by Cheree Alsop
“That’s all?” Kalia pressed.
When Alex nodded, she blinked away her tears and smiled at him, slipping her arm through his.
“You know there are visitation rules and occupancy limits and all of that here, right?” Terith told their pack.
“Meaning we can visit any time we want?” Pip asked.
Terith rolled her eyes. “If we weren’t so far from the Academy and we didn’t have classes tomorrow.”
“Oh, right,” Pip answered sheepishly.
Meredith appeared behind Jericho. “How’s my patient doing?” she asked.
Pack Jericho fell to the sides, giving her a small alley to walk through. Kalia moved a step away, but refused to go any further.
Meredith laughed. “I didn’t realize Jaze brought everyone.”
“We didn’t give the dean a choice,” Trent told her. “We’re a pack.”
“Yeah,” Pip said. “We stick together.”
“That’s right,” Alex replied, smiling down at the little werewolf.
“Well, unfortunately Terith is right. We need to let Alex rest for a little while.” Meredith began to shoo them out of the room.
“But I feel fine,” Alex protested. He wanted to be gone from the hospital. It reminded him too much of what had happened. He couldn’t get the image of the bodies out of his mind. It was all so wrong.
“We’ll talk about that,” his mother told him quietly.
“See you later, Alex,” Trent called from the hallway.
“Enjoy the break, you slacker,” Jericho echoed.
“I will,” Alex told them. He laughed when Trent began to grumble about excuses to cut classes. Their voices faded away.
Kalia lingered while Cassie and Tennison waited at the door.
“Are you going to come back to the Academy soon?” Kalia asked. “It’s not the same there without you.”
“There’s probably less trouble,” Alex said.
Cassie nodded. “That’s for sure.”
Alex gave Kalia a reassuring smile. “I’ll be back as soon as Mom let’s me.”
Kalia nodded and left the room with obvious reluctance. The smile Cassie threw him before she disappeared through the door was laced with teasing. Alex rolled his eyes.
After everyone had left, Meredith sat on the edge of the bed. When Alex hesitated, she patted the blanket for him to join her. He sighed and sat back down.
“I don’t hurt,” he told her, more open now that the rest of the pack was gone. “I don’t have scratches, a concussion, nothing.”
Meredith’s eyebrows pulled together. “It’s your heart we’re worried about.”
Alex sighed. He had managed to hide the problem up to that point, but monitors didn’t lie.
“It’s just a little jumpy,” he said.
“You know about it?” she asked, amazed.
Alex nodded. “It gives a little hiccup from time to time. No big deal.”
Meredith shook her head. “It’s a huge deal, Alex. Werewolves are supposed to heal. It’s in our genes. The fact that you have a condition that hasn’t resolved itself is scary.”
Alex lifted his shoulders. “Humans have conditions like that all the time and they live normal lives.”
“Yes, but if they learn about the problem, they try to get it fixed,” Meredith said.
Alex put a hand to his chest. He could feel his heart beating beneath the thin hospital gown. The flowery print was soft beneath his fingers. It reminded him of Siale’s hair. He blinked quickly, pushing the thought away.
“You’d think they could find something more manly for boys to wear.”
Meredith smiled. “Like with hammers or motorcycles or something on it?”
“Exactly,” Alex told her.
Meredith patted Alex’s knee. “They’re going to keep you here overnight for observation. Is that alright with you?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“It’s the dean’s orders,” Meredith replied.
Alex let out a loud breath. “Fine. I’ll stay. But no more I.V.’s.”
“Deal,” Meredith told him. She hesitated, then threw her arms around him and gave him a hug. “I can’t tell you how scared I was.” Emotion made her voice tremble.
“That makes two of us,” Alex replied quietly.
Meredith sat back and swept the tears from her cheeks with one hand. “The last thing you need is another girl blubbering over you.”
Alex sighed. “Kalia is—”
Meredith held up a hand. “You don’t need to explain yourself to me. Your love life is up to you.” She stood. “If you want me to be involved with the details, I will, but don’t feel like you have to tell me everything just because I tease you about it.”
