Chapter 4: Flowers and A Message

*BONNIE’S POV*

Much to what Dr. Foster had already confirmed, Bonnie Renolds was, in fact, a senior. A soon to be graduating student who had been persistently battling an ongoing war with her weak immune system since she was young.

The moment flu season would roll around, she’d make sure to keep her distance from everyone and load up on immune boosters. However, in times like this, where the seasons were about to shift once again, there was no escaping the inevitable head cold that would eventually sneak up on her.

What would start out as a slight tickle in the back of her mouth would quickly grow to a sore throat by the end of the day. And before she knew it, she wouldn't be able to pick her head off her pillow.

In this instance, her throat had swollen shut, making it difficult for her to breathe and nearly impossible for her to swallow. She had hoped that this time the illness would swiftly enter and then leave her body as it had in the past.

But, this particular head cold decided to stick around for over a week. Each day it felt as if it were getting worse.

So, why didn’t she seek help? Or, at least try to take medication to help ease her symptoms?

Bonnie struggled to open her eyes. Her vision was blurry, but once it started to clear, she found herself in a strange room. Strange and, yet, familiar.

“Ms. Renolds?” a voice called.

She tried to tilt her head to see the person calling her name. Her head was pounding from the sudden shift of pressure that swelled behind her eyes.

“Ow,” she groaned.

“Easy, your body has been through a lot these past twelve hours. But it’s good to see you awake now,” the nurse informed her with a kind smile.

Bonnie’s brows snapped together in confusion.

“Where am I?” she asked tiredly.

The nurse stopped whatever observation she was running and lowered her clipboard from her face. She eyed Bonnie strangely.

“You’re at the health center on campus,” she told her. There was a slight pause of hesitation. “Ms. Renolds, do you remember how you got here?”

Bonnie shook her head, feeling slightly embarrassed that she couldn’t gather enough of her bearings to comprehend what had happened to her. No matter how hard she tried, all she could remember was missing a call from her friend before the world faded out. It should have frightened her how peaceful it was in the dark. But it was just that. Peaceful.

Suddenly, a shrilling noise ripped through the silence, making Bonnie’s whole body tense up.

“Oh my God! Bonnie, are you okay?” a feminine voice called from the doorway.

She looked up to find her best friend, Stella, standing in the doorway. Her dark, thick brow hair curled widely around her face, as though she’d ran all the way to the medi-center. Then again, the young woman never looked terrible.

Stella’s wardrobe consisted primarily of sweat pants and t-shirts. She did very little with her hair and hardly ever wore make-up. Yet, the girl was effortlessly stunning.

“Hey, Stells. I’m okay...I think,” Bonnie breathed.

Stella threw her bag down and rushed around the bed to one of the chairs.

“Why didn’t you tell me that you were here?” she asked.

“Well—”

“Ms. Renolds has just woken up. I’m sure she would have called you to let you know,” the nurse stated.

Stella shot an irritated look between the nurse and Bonnie.

“Wait, Stella. How did you know I was here?” Bonnie questioned her with a look of bewilderment.

She watched her friend sit back in her chair, completely deflated. Her eyes rolled up to the ceiling.

“Charlotte Bronks,” Stella said flatly.

Bonnie sagged back against her pillows. “You can’t be serious. How the hell does she know?”

Stella threw her hands up in wonderment and shrugged her shoulders back.

“Rumor has it that she saw someone carrying you out of the dorm earlier today. Said that they were looking for the nearest hospital, put you in their car, and brought you here,” she explained.

Charlotte Bronks, like many middle-aged housewives with little to do, was known as the campus wide know-it-all. If there was a party happening—she knew. If a teacher was planning on giving a test—she knew. If someone was being mysteriously whisked away out of the dorm by a stranger...She. Knew. And if ‘she’ knew, that meant that everyone else on campus now knew as well.

Bonnie stared blankly at Stella.

“Well, that’s just great,” she muttered.

Stella instantly propped herself up. Her eyes filled with wonder.

“So, do you know who they are? Ya know, the person who brought you here?” her friend asked.

“No,” Bonnie said sadly.

She thought for a brief moment that the voice of her 'supposed' rescuer sounded a bit familiar, but she wasn't entirely certain. Meanwhile, her mind was drawn back to a slightly darker thought.

“Stells, I really thought I wasn’t going to make it,” she admitted.

Stella took her hand and held it tightly, not saying another word. Just being there for her, and that’s what Bonnie truly needed in that moment.

“Oh, Ms. Renolds, you’re awake!”

Both Bonnie and Stella watched as another nurse came into the room, this one carrying a gorgeous flower arrangement in her hands. She placed them down on the table beside her.

“Aren’t they beautiful? They were just delivered,” the second nurse remarked.

“Who are they from?” Stella asked while immersing herself in the various types of flowers and colors.

Bonnie caught sight of a little white card sticking out of the side. She slowly reached for it. “Hang on, there’s a card.”

Stella moved to sit on the edge of the bed.

