Chapter 39 - Sore but awake

***Hopes pov***

I open my eyes at the same time as Callum opens the door.
I’m confused, that is not our door and this is not our room. He stands frozen to the spot, just watching me with tons of emotions in his eyes and on his face.
“Callum?…Whats going on?”..That is all I can say before he reaches the bed and crashes his lips on mine. His hands goes to my face, my hair and my body, he is touching me everywhere with featherlight movements. When he finally lets me breathe he puts his forehead against mine.
“I’m so sorry Hope..I never meant to hurt you..please forgive me..” He started to kiss my face, my hair and my hands.. and then I see it. A tear is running down his cheek.
“Callum..Callum calm down! What are you talking about?”. He sits back on the bed, letting me take in the room and my surroundings. I am in a single bed, Cathy is here, snoring under a blanket in an armchair, I have an Iv-drip in my arm and some electric device on my finger with a cord going up to a machine with a little monitor on it. So, I’m at the hospital! Why am I at the hospital?
“What happened?”
“After the training...you collapsed in the packhouse. The injury in your shoulder was bad, you lost a lot of blood, and you have two ribs with cracks in them, a swollen jaw..half a face actually..” I see him getting paler and the guilt is weighing on him.
“And you think its your fault?”
“Of course it is! I did this to you!”
I try to sit up a little, immediately feeling the injuries he was talking about but trying to ignore them. I put my hand on his face, making him look me in the eyes.
“Listen to me Callum, it was training, I told you not to hold back remember?” He nods but I see the pain in his eyes and I know he doesn’t agree with me. “And if I remember correctly, I was the one who won” I say, giving him a cocky smile, making him chuckle
“Thats better.” I lay back down, taking his hand and bring it to my lips.
I’m thinking about the dream I just had and I can still feel the light from the moon on my skin. I can still feel Lunas grief and Aaylas fury. I wonder why..I haven’t had these dreams since I got here, so why now? Seeing my frown makes Callum nervous all over again. “Hope, are you mad at me? I will do anything to make this right, I promise!”
“Callum, can you please let it go? I am not mad, It wasn’t your fault or intention, so please, if you want me to feel better, let it go..okay?”
“Okay..I will.”
“Callum..what do you know about muscle memories?”
“Not much..why?”
“I had another dream..or memory..about Aayla”
“Really?..What was it about?”
“You know when I beat you, when I put my foot on your throat and the cane against your heart?”
“Yeah..I have a vague memory of something like that.” He smiled
“I have never done that before..that move I mean, like I said before, there is no such thing as a class for fighting vampires..and that was a move for killing one.”
“I’m lost..what do you mean?”
“In my dream, I was fighting a vampire..well not me, Aayla, but I was her..anyway, we made that move, we pressed him down by the throat while putting a spear over his heart.”
“Was it hard? Killing him I mean, driving a spear through a mans chest, even if it is a vampire can be tuff.”
“We didn’t..well not with him..there were two others, anyway, we bled in his mouth and he died.”
“Wow..I dont know what to say about that..but sure, if this was Luna showing you a memory, the moves you did in the training can very well be by her memories as well I suppose..what else did you dream?” Callums fingers is combing my hair.
“Can we talk about it later?...It was kind of sad.”
“Sure, take your time” He gives me a comforting smile.
“Hey, when did you wake up?” Cathy sits up, the sleep is still fogging her eyes.
“A few minutes ago, you didn’t have to stay here, sleeping in a chair” I say, touched by her choice to do so.
She looked at Callum with a frown on her face.
“You havent told her?”
“No, not yet, we didn’t get that far..”
“It should be something you start with, or it should at least be in the top three”
“Well, we had other things to talk about first!”
“Told me what???” I raise my voice to end their bickering
Callum takes a deep breath.
“We were attacked last night.” He said, suddenly looking very tired.
“What?!?” My eyes wandered over his body, looking for injuries, Was he hurt?
“And that’s my cue to leave..I’m so glad your back with us Hope, I'll come back later!” Cathy comes over and gives me a hug before leaving the room. As she does a nurse comes in. She is young and pretty, with a chubbiness that looks really good on her. She bows her head to Callum and addresses him with his title before turning to me, I cant help to roll my eyes at the formality. Callum looked a little uncomfortable and said he would be right back, before leaving the room in a hurry..what was that about?
“Good morning miss Hope. My name is Jenny and I will be your nurse today.” She said with a big smile on her lips, walking over to check the monitor beside me.
“How do you feel?” She asked while she disconnected the iv-drip, leaving the needle in my hand.
“I feel fine, a little sore but it's not to bad..and I’m a little hungry.”
“Thats a good sign. Everything looks good, no fever and your blood-pressure is back to normal as well. I will get you something to eat and I suspect the doctor will see you in a few hours.” She moved around the room while talking, folded Cathy’s blanket in the chair, opened the window to let some air in and collected a few coffee cups. Oh, coffee!
“Can I please have a cup of coffee to?” I asked her, yearning for the hot treasure.
“Of course miss Hope” she said and then left the room.
The next minute, Callum was back. He scratched his head, before coming back to sit on the bed.
“Callum…what was that about?”
“What?..nothing..I had to talk to Reece..he is right outside”
“You want to try that again?” I narrowed my eyes at him.
“ Its nothing..”
“ Is she one of your exes? “ I asked him, but she didn’t give me that feeling, she was to happy and relaxed in his present.
“ Absolutely not, I have never touched her, I have barely spoken to her” he frowned
“ Then tell me..” I pouted with my mouth. So he did…
“I swear Hope, I would never look at another woman’s breast on purpose!” I was laughing on the inside, he was adorable!
“Is Reece outside? Can you tell him to come in?” I sat up in the bed
A few seconds later, Reeces head pops in through the door.
“Look who is awake! Its good to see those green eyes again Hope!”
“Aww, thank you Reece!” I held my good arm out, showing him I wanted a hug, and he was quick to grant my request. As he leaned down and put his arms around me I grabbed a hold of his ear and twisted it.
“Aaaooouuuch!!! What are you doing Hope?” he whined
“I am teaching you not to disrespect women! And to have respect for your Alpha and his mate!”
“Ok ok, I am sorry..can you please let go?..Please!” he sounded like a little school boy. I released his ear and put my hand on his cheek and gave him a kiss on his forehead.
“What was that for?” He asked while rubbing his ear.
“That was for sitting outside my room, waiting for me to get better, that was really sweet of you Reece.” I gave him a warm smile.
“Well, the kiss was worth the ear twisting” he said and winked at me
“So, are you two a couple?” I asked, thinking, I would love to maybe have a couples date with them.
“Nah..we agreed it was just for fun”
Reece stayed with us for a while. Jenny came with coffee, sandwiches and a blush on her face. He and Callum told me everything about the attack, who got hurt, about the prisoners, and what they learned about them during their initial interrogation. After he left I scooted to the side, showing Callum I wanted him beside me. I needed his arms around me.
“Can we please go home Callum?..I dont need to be here, I’m fine, really!..The staff needs to concentrate on the warriors and the people from Allans pack” I asked him
“Sure, if that’s what you want”
“It is, but I would like to see this boy you told me about..Kevin.”
“Ok,..we can visit him on the way out” Callum carefully pressed me against his chest and I could feel him drawing a couple of deep breaths in my hair.

