While the team was planning and heading for their own flight, Eliot was boarding his. He was going over what he was going to need to do while he handed his id and boarding pass to the attendant.
"Have a good flight, sir." She smiled pleasantly as she handed him back his pass.
He had a job to do. First on the agenda was to get to the hospital to check on Cat, then it was to deal with the record company.
Eliot sat in his seat, thinking about the last time he saw Catherine. It was two years ago, just after the team had disbanded for six months. Shelly had called him when he couldn't find her after she went out with her friends for her twenty-first birthday.
Shelly hadn't wanted to panic Eliot, but after calling her phone and not getting anything, he started to worry. He knew with Eliot's and his enemies if they found out about Catherine, there would be trouble.
So Eliot flew down. Catherine knew better than to be out of contact. They had gone looking for her only to find her sleeping at her friend's house after she was the designated driver for her friends on her own birthday.
Her friends had gotten angry that she wanted to go home, so she destroyed her phone by dumping it into the beer ball and hiding her keys.
Once Eliot and Shelly got her home, she got a lecture about always finding a way to stay in contact and her choice in friends.
Eliot looked out the window once again lost in his thoughts but knowing to keep a keen eye on his surroundings. A few hours later though it felt like more than a few, they finally landed in Kentucky. He had a crick in his neck from the uncomfortable seat, which only added to his irritation.
He grabbed his overhead bag and looked at his phone; he saw that Hardison had arranged for a rental truck for him, he picked it up, heading to the hospital.
He headed inside, looking around at the information desk. He put his duffle down to the side and headed over to the help desk. Elliot could have broken out the charm. He still might, but he chose to approach this in a more Sophie way. The "just enough truth to move things along, but not complicate it way." Excuse me ..." he gave the lady behind the desk his most soft drawl with the smile that could melt anyone. She looked up into blue eyes. "I was told Catherine Donnelly was brought here..." He let the worry seep into his voice just slightly.
She frowned. "And you are?" She looked at the screen before looking up at him.
"I'm her legal guardian..." He gave her a sheepish grin.
"Oh ..." She nodded. "She's in room 305. I can send her doctor up if you want …." She wrote down the number for the room then handed it to Eliot.
After remembering his Southern manners in saying a quick good-bye and thank you, she watched him walk away, grabbing a bag sitting on the floor. He must have traveled quite awhile. Poor dear. She sent out a call for Ms. Donnelly's doctor.
Eliot didn't know why but he went into the gift shop and got a beer and some flowers. He headed to the elevator, hitting the button to the third floor. Eliot felt nervous and worried. He wasn't sure what he was going to see when he walked in.
As he got off the elevator, he turned left to room 305. He stood in the doorway, and he could see Cat lying in bed on her right side. A bandage was on her forehead. He couldn't see what other injuries she had as she was covered with the blankets. He headed into the room, setting the flowers on the stand with the bear, he walked over to the side of her bed and brushed the hair from her face gently touching where the bandage was.
His heart felt like it was in a vice seeing the bruising on her pale cheek. He was going to make those sons of bitches pay. He sat down on the chair by her bed, taking the one hand by her face in his hand, the only one that was visible. He moved closer when he felt her stir.
Her blue eyes slid open, slightly glassy from what was probably the pain meds in her body. Catherine's brows knit in confusion.
She blinked a few times.
She didn't remember much she knew she was in the hospital. She woke up in the emergency room after her car had flipped. The doctor said something about broken bones and a few other things, but she wasn't coherent enough and had tried to tell them to let her go home. Now she woke up to see two familiar and very concerned blue eyes looking at her.
"El?" She tried to sit up only for him to rest a hand on her shoulder gently. "what are you doing here..."
He stroked her hair gently, his voice soft. "where else would I be..." He stared back into her eyes, conveying he wanted the truth. "what happened, Cat?" He leaned closer.
Cat's brow furrowed again. "How did you know where to find me? How are you here."
She shifted in the bed, bracing her hands against the mattress as she tried to sit up. Pain radiated through every inch of her body; she squeezed her eyes closed. She breathed through her nose and out her mouth. Eliot was there, his arm slipping along her back as he helped her lay down again.
Cat bit her lip, hiding the pain, but it wasn't easy, she felt like she got stomped on by a giant.
She finally got it under control before looking at him again.
When he didn't say anything, she sighed. "I am not sure what happened. It's kind of foggy. I was driving home from the studio. We had only cut two tracks when Frank said we had finished for the day. I was driving this rental because the Camaro was in the shop.." She licked her lips.
"So I left to go home as I was having a meeting with Trey later. When I was driving down Fifth and Mountain, this car seemed to be having some issues. I tried to get out of its way when the car hit mine. I tried to control the car, but It hit me again. All I remember is going over the guard rail and then nothing till I woke up here..." She turned to look at him. "Really, how did you find me or find out ….Trey doesn't know about you. "
"You forget I am listed as your next of kin, darlin, and your legal guardian..."
