The drive was long and uneventful. Taylor’s eyes were on the road, but his mind was on other things. Things like was Jude hurt—physically. He knew she was already hurt emotionally, but if they touched her… He tried not to let himself go down that path or he’d kill every doctor there. He redirected his attention to the plan. He would first try playing by the rules. If that didn’t work, he couldn’t guarantee people’s safety and something about that welling emotion even scared him. He just hoped that playing by the rules worked first.

He found the “center” at half past eight and sat in the parking lot. Scoping out the dreary cream-colored building and the fence that wrapped around it, he looked for entry and exit points. He’d seen enough movies to know this information would be useful if everything went to shit once he was inside.

At nine a.m. sharp, he watched a nurse help a patient out through the front doors to a bench in a little garden area. He got out, stretched his legs and back, and grabbed his wallet before heading to the front gate. His body was stiff, but he could fight an army if he had to. He would for her. He would do anything for Jude.

He pushed the call button on the speaker.

“Good morning. How may I help you?” a scratchy voice answered.

“I’m here to see Judith Boehler.” Barrett.

“One moment please.” The intercom buzzed, then went quiet.

The sound was blown out when it came back on. “You may come to reception.”

The gate unlocked and Taylor headed for the desk just inside two glass double doors. Putting his most charming smile on for the two women stationed there, he tapped the counter lightly when he reached it. They both glanced his way, then did a double take. One said, “Good morning.”

“Good morning. I’m here to see Judith Boehler.”

He saw a flash of recognition in her eyes when he mentioned Jude’s name, but she quickly looked down at her computer. “When was she admitted?”

“Last night. Maybe overnight.”

She hummed as she typed. The other receptionist told her to stop because it was driving her nuts. Then they laughed. “Nuts. Crazy.”

Taylor was not amused, but he tried to hide his disdain for their poor taste in jokes. The second lady looked up at Taylor and said, “She’s not been processed yet.”

“What does that mean? Checked in?”

“Correct. So she can’t have visitors until she’s been checked in and resided at least twenty-four hours inside the center.”

“Reside? That sounds like she’ll be here for a while.” He kept his voice light, inquisitive, but not on the offensive. Yet.

“Yes, it says she’ll be here for a month this time. So she’ll be placed in the residency hall when she’s processed.”

Processed? Like an animal. What the fuck? Covertly he took a deep breath, trying to keep his temper even. “Does it say when she’ll start this processing?”

The first lady looked up and smiled. Her lashes fluttered and her intentions were clear when she started to flirt. Flipping her short hair out, she leaned closer to him. “They’ve started. She’s been in holding since she hasn’t woken up yet.”

Leaning closer to her, he read her nametag, then returned her smile. “Woken up?”

“Yes,” she said, then giggled as if the people admitted here don’t mean anything to her at all. “Patients are given a light sedative to help make the transition easier.”

Easier on the patients or the doctors? He didn’t ask that though.

She asked, “Are you family or medical?”

He lowered his body so he would be closer to her and whispered, “I drove such a long way. What would it take to get back there for just a few minutes to visit with her? Is that a possibility, Maxine? Is there anything I can do to make that happen?”

“Sir—”

The other receptionist cut her off and said, “I would just about do anything for an extra large peppermint mocha from the coffee shop in town.”

Maxine stared at her, then turned back to Taylor. “I do like the ice they use in the large pear-berry teas.”

Taylor stood up smiling. “I’m gonna go on a quick coffee run. Would anyone like breakfast, you know, since I’m going?”

They both giggled and said they would love some donuts. Taylor was out the door and in his car within a minute. He found the coffee shop easily off the main road that ran through town. He placed the order, stressed while he waited. Every minute that ticked by felt like an eternity.

With drinks and donuts in hand, he was promptly buzzed back into the facility. The ladies oohed and ahhed over the service, the kindness, and how attractive Taylor was as they tucked away the monetary bonuses they conveniently found under their coffees. Maxine walked him to a hallway and instructed, “She’ll most likely be asleep, but she’s down this hall at the other end, second door from the emergency exit, on the right. You’ve got ten minutes.”

Taylor had rarely relied on his charms or good looks for gain, but he would use whatever it took to get to Jude. “Thank you, Maxine.”

“Don’t get me fired. Now go.”

Taylor kept his head lowered as he walked down the hall. Orderlies were cleaning and nurses were helping patients in their rooms along the way. The other doors were closed. Locked, from what he could tell. He was conflicted. He didn’t know if he wanted her room to be locked for safety or open for him.

Grabbing the handle of her door, he turned and prayed it would open. And it did. The door opened and he stealthily slipped in. His breathing changed when he saw her on the bed, her hands and legs strapped to the bedrails. He sucked in an angry breath as he rushed for her.

Jude’s eyes were closed, her breathing even. She was sound asleep, but he went to work unfastening the straps at her wrists and then her ankles. Sitting down next to her, he brushed her hair away from her face and admired the beauty that lay beneath the dark circles under her eyes. Leaning down slowly, he kissed her just as she exhaled, her breath replacing his. “Jude? Jude, can you hear me? Wake up, baby. Wake up.”

She didn’t move. Her skin was pale and her lips dry. He knew she was alive, but he needed more, so he put his ear to her mouth. Her breathing was faint. Lifting up, he started gently shaking her. “Jude, wake up!” Each time he got more demanding. They were running out of time and he needed her awake. “Jude! Can you hear me? It’s me, Hazel.”

“Hazel.” He heard it, but it was so feeble he wondered if he was imagining it.

“Jude. Jude. Please wake up. It’s me. Hazel.”

The door opened and a doctor stopped, obviously startled by the presence of someone other than his patient. He backed out and shut the door quickly. Taylor was done for, but he needed to see her awake, so he shook her a bit harder. “Jude, please wake up. Wake up!”

The door crashed open and two large orderlies came in. “Sir, you are not allowed in here.”

Taylor stood next to his wife’s bed, and took her hand, squeezing it. “I’m her husband. I go where she goes and I stay where she stays.”

One of them came forward just as the doctor reentered the room. “Not this time, Sir. Now, please come with us peacefully.”

“Fuck you.”

The doctor stepped in from the doorway. “Mr. Barrett, we were warned about you and that you might show up. We’re prepared to call the police if you don’t leave on your own accord.”

“I’m her husband. You can’t deny my right to be with my wife.”

“Your wife is under strict care of not only this facility, but the state has granted conservatorship to her parents. So actually, you have no rights when it comes to Ms. Boehler.”

What the fuck? The hospital has a say over her? “Barrett. It’s Mrs. Barrett to you. She’s my wife and will be addressed and referred to as such.”

“Not until it’s recognized by the court and rights are granted to you. This is a private facility, so I suggest you leave and take care of the legalities before your next return or face the consequences of trespassing.” He stepped around her bed to the opposite side of Taylor and said, “Please excuse us while I conduct an evaluation on my patient.”