12

Skender was standing in front of the room that Jacque’s friends were staying in when he heard the elevator ding to announce its arrival. He couldn’t help his natural instinct to take up a defensive posture when he was protecting something. When no one immediately exited the elevator, his wolf perked up. He sniffed the air and sharpened his hearing. He could smell a human and hear breathing. There was someone on that elevator, someone not conscious by the sound of their slow breathing. He moved quickly before the doors could close and a steady stream of curses in his native tongue began to flow from his mouth at the sight of one of Jacques’ friends in still form in the floor, the one called Sally. He quickly scooped her into his arms and hurried towards her room. He knocked before opening, hoping that he would hear the other one, the mouthy one they called Jen, answer. The response was louder than any words could have been. Skender had learned that sometimes silence was the worst kind of noise. He opened the door slowly, only to confirm his fears. The room was empty. He carried Sally in and laid her on one of the beds, checked her pulse and watched her for a few seconds to make sure her breathing was steady. Then, as quietly as he entered, he left. All the while, the silence that filled the room screamed at him. Once in the hall he debated over and over in his mind whether to go search for Jen or call Vasile or Decebel and let them know what was going on. He could only imagine the wrath that Decebel would reign down on him. His actions towards Jen may not be obvious to him, but everyone else saw it, and if he found out she was missing he would tear Skender apart. Maybe I can wait just awhile to see if she comes back, if not then I will panic. In the back of his mind he knew he should call his Alpha, but fear stayed his hand.


Jen turned toward the guy approaching her. As he got closer, she realized that he was pretty cute and not much older than herself. The mischief gods were smiling on her tonight.
“You do realize you aren’t supposed to be going to the ICU this late, right?” he asked her, totally throwing her for a loop.
“The ICU?” Jen said stupidly.
“Yeah, that’s the only thing in the direction your friend just went.” When Jen didn’t respond but stood there looking back and forth between the direction Sally had gone and back at the cute guy, he spoke again. “I better go get her to keep her from getting in trouble. You need to head on back to whereever it is you are supposed to be.”
The part about him going and getting Sally was what finally brought her out of her trance. Jen touched his arm to get his full attention and when he looked at her, she smiled her most seductively adoring smile. “Okay,” she paused to look at his name badge, “Matt. You caught me. I was out roaming the hospital because I’m bored out of my mind. I was in a car accident and have been stuck in bed and I’m finally allowed to be up and moving. So here I am little ‘ole pathetic me looking for a good time,” she paused and winked at him, bringing on a full blush, “in a hospital. You wouldn’t happen to know where I could find a good time that maybe came with a few drinks?” Jen said in her most hopeful voice. The guy named Matt looked at Jen, then at the hallway behind her, clearly torn about doing the right thing and the fun thing. Lucky for Jen, she was good at convincing guys to do the fun thing.
“Well, I was just going to end my shift,” he began, but Jen interrupted with a squeal.
“Yay! See, this was fate. You were going to leave work and be bored, and I was going to have to sit in my bed all alone and be bored, but instead we met. Pretty awesome if you ask me.” Jen grinned at him adoringly. She wrapped her arm in his as she said, “Lead the way, handsome.”
Matt took her to a room marked ‘Dietary’ in bold letters. “We have beer that is kept on the floors for people who come in and are alcoholics.”
“Shut up! Really?” Jen asked.
“Yep, the docs have to write a script for it, though. It’s not the greatest but it’ll get the job done in a pinch.” He grinned at her and Jen saw that he had dimples. She groaned inwardly, if only she hadn’t given her heart to another. Wait, WTH, she hadn’t given her heart away, what was she thinking? Matt interrupted her inner dialogue when he took her by the hand, and after he had filled his backpack with beer he pulled her out of the room and continued down another hall. They came to a small waiting area tucked around a corner where it was virtually impossible to see. Matt set down his bag and pulled out two beers. He handed her one and kept the other for himself. Jen sat down on the love seat and stared at Matt over the rim of the beer can as she took a sip. “So Matt, what do you do exactly?”

