Skin Walkers: Gauge by Susan A. Bliler Page B

lone again, and pacing the hall, Gauge’s imagination got the better of him as he pondered what could be so horrible that two Walker Sentries and one Walker Surgeon refused to discuss it. 
    His palms started sweating as he ran the gamut of hideous scenarios in his head.  When he envisioned some assailant throwing Ella to the ground and raping her, he literally dropped to his knees. 
    He’d been harsh on Ella since she’d come to StoneCrow.  Too harsh.  He’d been annoyed by her studious nature and the way she always wore her hair pulled back tight in that damned bun every day.  He knew that she hid behind her ugly clothes and even uglier glasses, and now he cursed himself for tormenting her by digging too deeply into her past.  He’d taken advantage of her competent abilities as his assistant.  She’d stayed late nights to finish up projects that he knew could wait, and he’d let her just so he could be near her.  Even worse was the fact that she had beautiful Alysa to care for. 
    Just thinking of little Alysa’s smiling gray eyes had him clutching at his chest when he remembered how horrible he’d been to her mother.  How could he forgive himself…how would he ever convince Ella to forgive him?
    When Jenny came out of the exam room, she found Gauge on his knees in the hall.  His shirt was ripped to shreds and his chest was bleeding where his hands had shifted to claws and had torn into his flesh.  She stilled at the sight of him.  She didn’t need to be a Walker to scent his agonized self-loathing, it was clearly written on his face when he looked up.  He was assuming the worst. 
    Still in her blue scrubs, Jenny balled her surgical mask in her fist as she dropped to her knee in front of him, “It’s not what you think, Gauge.”  Jenny shook her head, her eyes sympathetic.  “She hasn’t been raped.”
    Gauge exhaled a harsh breath that he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding, which caused him to fall forward on his hands as his body began to shake with the relief.  That relief was short-lived.  “How is she?”
    Jenny stood and Gauge followed. “Neither her ankle nor her wrist were broken, but they’re both sprained horribly.  She’s also got four cracked ribs, and those bruises.”  Jenny shook her head.  “They go to the bone.  I put her in a walking cast, but for now it’s just protection for her ankle.  She won’t be walking any time soon.”
    Gauge ran a hand down his weary features. 
    “Look,” Jenny continued, “I’ve got to keep her here, so we need to make arrangements for the child.  Before I put her under, Alysa was Ella’s only concern and when she wakes, I venture it’ll be the same.  Have you got any ideas?”
    “Put her under?” Gauge demanded harshly?  “Why would you put her under for bruises and sprains?”
    Jenny shook her head, her face flushing sli ghtly.  “Gauge, there’s doctor-patient confidentiality.  I can’t disclose…I shouldn’t even have told you what I already have.  You’re no relation of hers.”
    Gauge’s eyes narrowed on the Doctor before he bit out, “ I’ll keep the child.”
    “You?” Jenny scoffed, relieved he was allowing her to deflect his questions. “Since when do you know anything about children?”
    “I’ll figure it out.”  Gauge rubbed the back of his neck, “I’m not letting either of them out of my sight until I figure out what the fuck happened.”  His eyes lowered to hers, “Has she told you anything?”
    “No.  But I can tell you from my exam that I had to remove gravel that was embedded in the palms of both her hands.  Someone threw her down and put the boots to her, and whoever it was didn’t care if she ever got up again.”
    “ Alysa spent last night with Aries and Conn.  I followed Ella back to her home and left around two.  This had to have happened sometime after that.”
    Jenny nodded, “The wounds are consistent with that time frame.  What were her plans?”
    Gauge