Colby placed his hand on Mindy’s forehead. He closed his eyes and concentrated on her pain. His life force coursed into her body. The pain subsided until it had nearly disappeared. Well he could have done this a lot sooner. Instead of making her suffer like this. His hand went back to gently stroking her hair. She felt much better now that the pain had receded. She was able to walk into the clinic when they arrived. She had several x-rays done as well as a cat scan. Then she sat in a chair beside Matt while Colby, Doug, and Mike studied her x-rays and CAT scan. Her head was starting to hurt bad again. Colby hadn’t fixed her after all. Although what he did had helped remove the pain for a while.

“What do you think?” Doug asked Mike.

“She has a concussion. But that appears to be the extent of it. She’ll be all right.” Mike told them. He had studied her records from Spokane. And the scans they had taken. She’ll need to be admitted to the hospital for forty-eight hours observation.”

“I’m not going to a hospital. You can forget it.” Mindy interrupted.

“It’s in your best interest. You need to be watched closely.” Mike told her.

“I don’t care. I’ve had enough of hospitals. I’ll fly back to Spokane. My Grandma can take care of me, she’s an LPN.” Mindy told him.

“I’m afraid flying is out. The change in altitude could have an adverse effect on your head injury.” Mike informed her.

“What?” Mindy asked her head was really starting to pound. She rubbed her temples. “Fine I’ll rent a car and drive back.”

“You’re in no condition to drive.” Colby pointed out.

“My head hurts bad, can’t you give me something for the pain.” She said, she was starting to feel sick again.

“What do you think?” Doug asked Mike.

“Give her a shot of Demerol. That should take the edge off.” Mike advised. Doug left the room to get the medicine.

“How am I supposed to get home if I can’t fly or drive?” She asked holding her head.

“You’ll have to get someone to pick you up.” Mike answered with a shrug.

“Don’t worry. You can stay at my place until you’ve recovered.” Colby told her.

“No!” She muttered. That was the last place in the world she wanted to be stuck at. “I’ll stay with Tom and Nic.”

“You need someone to watch over you. Tom and Nic are busy.” Colby replied with a frown.

“So are you.” She replied quietly. “How long does it take to get the medicine?”

“I’m done with classes after next week.” He replied.

“Okay, here we go.” Doug said as he re-entered the room. He was carrying a needle.

“Took you long enough.” She muttered as Doug wiped her arm with an alcohol pad. She felt a slight poke as Doug inserted the needle.

“You better lie down on the table. This is pretty strong stuff.” Doug said urging her to stand. He helped her over to the table. “I’ll call your Dad and let him know what’s going on.” Doug said pulling out his phone. He dialed the number.

“Hello.” Morris said.

“Mr. Miller, this is Doug Morgan.” Doug said.

“How is she?” Morris asked with worry.

“She has a slight concussion.” Doug replied. “She needs to be watched closely over the next forty-eight hours. But she doesn’t want to go to the hospital.”

“She’ll have to come home.” Morris said after a moment.

“That’s going to be a problem. She can’t fly, because it my have an adverse effect on her injury. And she’s in no condition to fly.” Doug told him.

“How long before she can fly?” Morris asked.

“Four weeks.” Doug answered.

“I guess I could come and get her. I’m supposed to fly down to Las Vegas for ten days.” Morris told them reluctantly. “Go ahead and admit her to the hospital for a few days.”

“He wants you to go to the hospital.” Doug told her.

“Give me the phone.” She said reaching out to take the phone. “Dad, it’s me. I’m not going to the hospital. I can stay with Colby.” The drugs were making her groggy.

“Hi Mr. Miller, this is Colby. They gave Mindy a shot and she’s pretty groggy right now. Don’t worry about her. She can stay at my place. My brother and I will keep a close watch on her.” Colby told her dad.

“I can come get her.” Morris told him.

“My brother doesn’t think that’s a good idea. The trip would be too hard on her. I think for her sake, it would be better if she stayed here until she’s recovered.” He replied. As far as he was concerned she was staying with him.

“If that’s what the Doctor thinks is best. I hate to see her spend Christmas alone.” Morris said with a frown.

“Mindy has lots of friends down here. She won’t be alone on Christmas, I can promise you that.” Colby assured him. He would cancel his plans to go to Spokane, and stay with Mindy.

“Okay, well have her call me when she’s feeling better. She can reach me on my cell phone. And if she gets worse call me.” Morris replied with a sigh.

“Will do. Don’t worry will take good care of you’re daughter.” He said before hanging up. “She’s gonna stay with me.” He told his brother handing the phone back.

“How are you going to be able to watch over her? You have school and work.” Doug asked. He was not happy about this.

“You’re off tomorrow, so you can watch her while I’m at classes. And Matt can stay with her tomorrow night. I’ll call her friends. I’m sure they’d be willing to sit with her while I’m gone. Matt can stay with her at night.” Colby told him.

“Fine.” Doug said not wanting to argue in front of Mike.

“Let’s get her home.” Colby said walking over to pick her up. She was completely out of it. He carried her out to his SUV, placing her in the back seat. Doug and Matt got into the front. And Matt drove home.

“What makes you think I want to baby sit on my day off?” Doug demanded as they drove back to Colby’s.

“She needs help, and you’re a Doctor.” Colby replied gently stroking her hair. “It’s only for one day.”

“What about Matt? Do you think it’s fair to expect him to baby sit her every night.” Doug asked.

“I don’t mind, as long as I can have girl’s over.” Matt told them with a shrug.

“She should be in the hospital.” Doug muttered.

“She’ll get better care at home. You know that.”

“She needs to have her vitals taken every couple hours.” Doug told him still frowning.

“I know how to take vitals, and so does Matt.”

“Fine.” Doug replied in disgust.
Colby carried Mindy into the house, setting her down on his bed.

“Why are you putting her in your bed?” Doug asked as he watched his brother lay Mindy on his bed.

“My room has a bathroom, so she won’t have to walk as far.” He answered.

“Where are you going to sleep? Because you’re not sleeping with her.”

“Relax Doug, I’ll sleep in the guestroom.” He lied smoothly. “Now tell me what I need to be on the look out for.” He listened as Doug filled him in on various warning signs.