Four hours, 12 beers, and two bags of Cheetos later…
Matt was sitting on the love seat next to Jen while she rambled on about werewolves and how bossy they were. He figured she must’ve been into reading those paranormal romance books that chicks are so into. When she finally paused, Matt took advantage of her silence by placing his fingers under her chin and turning her face to him. Jen’s eyes widened as he began to lean towards her.
“Has anyone told you how pretty you are?” Matt asked her.
Jen giggled. “On occasion.” Jen turned her head, slightly cocking it to the side and asked, “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to kiss you,” he answered bluntly.
“Huh, well I guess that’s ok. It is for Jacque, after all.”
Matt looked confused by her statement, but she wasn’t refusing so he took that as an all clear. He leaned in the rest of the way and pressed his lips firmly to hers. Jen leaned closer into him and allowed him to part her lips with his tongue. This kiss lasted several seconds but Jen abruptly pulled back when she felt Matt’s hand slip under the hem of her shirt and graze her skin.
“Oh, I don’t think I’m quite drunk enough for that, big boy,” she teased.
“Can’t blame a man for trying when there’s a beautiful girl sitting next to him, can you?” Matt winked at her.
Jen stood up then and would have fallen down if Matt had not steadied her. “Whoa, the floor is dipping. That can’t be safe. You should probably tell someone to have that looked into,” she told him as she continued to try and stay upright.
“Uh huh. Jen, I think it’s time I got you back to your room.”
“Room, shroom, I’m having fun. Aren’t you having fun, Matty?” Amazingly, drunk Jen was still able to flirt.
“I’m definitely having fun, but I don’t want someone to be worried about you if they come to your room and you are gone. Come on, you point me in the right direction and I will escort you safely, my lady.”
“Ooo, you’re my knight with the shiny armor.” Jen giggled.
“That’s right, beautiful.” Matt smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist to help support her, and began to walk with her in the direction she pointed. She rambled the entire way there and when they finally got close, Matt froze at the sight of a big man standing in front of the door she indicated, arms folded across a wide chest. Matt swallowed hard as he continued forward.
“Hey!” Jen waved at the man and giggled when he lifted a lip at her and snarled.
Matt stopped moving forward, and when Jen realized he was nervous she stepped out of his hold and pointed, “Matty, don’t be nervous, that’s just Splender.” She turned and blew the man a kiss. “He’s just grumpy.”
Jen continued forward and when she reached the guy, she grinned big and pulled him into a hug, which looked awkward because the man remained stiff as a board.
“Hey Splender, how ya been?” Jen said as she relinquished her hold on him.
“It’s Skender,” he growled, “and what are you doing with that?” Skender pointed to Matt with a growl worthy of Decebel.
“Oh, that’s Matty. He’s my new friend, right Matty?”
“Uh, well yeah. But just friends, man, and I just wanted to make sure she made it back okay, so I’ll just be going then. Bye Jen,” Matt spoke rapidly and began backing away. He gave her a final wave and turned to hurry on his way.
Skender turned his scowl on Jen. “You had better get back in there before Decebel finds out you were gone with a guy.”
“Oh, Slender, quit being a worry worrier.” Jen stumbled forward and Skender caught her. He reached back and turned the knob on the door to her room, gently pushing her in.
“Go to bed and stay out of trouble,” he growled again.
“What is it with you wolves and your bossy beingness? It gets old, you know. Hey Spender, is the room spinning or are you spinning? If it’s you, could you please stand still.” Jen was wobbling on her feet.
Skender took her by the hand and led her to the nearest bed. “He is going to rip my throat out with his bare hands,” he was mumbling under his breath as he eased her to the bed and stepped back.
“Naw, he won’t rip your throat out.” Jen’s inebriation did not keep her from understanding he was talking about Decebel, although her words were very slurred. “He won’t be that quick about it. Geeze, Snipper. Don’t you know him better than that? When he’s in grouchy bear mode he wants to inflict pain. I see it every time he looks in my inspection, wait, that’s not right. When he looks to my…well whatever it is ends in ‘tion’. The points is pain. ‘K, now stop spinning.”
Skender went to the door to leave, but turned back before he closed the door behind him. “You going to be okay?”
Jen gave him a thumbs up. “I am better than good, Spenster. I’m fantabulishisness.” Skender shook his head as he closed the door.
Jen stood up and wobbled over to the stack of clothes lying on the other bed. For some reason a shower seemed like a splendid idea. As she reached for her clothes, she noticed a lump under the covers. She leaned forward and poked the lump, there was a grunt and then nothing else. Well, she thought, it’s a lump and although she should probably investigate she figured the lump would still be there when she was done with her shower. Nodding her head in agreement with herself, she headed off to the shower…without the clothes she had picked up and set down while she poked the lump.


***

Fane paced the waiting room of the ICU while Decebel and Vasile played cards. He looked in their direction and growled.
“Fane, it’s not that we don’t care, but this room would get rather small if all three of us were pacing, and the cards keep our minds busy. So keep your snarling to yourself,” Vasile growled back.
“It’s just driving me crazy,” Fane admitted. “The constant waiting, the not knowing. I can’t pick up any of her thoughts, it’s making my wolf very restless.”
“The doctor must have sedated her, which is a good thing since she was in so much pain. She will be fine, Fane. You know I will do anything in my power to keep her safe and get her well.”
“I know, thank you,” Fane told his father.

