Chapter 123: Trampled

Chapter 123: Trampled           The fluorescent lights above were harsh and Marco squinted against them as he blinked awake. But it wasn't the brightness that set his jaw tight. The moment his eyes opened, the memories of Grace flooded his mind. She was the first thing his mind called for. The first thing he searched for with panic-stricken eyes.   But the chair beside his bed which was where she used to sit in during every injury, every sickness...was empty.   And with that, something inside him snapped to life.   Marco jolted upright in a sudden and desperate need overriding caution, only to be met with a brutal, burning pain that tore through his lower back. A guttural groan escaped his throat, but he didn't stop. He tried to swing his legs off the bed but that's when he realized.   He couldn't move.   Leather restraints bound his wrists and ankles to the rails of the hospital bed.   "What the hell?" he snarled, yanking at the straps with wild, uneven strength. "What the hell is thi