“Oh, please, you have to read it. This is the most excitement I’ve had in weeks,” her friend chirped.

Bonnie giggled and opened the card. Inside, read a little message that left an odd feeling in the pit of her stomach.

‘Get well soon, little Bunny. - Wolf’

She arched her brow and fell speechless. “Uh...?”

“Well, what does it say?”

Bonnie handed Stella the card. As soon as she read it herself, she too, wore the same confused expression.

“‘Get well soon, little Bunny’. - Wolf. Whelp, this just got weird.”

“Wait. I think there’s something on the back there,” Bonnie said, pointing to the underside of the card.

Stella instantly flipped it over and saw an address typed out in a small print.

“It’s an address.”

Bonnie’s eyes grew wide. “Seriously?”

Stella’s face lit up like a star on top of a Christmas tree. “Oh, Bon. We have to check it out.”

Bonnie shook her head. “No way.”

“What? Yes, way! We need to figure out who this person is,” her friend said pointedly.

Bonnie narrowed her eyes at Stella, but knew she was right. As much as she wanted to argue against it, she knew there was no point in trying to get out of this situation. She had to find out who this person was and why they acted on her behalf.

“Fine. We’ll go as soon as the doctor says I’m fit to leave,” Bonnie agreed.

***

*MARCUS’ POV*

Wolfgang sat behind his desk and stared intently at his laptop screen. On top of the file Trixie had pieced together on one Bonnie Renolds, the crafty woman also decided it was best to send a ton of photos for him to lose his mind over as well.

Marcus felt the muscles in his stomach tense as he studied every defining detail of this girl’s physical profile. Each image he scrolled through left him more and more intrigued. Marveled. Captivated. Utterly speechless.

It made him secretly wish that he hadn’t missed the opportunity to see Bonnie’s icy blue eyes when he was still with her. At least he was happy to say that the rest of her beautiful features stuck true to the photos in front of him.

“So, little Miss Bunny. This is who you are,” he said under his breath.

According to what Trixie told him earlier, Bonnie Renolds was a fashion model—had been since she was a child, practically. Her face was on the cover of various magazines bouncing from season to season. She’s modeled clothing from three layered winter coats to something as skimpy as a two-piece string bikini.

Marcus ignored the strain in his pants and forced himself to focus on the research. The thought of locking his door and allowing his mind to wander over the various curves of her body was surely enough to make his right hand begin to twitch. Better still, he stuck to his professionalism.

He noticed that no matter the photo, her facial expression alway stayed the same. Fierce and almost defensive, as if she was preparing for the entire world to judge her.

“Or, is this perhaps who you want the world to believe you are?” he muttered skeptically.

Unlike her current career, Bonnie was majoring in education and even minoring in child psychology.

She’s maintained a 3.8 GPA since high school and remained on the Dean's List for the past four years. She wasn’t sport oriented in any way, but she helped establish a photography club and even joined a choral group one semester.

Wolf shook his head in amusement.

“You truly are full of surprises, Bunny.”

**Knock. Knock.**

The sudden knock on the door pulled Wolf’s attention away from his laptop.

“What is it?” he called out gruffly.

Trixie stepped into Wolfgang’s office. She stopped right in her tracks the second she saw Marcus’ grim expression. She hesitated to speak.

“...Am I interrupting something?” she asked daringly.

Marcus let out a long exhale before speaking. Honest to God, he hadn’t a single clue as to why he had become so interested in this girl. The poor thing was barely coherent when he had brought her into that medi-center. Chances were he’d never see her again after that.

Even if by some magical chance that they did happen to meet again, what would happen? What would ever become of it?

No. No, it would be best to forget that today ever happened and simply move on. The pictures of Bonnie were a good enough sign to prove that they were two worlds apart. As much as it ate at him, Marcus knew he had to let the idea go.

“No,” he shook his head and commented gruffly.

He glanced up at Trixie, who’s expression was unconvincing.

“Trix, is there a legit reason as to why you’re here?” Marcus snapped through his teeth.

The lean, olive-toned woman cracked a smile while planting her hand on her hip.

“I just came to inform you that the flowers you requested have just been delivered,” she said formally.

Wolfgang nodded his head then quickly checked the time on his watch. Several hours had passed since he had left that campus, and he had yet to hear a single word about Bonnie’s recovery. The man was growing impatient.

“Has there been any word from the health center?” he questioned.

Trixie shook her head, lowering her eyes to the floor. Wolfgang let out a very unsettling growl of indignation from low within his throat.

“Boss, is it true?”

Marcus arched his brow. “Is ‘what’ true?”

“Did you really put your name down as one of her emergency contacts?” she asked with a hint of surprise in her voice.

Something dangerous flickered across Marcus’s eyes. It was a mixture of self-centered pride along with an animalistic twist of possessiveness. He tore his gaze from Trixie to glare back at his computer screen.

“That’s nobody’s godd*mn concern,” he stated firmly.

‘Had I known this would happen, I would have snatched her up from that f*cking hospital bed and brought her home with me,’ Marcus cursed to himself.