***

Logan’s phone vibrated, indicating he had a text message. He picked it up and looked at the lit-up screen.
Cme to 4th flr. Use staff elevtr 2 avoid wt rm, I will buzz u n the doors.
Logan stood up and put his phone in the pocket of the lab coat Dr. Steele had left for him. He grabbed the keys to the car the Coldspring pack had loaned him and headed to the fourth floor. He couldn’t help but be nervous with Vasile and his wolves still in the hospital. When the elevator doors dinged and opened, he stepped out and immediately froze. One of Jacque’s friends was standing in front of the doors that had the words ICU on them, trying to figure out a way to open them. If she was trying to sneak she was very lousy at it. He crept up behind her, his wolf helping him be silent while he stalked his prey. Just as the girl was about to turn around, Logan placed his hands on the point between her neck and shoulder and squeezed. She crumpled like a house of cards. He caught her before she hit the floor and the only thing he could think to do was put her in the elevator and hit the button that would take her back to her floor and hope she would be okay. He placed her limp body on the floor of the elevator and pushed the button to her floor and watched as the doors closed. That was a development he had not been expecting but he couldn’t worry about it now. He walked back to the ICU doors and heard a loud buzz and the doors opened. Directly in front of him was the nurses’ station, a circular desk that gave them a clear view of every glass-encased room. Dr. Steele stood waiting in the doorway of a room directly to his right.
“She’s heavily sedated. I have her hooked to an IV drip to keep her under. I also figured that since she would have to have the IV attached that if stopped, we would need to have a reason to be wheeling her out of the hospital, so I forged transfer papers to the burn unit at Children’s Hospital in San Antonio. Not really plausible but it may buy us some time if caught.”
Logan was impressed with the doctors’ forethought. “Thank you.”
“Let’s just get this done,” she growled. Logan wondered if the good doctor’s conscience was nagging her. He thought about reminding her about what Fane had done to her brother, but decided it would be better to just keep his mouth shut, get Jacque, and go. Dr. Steele had wheeled a gurney into the small room, right up against the bed that Jacque was lying in. Logan thought she looked pale, even with her still-pink healing skin.
“I need you to grab that end of the sheet and on my count, pull. It will slide her smoothly across,” Dr. Steele was telling him as he stared at the woman he had chosen as his mate.
Logan grabbed the end as instructed and pulled smoothly on the doctor’s count of three. He covered her with a blanket up to her neck and Dr. Steele placed and oxygen mask over her face. She said it was just to help make it harder to identify Jacque. They began to wheel the gurney out and it struck Logan that there was no one else around.
“Where are the nurses?”
“There are only two ICU nurses at night and I sent one to get me some more antibiotics from the pharmacy, and the other to my office to get my phone.”
“But you have your phone,” Logan said before thinking.
“Yes, but she doesn’t know that now does she? Now hurry before they get back,” she told him as she pulled the door to the room Jacque had been in closed. They pushed the gurney through doors opposite the ones that Logan had come in. It brought them straight to an elevator that had the doors held open by a large steel trash can. Dr. Steele was ahead of the game, Logan liked that. As they rode down, the sound of elevator music filtered through the speakers and although the music was meant to be calming, it was grating on Logan’s nerves, and he really just wanted to rip the speakers out. Calm down, he told himself, it’s almost over.
The elevator doors opened and they pushed the gurney into a hall with harsh fluorescent lights that shined against white walls and white linoleum floors. Logan could hear sounds emanating from the right end of the hall. The emergency room, he thought. They turned left and quickly wheeled the gurney away from the noise. The hall seemed to go on forever, although Logan knew that it really wasn’t that long. At that moment, pushing the gurney with Jacque on it even five feet would be too long. Just when he thought he might have to take off in a sprint, they were finally in front of the doors that would lead to the car he had waiting for them. Dr. Steele pushed a button on the wall and the doors opened automatically.
Logan had parked the SUV directly to the left of the doors, and as they wheeled Jacque over to the back passenger door Logan realized that with Jacque sick, things just got a whole lot more complicated, so he made a split second decision. When Dr. Steele walked to his end of the gurney so that she could get the IV bag to hang on the clothes hanger hook above the back seat window, Logan grabbed her by the neck. She froze as she felt Logan’s claws pierce her skin, a warm trickle of blood slid down her throat.
She didn’t know what the hell Logan was up to, but she did know that her role in this game had just changed, and not to her benefit.
“I cannot manage all these medicines for Jacque, so until you tell me what I need to do to make her better you are going with us,” Logan growled low, his eyes beginning to glow.
Her wolf naturally wanted to submit but she just wanted to spit in his face. She looked down at Jacque. The girl really was sick and she held no ill will against her, she just happened to be caught in the crossfire. Once again to help justify her actions, and allay her guilty conscience, she would comply with Logan. “Okay, I will go with you. But as soon as I have shown you what you need to do to heal her I’m out, got it?”
Logan gave her neck one more squeeze for good measure. “We’ll see, doc,” he told her, his look promising retaliation if she did not keep her end of the deal.
They got Jacque loaded into the back seat. She hung the IV bag from the clothes hook above the window, then climbed into the passenger side taking a deep breath and letting it out slow. What have I gotten myself into, Cynthia thought to herself. She watched as Logan pushed the gurney back on the sidewalk, not bothering to take it back into the hospital. He walked to the driver side door and climbed into the vehicle. Without a word he started the SUV, put it in drive, and slipped off into the night while Jacque’s mate waited in vain to hear of news of her well being. Cynthia couldn’t have stopped the tear that slipped down her cheek if she had wanted to.