Kevin was a bundle of charm. He was very happy we came to see him and he told me about how much I had impressed him during the training. He to loved to parkour, something his brother got him to train as a pup. I learned that Kevin and his brother weren’t born in this pack, like Thomas and Anna they arrived about twelve years ago after their own pack was attacked. His brother chose to leave and seek his own path, but they visit each other from time to time.
“ So you mean he is a rogue by choice? and he is happy?” I asked fascinated, thinking about what Cathy and I spoke about regarding rogues. I could almost feel Lunas ears perked, curious of the answer.
“Sure, he is good. I’m sure he would like to join a pack at some point, but for now, he is good “ Kevin has an expression on his face, showing how proud he is but also how much he misses his big brother.
“Have you spoken to him? Told him what happened? Maybe he will come and visit?” I asked, thinking that is exactly what Kevin needs, and it gives me an idea.
“ We are going to have a dinner, a ceremony to bring in the new members from Alans pack…I would love it if he could come!” I say with a smile, watching a light of hope light up in Kevin’s eyes
“ I can call him, and ask..” his eyes went to Callum, searching for approval, Callum nodded and stroked my back.
Before we left, I got to meet Lucas and Leo as well as several people from Alans pack and the Doctor who approved me for going home.

“Are you sure you don't want to postpone the ceremony?” Callum asked when we laid on the couch, my back against his chest.
“I’m sure..I think Luna is more needed then ever, she has a lot of knowledge about the vampires, and I think the pack would love to have her..and I cant wait for her to fix my shoulder and my face” I giggled