Beyond 10 Nights (Forbidden Desires Series)

by Michelle Hughes

  While the paramedics split, so they could check over both Leah and Alex and determine which one was the more critical patient, the police officers listened to Janie’s rapid-fire explanation of what had happened. Once they had listened to Janie’s report, the two officers turned their attention to Rhett, who was still on the floor, though he had risen to his knees, his eyes not straying from Leah.

  “Sir?” The senior of the two police officers approached cautiously, one hand on his gun in case the man was going to turn violent again. “Can you tell me what happened here?”

  “It’s all my fault.” Was all Rhett would say, repeating it over and over, oblivious to the presence of the police, despite their efforts to question him.

  After several minutes, during which he got no response from the man before him, the senior officer took out his handcuffs. “Mr. Hammond, I am arresting you for assault…” he reeled off the Miranda rights both he and his partner had memorized as he secured Rhett’s wrists behind him.

  While Rhett was taken away by the two officers, Leah and Alex were loaded onto gurneys and placed in the rear of the ambulance. Janie and David followed behind in David’s car as it sped toward the hospital, hoping that both Leah and Alex would prove to be okay, and their injuries more minor than they appeared to be.

  19

  HEALING

  When Leah woke she felt as though her head had been slammed into a wall. Groaning softly, she forced her eyes open slowly, confused by her surroundings. “Where am I?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, though it sounded like a shout to her.

  What little she could see told her she was in a hospital room, but she had no idea why she was there, or how she had ended up there.

  “You’re fine, honey,” Janie cooed, rising from the chair where she had been sitting alongside the bed so she could pat her friend’s hand, like she was a small child. “The doc says you have a small concussion, and a few nasty cuts from the glass, but you should be able to go home tomorrow.”

  “I’m so sorry this happened, Leah.” Alex lifted her other hand, being careful not to dislodge the I.V. that was taped in place there.

  Images flooded Leah’s mind, making her head throb and she whimpered as she remembered what had happened. “It wasn’t your fault,” she told him. Looking up at him she saw the tape covering his broken nose and the darkened eyes that had resulted from it, as well as the bruise on his jaw, and tried to sit and reach a hand up to him.

  Alex let go of Leah’s hand so he could gently push her back down on the bed. “The physician said you should remain still, love,” he told her with a sad smile as he reached for the button to call the nurse. He wasn’t just angry with Rhett over what had happened he was angry with himself. He knew he should never have let things get to the point they had, not when he had seen how angry his friend was becoming.

  “Where’s Rhett?” Leah asked, laying still, not just because she was supposed to, but because the effort to sit had sent pain shooting through her head, leaving her with the desire to stay as still as possible.

  Alex didn’t want to upset her any more than she already was and looked to Janie. No matter how the night ended, he knew that she had serious feelings for Rhett, and he wasn’t cruel enough to blurt out the truth, even though he felt his friend was exactly where he deserved to be just then.

  “He’s in jail, honey,” Janie told her. She didn’t feel good about having to share such news with her friend, despite her private feelings about the man, but her friend deserved to know the truth. “He admitted to causing your accident and assaulting Alex, he's in jail until he has been arraigned.” As far as she was concerned he could rot in there after what he had done; she had been terrified when she saw her friend unmoving and bleeding from a head wound.

  “We have to get him out of there,” Leah said softly. Even seeing Alex’s injuries she didn’t believe Rhett deserved to spend time in jail, after all, he had just been trying to do what he thought was best for her.

  “After what he’s done, I think a few nights in jail might be good for him,” Janie said, unable to keep her opinion to herself.

  “Janie, if you guys won’t help, I’ll get out of this bed and go down there myself,” Leah declared. What he had done might well have been wrong, and extreme, but the thought of him sitting in jail, even for a while, appalled her, all the more so because she knew she was the cause of all the trouble.

  “David is there now, honey, so don’t you worry about any of this.” Alex held a similar opinion to Janie, that a few days cooling off in a jail cell would be good for Rhett, it might even be best if he stayed there until he was tried, he thought, but he didn’t say that. He had come to learn just how tender Leah’s feelings were, and he had no intention of upsetting her if it could be avoided.

  “I’m sure David is doing everything he can to speed things up,” Janie said.

  The nurse walked in then and Alex and Janie both left so she could check Leah’s stats. “You’ve had an exciting night, young lady,” she tsked under her breath. “Thankfully, your CT scan is fine, and I think with some rest you’ll be almost back to your old self in just a few days.” Smiling, she placed a pulse oximeter on her finger and then took her blood pressure after that number registered. “Everything looks good here; are you in any pain?”

  “A bit,” Leah admit, she had never been big on taking medication, but given the ache in her head she thought it would be a good idea for her to have something mild. “Thanks for taking care of me.” She had a great respect for people in the medical field, despite her preferring to avoid them when she could, and marveled at anyone who could do that type of work.

  “You just rest and let your body heal, that’s all the thanks I need, young lady.” With a smile, she wheeled her cart from the room, returning a few minutes later with the required pain relief.

