by Cheree Alsop
“Good job, Alex,” Chet said, rubbing Alex’s hair as he helped the student up the ladder to the main floor.
“Good to see you again,” Dray told Alex as he pulled open the door to one of the SUVs. “I’m glad you’re alright.”
“What, you think you can just take a break in the middle of a mission?” Trent demanded from the driver’s seat. A closer look showed tears in the werewolf’s eyes.
“Thought it was a good idea,” Alex managed.
He sat on the seat careful to touch only the blanket Meredith had given him. She buckled his seatbelt as if he was a toddler, then she and Cassie sat on either side of him.
“Is he there?” Kalia’s voice demanded over the intercom.
“He’s here,” Terith told her from the front seat. “He’s okay, as far as we know.” She gave Alex a searching look, her tone uncertain.
“Are you sure?” Kalia asked.
Alex gathered his strength. “I’m here,” he told her.
Kalia’s audible sigh followed. “They wouldn’t let me come.” He could hear tears in her voice. “They said since Brock was helping, I needed to monitor the cameras.”
“I’m okay,” Alex said, though in the fog of numbness, he wasn’t quite sure. “I’m glad you were helping.”
Trent started the vehicle and pulled out of the parking lot. The hum of the tires lulled Alex’s weary mind. He closed his eyes. His head jerked as he awakened again.
“It’s okay,” Meredith said, her voice soft. “Lean your head on my shoulder. You can sleep.”
Alex did as his mother said. He knew he stunk and that various types of carnage covered his clothes and everywhere else on his body, but he couldn’t keep awake any longer. He shifted the blanket so that it covered his mom’s shoulder before he rested his head on it again. A single thought crossed his mind, the fact that Meredith and his other mother both had the best shoulders to sleep on. He took a breath and let it out slowly as he drifted away.
Chapter Fifteen
Alex awoke to the steady beeping of the hospital monitors above his bed. He remembered vague snatches of being helped into a wheelchair, then the checkered lights as they passed overhead. Something pricked his arm and he had fallen into a sleep deeper than any he could remember.
“Alex, are you alright?”
Cassie’s voice made him smile.
“I never could pretend to be asleep with you around,” Alex said, turning his head to look at his twin sister. She waited so close to the bed there was no room between her and the bars.
Cassie gave him a warm smile. “That’s because you don’t snore when you’re awake.”
“I don’t snore,” Alex protested.
Cassie grinned. “I know, but I wanted to see if you did.”
Alex smiled back. “You’re pretty sneaky.”
She shrugged. “It must be a Davies thing.” She hesitated and shadows crossed her gaze. “Or what would our last name really be?”
“Carso,” Alex said softly.
Cassie let out a breath and nodded.
“But we’re still Davies, Cass. Don’t forget that. Meredith’s our mom, but so were Mom and Dad. You don’t have to give that up, ever,” Alex told her adamantly.
Cassie nodded. “That’s what Meredith told me.”
Alex smiled, hoping to cheer her up. “That’s because we have a smart mom.”
“Because she said what you did?” Cassie asked uncertainly.
Alex nodded. “Exactly.”
A small giggle escaped his sister. She shook her head at him. “You’re impossible, Alex.”
Alex shrugged. “I know.” He sat up slowly, but didn’t feel any soreness. In fact, he felt completely fine which surprised him after everything that had happened. He frowned down at the hospital gown he wore, realizing that his clothes were gone and his body had been cleaned of the filth. “Who had to undress... Um, you know what? Never mind. I don’t want to know.” He swung his legs over the side of the bed.
“Are you sure you should get up?” Cassie asked worriedly.
Alex nodded. “I feel fine.” He lifted his arm where an I.V. poked out. “What’s in this?”
“Just liquids,” Cassie told him. “They said you were severely dehydrated.”
Alex pulled the needle carefully from his arm. Several drops of blood surfaced. He waited a minute, then wiped them away with a tissue from a box near the bed. The hole from the needle had healed.
“Where’s my—”
Voices caught Alex’s attention. He and Cassie both watched the door, waiting for the inevitable. The door burst open and Pack Jericho rushed inside.
“I told you he’d be awake!” Trent crowed.
Kalia, Terith, and little Caitlyn gave Alex tight hugs.
“You’re feeling better?” Kalia asked, looking Alex up and down.
Alex was suddenly aware that he was wearing nothing but a thin piece of cloth that was probably completely open in the back. He felt behind him, confirming the fact.
“I feel great,” he said, struggling to tie the gown shut.
“You should wear that to school,” Jericho said, poking his head in the door. “You could start a fad.”
“No, thank you,” Alex replied, grinning. “It’s bad enough with all the phasing going on. Could you imagine if Pip wore one of these?”
They all laughed.
“Hey!” Pip exclaimed from the doorway. The little werewolf grinned. “It looks comfy.”
“Don’t get any ideas,” Jericho warned him.
“Alex good?” Amos asked, crowding the others through the door. He had to hunch over so his head didn’t brush the ceiling of the room.
“Alex is good,” Alex replied, smiling at the huge werewolf. “Thank you.”
Amos nodded with a pleased smile.
Kalia stepped closer to Alex as if she needed to reassure herself that he was alright.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked quietly.
The concern in her eyes ate at his heart. He knew what he saw in the depths of her gaze, he just couldn’t answer it.
“You’re not okay,” Kalia said. Tears brimmed in her light blue eyes. “Should I call a nurse?”
Alex held up his hands. “No, no. I’m just fine. I feel great. I’m just, uh, not dressed for all this company.”
“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.