At Alex’s hesitation, she nodded. “Just know that I’m here for you if you do need someone to talk to.”
“I appreciate it,” Alex said.
His mother nodded. “Try to get some more rest. The doctor will be in shortly.”
When she was gone, there was nothing else to do but settle back on the bed and study the white paneled ceiling. At least without the heart monitor attached to his finger, he had a bit of peace and quiet.
He couldn’t stop thinking about Siale. Her gray eyes burned into his mind. The last he had seen of her, she was being lifted up the hole. He remembered the fear that struck his heart at the thought that she had died in his arms after he passed out. His heart gave a stutter at the memory. He put a hand over it, grateful he hadn’t been monitored. He had to know if she was alright.
He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed the same instant that Jaze opened the door.
“Going somewhere?” the dean asked.
There was something in his expression that made Alex’s answer a straight one.
“I’m going to check on Siale.”
Jaze nodded. “I knew you would be concerned. They had to give her a blood transfusion and she underwent major surgery to repair the wound in her side. She is in a medically induced coma to help with her recovery.” Jaze gave him a reassuring smile. “But thanks to you, they’re hoping she’ll come out of it soon.”
“Can I see her?” Alex asked. His voice sounded small in the sterile room. It felt like his words drowned in the white that covered every surface.
He could tell as soon as he asked that Jaze was going to say no. Alex held perfectly still, vowing that he would go over there anyway as soon as he was alone.
Jaze smiled. “I’m assuming you plan to go over there anyway when I’m gone, so I might as well take you.”
“Thanks,” Alex replied, touched.
A chill ran up his legs when his bare feet touched the tile floor. He wondered why he felt it; he hadn’t noticed the cold when Pack Jericho had visited him. As if the dean read his mind, Jaze nudged over a pair of slippers with his foot. They were blue, fuzzy, and about as manly as the flower print on the hospital gown.
“Makes you want to ride your motorcycle home, doesn’t it?” the dean joked.
“It’d be refreshing with this outfit,” Alex told him.
Jaze laughed so loud it echoed down the halls.
“Good thing the werewolf wing is empty except for you two,” Jaze said.
Alex was surprised. “Werewolf wing?”
Jaze nodded. “It’s supposedly closed for construction. It’s been that way for years. We use the back entrance and we have a few doctors who are werewolf friendly.”
Alex followed Jaze down the next hall. The dean paused near a doorway.
“We’re trying to find her parents. All we know is the name you gave us, but it’s a start and Mouse is following every lead we have to ensure that she gets home.”
Alex followed the dean’s gaze through the window to the werewolf who slept on the small white hospital bed. She looked so different away from the muck and grime of the hole. Her skin had been cleaned, her wavy brown hair washed and combed, and she looked so peaceful. Alex tried to match her with the terrified girl he held
who was in such pain. He closed his eyes and put his forehead against the glass.
“It was rough,” Jaze stated softly.
Alex nodded without opening his eyes. The glass felt cool against his skin. “I thought we were going to die down there.” He had stayed strong for Siale, but every moment spent in the hole made him that much closer to losing hope. When he felt her fading, that hope had almost vanished completely.
“I’m glad you didn’t give up.”
Alex glanced at Jaze from the corner of his eye. “Us Carsos are tough.”
Jaze squeezed Alex’s shoulder with a firm hand. “Yes, we are. We never give up, even when it seems foolish to continue.”
“Believe me, it felt foolish telling Siale we were going to be rescued. From what I saw, there were thousands of pounds of cement resting on the top of that hole. I didn’t know how you guys were going to find me.” The admission made Alex’s eyes sting. He closed his eyes and held them with one hand, willing himself not to break down.
Jaze pulled Alex close. “You don’t have to be strong all the time,” the dean said quietly.
Alex sniffed, but it was too late. Tears had broken free and were streaming down his face, creating a damp spot on Jaze’s blue collared shirt. “I couldn’t tell them how horrible it was,” he said, thinking of his pack.
“They don’t need to know unless you want them to.”
Alex shook his head. “I never want them to, especially Cassie. She should never know.”