“What are you doing?” Doug asked when Colby reached down to unzip the jacket of the warm up suit.

“I want you to look at something. That bastard bit her.” Colby muttered. Pulling the jacket open, he stepped back to let his brother examine the bite mark on her breast. He watched Doug examine the mark with a deep frown.

“I have an ointment that will help.” He said straightening. “It doesn’t sit well with me that the bastard’s going to get away with this.” He walked over to his bag and dug out a tube of ointment. He quickly applied the ointment, before zipping the jacket up. “She’ll probably sleep a lot the next couple days. But she’ll probably have a pretty rough time once we take her off the drugs. I’m going to head home, I’ll see you at six.”

“Thanks.” Colby replied following him to the front door. He closed the door behind Doug.

“You can’t go after the guy.” Matt told Colby after Doug had gone. He was standing in the doorway of the kitchen with a beer. “You’ll go to jail.”

“What makes you think I know who it is?”

“Doug doesn’t believe it’s possible to read another person’s thoughts. But I believe you can. You know who did this to her.”

“Maybe.” He admitted with a shrug. He walked down to the guestroom to get a night gown for Mindy.

“Don’t do anything stupid, killing the guy won’t change what happened to her.”

“I don’t plan to kill him. But he’s not going to get away with what he did either.” He answered pulling a nightgown from the drawer.

“You beat the guy up, and you’ll end up behind bars.”

“I’ll take that chance.” He said brushing past Matt as he exited the guestroom. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He called going into his bedroom he closed the door. He was surprised to find the bed empty. The bathroom door was closed. But as he walked toward it, it opened and Mindy stumbled out. “What are you doing?” He asked reaching out to steady her.

“Going to the bathroom.” She answered her words coming out slurred.

“Why didn’t you call me.” He asked helping her to the bed.

“You weren’t here.”

“I brought a nightgown for you to change into.” He told her, helping her sit on the edge of the bed. He unzipped her jacket, and removed it. He then pulled the nightgown over her head. She put her arms through the sleeves, while he kneeled before her to remove her shoes and socks. “Stand up and I’ll take your pants off.” He told her. She stood up and he pulled her pants down over her legs. She sat back on the bed so he could pull the pants off. Pulling back the cover, Colby waited as she climbed in under them. He tucked them around her. He took her vitals, before shinning a little light into her eyes. When he was done, she drifted off to sleep. She slept for a couple hours before Colby woke her to take her vitals again. She opened her eyes to look at Colby. He was dressed in a dark blue robe. When he was finished with her vitals he wrote them down. And too her surprise he removed the robe climbing into bed with her.

“What are you doing?” She asked.

“Going to sleep.” He told her pulling her into his arms.

“With me?” She snuggled against him.

“You’re in my bed.”

“You put me here.” She said quietly. She drifted back to sleep before he could reply.

“It’s all right.” Colby assured her, helping her to stand he guided her to the bed. “Lie down on your stomach, but loosen the towel first.”

“Why?” She asked she was so miserable she could hardly stand it. Tears streamed from her eyes.

“Doug needs to examine your back.” He told her loosening the towel. He helped her to lie down. He then lowered the towel, so that her back was exposed. Doug stepped forward to examine the large bruise on her lower back.

"This looks bad.” He stepped back so Colby could take a picture of the bruise. “We need to take her down to the clinic. She needs to have some x-rays done. And I want to call Mike in, he’s a neurosurgeon.” Doug told Colby with a frown.

“Can you give me something for the pain. I can’t stand it.” She cried her body jerking.

“I can’t give you anything until we know how bad the injury is to your head.” Doug answered. “We need to call her Dad. I’ll need his consent.”

“What no way.” She said raising herself up.

“Yes, we are.” Doug informed her. “You just recovered from a bad head injury. And this bump is in the same area as the last injury. We need to see how bad it is.”

“You’re not telling my Dad I was attacked. Tell him I fell.” She said grasping the towel in front of her.

“Fine.” Colby agreed. “Go call Mike. I’ll get her some clothes.” He followed Doug to the door closing it behind him.

“I’m taking a shower.” She replied stubbornly.

“Okay, but first I need to take a picture of the bite mark on your breast.” He told her picking up his camera.

“Fine.” She said, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. She was holding the towel in front of her. She slowly lowered the towel, until her breasts were exposed. She kept her eyes closed. The light was killing her. Colby snapped several pictures of the bite, setting the camera side he moved in closer to examine the mark.

He reached out gently touching her breast, causing her to jump. “Easy.” He said as he examined the bruise carefully. Well at least the bastard hadn’t broken the skin.

“That hurts.” Mindy said gritting her teeth.

“Sorry, Doug should look at this.” Colby commented grimly. The nipple didn’t appear to be damaged. In fact it hardened under his gentle touch.

“He doesn’t need to see it. Are you through?” She asked.
“Yes.” Colby said standing. “Where are your panties?”

“I left them there; I didn’t have time to grab anything but my purse.” She answered standing up on shaky legs. She walked slowly to the bathroom.

“I’ll go get you some clothes.” He told her as she made her way into the bathroom.

“I’m going to take a shower.”

“Do you want me to help you?”

“No.”

Down in Colby’s office Doug was busy making calls. He had called Mindy’s Dad first to get his consent to treat Mindy. He had lied as requested. He had told her dad that she had fallen on some stairs. He then called the Neurosurgeon in Spokane that had treated Mindy’s head injury. He had to call the Doctor at home and have him fax her records to the clinic. Finally he reached Mike at home.

“Hey Mike this is Doug. I need a big favor. A friend of mine fell on some stairs and bumped the back of her head. She’s got a large bump from the impact. I’m concerned because this is her second head injury. She was in a coma for a month recently. I’m taking her over to the clinic to have some scans done. Could you meet us there?” Doug said quickly filling him in.

“Sure Doug, no problem.” Mike replied from his house acrossed town.

“Thanks man! I owe you one.” Doug said before hanging the phone up.

