In the ambulance Harry was holding Ruth's hand tightly. The paramedics had put her under sedation because she wouldn't let them touch her otherwise and it was clear she was in a lot of pain and needed treatment. She seemed to be suffering under the delusion that she was still captive which was probably a result of the concoction of drugs they'd given her. Once she was given a sedative the paramedic lifted her shirt and saw a large patch of mottled bruising on her stomach and her rib cage. It was red at the moment but Harry knew it would turn purple within a few days. He hoped she didn't have internal bleeding.

"What happened to her?" the female paramedic asked her as she hang up a bag of liquid to rehydrate her.

"She was kidnapped and she's been beaten up," Harry said not taking his eyes off of her face. "I think she's been raped as well." It was hard to say that last sentence but he didn't loosen his grip on her hand, even though he knew he was getting in the paramedics way. He didn't care. He had left her this morning alone and defenceless and he would never leave her alone again. He would never let this happen again.

At the hospital Ruth had been torn away from him and he was out of his mind with worry. He knew she was in the best possible place for her but that didn't help him much. Through sheer irritation he called Beth who was still on the grid.

"How is she?" Beth asked before even saying hello.

"I don't know," he said. "She's having scans and they won't let me see her just yet. What happened at the warehouse?"

"Two of the kidnappers were dead on impact. The men you shot. The guy Dimitri shot just had minor injuries. He was aiming to maim rather than kill." Unlike you were the unspoken words. But he was not in the mood for recrimination. Another thought occurred to him. Ruth's rapist might still be alive. If he was he wouldn't be for much longer.

"Beth, can you send me photographs of the both dead men and the ones who are still alive," Harry asked.

"Why?"

"Just do it, please." Beth sighed, knowing she had no other option.

"Fine, they're on their way."

"Thank you," Harry said sincerely. He saw a doctor approaching him with a concerned look on his face. "Gotta go Beth, send me those pictures." He didn't wait for her to reply and switched the phone off.

"How is she?" Harry asked immediately.

"Are you her family?" he asked irritatingly.

"I'm her husband," he lied, knowing that Ruth wouldn't mind in this instance and hoping that she wanted to see him.

"We've done an MRI and a CT to see in more detail what's happening with her injuries and the good news is she isn't bleeding internally and she hasn't broken any ribs which was another concern of ours. She'll be really sore for a few weeks but it'll be fine."

"That's good," Harry said letting out the breath he had been holding. "That's really good news. What about the paralytic she was given? Has that worn off?"

"Yes. She's still asleep but its definitely worn off. It wasn't anything too bad, but the mixture of drugs she was given is what made her react so seriously. And I have bad news. Our gynaecologist has examined her and you were right. She has been raped." Harry closed his eyes and collapsed onto the chair behind him. He simple couldn't stand up anymore. A minute later he looked up and the doctor was still there.

"Can I see her?" he asked in a broken voice. The doctor nodded and Harry got unsteadily to his feet, following him through the hospital corridors. Soon he opened the door to Ruth's room and she was awake.

"Hi," Harry said sitting next to her, happy that they were left alone. She had a whisper of a smile on her face. It was brief but it was there, accompanied by the haunting fear in her eyes. He stopped himself from his normal reaction which would be to kiss her. He didn't know if that was too much for her right now.

"Thank you for getting me out of there," she said quietly.

"I'm sorry I wasn't quick enough," he replied with true sorrow clouding his eyes. She shifted in the bed to get closer to him and then winced as her weight fell on her bruised ribs. He reached a hand out for her shoulder automatically and she pushed him away almost before she realised it.

"Sorry," she said.

"Don't you dare," he said in a quiet and menacing voice. "Don't you apologise for what that monster did to you. It is not your fault."

"Okay," she said in a small voice. "Can you do me a favour?"

"Anything," he said sincerely and eagerly.

"Come here," she asked. He approached her warily and Ruth put a hand behind his head, pulling him in for a brief kiss. Just a small touch of lips really. "I thought I was never going to see you again. When I realised what they wanted, I thought I was going to die." He stroked a hand through her hair softly and she liked his touch.

"I need to ask you something," he said with a sigh. "Its not going to be easy but I have to know." He switched his phone back on, relieved to see Beth had sent the pictures to him. "I need to know who did this to you." He silently passed her the phone and she flicked through the images with a pale face. She stopped on one and silently handed it back to him. Harry looked at the photo and was pleased to see she had stopped on one of the men whom he had shot dead.

"I'm sorry," Harry said, putting his phone away.

"Can you do something to get me out of here? I just want to go home and sleep for about a year." He looked at her and saw her face beginning to crumble. She was trying to keep herself together in one piece.

"Of course I will. I'll be back soon." She nodded and he squeezed her hand in a silent goodbye. Once he had left her hospital room he faced the wall, bracing his arms against it. He took several deep and shaky breaths with his eyes closed. He couldn't fall apart in front of her but holding it together for any longer was more than he could stand. The minutes rolled by and he found the strength to stand up straight. Brushing his tears impatiently aside to see if he could get Ruth discharged.

At least two more chapters, probably three. Please review. xxx