Her Carnal Games Series

by Chanel Ivy

  “This is nuts. The only reason The Company even knows about Ben is because of me. I just had to look in that sauna, didn’t I?” I chided myself as I remembered the first time I met Emma.

  Matt looked at me, confused. “What?”

  “Nothing, sorry. Too much to explain. Last question and I have to go. Yesterday you said the helicopter crash was shady. What did you mean by that?” I asked.

  “Emma’s choppers get regular maintenance by some of the best mechanics in their field. That particular helicopter just had maintenance done the day before, and everything checked out. There was a test flight and everything. Plus, the chopper barely got off the ground before something went wrong. The crash was designed not to kill everyone inside, but to injure them so they’d have to be transported to the hospital. I did some digging last night, and Mila Muller had been planning this for a while now. She has a son who lives in Germany still. He’s twenty-three, but he has disabilities, and Mila was his sole caregiver. Elias, one of the kids Emma used to live with years ago, was the father. Elias died before he and Mila’s baby was born.”

  This new information shed a lot of light on what happened yesterday. “So, I was right. Mila did blame Emma for Elias’ death.”

  “Wait... you knew about Elias?”

  “Emma told me a little about her childhood recently, and I pieced it together yesterday, but I wasn’t sure I was right. It was just a hunch, but her thick German accent gave it away. That’s all that was immediately pressing question wise, so thanks for filling me in. I have to go check on Emma,” I replied, turning to get back in my car.

  “Wait, Mia. Please be sure to be careful. It seems that Mila may have recently been working with someone else to get her information on Emma’s whereabouts. I’m not sure, but some of the info Mila needed to organize yesterday’s accident she would have needed help with, and I’m not sure who could have been helping her. Plus, we still don’t know what Emma meant by, ‘they know’ either. Keep your eyeballs peeled, and your asshole puckered,” Matt smiled.

  “You are so gross sometimes, Matt. Go get some work done, would you? I’m not in the office, so someone has to be working,” I laughed.

  “Yeah, yeah. Get out of here and go take care of Emma. I’ll hold down the Blackburn Fort like usual. You’d be lost without me!” Matt yelled as I closed my door.

  Sheesh. The crash yesterday was no accident, Mila could have been working with someone else, and Ben was in trouble with The Company big time it seemed. Could anything else go wrong? I had time to think about that later, though. Right now, I needed to get to Emma and see how she was doing.

  The drive to Charlotte felt like it took forever. There was more traffic than there should have been this late in the morning, and when I got off the highway, it felt like I hit every single red light there was. All in all, the trip took me four hours and fifteen aggravating minutes.

  I walked in the front doors of the pristinely spotless Surgical Center and asked the overly peppy receptionist with a shock of red curly hair and black-rimmed glasses for either Dr. Jenkins or Emma Cross’s room. Red hair looked at me like I was crazy before she picked up the phone, talking in hushed tones so I couldn’t hear her. So much for being peppy, I guess. Was I not presentable enough for her?

  Nurse Simpson walked through the double doors labeled ‘Staff Only’ with a polite smile on her face, which made me feel slightly more at ease after my long, annoying drive and uncomfortable encounter with Red the receptionist. “Right this way, Miss. Blackburn,” she said as she motioned for me to follow her back through the double doors. I turned and gave Red a quick sarcastic smile and a wave before following Jackie.

  There was a much different vibe here than at any other hospital I had even been to. The rooms we passed were all decorated with real furniture you would find in someone’s home and heavy drapes instead of clunky synthetic chairs and flimsy plastic blinds covering dingy windows. The floors were even unique. They looked to be stamped concrete that gave the impression of cobblestone without all of the bumps and crevices. Everything was immaculately clean but didn’t smell of hospital antiseptic, which was refreshing. I think that’s the worst thing about hospitals or nursing homes in general. The smell. This place felt like a sanctuary of healing instead of a surgical center.