“It’ll be just between us,” Jaze said.
Alex nodded and stepped back. “Thank you,” he told the dean, wiping his cheeks. “Thank you for not giving up on me.”
“I’ll never give up on you,” Jaze replied.
They walked back to Alex’s room.
“Do I really need to stay here?” he asked.
Jaze nodded. “Dr. Benjamin is insisting. He’s worried about your heart.” Jaze studied Alex’s face perceptively. “But you already knew you had a heart problem.”
Alex gave a small smile. “It hasn’t slowed me down any.”
Jaze nodded with an answering smile. “Just the same, I think we should take Dr. Benjamin’s concerns seriously. At least just stay for tonight.”
“Okay,” Alex gave in, touched by the dean’s concern. He sat down on his bed.
“The doctor will be back shortly to set up the monitor.”
“Looking forward to it,” Alex replied dryly.
Jaze smiled and ruffled Alex’s hair. “Get some sleep. You deserve it.”
“You, too,” Alex told the dean.
“I will,” Jaze promised. “And I’ll sleep better when Siale’s family has been found and you’re back home.”
“I will, too,” Alex said. He listened to Jaze’s quiet footsteps as they made their way back down the tiled hall.
Chapter Sixteen
The walls closed in around them. Alex couldn’t breathe. He held Siale tight. She was so still, so very still. He touched her cheek; it was cold.
“Siale!” he yelled.
Alex woke up with his heart pounding and skipping beats. Sweat made his hospital gown stick to his body. He could still feel the touch of Siale’s cold cheek against his palm. Even though it had just been a dream, he had to make sure she was alright.
Alex hurried down the hall to Siale’s room. There was nobody in sight at the early hour. Relief flooded him when he reached Siale’s window and saw her sleeping undisturbed on the bed. She appeared much the same as she had been when he and Jaze had visited the room. Seeing her alone felt wrong. On impulse, Alex reached for the doorknob. It was cool to his touch and the door opened without a sound.
Alex stood by Siale’s bed. He didn’t know what to do. He wished she was awake. Hearing her talk would confirm the fact that she had made it out alright. It was hard to believe it with the sight of her unconscious on the bed.
Alex was so lost in his thoughts that the sound of the door opening startled him. He jumped and turned. His heart chose that moment to stutter. His knees gave out and he caught himself against the counter.
A man in a white hospital coat watched him quietly, his dark gaze impassive behind blue-rimmed glasses.
“Who are you?” Alex asked, embarrassed by his weakness. He gritted his teeth and forced his legs to hold.
“Dr. Benjamin,” the man replied. “And you’re Alex. It’s not a far stretch of the imagination to guess that your heart’s still giving you trouble.”
Alex shook his head, but the wry expression on the doctor’s face let him know it wouldn’t do any good to deny it.
The doctor gave a small smile. “I’ve definitely been around my fair share of stubborn werewolves. I assume you’re here checking on our patient.” He glanced at Siale’s monitors. “Her vitals are improving.”
The doctor’s scent let Alex know that he was a human. Alex felt wary and on edge. The few humans at the Academy and his brief interaction with the students playing soccer in the city hadn’t given him enough basis to trust every human he came into contact with. A shudder ran through his skin. He pushed down the urge to phase.
The doctor’s expression changed slightly. Instead of critical and cold, there was a hint of something else, something almost sad.
“You remind me of someone,” Dr. Benjamin said.
Alex didn’t reply.
The doctor seemed to understand how to treat werewolves. He took a seat on the chair near the door, but was careful not to block the exit. He crossed one knee over the other and leaned back with his arms crossed as well, taking away any hostility or threat in his bearing.
The action calmed Alex’s nerves somewhat. He stayed close to Siale’s bed, feeling protective over the girl he had rescued.
The doctor reached up slowly and rubbed his eyes beneath his glasses. “We take an oath in medical school, do you know that?” At Alex’s lack of response, Dr. Benjamin kept speaking, “Do no harm. We promise to remember our oath in every interaction and treatment of those who come to us for help.” The doctor let out a breath in a sigh. “I forgot my oath.”
