, or I will have to take you into protective custody twenty-four-seven until we’ve caught the cowardly bastard trying to hurt you. From now on, at least one of us will be with you at all times. We will drive you to and from work. We have spoken to your boss, Nate, and he is not going to let you out of his sight either. Until we know what’s going on with this sicko, who they are, why they’re terrorizing you, and we have him in a cell, you will not be able to come and go as you please. We don’t give a shit about how much that is going to piss you off, as long as we know you are safe.”

Pip looked from one man to the other. She knew she didn’t have a chance of swaying their minds on this by the gleam of determination in each of their eyes. “Okay.” Pip sighed with acquiescence.

“Darlin’, we only want to make sure you’re safe. Now, the doc was in last night and said since all your vital signs were good, you could go home this afternoon. I got Randy to bring you a change of clothes. We’re just waiting on the paperwork to be finalized and to have one of the nurses unhook you from all this stuff.” Chip indicated the medical equipment with a sweep of his hand.

“I’ll bet you’re just itching to get out of here, aren’t you, sugar? When you get home, you can have a nice hot bath and just lay around resting. You’re not allowed to go back to work next week, and we’ve already notified Nate. He told you to get better and to take as much time as you need. He said you’re not to worry about your job. It will be waiting for you when you’re ready to return to work,” Randy stated.

Pip could feel tears pricking at the back of her eyes. She had loved these three men for so long, and now to have them here for her when she needed them most, offering her comfort and help, was nearly her undoing. She lowered her eyes, hoping they hadn’t seen her emotional state, and gave a sigh of relief when a nurse bustled into the room.

“Okay, gentlemen, I need you to step outside so I can tend to the patient. The paperwork for Miss Grovner’s release has been completed, and Doctor Preston has said you can take her home as soon as she’s ready. I’ll have her unhooked and dressed in no time,” the nurse stated as she flitted around efficiently, waiting for the men to exit the room. “Now, let’s see about getting you out of here, honey.”

Pip was unhooked from the machines in a matter of moments. The nice nurse helped her to dress in jeans, a T-shirt, and a light cardigan. Once done, she opened the door and let the men back in, advising them she would just get a wheelchair for the patient.

“Oh, don’t bother, ma’am. I’ll carry her out,” Chip explained as he scooped Pip up from the bed and into his arms, giving the nurse a flirtatious wink.

Pip had to bite her lip to consciously stop herself from rolling her eyes in exasperation.

Chapter Twelve

Mason pulled his dual-cab utility truck up close to the front steps of their house. He didn’t want Pip having to walk a long way to the front door if she put up a fight about being carried into their home. But Chip was full of surprises and took the matter into his hands, so to speak. Mason watched as Chip scooped Pip up into his arms, mounted the steps to the wraparound deck that led to the front door, then walked straight down the long hallway toward the bathroom. Since Randy had been holding the door open for Chip, he was right behind them, with Mason following at the rear. Mason entered the large en suite bathroom off the master bedroom just in time to hear Pip’s question echo in the expanse of the room.

“What are you doing? I can undress myself, thank you very much,” Pip stated, slapping at Chip’s hands as he tried to remove her clothes.

“Pippa.” Mason commanded her attention. “You will let Chip help you undress and bathe. You have just gotten out of the hospital, and as much as we know you value your independence, you will allow Chip to help you. You aren’t up to sparring with us right now, baby. We’ll win in the long run, and you can’t hide your exhaustion from us. We know you too well.”

“Look. I know you mean well, but I am perfectly able to bathe myself. I have been doing it for years.”

Mason moved up close to her, towering above where she was seated on the rim of the large spa bath, and glared down at her. He crowded into her personal space, making sure his legs connected with her knees.

“I don’t give a shit about what you have been doing for yourself over the years, little girl. You will not be left alone while you are bathing. Now, just let Chip help you. Randy, come and give me a hand in the kitchen. Breakfast will be ready by the time you’re done,” Mason threw over his shoulder as he exited the bathroom, Randy at his heels.

* * * *

“Save me from macho assholes,” Pip muttered under her breath.

“What was that, darlin’?” Chip asked, amusement a twinkle in his eyes as he reached for the hem of her T-shirt and pulled it over her head.

“Nothing,” Pip replied, glaring at Chip.

Pip refused to say another word as Chip stripped her down then helped her into the filling tub. She knew her cheeks were tinged with a red hue of embarrassment, and knowing Chip’s eyes perused her naked body raised her libido. If it wasn’t for the fact she was still too weak, she would jump their bones.

When Chip ran a sudsy cloth over her body, she brought her eyes up to meet his. She looked away quickly when she saw the heated hunger in his eyes. When he ran the cloth over her breasts, her nipples became hard, reaching out to the pleasurable sensation. She squeezed her thighs together to relieve the throbbing ache of her clit and weeping pussy. When she gathered her courage to meet Chip’s eyes again, she was thankful to see an expressionless mask on his face. Her muscles relaxed once more as she leaned back against the tub to enjoy being pampered. Her muscles tensed again when the washcloth slid down over her lower belly and the top of her mound. Pip grasped his wrist in her small hand, halting the track of his much larger one. She took the cloth from his hand, gave her most intimate feminine parts a quick wash, then looked him in the eye, her chin thrusting up, daring him to protest.

“Okay, time to get out, darlin’. Breakfast should be on the table by the time you’re dressed,” Chip said, placing his hands beneath her armpits and hauling her from the tub.

Pip let Chip dry her off, and then he began to dress her. She could feel what strength she had waning and knew she didn’t really have the energy to protest. Once she was dressed, Chip lifted her into his arms, heading for the kitchen. He placed her into an empty chair then took the seat beside her. Once they were all seated around the table, the sound of utensils clicking on plates filled in the quiet. Pip picked at her food, not really hungry but knowing she needed to eat so her body could recover from illness. She ate half a piece of toast and a small amount of eggs but couldn’t face touching the greasy bacon. She picked up her coffee cup and wrapped her hands around it, staring into space. The fraught silence in the room penetrated her subconscious, and she finally lifted her head to see three pairs of male eyes staring at her.

“What are you thinking about, baby?” Mason asked.

“Nothing really. I’m just so tired all of the sudden. My mind has completely shut down. I think I’d like to go and lay down for a while.”

“Do you want to lie on the sofa, or would you rather go to bed, sugar?” Randy asked.