5.

Noah saw the fear enter her eyes the moment Gavin mentioned the interrogation, and again, he frowned. 

As he had predicted before, something was wrong, something he couldn't quite place his fingers on, but all he could deduce from the situation, was that she was running from something or someone; if the weird scars the female nurses had found on her body was anything to go by. 

He hadn't seen it himself, but Dr. Gavin had seen the pictures they took of it. The nurses had been forced to snap it when they were changing her out of her sundress. 

Whoever had inflicted those wounds had made sure to never put them where they would be visible. She was surely not the one that did that to herself. He would be going there to check it out after this. 

“Huh, why?” Grace’s voice came out suddenly in a question. 

It was Gavin that answered before he could. "Because we noticed something weird about you that we were forced to report.” He said. 

She tried to sit up, but Noah quickly helped her raise the bed by pressing a button, lifting up the upper part of it, so she was still lying down and could see them without difficulty. 

“And why would you do that?” she asked. "Shouldn’t you ask me first, before doing that?” she shook her head, looking distressed. "What if it was an accident?” she asked. 

Noah knew there was no way that was an accident but she was probably saying that, hoping that they believe it was that. He could see that she was becoming agitated, and he wanted to kill the bastard that did this.  

He knew they should have told her, but he didn't want to risk her running away. Most of the patients of abuse he had encountered don't want it reported and they run away before they could be helped. 

"It's just an obligation to have it reported, Ms. Grace. You don't have to say anything if you don't want to.” He said, and Gavin nodded behind him. 

“Yes, you don't,” he said. 

Although, Noah was hoping that wasn't the case, but he didn't say anything anymore. He couldn't, he was too angry to say anything without yelling. He was angry, not at Grace or himself like he does sometimes, but at the nut job that did this to a woman. According to Gavin, most of the wounds were healed, but she had ugly scars to show for it. 

He fisted his hands at his sides and grounded his teeth together. By now, Grace was crying, silently, with her legs now folded against her upper body, as if she was back in a shell of some kind. 

“Dr. Gavin Moore to the emergency department!” 

“Dr. Gavin Moore to the emergency department.”

Grace stopped looking down at her hand, and she looked up at the doctor that was being called over the speaker. He brought out his hand from his pocket to pat his pant pockets, looking for something, then Noah looked at him with a grin. 

“You must have forgotten your pager in your office again.” He said to him, and Dr. Gavin nodded. 

“Well, Ms. Grace, I have to go now. I think I'm needed in the emergency ward.” He said and patted Noah on one of his shoulders, before walking out of the room. 

As soon as he was gone, he turned back to find Grace looking at him, the tears in her eyes gone, replaced with red eyes, and her face stained with dried tears. 

"Please, Dr. Noah, I have to leave now. I don't want to talk to the police or anything, and I need to get to my car. I just left it in front of the coffee shop unlocked and with the key in the ignition.” She said. 

Noah nodded his head. He knew that because he had asked his cousin to check it out to see if it was locked. He had had her lock it and kept the keys with her. 

Although, there were no thieves around West Valley Rock, but there was no harm in taking precautions. "You don't have to worry about your car. I have my cousin,” he stopped, realizing she probably didn't know who his cousin was. "the coffee shop owner lock up the car and keep the keys. She'll bring it over when she closed the coffee shop, or otherwise keep it until you can go to her.” He said. 

Oh! That was good! But it still doesn't change the fact that she didn't want to be interrogated. "But I still don't want to be interrogated.” She told him. 

He nodded again. "Don't worry much about that. The sheriff should be here any minute or any of his deputies. You don't have to say anything. After that, you'll be discharged.” He said, offering her a small smile, which she probably didn't think he was capable of. "I'll be here with you the whole time, so you do not need to worry.”

Grace sighed, and then she said. "Thank you, Dr. Noah, for before and for now. Thank you so much.” She said. 

Noah nodded, wondering how many more thanks she would say to him before the end of the day.