When Day Breaks

CHAPTER 36

SWANNY charged into the hospital in central Paris, cradling Eden in his arms. She hadn’t regained consciousness since she’d told him she loved him, and that worried the hell out of him. Who knew what else she’d been subjected to? And he hadn’t been able to bring himself to let her go from his arms long enough to assess the rest of her body to see if there were additional injuries.

His heart was bleeding for Eden. He was so overcome with grief and guilt that he could barely maintain his composure. But he had to be strong for Eden. Had to make sure she got the care she so desperately needed. No matter what it took. He’d hit his retirement and investments to pay the cost if that was what he had to do.

He was met by a startled nurse and, thank God, Edge was with him since the nurse didn’t speak a word of English.

“I want the best possible care for her,” Swanny said, an edge of steel lacing his voice. “And I want the very best plastic surgeon called in to repair the damage to her face. I won’t accept anything less.”

There was an instant flurry of conversation between Edge and the nurse and then the nurse’s eyes widened, and she immediately got on the phone and spoke rapidly into the receiver.

“What the hell did you tell her?” Swanny demanded.

And why the hell hadn’t they taken her back yet? She needed immediate medical attention. She needed X-rays and a complete head-to-toe examination to ensure that all injuries were accounted for. He prayed with everything he had that her only serious injuries were to her face, but he had no way of knowing exactly all she’d been subjected to, and that gutted him. He wanted a report. Wanted to ease his mind, even though his worry over those cuts was overriding all else. But as long as she lived—as long as there were no serious, life-threatening injuries—he could deal. Because no matter how she looked, he loved her. Her. Not her stunning beauty or the professional face known to so many. He loved who and what she was. The heart of her. He didn’t give one fuck about scars, but he refused to allow her to endure that kind of pain, a constant reminder of her nightmare for the rest of her life. He knew all too well how that felt, and if it was within his power, he’d make damn sure Eden never had to suffer that.

“I simply explained who Eden was and that it wouldn’t do for her not to have the absolute best plastic surgeon in the region. She’s on the phone now calling in the top doctor in the plastic surgery field to see if he can come in immediately.”

After a few more moments, the nurse hung up and rushed around to where Swanny stood with Eden. Then she spoke rapidly to Edge, glancing at Swanny as she talked.

“What?” Swanny demanded. He hated this language barrier. He wanted to know exactly what was going on with Eden.

“She wants to know your relationship to Eden and whether you have authorization to grant permission for surgical procedures.”

“You tell her I’m her goddamn husband and I’ll be the only person authorized to grant permission for medical procedures and I want to know exactly what’s going on every step of the way.”

Edge relayed Swanny’s response, and the nurse looked appeased by the explanation. Then she gestured for Swanny to follow her back. Knowing he’d need Edge, despite his desire to have Eden to himself, he motioned for Edge to come as well.

The nurse hurriedly ushered her into a private cubicle and then explained to Edge that while they waited for the plastic surgeon they would do a complete medical examination including X-rays and that they would prep and clean her wounds on her face so that when the surgeon arrived they could take her straight back to surgery.

“Just let her know I’m not budging,” Swanny said stubbornly. “Tell her not to even bother trying to throw me out because I’ll tear this damn hospital down to get to where she is.”

A smile hovered on Edge’s lips as he translated Swanny’s threat. The nurse’s eyes widened and she took a hasty step back as if Swanny’s tone and expression had thoroughly intimidated her. But she nodded her agreement and instructed him to lay Eden on the stretcher.

Swanny was reluctant to leave her even for a moment, but he grudgingly arranged her on the bed and took a step back so the medical staff could do their job. But he made sure he remained close and kept Edge in the room to translate because he didn’t want to miss a single word.

He stood, arms crossed, his gaze never leaving Eden as the medical personnel scurried back and forth, performing their examination. Swanny’s rage only increased as they removed her clothing and he saw extensive bruising to her rib cage and kidney area.

He curled his fingers into tight fists, tension bristling in tangible waves. His edgy mood bled over to the medical staff and they made certain to keep Edge in the loop over every discovery and the fact that they’d be bringing in a portable X-ray so they didn’t have to move her from her current position.

