beside her. Two more police officers appeared from nowhere to guard the entrance to the room whilst the project leader offered to call for an ambulance.
'No!' screamed Carrie. 'I'm not going to hospital. There's n-nothing w-wrong with me. I won't go. I w-won't.' Carrie was completely hysterical, her teeth chattering as the shock set in.
'Carrie, you're hurt. We'll have a doctor see you here then.' He turned to the project leader. 'Is there a doctor you can call? And can someone make her a cup of sweet tea for the shock?'
Carrie put her face in her hands and started sobbing uncontrollably. Jake gathered her into his arms.
'Ouch! ouch! ouch!' she screamed as he touched the shoulder that had slammed against the post and then into the wall.
Jake tried to remove her jacket to check the damage.
'No!' Carrie gathered her jacket tight around her.
Something had triggered in her brain and she was terrified of allowing anyone to touch her.
Jake felt completely helpless as he watched her sitting there, looking broken. After a few minutes of heart-wrenching sobs Carrie became quieter. With the tea placed in front of him, Jake tried again.
'Here, drink this, it will help.' He put the tea to her lips and blindly she took a sip. Her face screwed up against the excessive sweetness of the hot liquid.
'More. I'll not be satisfied until you've drunk the lot.'
Carrie drank the tea, allowing Jake to continue holding the mug to her lips as if he was feeding a child. When she'd finished, Jake took her chin gently between his thumb and fingers and turned her face to look at him. He studied her closely. Her eyes still looked haunted but she'd lost the crazed look. The tea had done its job. With his other hand he brushed her hair away from her face and smiled at her tenderly.
She gave him a watery smile, her face starting to break up again. Jake couldn't bear her pain. He took her face in his hands and gently kissed away her tears. Carrie moved her hands to his chest as she responded to the touch of his lips on hers.
Jake pulled away.
'I'll be here for you Carrie. To the best of my ability I'll protect you. Until Alan has caught this monster who is doing this to you.'
Carrie heard his words and they hurt. He would only be there until the person was caught. She found that thought disconcerting. She thought she wanted him around longer than that but couldn't understand why. Jake saw the frown cross her face and kissed her again.
The project leader came back into the room with a doctor in tow. Jake moved away as he heard them enter.
'Will you let the doctor examine you now?'
Carrie nodded her head. She seemed to have lost the use of her voice. Jake went to leave the room with the project leader.
'No!' Carrie found her voice.
'Stay. Please,' she indicated to Jake.
*
As Jake watched the doctor carry out a thorough examination, he gave free reign to his own tangled thoughts. He found himself physically shaking as he went over the events and what might have happened if the police hadn't shown themselves so promptly.
'Would the perpetrator have hung around and done something far worse to her?'
He felt an overpowering need to protect Carrie. It must be man's primitive instincts kicking in, he thought. Why else would he feel so strongly about a woman he didn't know very well. Granted, he'd read her wrong, but there were still those remarks made by Gemmell. He couldn't get them out of his head, and yet a part of him wanted to. He didn't want her to be the person Gemmell had painted. This was the first time he'd seen a woman as anything other than a bed partner. But then this was a pretty unique situation that he had got himself caught up in. He inwardly sighed, now wasn't the time to make sense of his thoughts.
He looked up as he heard Carrie scream in pain. She had removed her jacket and blouse to allow the doctor to check her shoulder.
Jake gasped in shock when he saw the damage. Already, the top of her arm and the shoulder, front and back were black and blue.
'No!' screamed Carrie. 'I'm not going to hospital. There's n-nothing w-wrong with me. I won't go. I w-won't.' Carrie was completely hysterical, her teeth chattering as the shock set in.
'Carrie, you're hurt. We'll have a doctor see you here then.' He turned to the project leader. 'Is there a doctor you can call? And can someone make her a cup of sweet tea for the shock?'
Carrie put her face in her hands and started sobbing uncontrollably. Jake gathered her into his arms.
'Ouch! ouch! ouch!' she screamed as he touched the shoulder that had slammed against the post and then into the wall.
Jake tried to remove her jacket to check the damage.
'No!' Carrie gathered her jacket tight around her.
Something had triggered in her brain and she was terrified of allowing anyone to touch her.
Jake felt completely helpless as he watched her sitting there, looking broken. After a few minutes of heart-wrenching sobs Carrie became quieter. With the tea placed in front of him, Jake tried again.
'Here, drink this, it will help.' He put the tea to her lips and blindly she took a sip. Her face screwed up against the excessive sweetness of the hot liquid.
'More. I'll not be satisfied until you've drunk the lot.'
Carrie drank the tea, allowing Jake to continue holding the mug to her lips as if he was feeding a child. When she'd finished, Jake took her chin gently between his thumb and fingers and turned her face to look at him. He studied her closely. Her eyes still looked haunted but she'd lost the crazed look. The tea had done its job. With his other hand he brushed her hair away from her face and smiled at her tenderly.
She gave him a watery smile, her face starting to break up again. Jake couldn't bear her pain. He took her face in his hands and gently kissed away her tears. Carrie moved her hands to his chest as she responded to the touch of his lips on hers.
Jake pulled away.
'I'll be here for you Carrie. To the best of my ability I'll protect you. Until Alan has caught this monster who is doing this to you.'
Carrie heard his words and they hurt. He would only be there until the person was caught. She found that thought disconcerting. She thought she wanted him around longer than that but couldn't understand why. Jake saw the frown cross her face and kissed her again.
The project leader came back into the room with a doctor in tow. Jake moved away as he heard them enter.
'Will you let the doctor examine you now?'
Carrie nodded her head. She seemed to have lost the use of her voice. Jake went to leave the room with the project leader.
'No!' Carrie found her voice.
'Stay. Please,' she indicated to Jake.
*
As Jake watched the doctor carry out a thorough examination, he gave free reign to his own tangled thoughts. He found himself physically shaking as he went over the events and what might have happened if the police hadn't shown themselves so promptly.
'Would the perpetrator have hung around and done something far worse to her?'
He felt an overpowering need to protect Carrie. It must be man's primitive instincts kicking in, he thought. Why else would he feel so strongly about a woman he didn't know very well. Granted, he'd read her wrong, but there were still those remarks made by Gemmell. He couldn't get them out of his head, and yet a part of him wanted to. He didn't want her to be the person Gemmell had painted. This was the first time he'd seen a woman as anything other than a bed partner. But then this was a pretty unique situation that he had got himself caught up in. He inwardly sighed, now wasn't the time to make sense of his thoughts.
He looked up as he heard Carrie scream in pain. She had removed her jacket and blouse to allow the doctor to check her shoulder.
Jake gasped in shock when he saw the damage. Already, the top of her arm and the shoulder, front and back were black and blue.
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