These last weeks have been the best of my life. Rayne and I are growing closer each day and the staff responded positively to the changes I suggested to Anton. I was stunned at first but that soon turned to pride in my people and gratitude to them for giving me another chance.
They were equally shocked but accepting of my relationship with Rayne and we’ve all begun to grow closer, slowly becoming more like a family than my real family ever was. I still miss my mother but the rest of them were never family to me.
Today Rayne is off training some more of the two-year-old colts and I am in the office working through the finances for the monthly audit. The ranch is doing well, and the new hospital is proving extremely successful both with requests for help and the recovery rate.
Hiring extra doctors has been a key factor in lifting some of the pressure off of my shoulders and meant that I can spread my time better between the office, the hospital, the yard, an
I climb into the ambulance and my eyes never leave her for the entire journey, on arrival they quickly but gently remove her gurney from the ambulance and wheel her in through the doors. I follow until they enter the emergency section, the smell of disinfectant and cleaning products is strong making me scrunch my nose and a nurse stops me from going any further. “I am sorry sir. Only doctors and nurses are allowed beyond this point. Please wait in that room and a doctor will find you once they have news.” “I want her in a private room. My name is Lance Stallion and I want her stay here to be calm and undisturbed.” “Oh, Um y-yes my Lord. I will make the arrangements. Please fill in these patient record forms.” She seems shocked and I probably shouldn’t have used my name like that, but I won’t have her on a ward, I need to keep her close and control who has access to her. I know I seem paranoid and overbearing but I cannot fight the feeling that the att
Darkness surrounds me and I feel weighed down unable to move. There are sounds that I can barely make out since my hearing is muffled but I think I hear beeping. I try to rouse my consciousness to force my eyes to open but they are so heavy they refuse to respond.Come on! I need to know where I am. Where is Lance? Am I dead?Murmurs reach my ears and I strain to focus on understanding them.“Here - dinner Lance. Now - you go.”Go? Go where? Leaving me? No! Lance!My mind is in a panic, and I am frustrated that I can’t wake myself up. I feel a warm touch and my senses focus again on what is happening to my body.“Hey there my girl. How long are you going to make that poor boy wait for you? In fact, we are all waiting for you to wake up and tell us off for worrying so much.”I want to cry hearing the pain in my uncles voice. I would recognise him anywhere, but I still cannot get my body t
“Lance get a hold of yourself. Why are you blaming this all on you? It was an accident.” “No Rayne, it was a pre-planned attack and I swear as soon as I find the person behind it, they are going to beg for death before I am through with them.” He looks up and the fire I see in his eyes makes me flinch back. I have never seen him so angry before. “Wait, you said it was planned, how do you know this?” He reaches into his pocket and brings something up on his phone before giving it to me. As I read the message, I feel bile rise in my throat and I feel sick. “Why?” “I don’t know Rayne, but I swear I will never let them harm you ever again.” He sits next to me on the bed and pulls me into his side, wrapping his arm around my shoulders before touching his fingers to my cheeks to wipe something away. “Please don’t cry. I will find a way to make you better again, I swear. Until then I pledge myself into your service my lady.”
It feels good to finally have her home and safe where I can keep her close to me. Anton parks the car outside the front doors, and I climb out of my side before walking around to open her door. Anton opens the boot and fetches the wheelchair out while I lean in to gather Rayne into my arms. “Welcome home baby.” She smiles a small smile at me for my greeting, but she is still quite reserved, so I won’t push for more. I know this situation is hard on her and until she is willing to open up to someone about her feelings all we can do is be here for her. I walk into the mansion with her in my arms and we are greeted by all the staff holding a banner saying, ‘Welcome Home Rayne.’ “Surprise!” They yell. &n
*Ding* My phone chimes and I pick it up to see a message. Lilli - How are things? Is Rayne settled in yet? I smile knowing that someone else cares for her too, then hit reply. Lance - She just went to bed. It’s going to be an adjustment, but I think she will be able to handle it. Lilli - If you ever need anything then know that we are always here. Lance - Thank you. Have you made any progress with the investigation? Lilli - Some. The next thing I know my phone begins to ring and I see that Lilli is calling me. “Hello?” “Hi Lance, it’s not safe to relay this information via text. The snakes were imported from Serpentia however, the person who brought them in originated from Equivale. It seems the enemy we seek is firmly based within your Kingdom. I’m sorry.” “Don’t be sorry Lilli, I am grateful to you for all your help on this. Now, if we can only find
Lance is being so sweet. I have become utterly dependent on him for keeping my emotions in check as well as helping with anything I cannot use my legs to do. Seeing Stripe today helped me in so many ways I am not even sure Lance is aware of just how much it helped. For weeks I have felt at a loss and not known what to do about anything. Sitting with him in the office reading, while he works helped at first, but now it’s not enough to keep my mind from dwelling. Shortly after settling in, I retrieved the necklace Lilli gave me from my drawer and I have kept it close debating if I should use it or wait to see if something happens to Lance. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I used it to get my legs back only to lose him to something that he could have survived if it had kept it. Naturally, this constant debating with myself is slowly driving me crazy, so seeing Stripe actually put many things into perspective for me. I cannot live my life in a ‘what if’
BANG! CRASH! My eyes fly open, and I look to the noise only to see that my door has been smashed open and Lance is standing on the threshold. It takes him a moment to understand what is happening and I see hurt in his eyes but then he focuses on my tied hands, gag, and tear-streaked face. Pure fury takes over his features and he throws himself at Ethan knocking him off me and they both land on the floor on the other side of my bed. I am left naked and tied up on my bed with nothing to preserve my dignity as both men grapple on the floor. I continue to cry because of how violated and mortified I feel, as I listen to the sounds of fists connecting to flesh and the grunts of pain. Finally, all becomes quiet, but I still cannot bear to open my eyes until I feel warmth on my chest, and I peek through my lashes to see my duvet is covering me once more. I open my eyes fully and I see Lance standing beside my bed, but I cannot make out the emotion on his face
I wake, unsure when I fell asleep or why but then notice that I’m not sleeping directly on a mattress. I am extremely comfortable, and I lift my head to discover that I am laying on Rayne. Ah, now I remember. I glance at her features, and she seems to be content considering what happened only a few hours ago. A deep gnawing pain bites at my stomach as I think about my confession to her, and I came close to doing the same thing Ethan almost succeeded in doing. Suddenly I feel sick to my stomach, and I gently separate myself from her before rushing into the bathroom to throw up. I stay in there for a few minutes glaring at my reflection in the mirror. &