Colby walked into the bedroom he could hear the water running. The door was still sTering open. He decided to check on her. She was in the shower, but sitting on the floor. Her head was resting against the wall, and her eyes were closed. With a sigh he pulled his shirt over his head, and removed his shoes and socks. He would have to help her. He removed his pants and underwear. Opening the door he stepped into the large shower, and closed the door. Leaning down he grasped Mindy’s arms.

“What are you doing?” Mindy asked weakly as he pulled her to her feet.

“I’m going to help you. But you need to stay standing. Lean on the wall if you have too.” He told her pulling her to her feet. He braced her against the wall. Taking the shampoo from the shower caddy, he quickly washed her hair. He then picked the soap up and washed her body. “Turn around so I can wash your back.” He said stepping back. She slowly turned around. She was in to much pain to care that he was touching her intimately. He was very thorough she thought, he washed every square inch of her body. He eased her under the spray of the shower. He massaged her head gently as he rinsed the soap out of it. He rinsed himself off next, and then turned the water off. “Lean against the wall, I’m going to get a towel so I can dry you off. She stayed unmoving while he fetched a towel to dry her off with. He quickly dried her off, before carrying her to the bed. He sat her on the edge, and helped her dress in a black warm up suit with a purple and white stripe down the front.

“You forgot to put a bra on me.” She told him when he had finished dressing her. She was laying on her side on the bed.

“You don’t need a bra.” He told her. He opened the door to his bedroom.

“What the hell’s taking so long?” Doug demanded. He had been pacing the hall.

“She had to take shower.” Colby replied.

“Why is your hair wet?” Doug asked when he noticed Colby’s wet hair.

“She needed help.” Colby answered going to get a pair of shoes for Mindy.

“You got in the shower with her.” Doug yelled trailing his brother to the guest bedroom. He watched as Colby opened the closet door to pull out a pair of sneakers for Mindy. His eyes moved around the guestroom in astonishment. He hadn’t been in this room in years. Mindy’s stuff occupied every square inch. “What the hell?” He muttered as Colby brushed past him. Matt came into the bedroom and looked around. Doug opened the drawers of the dresser. They were filled with Mindy’s clothes. More clothes were hung in the closet. “Christ, is she living here?” He asked Matt.

“No. Now come on she’s ready.” Colby told him from the door.

“We’re going to talk about this room later.” Doug told him as he walked out of the room, followed by Matt. Colby pulled the door closed as they exited the room.

“Leave me alone.” Mindy moaned as Colby picked her up to carry her out to his truck.

“You need to have some tests done at the clinic.” He reminded her as he carried her through the house. “Matt get the door.” Colby told him as they approached the door leading to the garage. He waited as Matt opened the door for them. He carried her out to the garage, where Matt opened the passenger door on the driver’s side. He placed Mindy on the seat, buckling her lap belt. “Matt, lock the house. You’re driving.” He handed Matt the keys. He closed the passenger door, and went around to the other side. Climbing in beside Mindy.

“My head hurts so bad.” She moaned holding her head.

“Here, lay your head in my lap.” Colby said with a frown urging her to lay down. He stroked her hair gently. Matt hopped into the truck, starting it. Doug got into the passenger seat.

“Let’s go.” Doug told Matt.

Chapter Six

Not wanting to waste her time in L.A, Mindy had arranged to meet with another studio executive. She flew to L.A on December seventh. She had a meeting with a studio executive that night. The executive worked for
Storm Productions. It wasn’t a big company by any measure. And Mindy felt she had a better chance of getting on with them. Her appointment was at seven. Which Mindy thought was kind of late. But the executive said that was the only time he could squeeze her in. So she arrived in L.A that afternoon. She stopped to drop her things off at Tom’s guest house. She had told Colby she wasn’t coming in until the eleventh. But that was actually the day she planned to fly out. She would stop and talk to Colby, but that was it. As she walked toward the building warning bells went off in her head. She had the overwhelming sense that something bad was going to happen to her at this meeting. She wondered if she should turn around and leave. But she had no idea what the bad feeling meant? Most likely it meant that she was going to be turned down. She decided to ignore the feeling, and continued inside.
As she entered the office of Brett Myers, her instincts told her something was wrong. There was no secretary there to meet her. But before she could go a young man walked out of his office and smiled.

“You must be Mindy, I’m Brett Myers. Come on in.” He said guiding her to his office. A shiver went down her spine as he put his arm around her to guide her into his office. “Have a seat, I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”

“Thank you.” She replied she had the distinct urge to run. She didn’t like the way this man was looking at her.

“I’ve been looking over the screenplays you wrote for Disney. There very good.” He told her still smiling. “Why stop writing for Disney? It appears you’ve made quite a lot of money working for them?”

“I want to move away from kid stuff.” She told trying to get a hold of herself.

“Yes, I took a look at the script you sent me. It’s pretty good.” He said. “But the love scenes are pretty weak.”

“Oh.” Mindy said. She had been afraid of that. She had written the script in question before she started fooling around with Colby. She had stayed away from writing love scenes because she didn’t want to think about Colby. It hurt too much. “I could work on those.”

“Could you? I get the impression from reading this script that you don’t have a lot of experience in this department.” He replied.

“No.” Mindy admitted with a blush.

“That’s going to be a big problem. Sex is a big seller in the movie business.” He told her with a frown.

“I realize that.” Mindy said with disappointment.

“You need to get some experience in that department, if you’re ever going to make it in this business. I could help.” He said with a smile his eyes moving over her.

“Thank you, but I’ll just stay with Disney for now.” She replied feeling a chill move through her. “Thanks for taking the time to see me.” She quickly rose to her feet.

“Wait where are you going.” He said grabbing her arm as she tried to leave. “I’m offering you a chance. It would be wise to take me up on my offer. I’ve got a lot of influence in this town. I can help you, or I can hurt you.”

“What do you mean?” She choked out. He had turned her to face him.

“Simple, work with me and I’ll help you in ways you couldn’t imagine.” His hands slowly rubbed down her arms.

“I’m not interested but thank you.” She said with a shudder. She gasped in outrage as his hand slid down her blouse to cup her breast. “Get your hands off me, I’m leaving.”