Swanny nodded his approval, but his expression stayed grim. He kept checking his watch, waiting for the damn surgeon to arrive. He didn’t want Eden waking up and seeing her face this way, even though she’d see the bandaging. She’d know they—the cuts—were there. But he’d be damned before he ever let her suffer as he had, nor did he want her to carry permanent memories of such a horrific experience. He didn’t give a flying fuck that legally he had no right to be making medical decisions on her behalf, but he’d fight anyone who opposed his decisions.

At one point she seemed to stir and Swanny immediately snapped to attention. He barked an order for Edge to relay to the nursing staff. He wanted her sedated until she went to surgery. No way in hell did he want her to wake up to the horror of what had happened to her. Not until Swanny could be certain she had received the absolute best care and that the cuts to her face were fixed and would heal flawlessly.

An hour later, a physician bustled in wearing street clothes. He went immediately to Eden’s bedside and removed the loose dressings on her face. He studied extensively, muttering to himself as he completed his examination.

Swanny was fidgeting with impatience, waiting for the surgeon to tell him anything. More importantly, if the damage could be undone.

Finally he turned to face Edge and Swanny. To Swanny’s relief he spoke flawless English.

“We are fortunate in that the cuts to Miss Sinclair’s face aren’t deep. I don’t believe there will be any tissue damage. The cuts are very precise, not jagged. It’s my opinion a scalpel was used to inflict the cuts, which certainly makes my job easier.”

“Thank God,” Swanny whispered.

“They’ll prep her for surgery and I’ll go get scrubbed down and change and be waiting in surgery for her to arrive. Expect them to move her within the hour, and of course we’ll keep her comfortable throughout the entire process.”

Swanny extended a shaking hand to the doctor. “I appreciate this. Thank you for coming so soon. This means the world to me.”

“It’s no problem. I’m well aware of who Miss Sinclair is and she’s graced the covers of so many magazines. I will make it my utmost priority—and pleasure—to ensure that no permanent scarring remains. I’m very good at what I do,” the doctor said in a serious tone. “I have no reason to believe that the surgery won’t be one hundred percent successful. She’ll need time to recover, of course. She won’t be back to work immediately, and she’ll likely need additional procedures. It won’t happen overnight, but in my professional opinion the damage can be corrected.”

“She won’t be lifting a finger,” Swanny said gruffly. “And she won’t be facing those additional procedures alone. I’ll ensure she has everything she could possibly need or want at her disposal.”

The surgeon hurried out and in a matter of moments the nursing staff came back in and began the task of prepping her for surgery. After a few minutes, one of the nurses turned regretfully to Edge, though she included Swanny in her gaze.

“We’ll take her to the OR to finish prepping her. We have to make sure we’re in a sterile environment. I know it’s hard not to be able to see her or be with her, but I promise she’s in the best of hands. If you’ll wait in the surgery waiting room on the second floor, we’ll update you periodically, and then when she’s brought to recovery you’ll be able to see her.”

Swanny let out a strangled breath, fear and relief swamping him. What if the surgery wasn’t a success? Eden wasn’t a vain woman in the least. But there was no way in hell he wanted her to suffer as he had done with his facial scarring. Her face and body were her career, and he had no desire for her to be forced to retire early. He wanted her to have choices, even if those choices forced her in a different direction than him.

“Come on, man,” Edge said quietly, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s go find the others and hit the waiting room. If I had to guess, Eddie and her brothers are already in the air flying over. They’re going to want to know everything.”

Swanny nodded and reluctantly allowed himself to be led from Eden’s room. They went into the emergency department waiting room where the others were sitting. Hancock surged to his feet, worry etched into every groove on his face.

Before anyone could ask, Swanny quickly relayed the situation to them all. Hancock swore and pounded his fist on one of the chairs in front of him.

“This is my fault,” he said furiously. “I took out the wrong person.”

“None of us were looking for the sister,” Joe said quietly. “We’d been told both mother and daughter had perished in the mission Eddie headed that went all to hell. It only made sense to focus on the brother after the threat Eddie received. We all carry part of the blame for not finding this out until it was too late. We accepted Eddie’s word since it had happened years ago, and we should have thoroughly researched the entire situation and broadened our scope beyond the son.”

But no matter who was taking the blame, Swanny knew in his heart that he and only he was responsible for Eden’s kidnapping and subsequent torture. He never should have left her. He should have insisted on being with her the entire time. The kidnapper posing as the maid would have never made it through the door of Eden’s suite if Swanny had been there.

It was a regret he’d live with for the rest of his life.