Broken Bear: Unleashed Passion (3 page)

Lily found her place in the corner chair. She didn’t say anything. She waited for him.

“I’m sorry,” he started. “He doesn’t understand.”

Lily nodded. “It was an honest reaction. I am married.” She looked away.

“I didn’t ask if you were.” It made no difference to him. “Can I ask you something?”

She nodded again.

“Why do you come visit me? You don’t know me. You don’t owe me anything.”

She blushed. He was right. How could she explain that she felt safe around him, even though he was the one tied up and unable to move? How could she explain that she was drawn to sit with him so he wasn’t by himself? How could she explain that he was her salvation? That she needed a few moments to not feel unworthy, to not feel like she was a piece of trash as she was so often called...and that sitting quietly with him, she felt like she was helping him heal. She was his angel after all, and she took that quite seriously. “I’m just watching over you.”

Phoenix watched her face. Her cheeks turned a shade of pink before she answered. She was embarrassed to be asked. He felt bad that he questioned her. He had one last question. He knew he shouldn’t ask, but he wanted to know the truth. “Does he know you’re here?”

Lily looked away. “If you want me to leave…”

“I don’t. I like when you’re here.”

“I don’t want anything,” she quickly retorted. Her heart raced. Just sitting with him was enough.

“I know.”

“Good.” And just like that, the conversation was over. Lily picked up her book to read, and Phoenix stared at the wall until he was ready to sleep again.

The uptight, pinched doctor made her usual rounds. She knew the man would have nothing to say, just like every other day, but she needed to make a notation on his state of mind. When he opened his mouth to speak, she was surprised.

“Will you remove the restraints, please?” He was beaten down, broken. He had no fight left in him. “I just want to feel human.”

She undid one of them, and watched his reaction. She saw relief wash across his face. “Are you ready to talk?”

“I’m afraid to talk,” he admitted. “I’m afraid to keep reliving it all. It’s too painful.”

The doctor’s brow furrowed. She didn’t expect this gentler man to speak, yet alone admit anything. “Healing isn’t easy, but you need to at least take the first step.”

“I’ll try. But only if I can have my angel with me at the time.” He looked over at Lily, who was asleep in the corner chair.

“It’s not something we generally do,” she started, “patient confidentiality and all.”

“That’s my one condition. She is by my side.” She sat with him through all of the days he refused to talk or communicate in anyway. She made him feel safer, more relaxed.

The doctor rolled her eyes behind her rimless glasses. “If it will get you talking, I’ll make an exception this one time.” He’d refused to talk for so long, there must be a reason he’s talking now, and if this nurse that visited him had anything to do with it, so be it. Maybe she’d be a key to his recovery. “I’ll make an appointment on my schedule for this time tomorrow. I’ll remove the other restraint, but if there’s any notation that you’ve gotten aggressive or are a danger to yourself…”

“I’m not going to hurt anyone,” he sighed, “including myself.”

Lily stirred and saw Phoenix sitting up in bed, watching her. He was sitting up! “Your restraints are off.”

He gave a small smile. “I feel almost human.”

“That’s wonderful.”

“I have to ask you something. I told the doctor I’d talk to her tomorrow. Will you go with me?”

“Oh, they won’t let me...it’s a patient-”

He interrupted. “It’s already been approved. I didn’t think to ask you first. I shouldn’t have just assumed you’d be okay with it.”

“Why do you want me there?” Lily questioned, watching him. He’d grown more comfortable around her.

“I don’t know. I just feel better when you’re near me.”

Lily smiled. “Good.”

She might be a worthless piece of trash at home, but right here, sitting in the corner of Phoenix’s room, she was a healing soul helping a wounded man find his path. Everything felt right in the world when she sat beside his hospital bed. She belonged here, belonged to him. Her husband might have thought he owned her, but he didn’t. She belonged to Phoenix, heart and soul.

When Lily didn’t show up the next day, he knew something was wrong.