  Leah wanted to forget everything that had happened that night, and when Alex and Janie came back she told them she just wanted some rest. She could overanalyze everything that had happened when she felt better, she thought to herself. She had been hoping that they would leave her alone to sleep, but they refused to leave the room, though they did remain quiet so she could get the rest she wanted.

  It took all of the strings David was able to pull to make sure that Rhett’s arraignment would take place on Monday, first thing in the morning.

  David had expected Rhett to explode with anger when he heard that he would have to spend the weekend in a cell, and was surprised when he didn’t. Nor had he shown much concern over being told that David had contacted the senior partner in charge of their criminal division to handle the case, since David had little to no experience with criminal law.

  “Just make sure you keep me updated on Leah’s condition,” Rhett said once his friend and partner had finished speaking. He felt as though he belonged there, in the small cell he had been placed in, alone with his thoughts. “I’ve really made a mess of things, haven’t I,” he said, downcast.

  David could see that Rhett regretted what had happened, but had very little sympathy for how his friend felt. “Janie said she has a concussion, but she’ll be released tomorrow, if she’s up to it.” He fell silent for a moment as he gave careful thought to what he was going to say next. “Whatever happens on Monday, Rhett, I think you need to seek some help for your anger issues.” After talking with the senior criminal partner he knew that treatment might just be the only way Rhett could avoid jail time. If he showed remorse, and a willingness to seek treatment then the judge might be lenient with him.

  “I just started seeing a psychiatrist last week,” Rhett admitted. After the way things had gone he knew it had been the right decision for him to make. He didn’t want to hurt anyone, especially not Leah, but it was clear that he couldn’t control his temper around her.

  David was surprised by his friend’s confession; he would never have expected to hear that Rhett was seeing a psychiatrist, at least not without being forced. “That should help at the arra
ignment,” he said, sure that the knowledge his friend had sought help for his problem before being arrested would stand him in good stead, since it was an indication he already knew he had a problem and was trying to deal with it. “I really hope the psychiatrist is able to help you, but I think there is something else you need to consider as a possible outcome of Monday’s hearing.” Even though his friend had crossed a number of lines recently, he still had a great deal of respect for him when it came to business, and felt he deserved the truth.

  “What’s that?” Rhett asked, not sure what his friend had to say would be something he wanted to hear.

  “Nelson thinks it likely the judge will order you to stay away from Leah; he said it will most likely be a condition of you getting bailed.”

  Rhett nodded. “I know I have to stay away from her; until I am in a better place I just can’t be around, Leah.” Rhett admitted, not liking what he was saying, though he knew it was the right thing to do.

  “I’m relieved to hear you are thinking sensibly, finally, Rhett.” David didn’t need to be a psychiatrist to see that his friend’s obsessive need to make Leah his was harmful to both of them.

  “It’s ironic, isn’t it,” Rhett said, shaking his head in disgust he chuckled humorlessly. “The first time I allow myself to love someone I almost destroy them.”

  David was shocked by his friend’s admission. “As in ever?” he asked, he knew his friend had never loved any of the submissive's he been involved with over the years, but he had always assumed he had loved someone in his life, even if only his parents.

  Rhett had never spoken about his past with David, with anyone actually, but being in that place, and the guilt over the harm he had caused Leah, combined to fill him with a need to open up in ways he would never have thought possible.

  “My mom died when I was a little boy, and my dad never recovered from her death, so love was never a big feature in my life.” He guessed he had loved his parents, but everything that had happened in his childhood had convinced him that love was a useless emotion, and one best avoided.

  David couldn’t imagine having grown up without knowing love and compassion. In that respect he had been spoiled and he knew it; his family had been both loving and supportive, all throughout his life, to the extent that he had never felt a need to conceal his lifestyle from them. “Maybe learning to love someone, and to love them in the right way, will help you.” He couldn’t help but think that the psychiatrist, whoever Rhett was seeing, was going to have a challenge with his friend, though he kept that thought to himself.

  Rhett considered how he had treated his precious Leah, and could only nod. “Either that or stop giving a damn and go back to how I was before.” That didn’t paint a nice image in his mind, and after discovering what it was like to feel he didn’t ever want to go back to how he had been.

  “Well, outside of being your partner, Rhett, I am your friend, so if you need to talk, I’m here for you.” He couldn’t hate him for what had happened, though a part of him suggested he should, it was clear that his friend had a lot of problems he had never come to terms with. That realization gave him a new found compassion for Rhett.

  “Even after all this shit, you’re still willing to be my friend?” He wasn’t sure he would be able to be so forgiving if the tables were turned, he thought.

  “People screw up, Rhett; it doesn’t mean you don’t care about them, that’s what a real friendship is about.” It stunned him that his friend didn’t understand that.

  “Thanks, David, I promise, I’m going to get my shit together.” He had never reached out to another person the way he was then, outside of Leah, and oddly enough it gave him comfort and didn’t make him feel weak, like he had thought it would.

  “I have a feeling you will, Rhett.” David glanced down at his watch before getting to his feet. “I’ve got to go, I need to make sure Janie’s okay; just do your best to avoid the other prisoners and Monday morning we’ll get you out of this place.”

