The Rescuer's MC Bk 7

Chapter 4 - Bullet's woman?

Doc had a surprised look on his face when he pushed open the back door and saw Bullet lifting the young woman out. "What's going on Bullet?"

"Doc, this is Mara. Mara, this is Doc. He's going to check you out and make sure I don't need to take you to the hospital. Okay?" Bullet said.

Mara nodded and softly said "Hello."

"Hello Mara. Bullet put her down over here, please. I'll call you when you can come back in. Mara, this is my fiancé and nurse, Melinda." Doc said, immediately taking charge of his new patient.

Mara bit her lip to keep from making any sound when Bullet set her down softly on the exam table but she immediately leaned to one side.

Bullet was torn about leaving her but said "I need to drive Dot up front, but I'll be waiting right outside in the hall when you are done. I won't be gone but for a minute." Bullet said.

As soon as he was gone, Doc turned to Melinda and said "Let's get the standard blood work run." Then he turned to Mara and asked "Well, young lady, can you tell me if you hurt anywhere?"

Mara blushed and quietly said "My bottom and my....... Um...... my private. Larry was really rough last night."

"Who is Larry? Is he your husband? Boyfriend?" Doc asked.

"No! He, um, stopped when I broke down on the road one night and offered me a ride. He looked at my car but said he needed tools that he didn't have with him. He said he would get a friend to help him tow my car to his house so that he could work on it. He said it wouldn't take but about an hour or so. I should have just stayed with my car but he seemed so nice at first.

He took me to his house and almost as soon as we got there, he changed. He got bossy and when I didn't move fast enough, he got mad and started pushing me. He started making excuses about going to get my car, saying he couldn't get in touch with his friend or that he was too busy to come that day.

When I asked him to just take me back to my car, he got mad and hit me and I guess I blacked out. When I woke up he was...................." Mara had to stop. Doc could guess what had happened. Mara's face was wet with tears as she seemed to be reliving what had happened in silence.

"I understand. Now Mara, I'm going to have to give you a pelvic exam so that I can see if you need to be stitched up in any way. Are you bleeding?" Doc asked.

"No, I don't think so. I'm due to start my cycle soon but I hadn't started when I went to the bathroom this morning. I'm just sore from where he......um.........did it to my butt last night. God that hurt like mad." Mara said quietly. She barely seemed to notice that Melinda was drawing blood and taking her blood pressure and pulse.

"How long did he have you?" Doc asked.

"I broke down last Saturday. I'd gone to Mt. Steel to put flowers on my folks grave for the anniversary of the day they died and to empty my storage unit. I was on my way back to Lexington when my car broke down. It was getting dark and it was so cold." Mara said.

Doc didn't say anything but just shook his head. "I'm sorry this happened to you, Mara. Just so you know, the men here will not hurt you. Melinda, can you please help her get undressed and to put on a gown. I'll just wait in the hall to give you some privacy."

Doc wanted to let Bullet, and whoever else might be waiting to hear, know what was going on with Mara. Sure enough, he found Bullet pacing back and forth in front of the doors and Prez waiting with him.

"Do you have the one that did this to her?" Doc asked and immediately Prez knew that anything else he had to say was not going to be good. When he saw Bullet get pale, he knew that what he had been wondering was true.