Sure, he’d pushed her before, but he’d never actually hit her. When he cracked her across the face and drug her across the room by her hair, she knew she had to get out, and fast. He found her pay stub, and the hours she’d been out of the house weren’t matching up. She should have had more overtime. He should have looked sooner.

She’d learn her lesson. He knew she was scheduled for two days off, so he’d make sure she stayed home. Shoving her in the guest bedroom, he padlocked the door and left her to think about what she did. She wouldn’t lie to him again, the conniving bitch.

Her cries for help were left unanswered. And living on a wooded lot on four acres, nobody heard her screams or pleas. She spent the first hour sobbing on the bed. The next hour, she realized she could break a window and climb out. She’d have to jump from the second floor, but the guest room was near the front porch. There would be a small roof she could try to land on. It was pitched, and she might roll off of it, but the state of frenzy her husband was in, she wasn’t so sure he wouldn’t come back in and do something much worse.

She looked at what she’d have to do to get out. It was scarier than she pictured. There was a tree, but it was too far to jump to, and the roof was steeper from this angle looking out. Lily’s heart raced knowing her choices were few and far between.

If she stayed, her husband might get even more violent and either end her life or tear her to pieces. He might beat or rape her. She honestly didn’t know what he was capable of at this point. She just knew she feared for her life. She needed to escape, and the sooner, the better.

Ice ran through her veins when she saw him outside, looking up at her through the window. He had a ladder...and boards. He was going to cover her only exit. While he was outside, she ran for the door and shook it as hard as she could, terror plunging through her. This wasn’t an accident. He had plans. She wasn’t going to be going anywhere if he had it his way. The fact that he was coming to board up the windows gave her chills.

She never showed up. Phoenix refused to talk to the doctor. How could he talk about himself when he knew something was wrong? His instincts spoke to him, his senses were heightened, and yet there was nothing he could do.

Maybe she got called into work. Maybe he was over reacting. Maybe she decided she’d gotten in too deep. Maybe she was ill. Looking over at the empty chair, he felt an empty pit in his stomach. He’d wait for Lily; she’d be here. She was always here, either before or after work, and she said she’d be here for the appointment today. But she wasn’t. Something was wrong.

He wanted to pace, but if he showed distress, they would misread his intentions and end up restraining him again. He couldn’t show anything. Keep it inside, old boy, keep it inside.

Phoenix waited. She never came. Still he waited. He felt like a caged beast. He wanted out of there. He wanted to find her, and yet he had no idea where she was. Sure, his bear sense of smell was good, but it wasn’t that good. He wasn’t some kind of god damn super hero. He was simply a bear and a man…nothing more, nothing less. And his bear hadn’t been free in longer than he cared to admit. Being locked up in this hospital kept him subdued, and he wanted out. He needed to find her.

She’d have one chance. He’d boarded the first window, but he’d have to go down the ladder to get the second board. The window was her only option; the door wouldn’t budge. If she timed it just right and could get through the window, she could tip the ladder while he climbed on it, throwing him back. That would give her time as he writhed below. She felt like a caged beast trying to escape from a zoo. She needed to get out. Panic was setting in.

He was trying to close her in, shut her down. He had no intentions of letting her go. It was him or her. Lily knew what she had to do.

He stepped onto the ladder and started to climb down for the second board. Terrified, but using the last bit of adrenalin she could find, Lily burst through the window, glass shattering around her. She landed on the small porch roof-top, thankful she didn’t roll off. He quickly realized what was happening and started to climb back up the ladder. He needed to stop her. She lunged forward and pushed the edges of the ladder. As it fell backward, her husband slammed against the tree behind him and then slumped onto the ground. She couldn't tell if he was still breathing, but he was unconscious.
 

Lily screamed bloody murder as the panic laced through her. She had no way to get down. The roof was higher than she thought. She’d miss the branch of the tree, and knew it was too large for her to get her hands around if she jumped. If she didn’t find a way down and he was still alive, he could come back up after her. If he was dead, she would rot up there until someone found both of their bodies. She couldn’t break through the bedroom door to the other side.