“No you’re not.” He grabbed her kissing her. Mindy struggled against him. She couldn’t believe this was happening. His hand grasping her breast while his other hand grabbed her ass. “Let go of me!” She said fighting to get free. She cried out as he grabbed a handfull of hair and wrenched her head back.

“Stop fighting, I’m gonna help you.” He told her shaking her.

“I don’t want your help.” She cried reaching up her nails clawed down his face, drawing blood.

“You bitch he shoved her back causing her to fall against his desk. The back of her head hit the desk. Sending a shooting pain through her head. She was momentarily stunned. He tore her blouse open, pulling down her bra he fondled her naked breast. Her vision had blurred and she felt dizzy. Her mind screamed out for help. He was pushing her skirt up, she felt him remove her panties. He’s going to rape me she thought finally coming out of her daze. He was on top of her, his mouth on her breast. He bit down on her nipple. As she started to struggle again. He tried to kiss her. She bit down on his lip.

“You bitch.” He sat back, and slapped her hard a crossed the face. He tried to catch her flaying hands. And when he leaned forward she brought her knee up into his groin.

“You bitch.” He said groaning. She managed to push him off her. She scrambled to her feet. She had lost her shoes in her struggles with him. She didn’t care she ran bare foot from the room, holding her blouse closed. She bumped into a startled woman in the hall but just kept on running. She had grabbed her purse on the way out. She raced from the building and jumped into the car she had borrowed from Tom. She could hardly see she was crying so hard. She quickly locked the doors. But her hands were shaking so bad she couldn’t get the key in the ignition.

Acrossed town Colby was playing cards with Matt, Doug, and Bill a fellow intern and friend. He was staring at his cards. When Mindy’s screams tore through him. She was in trouble, he could feel her fear. But that was all, she was closed off and hard as he tried he couldn’t reach her. Dropping his cards he grabbed the phone from the counter and dialed her cell. But there was no answer.

“What’s wrong with you?” Doug asked with a frown. The color had left Colby’s face.

“Matt call Mindy’s cell.” He said hanging up the phone when he got her voice mail.

“Why?” Matt asked already pulling the phone from his pocket.

“She’s in some kind of trouble.” He answered.

“There’s no answer I got voice mail.” Matt said after a moment.

“Dammit! Why isn’t she answering?” He said he was pacing the floor in the kitchen.

Mindy had finally gotten the car started and was driving toward Colby’s. Her head hurt really bad, but at least her vision had cleared up. Colby would be able to help her she knew. Her back ached from her fall. Why do these things keep happening to me? Of course it was partly her fault; her instincts had warned her something bad was going to happen. But she hadn’t listened. Yet another hard lesson learned.

“Somebody attacked her.” Colby told them he was sitting in a chair with his eyes closed.

“Who?” Matt wanted to know. They were all still sitting at the kitchen table.

“I can’t tell, but she’s hurt.” He said grimly his eyes finally opened.

“Maybe you’re just imagining things.” Doug muttered. This whole thing was making him very uneasy.

“What?” Matt asked when Colby turned to stare at the door leading to the garage.

“The garage door is opening.” He rose from his chair and headed toward the door leading to his garage. He was relieved to see Mindy enter the house. His relief didn’t last as he took in her appearance. Her blouse was torn and she was holding it closed. Her feet were bare. She had a large bruise developing on the left side of her face. Where someone had hit her. “What happened?” He asked her.

“The executive I went to meet tried to rape me.” She cried rushing toward him. She wrapped her arms around him clinging to him.

“Take it easy, you’re safe.” He said holding her close, as rage tore through him. Whoever had done this would pay. She wept against his chest her tears wetting his shirt.

“We need to get her to the ER so they can examine her.” Doug told his brother coming up behind him.

“No, I’m not going to a hospital.” She said her face still buried in Colby’s chest.

“We need to call the police as well.” Matt told them he was standing by the kitchen table.

“I’m not reporting it.” She told them stepping back to wipe her tears.

“What? Mindy this has to be reported.” Doug replied.

“No.” She told him firmly.

“You’re hurt.” Colby said lifting her chin. He studied the bruise on her face. His eyes moved down to the shirt that gaped open. His eyes settled on the bite mark on her exposed breast. “Your breast.”

“He bit me.” Mindy replied with a shudder. She quickly pulled her blouse closed.

“You’re head?” Colby said reaching up to feel the back of her head. A large bump was forming on the back of her head.

“Ouch.” She complained.

“You need to be examined.” Colby told her dropping his hand. He was gonna kill the guy who had done this to her.

“I’m not worth going to jail over.” She said quietly brushing tears from her face. Her shield was down and she could hear his thoughts. Her head hurt too bad to raise the shield.

“Yes, you are.” He replied quietly.

“I’ll go get my bag.” Doug muttered.

“I’m gonna take a shower. I feel dirty, I want him off me.” She told them.

“After Doug examines you. Bill get my kit from the truck.” Colby said turning around to guide her further into the kitchen. Bill nodded moving past them to go into the garage.

“What do you need you’re kit for?” She asked.

“To collect evidence from you.”

“I told you, I’m not filing charges.” She repeated shaking her head at him.

“I know. It’s just in case you change you’re mind.” He replied gently. “Come on, Doug can examine you in my room. Then you can take a shower.” He took his kit from Bill. Doug was back with his kit.

“Fine.” She said with a sigh. She followed Colby into his room.

“You’ll need to take your clothes off.” Colby told her.

“What?” She asked pulling the blouse even tighter.

“I need you’re clothes.” He replied gently.

“I’m not taking my clothes off.” She said backing away from him.

“It’s all right. You can remove them in the bathroom. Then wrap a towel around yourself.” He replied gently not moving toward her.

“Okay.” She said finally. She felt so vulnerable with them all crowding into the room. “Are you all gonna watch?” Matt and Bill had come in behind Doug.

“No, they’re leaving.” Colby said nodding his head toward the door. Matt and Bill quickly departed at his look.