  Nurse Simpson showed me to a corner room at the very end of the hall, leaving me at the closed door. She nodded her head to me before walking away, and I was surprised I didn’t get a rundown of what to expect or any update on Emma’s condition. Jackie’s departure was so cold, it felt like I was being left to identify a body. Jackie really needed to work on her bedside manners.

  What was it with people today? Did I have something on my face, or did I smell? Or was it that all of these people worked for The Company and they knew something I didn’t? Ugh, I couldn’t think like that. I was going to drive myself batshit crazy with conspiracy theories if I did.

  I took in a deep, cleansing breath to be ready for anything when I opened the door. I didn’t know if Emma was still going to be mad at me, expect me to be mad at her, or not remember anything at all. On the drive over here, I had nothing but time to think, and I still couldn’t decide which of those three options I would have preferred.

  I straightened myself and pushed the door open slowly, and I was welcomed to the sounds of machines quietly beeping and humming. Emma was fast asleep in the enormous hospital bed with her head and feet raised slightly, but her left leg was wrapped in thick white bandages, and a splint held her immobile in some sort of pully contraption. It all looked less than comfortable, so I assumed they still had Emma on some pretty powerful drugs for her to be sleeping in this position.

  The soft rays of the afternoon sun hit her face illuminating her skin and hair like she was an angel. To me, she was. She was my angel. I needed to make sure she knew I felt this way for her, and I silently chided myself for showing up to her hospital room with no get-well gift. I quietly tip-toed out the door to remedy my faux pas.

  I found someone wearing scrubs and asked if they could point me to where the gift shop was, and thankfully he was able to get me to where I needed to go. I walked into the store that sold pretty much anything you could think of and breathed in the excellent aroma of fresh flowers. It was almost like I had walked into a garden. There were so many different kinds to choose from. I, of course, picked the purple orchid potted plant for Emma. They were on her shower doors at home, so it was a safe guess that they were one of her favorites. I at least knew they were her favorite color.

  She mentioned a love of dark chocolate during one of our conversations, so I picked up plenty of that as well. Fully stocked with flowers and candy for my injured girlfriend, now I felt ready to visit Emma properly.

  I headed back to her room, and Dr. Jenkins and Nurse Simpson were standing outside her door, talking in hushed tones. I snuck behind the corner again, trying hard to hear the conversation and act natural at the same time for anyone walking past me. It sounded like they were saying something about increasing the dose of medication, and Dr. Jenkins was worried that it would be too much. Jackie was insisting she was told to ‘keep her out for as long as possible.’

  What the fuck could that mean? Were they intentionally sedating Emma and not for medical reasons?

  I heard my name from Jackie and decided now was a good time to interrupt their little scheming session.

  “Hey guys,” I said, turning the corner and facing the two of them with my hands full of gifts. “Since Emma was sleeping, I ran to the gift shop for some of her favorite things. Has she woken up from the anesthesia yet?” I asked, playing coy.

  Dr. Jenkins appeared to be racking his brain for a plausible answer before Jackie jumped in to save him. “Yes. Emma woke up in recovery, so we felt comfortable bringing her to her room. Her body has been through a lot in the last two days, though. She does need a good deal of rest to heal. We do expect her to sleep a lot, especially with the medication she is on for the pain and swellin
g,” Jackie smiled a fake smile.

  “Dr. Jenkins told me that Emma could go home today, though. Is that still happening?”

  Dr. Jenkins finally found his voice. “Yes. Emma’s vitals are all stable, and everything looks good. There’s no reason she can’t go home tonight. We’ve already arranged for a medical transport vehicle to take her home where a bed has been set up in her room equipped to keep her leg elevated and keep her as comfortable as we can make her while she recovers.”

  I smiled at both of them as I walked past them and through the door to Emma’s room before turning back. “I appreciate everything you’ve both done for Emma. I know she thinks of you both like family, and she understands that you have only her best interest in mind when treating her. Thank you again,” I said as I closed the door behind me, leaving them in the hallway.