Lily cried and said a prayer. She jumped for the tree, and tried to grab on. Her fingers dug into the bark, and then she fell straight down beside her husband. Pain wracked through her legs. She was certain one was broken.
 

Her husband cried in a soft whimper. He was still alive. He clawed at her and grabbed her ankle. Lily screamed and kicked him, trying to pull away. They were both wounded, uncertain how badly hurt the other was. Lily pulled herself as far away from him as she could, clawing at the grass, dragging her body, unable to stand.

Her husband had a pool of blood draining out of him. He didn’t have long now, but if he was going to die, she was going with him. He’d make sure of that.

Everything inside of him needed to break free. Phoenix had to find her. It was getting harder to hold his bear in. It wanted to come out; he felt territorial. He’d been unable to focus, but lately they’d lowered his meds since he was cooperative. He had some of his senses about him again.

Only Lily found Phoenix, before he found her. Based on the cuts and scrapes, they told him that she’d crawled, dragging her body with a broken leg and a broken ankle, and that when she got to the roadway she flagged somebody down. She had bruising on her face as well. It was obvious that she’d been through a living hell. Lily begged the driver to bring her here, not to her own hospital. She would contact the police at the hospital. She was recovering in another wing. The last thing she said before she fell into unconsciousness was, ‘let Phoenix Monroe know I’m here,’ and then she closed her eyes.
 

They wouldn’t let him down to see her. She was on the other side of the hospital, and he was in the locked down section. He had to wait until she could come to him. His insides ached on hearing about her injuries. He needed to see her, to sit by her side as she had sat by his.

When Lily stabilized from the trauma and stress, they agreed to wheel her to his room at her request. She gave her statement to the police department, and while her story checked out based on the things they found, her husband was nowhere to be found. She last saw him in a pool of blood on the ground. Lily froze. Was he still alive? Was he coming to get her? She panicked. He wouldn’t forget what she’d done to him.

When they wheeled Lily into Phoenix’s room, horror and relief washed over him. His angel was back, but she was broken. He wanted to kill the man that harmed his sweet Lily. Phoenix stood to greet her, and rushed to her side. His big, masculine hand was tender and soft. He drew it through her hair and leaned in to kiss her forehead the way she had done to him.

Lily tried to smile at him, but she was scared. Her eyes housed fear. But with Phoenix, she was safe. She wanted to stay by his side. She couldn’t leave him. He’d protect her, just as she’d watched over him.
 

Lily could barely speak. She wanted to tell him what happened, to explain. It wasn’t her fault that she wasn’t here on time. She wanted to be there for him. It didn’t matter. She was here now.

There was anger brewing behind his eyes. She saw the shock in his face, though he thought he was hiding it. Lily knew he was being careful, since the attendants were always watching him.
 

He pulled the chair up beside her wheelchair. “Whatever happened, I’ll make it right,” he whispered after they left.

“It’s finished,” she lied. He already had enough of a burden. She wouldn’t give him more. “I’ll heal. It’s only a few broken bones.”

“Your face,” he said, wanting to reach out and stroke her cheek tenderly. He was afraid he’d hurt her with his big clumsy hands.

“Yeah,” she choked out. “I don’t feel much like talking. Could I just sit with you for a while?”
 

“I’ll protect you. I’ll keep you safe. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you this time. He’ll never hurt you again. You’re safe with me.” He knew who it was. Her ring was gone, and the look in her eyes said it all.

“I know. I knew I would be.” She closed her eyes and slumped in her wheelchair, the pain medication making her tired.

Lily woke in Phoenix’s bed. He was sleeping in the corner chair. He’d lifted her up and moved her at some point. She remembered none of it. When the attendants came to take her out of his room, he asked for more time. She was sleeping peacefully. He didn't want to wake her; she'd been through enough.

Lily watched Phoenix as he napped. It warmed her to know she was in his arms, if only for a moment. She was falling for the man that she still barely knew. Their time was together, always together, but rarely talking.

She couldn’t move by herself, but with the need to use the bathroom facility, she had to wake him. She felt like a nuisance. In her own room, the nurse came to help her. “Phoenix,” she said softly.