Into The Great Wide Open

Lya

Rose waltzed through the door of my room. “Good morning, sunshine!” she sang. “Afternoon, really.”

I sat up a little. “Hey,” I said, offering a half smile. I looked around, trying to get a gauge for the time. I had woken up a while ago to the sun glaring through the window, alone. I wasn’t surprised Oliver had left. He was the Alpha, after all. I assumed that meant important duties that required round the clock attention. Still, I peaked over her shoulder, hoping to see him.

“Just me,” she smiled. “I figured some time away from the boys might be nice. So how’s hospital life?”

I groaned. “This is the most uncomfortable bed I have ever slept in.”

“I’m sure any bed would be uncomfortable after being in it round the clock for a couple days,” she laughed. “C’mon, let’s get you up.”

I had already been encouraged to get up and move a bit a few times in the later part of yesterday and this morning. It was never that far at a time, seeing as my left leg was so torn up, and my collarbone made it impossible for me to use crutches, and I just in general felt like I had been hit by a bus. I was told that’s par for the course with the surgery I had gone through. Slowly, though, I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed. Rose offered her hand for leverage, which I gladly accepted.

After a few shaky steps, she wheeled over the wheelchair in the corner. “Let’s go outside,” she suggested.

“Yes, please,” I agreed.

Rose greeted people as we passed. She seemed to have the pack ambassador thing down to a science.

“Do you know everyone?” I asked her after the fourth or fifth person she greeted by name.

She giggled. “Packs are close, and I work closely with the warriors, so I spend more time than I’d like over here at the hospital. It’d be a little awkward if I saw someone nearly every day and didn’t know their name.”

“So are you from this pack?” I prodded.

“From the pack, yes,” she said. “But I grew up in one of the smaller towns in our territory. I only moved here when I started training to be a warrior, and then obviously stayed when I accepted a permanent scout position.

“Are the other towns far from here?”

She shook her head. “No more than an hour for the most part, but if we are called into action, it’s always best to be close to headquarters.” She wheeled me out the doors, onto the patio of the cafeteria. It overlooked a river rushing past with a mountain covered in pine trees climbing up on the other side of it. I breathed in sharply. This was a view you never quite got used to.

“Welcome to the Snow Moon Pack, Lya. Hope you like views like this.” Rose stared out at the river, smiling to herself.

“Is everywhere like this?” The stark contrast between here and the area of South Dakota I was familiar with made it hard to believe it was even the same state. The pictures Oliver had shown me certainly did not do it justice.

“Our territory is, but you go further out and you get to the Badlands, and then eventually to the boring side of the state, otherwise known as East River.”

I laughed a bit. “East River was definitely a drag when it came to landscape.”

We spent a few moments in silence, just enjoying the view.

'I like it here,' the wolf popped up in my head.

'Me too,' I agreed.

The wolf made a bit of a humming sound. 'We should stay here.'

'Maybe.' I wasn’t agreeing to anything until I knew a bit more.

I cleared my throat. “Do people come and go from here often?”

Rose thought about that for a moment. “Yes and no,” she finally said. “If someone finds a mate in a different pack, they will either go to that pack, or their mate will come here. Sometimes a rogue will decide they are done with that life and wants the structure of a pack, or the other way around. Every once in a while, we will have a transfer. Actually, recently, Oliver has created quite the reputation so we’ve had higher than average transfers.”

“A reputation?”

She nodded. “From my understanding, he is quite the good alpha. I didn’t pay too much attention to what his father was like because I was so young, but from my bit of time in other packs, he’s quite good.”

“What have you gone to other packs for? I thought people didn’t come and go?” I asked.

Rose glanced over at me. “That’s part of how we fund things here. Our warrior crew will do mercenary work for other packs. It’s a new structure Oliver implemented - lends other packs a hand while making use of our numbers here. But, to change the topic, is that little bag all you have?”

I had more questions, but didn’t want to push, so I just nodded. It definitely wasn’t a wide selection of clothing I had brought, but it was just a go bag - not everything I owned.

“Well, we need to get you some more clothes once you’re a bit more healed up,” she informed me.

I smiled. Shopping was a guilty pleasure of mine. I thought of my closet full of dresses back at my old house. I would miss those a little. “I should probably save my money, though - it’s not like I have a job or anything.”

Rose giggled. “You won’t have to worry about that. You’ll be taken care of here. I don’t think Oliver will let you worry about expenses, at least not until you’re settled and healed. And clothes are definitely a necessity.”

I cringed at the thought of not paying my own way. For as long as I could remember, I hadn’t gotten handouts.

“That really isn’t necessary,” I complained. “I have some money saved, I just don’t want to be frivolous with it.”

“I hear you, and I also helped with the pack accounts last month, so I think it’s fine.”

I arched an eyebrow, encouraging her to clarify.

Rose sighed. “The pack is involved, at least financially, in quite a few non-werewolf businesses so we have a steady stream of income. It keeps houses and utilities paid for, the hospital up and running, affords a salary for us warriors, all that good stuff.”

“So… no one pays for anything here…?” This was starting to sound like some make believe utopia.

“Oh no,” she said. “You’d still pay for things like eating out, groceries, shopping, your vehicle, but the basics - healthcare and housing, mostly - are not a concern. You won’t necessarily get to choose which house you get, but you’re free to update it and keep it however you’d like. If I remember correctly, that came about a few Alphas ago when the push to function as our own town came about. And you’ll never be saddled with a bunch of medical bills that mostly usually come from training or protecting the pack. Oh, and then the school is free for pups.”

I nodded slowly, the wheels turning in my head. I glanced over, and Rose had a zoned out look. She must have been talking to her wolf.

She came to, and grabbed the wheelchair, spinning it around. “C’mon, let’s get you back to your room,” she said. “Apparently, you might get to go home today.”

I breathed out a sigh of relief. Hospitals were my new least favorite place. I glanced at a clock as we rolled by. It was 2:30. Time was beginning to have no meaning here.

The doctor and Trevor were waiting for us when we got back to the room. Dr. Whitledge immediately set to work examining surgical sites, taking my temperature, poking, and prodding. He finally stood back, writing more on his charts before looking up at me.

“So how does it feel to walk?” he asked.

I shrugged. “Okay,” I said. “I wouldn’t want to walk too far yet.”

“She’s got a room on the ground floor, so no stairs,” Trevor piped up. I looked over at Trevor and smiled. Anything to get me out of here sooner.

He nodded. “The leg should be mostly healed within two weeks, which will make getting around a lot easier. Collarbone will be a six to eight week recovery. Time will tell with your side, but just make sure not to push it too much. Do try and get out of bed, move around. And I will be coming by the packhouse two or three times a day to check on your progress, for at least the next several days. Once your mobility gets a bit better, I’ll have you start physical therapy, which will be over at the training grounds.”

“So do I get to leave today?” I refused to let my excitement leak through my voice.

Dr. Whitledge sighed. “I would be remiss if I did not say I would much rather you be here for at the very least until tomorrow, but I know everyone at the packhouse will keep a good eye on you. So yes.” He paused, looking at me intently. “If anything goes wrong, you will be right back here. You could still develop an infection, or the affected organs could need another repair. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” I nodded.

“I will let Ollie know he can bring the car by,” Trevor said. “Ready to be roomies, Lya?”

Trevor’s smirk made me smile. “Does this mean we get to have movie nights and stay up late talking about boys?”

He rolled his eyes. “Oh my god, I forgot what it’s like living with girls.”