Only Nathan knew what to expect when they got to the apartment but even he was shocked by what they found. The door was nearly in splinters and what was left of it was lying on top of an unconscious Caroline. They could also make out Arnold's legs sticking out from behind the overturned couch. What horrified them though was the sight of Chris sitting next to an unconscious and bleeding Maddy. As soon as he heard them Chris looked up. Only Buck and Nathan had ever seen that type of pain on Chris's face before, the day he had found his wife and son dead. "Nathan," Chris called in a broken voice.
Fearing the worst Nathan rushed to Chris's side. Kneeling down he quickly checked for a pulse as the others waited. Letting out a breath that he hadn't even realized he was holding, he nodded to the others. "She's alive.
The others let out their own sighs of relief as Ezra said, "Paramedics are on their way."
Nathan nodded his thanks. Unfortunately there wasn't much that he could do for Maddy until the paramedics came since he couldn't move her, but he could assess her injuries. Her arms were covered with welts and already forming bruises. A couple of the welts were bleeding slightly but it didn't seem like her wrist was any worse. Nathan was more concerned about Maddy's ribs since Chris mentioned that he had found Arnold kicking her. "How long has she been unconscious?" he asked. When he didn't get an answer he turned to his brother. Chris was still in a daze, looking down at Maddy. "Chris!"
Chris blinked and looked up. "What?" Nathan repeated the question. "Oh, she was unconscious when I came back so at least…fifteen minutes."
Nathan stared at him. "Are you okay?"
Chris blinked again and to Nathan's relief, the dazed look was gone. In its place was Chris's look of determination. "I'm fine. I'll be better once those two monsters pay."
Nathan didn't feel at all sorry for the Wilsons.
As Nathan took a look at Maddy, the guys looked around at the apartment. It was a mess from the fight but from what they could see, it was a mess even before the fight. If the man hadn't been down already, Vin was ready to beat the crap out of Arnold. This was the first time that Buck ever felt like hitting a woman. Josiah had heard horror stories as a high school counselor but none of them could compare to what he was seeing now. Ezra just felt sick. JD looked around before disappearing to one of the back rooms. After a few minutes, he came back out with a backpack and a stuffed duffle bag.
The paramedics arrived seconds later and got to work securing Maddy to a backboard. Once she was secure they took her to the ambulance, her brothers following close behind. "Anyone coming with us?" they asked before leaving.
"I am," Chris said and he got into the ambulance after them.
"We'll meet you at the hospital," Buck said as they shut the ambulance doors.
The short ride to the hospital was quiet. None of the men could get the image of the injured Maddy out of their heads, or Chris's stricken face. It was the look that he got any time one of the brothers was seriously hurt. It was a look that didn't come out easily. It was also a look that worried Buck to no end. Chris had finally begun healing after finding their brothers and it looked like Maddy was going to be the final piece of the puzzle. He was sure that Maddy was a strong girl, but Buck wasn't sure if Chris would be able to heal this time if they lost her.
They had barely parked before the six of them ran into the hospital. They barely noticed the two ambulances that had also left the apartment carrying Arnold and Caroline pull up at just the same time. They hurried to the all too familiar pediatric wing. None of them ever thought that they would be back here so soon. They were surprised when they arrived in the waiting room and didn't find Chris so Buck went up to the nurse. "Hi, we're here about Madison Taylor. She should've been brought in just a few minutes ago. We're her brothers."
The nurse nodded. "Yes, poor thing. She should be getting x-rayed right now."
"There should've been a blond man with her. Do you know where he is?" Buck asked.
The nurse was about to answer that she didn't know when Chris walked through the door, an ice pack and some pills in his hand. "Chris!" JD exclaimed.
"Where were you?" Vin asked eyeing the ice pack and the swelling in his chin.
"Stupid doctors insisted I get checked out while I waited," Chris grumbled. "Any word on Maddy yet?"
Josiah shook his head. "Not yet. What happened?"
Chris told them how he had gotten a bad feeling about leaving Maddy so he went back. He had found Arnold kicking Maddy and just saw red. He had just finished his story when the doctor came out. The men faced him as one unit, causing the startled doctor to step back a bit. It was a different doctor than earlier so he looked at the men curiously before addressing them. "Are you all here for Madison Taylor?" They nodded. "She has some extensive damage, mainly to her abdomen but with strict bed rest it should heal just fine. She suffered two broken ribs and three cracked. There's not much we can do about them besides monitor the broken ones to make sure that they don't pierce her lungs. Her arms should heal in two to three weeks. The only thing I'm really concerned about is the fact that she's still unconscious. She most likely has a concussion but we won't know for sure until she wakes up, if she wakes up. The longer she remains unconscious, the lower her chances of waking up become."
"Can we see her now?" Nathan asked.
"Of course," the doctor said. "Right this way."
The doctor led them to a private room where Maddy was lying in a hospital bed hooked up to various machines. Her thins arms were wrapped up in white bandages that covered from her wrist to just past her elbows. The only indication of her breathing was the heart monitor's steady beeping but if they looked carefully, they could just make out her small chest going up and down.
Chris's fists clenched in anger as he looked at the pale and injured little girl. "Those two are going to regret the day that ever laid one finger on Maddy," he growled under his breath. The brothers nodded their agreement. The Wilsons would most certainly pay.