Mindy hesitated, but finally walked into the bathroom. She closed the door, locking it. After a moment she started removing her clothing. The buttons had been torn from her blouse. Her bra was bunched up under her breast, leaving them exposed. She examined the bite mark on her nipple. The nipple hurt, but he hadn’t broke the skin. She then removed her skirt and garter belt. Her panties were gone, she had left them on the floor of the office. Along with her favorite pair of high heels. Rolling down her stockings, she removed them. She wrapped a bath towel around herself. Taking a deep breath she opened the door. She left her clothes on the floor. If Colby wanted them he could pick them up. She walked slowly into the bedroom. Her head was starting to pound.

“Sit down here.” Colby instructed indicating the kitchen chair he had brought in.

“Can’t you turn the lights down a bit.” The light was hurting her eyes. Every light in the room was on.

“Doug needs to be able to see.” Colby told her as she sat down slowly. She was clearly in a lot of pain.

“Does anything hurt.” Doug asked he was sTering in front of her.

“My head, and back.”

“How did you hurt them?” Doug asked.

“He shoved me causing me to fall backwards onto his desk. I hit my back and head.” She answered. “What are you doing?”

“I’m gonna take scrapings from under your nails.” Colby told her, he was kneeling and took her hand gently. He used a small file to clean under her nails. He noted the presence of blood, she had scratched the guy pretty good. He slowly used the file to clean under each of her fingernails.

“What are you doing?” She asked when Doug strapped a blood pressure cup around her arm.

“Taking your vitals. Put this under your tongue.” He replied handing her a thermometer.

“What for?” She grumbled, before sticking the thermometer into her mouth. She waited why Doug took her blood pressure. He then removed the thermometer, before taking her pulse. “What are you going to do with that?” She asked as Colby removed a digital camera from his kit.

“I’m going to take pictures of you’re bruises.” He answered.

Great she thought, just what she needed. She sat still as he took pictures of her face and arms. Doug had moved behind her to examine the bump on her head. “Ouch! Don’t do that.” She cried as pain shot through her.

“We need to get some ice on this.” He told Colby with a frown. He walked around her to her front. He took out a light and shined it into her eyes. Her eyes are dilated. How many fingers am I holding up?” He asked holding two fingers in front of her.

“Two.” She said her head aching. She felt sick to her stomach. “Oh god!” She said getting up. She ran into the bathroom, leaning over the toilet she vomited. Colby reached out to hold her hair back as she vomited again. She spent the next ten minutes throwing up. Finally her stomach settled down. “Sorry.” She said.

“Damn you! I told you I didn’t need your help!” Mindy yelled at Tom as soon as he picked up.

“What?” Tom asked in surprise.

“Don’t play dumb. You called Suncastle and got them to call me!” Mindy yelled she had never been so angry.

“How did you find out?” Tom wondered aloud. Colby had promised not to tell her.

“That doesn’t matter. The point is you went behind my back and did something I told you not to do.” Mindy said.

“All I did is get you through the door. The rest is up to you. If they don’t like you they’ll send you packing.” Tom told her calmly.

“I don’t need your help.” Mindy muttered.

“I suppose you turned him down.” Tom muttered in frustration.

“I was going too. But he convinced me to meet with him.”

“So when are you coming?” Tom asked.

“Why so you can rat me out to Colby. I know he’s behind all of this!”

“He’s worried about you, and so am I.” Tom told her with a frown.

“What the hell is going on between you and Colby.”

“Nothing. I’ll be down in December.” Mindy said trying to change the subject.

“That’s a little vague, especially if you’re planning to use my guest house. December’s a busy month, I have family visiting.” He told her.

“I’ll let you know when I’m coming as soon as I make the arrangements. If I can’t use your guest house I’ll stay at a hotel.” She told him. Because there was, no way she was gonna stay in Colby’s house.

“Why don’t you want to stay at Colby’s?” Tom asked.

“I’ve gotta go, talk to you later.” Mindy said hanging up on him.

“What the hell are you trying to pull?” Tom demanded as soon as Colby picked up.

“What?” Colby asked in surprise.

“Mindy just tore my head off. She knows I set up that call from Suncastle. You swore you wouldn’t say anything!” Tom told him anger evident in his voice.

“I haven’t talked to her. How the hell did she find out?” Colby wondered aloud. Something wasn’t right!

“I don’t know. Unless she, took a wild guess. Point is she knows and she’s pissed.”

“I suppose she turned their offer down?” Colby asked. Dammit! He would have to fly up there.

“No, they talked her into it. She’s meeting with them in December, but she wouldn’t say what day. She says that if she can’t stay at my place, she’ll stay in a hotel.” Tom informed him.

“Why the hell is she being so stubborn?” Colby wondered.

“I don’t know, but you’re on your own.” Tom said before hanging up.

Mindy turned sixteen on November twenty fifth. Her family had a big party for her in Spokane. They rented a ballroom in the Red Lion hotel. All of her friends were invited. Ashley, Mandy, Todd, Amber, were all there. All her friends, except Colby. To her surprise Tom and Nic even flew in to attend the party. A difficult feat with their busy schedules. She received a mountain of gifts from friends and family. A lot of the gifts had been sent to her in the mail. It was amazing how many of her celebrity friends remembered her birthday. She opened gift after gift. Mandy wrote down each present, and who had sent it. So that Mindy would be able to send out thank you notes. They handed around each gift and card. Mindy held onto the checks she received from celebrity friends. She didn’t want anyone to faint. There was over a hundred presents, and a ton of checks. The biggest check was from Will, sixteen hundred dollars. A hundred bucks for every year she had been alive. Mandy’s eyes were wide as she wrote the amount down. Mindy didn’t even blink. Will was like that she had seen him lay a two thousand dollar tip on a waitress once. Opening yet another card Mindy was surprised by the cover. For The Woman I Love! Oh crap! She was afraid to open it. It was from Colby, he had written I love you at the bottom. And signed his name. Had he taken a leave of his senses? P.S, you can pick your gift up when you come down next month. She closed the card quickly. She stuffed it back in the envelope.

“Who’s it from?” Mandy asked.

“Colby.” Mindy replied sticking the card under her pile of checks.

“He didn’t get you a gift? Did he send money?” Mandy asked.

“No.” Mindy said trying to calm herself. She picked up another gift to unwrap.

“What? That jerk!” Mandy mumbled.

