Chapter 21: Chapter 21

It was the dead of night when the doctor finally approached the hunched figure of James, looking grim and clutching a clipboard within his hands. James heart dropped but he remained hopeful, he knew she wasn’t dead, the bond still held tight between them, but the look on Doctor Hoyt’s face made him nervous.

“Beta Hughes, first off, your mate is alive.”

Despite having known, deep down he had still questioned if maybe the bond was malfunctioning, if maybe the worst had happened, and he didn’t feel it. So, the doctor’s words came as a huge relief. He braced himself for what was to follow.

“As you know, she was bitten on the left arm, and as such there will be extensive scarring along her forearm, unfortunately because of the severity of the bite, we don’t yet know how much hand function she’s going to be able to retain. In addition, she had multiple deep lacerations to her stomach as a result of the multiple times she was clawed, all her vital organs are okay, but she’s going to be in a lot of pain for a long time.”

James sat in a daze, the doctor’s words running over and over in his head. How had he let this happen? How had he allowed such a blatant act of defiance and disrespect to stand? He should’ve killed Grace the moment she saw them in the diner. Maybe then all of this wouldn’t have happened, and his mate would be unscathed.

Lost in thought he heard the faint hum of Matt’s voice as he talked to the doctor and thanked him for all his hard work. James couldn’t tear his eyes away from the floor, the guilt was eating at him as he blamed himself for everything that had happened.

“James.”

He wouldn’t blame Ren if she never forgave him, if she chose to leave him. He would never forget the sight of her bleeding in his arms, he left arm swinging limp at her side, her head hanging back as her neck failed to support its weight.

“James.”

Matt was shaking him, pulling him from the self-deprecating thoughts that tore through his brain.

“The doctor said we can go in and see her now.”

James’ head snapped up and he was on his feet in a flash, he needed to be near her, to lay his eyes on her and prove to himself once and for all that she was still breathing. Matt grabbed onto his arm and James let him lead the way into the hospital room.

The room was a dull cream, with uncomfortable chairs in either corner. The fluorescent lights that hung from the tiled ceiling cast an unnatural glow onto the lone figure laying immobile in the bed. Her face was peaceful in her unconscious state, but James could see the dried blood that stained her hair and skin.

His heart lurched the more he looked her over. She looked so frail and delicate surrounded by all the hospital equipment and James couldn’t help but stride over to her side and grab hold of her hand. Her skin was cold, and he cursed the nurses for not taking better care of their new Beta Female. Snagging a blanket from the end of the bed he gently spread it over her, making sure it covered her feet and would keep her warm.

He pulled up a chair and sat down at the head of the bed. Holding her hand, he pulled it up to his face, taking comfort in the realness of her touch and the steady rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor beside him.

He felt more than heard Matt leave, giving James and his little mate the privacy they deserved. Despite not being overly close with Soren, Matt still felt the stress of having her so close to death’s door. The little wild child had imbued warm feelings of protectiveness into him. She was like a younger sister to him already, and as both a member pf his pack and a member of his family, Matt couldn’t help the worry that had overcome him as soon as he saw her wounds.

Leaving the hospital room, he spotted his own mate, waiting with a look of extreme worry painted onto her beautiful features. Hurrying across the room, he yarded her into his arms, vowing to never let her out of his sight. Margot didn’t want to leave without setting eyes on her new friend, but Matt insisted James needed the time alone with her. Returning home, the two didn’t have much to say, instead taking comfort in each other’s presence, wrapping themselves up in each other so as to reassure themselves they were both okay.

She woke up the next day, deep into the night. She had been unconscious for almost a full twenty-four hours and yet she felt exhausted. Next to the bed in a hard-plastic chair sat James, neck bent at an awkward angle as he slept soundly. Looking at her surroundings, Soren wondered how long she had been there, and how long the shadows had been building up beneath her mate’s eyes.

Staring at him she chose not to disturb him, instead pressing the nurse call button on the side of her bed. When the nurse showed up in the doorway Soren immediately put a finger to her lips, motioning with her head to the sweet sight of her tired mate. The nurse understood immediately and tiptoed over to Soren’s side, not wanting to wake her Beta. Unfortunately, she was not as practiced in the art of stealth as either Soren or James, and so she kicked the leg of the hospital bed and let out a loud string of curses that had James leaping into a fighting stance straight from his sleeping state.

Not to mention the shooting pain that shot through Soren’s body at the immense jostling of the bed. Struggling to refrain from letting out her own round of expletives, Soren focused instead on the image of her mate standing next to her, trying to fuss over her like a mother hen.

“James, stop. I’m okay.”

She gripped the hands that were trying to adjust her blankets. She could see the frantic too on his face and registered the feeling of guilt that was building in her gut, a feeling that was not her own.

Asking the nurse for a minute, she did her best to push James back into the chair where he had been previously.

“What happened?”

He looked like a wounded puppy.

“I let you fight Grace, that’s what happened. You should never have had to do that, I don’t know how I let that happen.” His fingers tore through his hair, leaving the pieces sticking up and out haphazardly on his head.

“It’s okay, it’s over now. She’s dead.”

Saying the words made them solidify in her head. Not only was Grace dead, but she had been the one to kill her, she was a killer, a murderer. She didn’t let her realization show on her face, she knew it would only worry James even more and she didn’t want him to feel any guiltier than he already did.

“I just want to go home, that’s all I want.”

James felt the way her words eased his mind, she wanted to go home to the cabin, and all he could think of was the fact that she had called it home, that she had accepted it as hers.

“Okay, Ren, I’ll go talk to the doctors.”

He up and left the room, determined to hunt down Doctor Hoyt and find out when he could bring his little mate back to their home, to rest up and heal in peace.

The second he had cleared the room, Soren allowed the tears that had been building to fall silently down her face. She didn’t recognize the person she had become, she wasn’t a wolf, she wasn’t a person who fought others, let alone to the death. She was in over her head in James’ world, but she didn’t know what to do except try to accept it and move on.

By the time James was back, doctor in tow, there was no sign of tears to be seen. She had always been good at regulating her emotions, and this time was no different.

“Beta Female Soren, so glad to see you’re awake. My name is Doctor Hoyt, Beta James tells me you want to leave.”

Soren nodded,

“Thank you for everything, but I just want to get out of here.”

“I fully understand, the hospital is nobody’s idea of a good time, unfortunately I don’t think that’s a good idea right now. Your injuries are quite extensive and because you’re human, we want to be extra careful. If you really want to leave, there’s nothing I can do to stop you, and I will do everything I can to make your transition home go as smoothly as possible, but I strongly recommend against it.”

“I see.” Still a woman of few words, Soren left it at that. She looked towards James, her unspoken question as clear as if she had screamed it across the room.

“I think you should stay, at least for a couple days, so the doctors can look after you, they’ll do a better job than I can at home.”

She sighed, she knew James was right no matter how badly she wished he wasn’t. Nodding in resignation, she dropped her head back against her pillow, closing her eyes and signalling the end of the conversation.

She listened to the receding footsteps as the doctor left and homed in on James as he returned to his uncomfortable seat next to her, reading himself for another night by her side.

“You don’t need to stay here, you know. You could go home and get a proper night’s sleep.” Her voice was hushed as she fought against the pull of sleep.

“I wouldn’t sleep if I was at home, not without you there with me. Nothing any one says is going to tear me away from you right now. Now sleep, I’ll be here when you wake up.”

A small smile rose on her lips as she recognized the truth of his words. She could sleep soundly in the small flimsy hospital bed, finding comfort in the knowledge that he was watching her, and that nothing, not even her nightmares, could get to her while he was there.