  Rhett stood and offered his hand; he was surprised when David pulled him into a hug, and more surprised when he found himself returning in. Men in his position didn’t hug other man, but it felt good to know he wasn’t alone, for a change.

  The inside of a prison was somewhere he had never thought to find himself, and as he was led back to his cell he felt glad that he wasn’t alone, emotionally if not physically. Chicago had some disturbing criminals, he read about them all the time in the papers, and he was glad his influence, while not enough to get him released, was sufficient to ensure him one of the few solo cells available.

  Settling on the small, uncomfortable cot, Rhett made himself comfortable, as comfortable as he could anyway. With nothing but time, which needed to be occupied, his mind to wandered, running through a variety of subjects; when his mind fell on the subject of his father, and the relationship they had, he felt an ache in his chest. The ache made him feel as though he had a hole there that needed to be filled.

  Vividly, he remembered doing anything he could think of to please his father following his mother’s death. He had brought home drawings from his grade school in the hope that they would pull him from his depression, which seemed never-ending. For the most part his father had ignored him, except for those occasions when his father’s anger had made him tear up the drawings and tell him that he needed to stop living in a fantasy world.

  If it hadn’t been for the servants, he wouldn’t have been fed or bathed, so total was his father’s lack of attention. His father had been more distant when he was there, than when he was away on business, while the servants who took over caring for him had been politely efficient, but had never showed emotion. Later he had come to understand that they were all terrified of his father, and feared for their jobs, to the point where they were careful to do nothing that might endanger their employment.

  His father had sent him to military school when he was in the third grade, after one of his teachers had made a home visit to discuss his failing grades and generally declining attitude. The worst beating he could remember receiving, had come when he begged and pleaded not to be sent away to school; home was where memories of his mom were, he didn’t want to leave them behind.

  In those days, child abuse laws were almost unheard of, and the punishment he had received, though considered harsh, went largely unnoticed by those around him.

  School holidays were spent at the academy, and he received only a check on his birthdays and every Christmas. He had grown up knowing that his father didn’t give a damn about him, and had developed the opinion that people in general weren’t very nice.

  His time at the academy had been filled with misery, he didn’t fit in with the other boys, and it wasn’t until junior year that he found himself a friend. Alex, a new arrival at the academy, was just as ostracized as he was, and because of that they soon became friends.

  Together they had looked for whatever excitement they could find, anything to take them away from the misery of their personal lives, and their explorations had soon led them to the world of BDSM. Alex had been introduced to a Mistress at the Ranch when he was just sixteen, and she had given them both an education that had changed their lives forever.

  Rhett did not enjoy the harsh lifestyle of the Ranch, but felt he deserved it, since he was clearly unlovable. It wasn’t until he graduated from the Academy, and found a new Mistress, one who taught him how to train others, that he found himself enjoying the lifestyle, and moving away from that which existed on the Ranch.

  While Alex continued to enjoy the pony lifestyle, Rhett discovered different ways to enjoy himself, and throughout college he gained experience in manipulating women, getting them to do as he wished them to. It wasn’t until after he graduated from college that he discovered being a true dominant meant more than just fulfilling his own needs, in whatever way he desired.

  Looking back, he knew he should never have been exposed to the lifestyle at such an early age, but he couldn’t regret the lessons it
had afforded him. When he had come to understand that there was more to the lifestyle than simply using women for his pleasure, he had chosen to only get involved with experienced submissive's.

  In those early days, he had allowed them to top him from the bottom, giving him their knowledge and experience, which enabled him to become a better master.

  When he finally fell asleep his mind played out scenes from his life in rapidly shifting dreams. The one thing that was clear, from everything his mind was showing him, was that there were still lessons he needed to learn.

  20

  JUDGEMENT

  Leah was able to speak to Rhett by phone over the weekend, but only for two short periods, all the time he had been allotted on the phone in the jail. Both times he had sounded so forlorn it had broken her heart.

  She knew he had some serious issues to deal with after the fiasco that their meeting with Alex had become, but she still loved him. Nothing that had happened had changed that, though a part of her said that it should have.

  Sitting in the courtroom as Rhett went before the judge for his arraignment, Leah couldn’t help fidgeting uncomfortably. Her restlessness was not just the result of her uncertainty over what was going to happen to Rhett; despite David’s assurances she couldn’t help but worry that he was going to be refused bail, she was also suffering from the numerous minor cuts on her back, caused when she fell through David’s glass coffee table.

  “Leah, would you calm down and stop fidgeting,” Janie told her friend in a low whisper. She had never been in a courthouse before, for any reason, and was finding being surrounded by criminals a distasteful experience. If Leah hadn’t been her best friend, she would never have agreed to be there.

  Alex squeezed her hand reassuringly as Rhett was called before the judge. As angry as he was at his friend, he didn’t want to see him do time for his stupidity. Hundreds of people, if not more, depended on him for employment, and being denied bail, or worse, getting sent to prison when the matter came to trial, assuming it did, would not only hurt him, but all those that he employed as well. It was for that reason alone that he hadn’t filed charges against him, despite the injuries he had received, which included two cracked ribs, a fractured nose, two black eyes, and numerous other bruises.