It took forever but finally the last gift and card had been open. Mindy stared at the pile of stuff of stuff on the table. “You’re not done yet.” Tom said leading Nic over. “We haven’t given you our gift yet.” They told her smiling.

“What did you get me?” Mindy asked. To her surprise he blindfolded her. Oh no! He got me a car! She didn’t want him spending that kind of money on her. Tom guided her out of the ballroom. She shivered in her black velvet dress as they stepped outside. It, was cold out, snow covered the ground. “Are you ready.” Tom asked her.

“Yes.” Mindy replied. The blind fold was removed. It wasn’t a car. A brand new red Dodge Ram sat before her. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Dammit! The truck alone was over thirty thousand. But Tom had customized it with lighted running boards and a red canopy. That was probably another five grand. She opened the door to look inside. The seats were covered in grey leather. The Truck came with a top of the line cd player, and sound system. As well as an alarm system, the truck was loaded with extra features. It was a, fifty-thousand dollar gift, she was numb.

“Well what do you think?” Tom asked with a big grin. “You can pull your boat with it.”

“You shouldn’t have spent so much money.” Mindy told him. Everyone was gathered around the truck.

“Hey, this is a size down. I wanted to get you a Viper.” Tom told her.

“Come on Mindy let’s take it for a drive.” Ashley called from the passenger seat.

“I need to get insurance on it.” She answered shaking her head. She’d make Tom take it back.

“No worries. The trucks already insured, I took care of it. You’re good for a year. So go ahead and take it for a spin.” Tom told her pushing her toward the truck that had a big red ribbon a crossed its hood.

“Okay stop pushing me.” Mindy said climbing behind the wheel. She started the truck and pulled away from the curb.

“This is so cool; I can’t believe Tom Conner’s bought you a truck.” Ashley said. She was seated in the passenger seat. Mandy was in the middle. And Todd was in the back seat. They drove around for a bit and then headed back to the party. Tom and Nic had skipped out. Giving Mindy no chance to refuse the gift. Her parents were still shaking their heads over the expensive gift. Good thing they hadn’t seen the checks that had been given to her. When she added them all up it came to just under twenty thousand dollars. She could go out and buy a camper for her new truck. Her Dad had reserved two suites at the Red Lion for the night. Mindy had her own room. She was lying awake in her bed thinking when the phone rang. Her shields were up but she still knew who was calling. “Hello.” She said answering her cell phone.

“Mindy?” Colby was surprised. He had expected to get her voice mail again.

“Yes.” Mindy said with a sigh.

“I didn’t expect you to pick up. Does this mean I’m off your shit list.?” Colby asked with a smile.

“No, but you’ve been bumped down. Tom is now at the top of the list.” Mindy told him with a frown.

“What did he do?” Colby asked she sounded annoyed.

“He bought me a brand new Dodge Ram for my birthday. It’s fully customized, has a ton of added extras. I figure he spent at least fifty thousand dollars on it.” Mindy told him with a frown.

“Wow.” Colby thought with a frown. That would be hard to compete with.

“Don’t even try.” Mindy muttered able to read his thoughts. The damn sheild wasn’t working very well.

“What?” Colby asked in surprise feeling the little hairs on the back of his neck go up. How had she known what he was thinking?

“Have you taken a leave of your senses?” She asked in an attempt to distract him.

“What do you mean?” Colby asked. Could she read his mind?

“That card you sent me!”

“You didn’t like it?” He asked with a frown.

“I always pass the cards I receive around. When I didn’t pass yours around Mandy got suspicious, and told Ashley about it. I spent the night dodging questions about it.” She told him avoiding the question. He was damn lucky, she had been tempted to let his sisters see it.

“I wouldn’t have cared.” Colby told her.

“Stay out of my head.” Mindy muttered.

“Why you seem to be in mine?” He asked.

“I can’t read minds.” Mindy lied. Dammit her shield didn’t seem to work with him.

“I wanted to wish you happy birthday.” He said backing down. She was close to hanging up on him. He could only read her surface thoughts. Everything else was guarded by some kind of shield. “I do have a gift for you. You can pick it up when you come down.”

“What is it?” Mindy asked. He was guarding his thoughts now. His shield was up.

“It’s a surprise.” Colby told her.

“It’s not a car is it?” She asked. She’d kill him he’d bought her a car.

“No, it’s not a car.” He assured her.

“That’s a relief.” She said relaxing.

“So, when are you coming down?” He asked.

“I’m not staying at your house.” Mindy told him. “So what does it matter?”

“I’d like to see you. Will you at least stop by so we can talk?” Colby asked gently.

“I’ll stop by.” She said after giving it some thought. He clearly wasn’t going to give up until he had his say.

“When?” Colby asked with relief.

“I don’t know yet. I’ll let you know when I know my schedule.” She told him with a frown.
“
Ok, I’ll wait to hear from you.” He agreed.

“I’ve gotta go.” Mindy said.

“Goodnight.” He told her.

“Night.” Mindy said before closing her cell phone. She couldn’t help wondering what her birthday present was. He’d given her a locket on her last birthday. It was a heart shaped locket, made of gold. With, a diamond on it. She wore it everywhere. She had everything he had ever given to her.

He got up early and drove down to Mindy’s farm. He had a very bad feeling that something was going to go wrong today. That Mindy was going to be hurt. He drove way over the speed limit, wanting to get to her.

Mindy was sitting in the loft of an old barn on her farm. She gazed out of the second story window. She hadn’t gotten any sleep. Colby would be here soon. And she would have to face him again. She was
determined to turn him away. She still loved him, but she couldn’t trust him. And she couldn’t get past his cheating. She sighed rising
to her feet. She heard a car pull up outside the barn. He was here, she walked acrossed the loft.

“Mindy!” Colby called. Something was very wrong! And then it hit him, she was going to fall through the floor.

“I’m coming.” She said walking toward him.

“No Mindy, get back!” Colby cried he could see her moving across the loft toward the ladder.

“What?” She called just as the floor gave out under her. She screamed her head slamming into a beam as she fell through the floor. Pain exploded in her head, and then everything went dark.

“Mindy!” Colby cried out in horror as she fell through the floor landing on the ground with a thud. She lay there unmoving as Colby raced to her side.

