Beyond The Veil (A Paranormal Romance)

Chapter 7

"Room 122," the nurse explained. "She is awake now but still under sedatives. She will be happy to have a visitor. Are you a relative?"

"Ah... no." Raphael shook his head.

"Oh, I see." She smiled knowingly. "The boyfriend."

He was about to correct her but she was already walking down the hallway, motioning him to follow her. She lead him to one of the doors on the left and opened it, carefully peeking in. "Hey Sweetie," she greeted her patient affectionately. "You have a visitor. Your boyfriend is here."

"My boyfriend?" Raphael heard Emily's weak and confused voice.

"Don't stay too long," the nurse advised, winking, before going back to her tasks.

"Sorry," he apologized as he entered the room. He had to force himself to finish the sentence, for what he saw inside shocked him deeply. "She just assumed you and I were a couple."

"Professor Cole?" She had trouble keeping her eyes open; clearly the works of the sedatives.

Her right eye was swollen and the skin around it had turned purple and blue. Her lower lip was cracked, it had been bleeding, and her left arm was in a cast.

Slowly, Raphael approached her bed, not wanting to believe his senses. This little girl looked like she had been in a fist fight. A very rough one. This couldn't be real.

"May I sit down?" He couldn't wrap his mind around the state she was in.

She nodded, apparently fighting to stay awake. "Are you really here? I'm just dreaming again, right?"

"No, you're not. I'm right here at your bed." Raphael gently touched her unharmed hand, wondering why she asked if she was dreaming again. Quickly, he pushed the thought aside and blamed it on the medication. "See?"

For a split second a dazed smile brightened her face.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?"

Her eyes fell shut before she whispered, "I fell down the stairs."

Raphael let out a disapproving grunt. Sure she fell down the stairs. And quite certainly the stairs had punched her, giving her a black eye. But she obviously didn't want to tell him the truth, so he decided not to pester her. For now, at least.

"Why are you here?" she wanted to know.

"The hospital called me. They found my card in your wallet."

"I'm sorry." Emily opened her eyes halfway to look at him. Was that a tear he saw? He swallowed hard, trying to suppress the anger that was surging up within him. Who had done this to her? "I know you shouldn't be here and they shouldn't have called you. I'm so sorry."

She was actually apologizing. The girl in the hospital bed who had been beaten up so badly was actually apologizing! This was almost too much to handle. Raphael struggled to stay calm. He wanted to know the person's name, he wanted to look for him and make him pay. But instead, his fingers lay softly around her small hand.

"Don't even think about it. There is no reason for you to be sorry. Just rest now. Everything will be alright."

Her eyes closed again, and with a faint smile she drifted off to sleep.