He folded his arms, the blood in his veins boiling as she described someone running her off the road. She could have easily got killed. He needed to know more when there was a knock on the door. He looked up to see a doctor standing at the door. He moved to the side of the bed, naturally in protective mode.
"You must be the young man Francis told me was up to see Ms. Donnelly." He held out his hand.
He was an older man, his hair salt and peppered with wrinkle lines at his eyes. He held out his hand to Eliot, "Dr. Powder."
He felt the firm handshake of the man in front of him. He could tell just by the stance of the man he was protective of the young lady in the bed. "Ms. Donnelly's very lucky she could have gotten more seriously hurt than she was."
He went to the chart at the end of the bed and lifted it.
"She has a broken left wrist and a dislocated shoulder. Bruised ribs and a broken left ankle. She does have a slight concussion, but she is quite lucky." He could also see as he listed each injury the young man tensed. "I would like to keep her here for a couple of days..."
"Oh no, I don't think so..." Catherine sat up with a frown wincing as it sent sharp pains through her ribs.
"I am not staying here..." She shook her head. She didn't feel safe, even with Eliot there now. She also knew how dangerous it could be for Eliot if someone saw him that might know him. She looked at Eliot. "Please don't make me stay here... I'll do whatever you want me to do …."
Eliot looked into those eyes, knowing he had to be stern with her but knew she would do what he asked. He looked at the doctor. "if I promise to look after her …. can she leave?" His mind was already whirring with ideas. Maybe if he could contact Hardison, he could set them up with a place to stay. He could protect her easier somewhere else.
Doctor Powder frowned, "I wouldn't advise it, but if she wants to, I can't stop you."
Eliot turned to Catherine. "I'll be right back..." He went outside the room and took out his phone. While he held his cellphone, he hit his comm. "Hardison, I know you overheard everything, so don't say you didn't..." He frowned. "I just need you to arrange for a place to stay right now...I'll get her pain medication."
Hardison looked at Nate, who was talking to Sophie. They had just landed in Kentucky and were getting the van they rented. "already on it, man …" He knew Eliot wasn't going to be happy when he found out they were there. "You still at the hospital, man?"
"Yeah, I am still here," Eliot replied, wondering what the hell he was asking that for, where else would he be.
Hardison grabbed his bag, and Parker's tossing them in the back. He jumped in the back seat as they headed to the hospital to meet up with Eliot. He looked at Nate as he drove, "we will be at the hospital in like fifteen minutes so you can get her ready to go..."
"What the hell do you mean..." He growled
"He means Eliot we are here in Kentucky we were contacted by her agent to handle the case ..." Nate stated as he rode in the driver seat.
"Hardison has a place for all of us to stay." He really didn't want to go inside a hospital. "do you think she's able to leave the hospital? Or do you think she needs to stay there..." as much as he hated to let someone else take the lead on the case Eliot knew more about this client than he was saying?
"Dammit, Hardison..." Eliot growled, "yeah, I can get her out of here..." he looked back at her.
He felt something off about the doctor. He was too eager to offer help. "fine, see you when you get here... she's in room 305."
He headed back inside the room. He looked at Catherine. "I'll take responsibility for her...how soon can you discharge her..." He leaned against her bed with his arms folded.
"I can have her discharged in a few minutes, but I advise against it..." He stated with a frown. "she has broken bones that need to mend and is on medication for the pain..." He wrote on her chart. He argued with Eliot for about a minute but quickly lost to the sheer stubbornness of both the patient and her champion. Just as he said a few minutes later, she was all signed out when the team showed up.
"Where's your clothes, darlin..." Eliot looked into the closet. He picked up the bag and made a face.
The clothes had rips and tears with blood crusted on them "have to grab some clothes from your place..." He looked over to see the team standing at the doorway of the hospital room. His eyebrow raised at the bag in Sophie's hand.
She smiled. "I figured she'd need something clean to wear after all she's not going to want to go home in those... " She indicated the hospital gown and robe Eliot had wrapped around her shoulders. "do you want me to get a …."
Eliot shook his head; he tilted Catherine's head up, so she was looking in his eyes. "darlin, this is my team..." He could see she was in pain and tired. "Now, you have two choices... I help you get ready …." He could see that stubborn shift in her eyes "you'll need help darlin... or you could let my friend help you..." He indicated Sophie standing there." When he got a slow nod, he escorted the rest out of the room.
A few soft arguments had him wanting to go back into the room only for Hardison to grab his arm. "She's fine; you know Sophie wouldn't hurt her man..." A few minutes later, the door opened.
Eliot turned to help her out in the wheelchair and saw why there had been an argument. She had a scowl on her face, but she wore a long skirt and a nice blouse that was buttoned up. Her hair was also pulled back into a ponytail. He bit his lip and took the handles of the chair leaning down. "don't worry, when we get to the house, I'll get you something more like your style..." He whispered in her ear before kissing the top of her head as they left the hospital. The team looked at each other. There would have to be a serious talk when they got to the safe house.