“Mindy!” He said kneeling down beside her. He put his hand to the side of her face. She didn’t move as he quickly checked for a pulse and leaned down placing his head near her mouth. She had a pulse and was still breathing. But she was hurt badly. He couldn’t help her, she was hurt to bad. He pulled his phone out to call for help. No signal! Dammit, he needed to call for help! He took a deep breath. There was a phone in the shop he remembered. He got up and ran to the shop, that was about 100 yards from the barn. Opening the shop he stepped inside the door. The phone was on the wall next to the door. And there was a phone book hanging below it. Colby quickly looked up the number for the fire department. He dialed the number waiting, as it seemed to ring forever. Finally someone answered. He quickly told them what had happened and where he was. “Hurry, she’s in bad shape.” He said before hanging up. He ran back to Mindy. She hadn’t moved, she was so still. He laid his hand on her forehead, closing his eyes. He poured his life force into her, hoping to stabilize her until the paramedics arrived. He could feel her slipping away. His mind reached out to hers, pulling her back from the edge. But he didn’t have the strength to bring her all the way back. Opening his eyes he checked her vitals. Her pulse was stronger. Her, breathing not as shallow. He kept checking her vitals until the paramedics arrived. He stepped back as they moved in. They put a neck brace on her. And then holding her neck steady they lifted her onto a back board. She didn’t stir. They checked her vitals and got her on a gurney. Her grandparents arrived at the barn while they were strapping her on the gurney. They had seen the emergency vehicles driving up to their shop. Colby quickly filled them in on the fact that she had fallen through the floor. They watched as EMT’s loaded Mindy into an Ambulance. They then hurried off to find Mindy’s Dad, who was out in the field. They were taking Mindy to the hospital in Colfax. But Colby headed up to Sacred Heart. He knew that was where Mindy would end up. The whole thing had played itself out in his mind. What the hell good was the ability to see things before they happened? He still hadn’t been able to stop Mindy from falling. And now she might die. He couldn’t sense her anymore she had drifted away from him. Minor aches and pains he could heal. But he lacked the strength to heal serious injuries. Still he had managed to pull her back. She had been dying her heart had slowed to the point it was barely beating. And her breathing had slowed to the point that she wasn’t getting the oxygen she needed. He had stabilized her, but would it be enough?
Mindy was taken to the Colfax Hospital where her Doctor examined her. He transferred her to Sacred Heart who had a top neurologist on its staff. She was airlifted to Sacred Heart by Life Flight. Colby was at the hospital when the chopper landed with her. He had called Doug to tell him what was going on. Doug had done his residency at Sacred Heart. Colby had also worked at sacred heart in High School as an orderly.

“What the hell happened?” Doug asked when he walked through the doors of the main entrance where Colby met him.
“She fell through the floor of that old barn on her farm. She’s hurt real bad! Life flights just landed with her.” Colby quickly informed his brother. I need you to find out what’s going on.”

“I don’t work here anymore.” Doug pointed out running a hand through his hair.

“You know the Doctor’s here. Tell them you’re her physician in California.”

“What? I’m not her Doctor!” Doug stated.

“Please Doug.” Colby pleaded.

“Fine, I’ll see what I can find out.” Doug said after a moment. Colby let out a sigh of relief as Doug went off to find Mindy. Colby waited in the main lobby. Mindy’s family arrived an hour later. Colby greeted them at the door. They were too shell shocked to wonder how Colby had gotten there so fast. They, were told by a receptionist that Mindy was downstairs having some tests done. They were directed to a waiting area. It was another hour before Doug returned with the neurologist. Doug had changed into scrubs and was wearing a visiting Doctor’s badge. He had made himself at home.

“Are you Miss Miller’s parent’s?” The Doctor asked of Mindy’s parents.

“Yes.”

“Your daughter has suffered a serious head injury. We’ve stitched up the gash to the back of her skull. But a CAT Scan shows swelling on her brain. We’ve started her on medication to reduce the swelling. If it doesn’t reduce the swelling will have to go in to relieve the pressure. I’ve had her moved upstairs, so you can see her. But she’s in a drug induced coma.” He told them gently. He then took Mindy’s parent’s to see her.

“Well?” Colby asked pulling Doug aside.

“It doesn’t look good. She sustained a really bad blow to the head.
I’m surprised she survived.” Doug told him grimly. “Even if she does pull through, she’ll probably have brain damage.”
The trauma room was small so they all took turns sitting with Mindy over the next twenty-four hours. Her vitals remained stable, and to the Doctor’s surprise the swelling started to recede. Colby was torn over what to do. He didn’t want to leave her. But he needed to get back to school and work. He hadn’t left the hospital since she arrived. He was terrified that she would die.

“You can’t stay; you need to get back to California.” Doug told his brother. “Throwing your life away won’t help her.”

“I’m afraid that she’ll die if I leave.” Colby admitted to his brother.

“Your being here won’t stop her from dying. We’ve done all we can do for her. It’s in god’s hands now.” Doug replied. “If she was awake she’d tell you the same thing.”

“I know.” Colby said with a sigh. He didn’t want to leave her, but he would have too. He sat with Mindy while her family went to get something to eat. He held her hand and stroked her face. He could feel her there, her mind hidden in the shadows. The fact that he could lose her was killing him. He couldn’t imagine a life without her. She meant so much to him. He didn’t know how he would be able to survive if she died. “Mindy, I know you can hear. Please don’t leave me. I couldn’t bear it if you died. I love you, I always have. You need to come back to me.” Colby told her quietly. When her family arrived he said goodbye and headed to the Airport. The weeks passed slowly, Mindy lingered in a coma. The swelling had gone down, and her injuries had healed. But still she didn’t wake up. Her vitals were strong. But still she wouldn’t wake up. Colby flew up to visit her on his days off. A steady stream of friends visited her each day. Many of them were celebrities. The room was overflowing with flowers and cards. A month had gone by and it was October. Colby had flown up to be with her for a few hours. He sat beside her bed holding her hand. “Come on Mindy you need to wake up, it’s been a month. You’ve slept long a enough.” Colby told her reaching out with his mind. He could feel her there, and he tried once again to pull her out of the darkness that held her. His energy wrapped around her pulling her upward toward the light. And then she was opening her eyes. She was back. “Colby.” She mumbled her throat was really dry.