  Assholes. I hoped my words made them feel like shit after they just talked about unsafely sedating Emma because someone wanted her out of the way for one reason or another. When did my life become so full of backstabbing dirtbags? I never thought I would miss my old humdrum boring life, but right now, curling up on my old worn couch and watching television with Emma sounded like a vacation versus what we were currently experiencing.

  Chapter 3

  Emma was still out, so I put the purple orchids next to her bed. The room was filled with the lovely smell of the flowers within minutes, and it was invigorating. I put the chocolates on the other end table within arm’s reach for her and sat in a fluffy chair I pulled up next to her bed. I grasped Emma’s cold hand in my warm palm and kissed the top of her wrist softly. Her wrist was sticky from medical tape, and there was a pinhole and a bruise over one of the veins that barely showed through her tanned skin. They must have had another IV there during the surgery.

  I got up and retrieved a cup of hot water and some soap from the bathroom along with two washcloths. I was happy to find a small travel-sized bottle of baby oil as well, so I brought that to her bedside with me. I used the baby oil to rub as much of the sticky residue off of her arms as possible, and then I washed the oil off and dried her skin.

  I found more tape residue all over her body from the leads they must have had on her during surgery, and before I knew it, I had given her a head to toe sponge bath. Just as I was finishing up, Emma’s eyes began to flutter, and she grumbled in pain.

  “Emma, sweetie, it’s Mia. I’m here, honey. Can you hear me?” I asked as I brushed my fingers through her hair.

  “Mia? What... what happened? Where am I?” Emma coughed out as she blinked and squinted her eyes.

  I jumped up and turned out the lights in the room and closed the shades leaving only the dull glow of the heart rate monitor and other machines in the room.

  I returned to her bedside, grasping her hand. “Is that better?”

  “Much. Thank you. Water. Can I have some water, please?”

  “Sure.” I grabbed the glass of water next to me and put the straw between Emma’s lips.

  She took a few short sips and cringed while she swallowed.

  “Are you okay? What hurts the worst?” I asked, wanting to do anything I could to help her feel less pain.

  “My leg is throbbing, but my throat feels like I swallowed steel wool, and it’s so dry, but it feels like there’s so much crap in my chest. I just want to cough it all out, but it’ll hurt like hell,” she whispered roughly.

  “I bet it’s from the intubation tube. You had to have surgery on your leg to set the bones. It was broken in two places. Dr. Jenkins said everything went well, but recovery is going to be challenging, to say the least. I can get the doctor to see if he can get you more pain meds if you want.”

  “No,” Emma said, squeezing my hand with as much strength as she could muster. “Please just stay with me.”

  I kissed her weak hand again. “Of course. Anything you need, I’ll be here.”

  “Thank you, Mia. And... I’m sorry for what I said the other night. I’d been drinking, but that’s no excuse for what I said to you.” I put my hand up to stop her, but she shook her head slowly and waved me away with her other hand, pulling at the IV tubes attached. “Let me finish, please. I have to say this. None of this is your fault. It’s just so much to handle at once, and you... you came into my life like a whirlwind turning everything upside down. I never thought I could feel like this for anyone, but you showed me that I can, and that terrifies me. I don’t know if I can love you the way you deserve, Mia. But if you’re willing to take a chance on me, I’d like to try,” Emma’s voice trailed off as tears filled her eyes.

  Seeing this strong, powerful woman reduced to tears, talking about how she felt for me gave me a renewed faith in our relationship. She was willing to try, even after all of the horrible things she had been through in her life. She offered herself up for rejection to me in her most vulnerable state. That meant everything to me. To think she had chosen to try and be with me of all people. Compared to Emma, I was a nobody, but she made me feel like somebody, and I wasn’t going to let anything get between us, ever.

  “Of course, Emma. But I’ll have you know, there are no chances, you’re officially stuck with me, Emma Cross,” I laughed.