Alex didn’t know what Dr. Benjamin was talking about. The man seemed content to speak whether Alex followed or not. Alex figured as long as the doctor was talking, he would get an idea as to the doctor’s character, so he chose to keep silent.
“I judged him based on the psychological trauma from his past and told him that he should leave so that he wouldn’t get Jaze, Chet, and Mouse mixed up in the darkness I felt from him.”
The names caught Alex’s attention. He stood up straighter, his gaze on the doctor’s face.
“But I was wrong.” The doctor’s eyebrows pulled together and he looked like a lost child for a moment. “When he left, I realized the error of my ways. Somehow, Jaze found him again and righted the wrong I had done. I saw him a few more times after that when he brought in other werewolves who needed my assistance, but whenever I looked into his eyes, I remembered that I had judged him and sent him away from those he needed, and, as it turned out, needed him.”
Alex broke the silence with the question that burned in his chest. “What was his name?”
The doctor let out a slow breath and said, “Jet.”
The answer hung in the air between them as palpable as the statue at the Academy.
The doctor hung his head. “He saved so many of them.”
“He was my brother.” Alex’s words were soft but firm.
Dr. Benjamin’s head jerked up. He stared at Alex like he was looking at a ghost.
“Honestly?” the doctor asked. At Alex’s nod, the man let out a breathy laugh. “What are the odds?”
“Trent could tell you.” Alex realized he had spoken the thought aloud.
True interest showed in Dr. Benjamin’s eyes. “Who’s Trent?”
“One of my pack mates,” Alex replied. “He likes statistics. I’ve learned never to say ‘what are the odds’ because he answers me and I realize the odds are never as good as I hope they’ll be.”
Dr. Benjamin nodded. “The odds of you being Jet’s brother are pretty unbelievable.”
Alex fought back a grimace at the pang of regret that filled him.
The doctor continued unaware of his dark thoughts. “Well, Alex. Let’s see if we can’t figure out what’s going on with your heart. Perhaps I can pay Jet back even if just a little bit.”
The doctor left through the door without explaining. Alex looked at Siale one last time before hurrying out the door after the doctor.
The next half hour was one of silence broken by the staccato and mostly synchronized beeping of the machines as Dr. Benjamin fastened devices to Alex’s chest and checked the recording equipment to ensure nothing would be missed.
“You said you needed to pay Jet back,” Alex finally said when the beeping had become too much. “What for?”
The doctor glanced at him, then turned his attention back to the machine he had been watching in silence for the past several minutes. When he spoke, regret was heavy in his voice. “I sent Jet out of this very hospital saying that he should start a life far away from Jaze’s pack and any other werewolves out there.” His voice dropped. “I was so wrong.”
The doctor’s hands were clasped behind his back and his head and shoulders were bowed in sorrow. Alex had never seen anyone so filled with regret. He thought the doctor was done speaking, and had decided not to press the matter when Dr. Benjamin continued in a softer voice.
“I’ve worked with werewolves for over a decade here and always kept a professional distance until the day Jaze brought a werewolf named Judith in.” He kept his gaze on the machine. “She had been beaten and tortured. She was so scared of humans I had to hire some of Jaze’s pack to help me with her. Then one day that changed.” He glanced at Alex. “I don’t know why she chose to trust me, but I was walking past the room at night and I heard her say, ‘Doctor?’ so timidly I barely caught it. So I went in her room.”
He took a seat on the chair near the door and smiled at Alex. “I was a bit worried at first,” the doctor admitted. “I’ve seen what cornered werewolves can do, and I didn’t relish meeting one late at night without help. But I was surprised at what I found.” His eyes creased at the corners as he thought back. “She asked me if it was raining outside. I guess she’d smelled it. There was such yearning in her gaze that when I confirmed her guess that I had to offer to take her out to see it.” He gave a small laugh. “I don’t think either of us expected to be out in the rain that night, me pushing her wheelchair and her laughing up at the raindrops because it had been so long since she had felt them. I fell in love with her that night.”