“Mindy.” He said as relief washed over him. She was back.

“Where am I?” She asked looking around.

“In the hospital. You fell through the floor of the old barn.” He answered stroking her face gently. “You’ve been in a coma for a month.”

“A month.” She said in confusion. She didn’t remember falling.

“Yes, I need to go let the nurses know you’re awake.” He told her rising to his feet. She would be all right now, he was sure of it.

They rushed her downstairs to have several scans done on her head. Everything looked good, no sign of brain damage. Mindy’s family was relieved to learn she would make a full recovery. Colby returned to California. Mindy spent two more weeks in the hospital, working with physical therapists. Just getting out of bed was difficult as her muscles had weakened from being immobile fore so long. She was thrilled when she was finally able to go home. Her brush with death had given her a greater appreciation for life. And it had softened her anger toward Colby. Life was too short to hold a grudge. And her family had told her how good he was too her during the coma. He had flown up from L.A once a week to sit with her. She didn’t think he had gotten much rest. Since he spent his days off with her, but though she had recovered enough to return home. Things weren’t good with her. In fact she was totally freaked out. Every since waking up she seemed to know things she shouldn’t. She knew when the phone was going to ring, and who the caller was before she picked up the phone. She knew when and who was going to enter her room. But even worse she could hear people thoughts. She found that she could read her Doctor’s mind. To her relief she wasn’t able to read everyone. But she was deeply troubled by this turn of events. She thought about calling Colby but decided against it. The ability would probably go away once she recovered. At least she hoped so. She didn’t want to involve Colby. They had renewed their friendship. But Mindy was determined to avoid any further romantic relationship with him. She needed to concentrate on her writing that was her future. She needed to do something about her virginity as well. She had planned to have sex with Todd over Labor day weekend. But she had fallen through the floor of the barn, instead. She was busy playing catch up on her school work. Talking to Colby on the phone was hard. Because she found she could easily read his thoughts. And that was painful because Colby clearly hadn’t given up on her. Finally and much to Mindy’s relief she was able to shield herself from other people’s thoughts. When the shield was up her abilities were turned off. Once she had mastered the shield she started writing again. She was almost finished with her latest script. Todd came to see her often once she was home. But she found she wasn’t in such a hurry to lose her virginity anymore. She still had to deal with Colby. He wanted her to come to L.A so they could talk. But she had refused saying there was no reason to go to L.A. They were finished end of story. But he hadn’t given up and they ended up getting into an argument. She had stopped taking his calls again. So much for being friends.

She’s making me crazy Colby thought hanging the phone up. She was back to not taking his calls. He had thought that they had gotten past their problems. Something was very wrong with Mindy. She was so cold and indifferent. And he had lost the ability to read her. Her guard was up constantly with him. Dammit! He needed to see her face to face. But she refused to come down. He was getting desperate, he knew Todd was still in the picture. Mindy had mentioned his visits the last time he talked to her. He had to do something, but what? He didn’t want to travel up there. He needed to get Mindy alone, so they could have it out. It would be best if she came to his house. But she refused to come down. She would come down eventually, because her agent was in L.A. That’s it he thought! She would make the trip if it had something to do with her writing. Maybe an offer, on her latest script. She had been trying to move away from Disney for a while. If he could get her an appointment with a studio exec she would come. He’d call Tom about it.

“You want me to do what?” Tom asked in surprise.

“I want you to set Mindy up with one of the top studios. Have them tell her they’re interested in her work, and would like to meet with her.” Colby repeated.

“She’ll kill me. You know how she feels about making it on her own.” Tom said with a frown. He was sitting on the sofa of his L.A home.

“That’s why she can’t know you set it up.” Colby replied.

“Are you crazy?” Tom asked.

“No. Look it’s the only way I can get her to come down here. Something’s not right with her, and I can’t help her from down here.” Colby told him. He was pacing the floor in his living room.

“Fine, I’ll set something up for her. But I want your word you’ll never tell her.” Tom replied after a moment of thought. He was worried about her as well. She seemed so cold and indifferent of late.

“I promise.” Colby answered with relief before hanging up.

Mindy was pissed off! Colby had convinced Tom to set her up with one of the top studio executives. He knew how important it was to her to make it on her own. But he had gone and done it anyways. As far as she was concerned their friendship was over! She paced the floor in her room, waiting for the call from the studio executive. The phone started to ring, she sighed going to pick it up. “Hello.”

“Miss Miller, this is John Wilson. I’m a executive with Suncastle Productions.” He said from his desk in his office in L.A.

“Yes.” Mindy said. Suncastle was Sam’s studio, the biggest studio. This call would be a dream come true, if Tom hadn’t been responsible for it.

“I’m interested in your work and would like to meet with you.” John told her.

“Let’s cut to the chase Mr. Wilson. I know Tom Conner called you to set this up. And I’m not happy about it. I don’t need his help, so I won’t waste your time.” She said starting to hang up.

“Wait a minute.” John replied. “Tom told me you didn’t know anything about his call?”

“Well I do.” Mindy replied.

“Okay Tom did call me. But the fact of the matter is I was already interested in your work. Don’t blow this chance.” John told her.

“I don’t know.” Mindy said. He was telling the truth she could hear his thoughts.

“I’m a busy man, you might not get a second chance.” John replied.

“Fine, when would you like to meet.” Mindy said reluctantly.

“I have an opening on December tenth at one o’clock.” He told her.

“Okay I’ll see you then.” Mindy replied.

“I look forward to it.” John replied before hanging up.
“She went for it.” Sam asked he was sitting in a chair facing John’s desk.

“Yes Sir, she was upset over Tom’s call though.

“She wants to make it on her own, I respect that.” Sam said getting up from his chair. “She’ll be a real asset once we sign her.”

“She’s a good writer. But she does kid stuff.” John said with a frown.

“She’s going to be big, she has powerful friends. Will ease her into writing for mature audiences.” Sam replied before leaving the office. He had gotten what he wanted as usual.