  “I’m okay with that. Are those orchids I smell?”

  “Why, yes, they are. I got them for you. I hoped they’d cheer you up. I also got you some dark chocolate for when your throat is feeling better.”

  “Thank you, Mia. That was very thoughtful of you. Dark chocolate sounds great right about now,” Emma smiled at me as she rested her head back on the pillows. “So, can you please tell me what the hell happened? I remember our awful argument at the hotel, I got on the helicopter, something went wrong, there was a loud bang, and fire, then after that, I barely remember anything but pain. I think there was a warehouse and a blonde woman, but I’m not sure. Everything after the crash is a blur, and none of it makes any sense in my head.”

  I turned to look at the door, making sure it was still closed and whispered, “Well, it’s a long story, so I’m going to give you the short version for now. I’ll fill you in on the details when I know no one is listening.” I slid on the edge of the bed next to Emma and leaned over her. My lips brushed against her ear. “I know about you working with Matt and Innocence Inc.” I leaned back a little to look into her beautiful blue eyes. Even in the darkness of the room, they were bright and full of vibrancy as they opened wide at my admission.

  I leaned in close again. “Mila Muller was Elias’ girlfriend. The family you lived with in Germany when you were eleven. Mila was pregnant with their child when The Company burned down the house, killing him. Mila blamed you for his murder, and she was the blonde woman you remember. She orchestrated the helicopter crash to kidnap you and tried to make me get her money. Matt killed her, but I told The Company that I did it when they came to clean everything up. You broke your leg in the crash, and you’ve just had surgery to fix it at Dr. Jenkin’s Surgical Center in Charlotte. I think Nurse Simpson and Dr. Jenkins are up to something, though. I overheard them in the hallway, Jackie was talking about giving you more sedatives. She said someone told her to keep you out for as long as possible. I interrupted them, and they haven’t given you any more drugs, which is why you’re awake now, I think. Oh, hey, I know you said everything after the crash is a blur, but last night before you fell asleep, you told me, ‘they know.’ Do you remember that? Or who they are and what they know?” I asked quietly.

  Emma stared at me, blankly. I could tell she was racking her brain for answers trying to sort out the fragments of memories she could find. She finally squeezed her eyes shut and leaned back angrily. “No. I can’t remember anything. I barely remember Mila, I just know she was blonde. I don’t even recall her face or her voice. She had a son? If she needed money, why didn’t she just ask me for it?” Emma rubbed her temples in frustration. “Another person dead. This is getting out of hand.”

  “I agree with you there, but right now, the only thing we can worry about, the only thing
we can control is you getting better. You have to heal quickly so we can figure this shit out and put it all behind us. Todd was worried sick about you. Oh, hey, I got Ben to sign over full custody to me. I’m driving up tonight to get Todd moved into my place, and I’ll get him registered for school up here too,” I said, smiling at the ability to finally give Emma some good news.

  Emma coughed, and I gave her another sip of water. “That’s great, but moving him into your place, that’s not going to work for me.”

  “What? What do you mean?” I asked completely caught off guard by her odd comment.

  “Look at me. I’m not going to be able to do much in my condition, and we have a birthday party to plan still.” Emma grinned up at me. “You and Todd should move in with me. You could be my naughty nurse,” Emma said, smirking and running her fingers down my cheek.

  “You’ve been out of surgery for a few hours, and you’re already thinking about sex. You’re going to be the worst patient ever, aren’t you?” I laughed.

  “So that means you’ll do it? You’ll move in with me? You and Todd?” Emma asked excitedly but winced at the pain from sitting up too quickly.

  “Calm down there, Kemosabe. I guess so, but it’s only temporary until you’re back on your feet, literally,” I joked. “Todd said he can’t wait to make fun of you hobbling around on crutches.”

  “Oh, wow. I’m not even out of surgery a full day, and the kid is already making fun of me.”

  “You two are going to be so much fun to live with.”

  “Yes, we are,” Emma snickered.