She smiled weakly. “Most of the dragon halves tend to take my side as I usually talk sense.” She put out a hand and he engulfed it with his own. At the contact, her pain numbed a fraction. “Tell me, Gregor. I won’t tell anyone else.”
He sighed. “I know.” Lightly brushing her cheek, he murmured, “I killed my mate.” Rather than protest, Sid merely waited. Eventually he continued, “It’s true. If not for my seed, she’d probably still be alive. You see, I knew it would be difficult for Bridget to have children. Every doctor told her to be careful. While the mate-claim frenzy might happen, she needed to not risk another pregnancy after that, even if she miscarried.
“Bridget and I knew straightaway there was a connection and it wasn’t long before both of our dragons banged on about being true mates. Knowing what I did about her health and the risk of pregnancy, I suggested that I could transfer somewhere else and she could go on birth control with another bloke and possibly live risk-free. There was also the possibility of tying her tubes and me having a vasectomy to prevent pregnancy, but Bridget was stubborn and yearned for a child. And not just any child, but my child.”
Sid squeezed his hand in hers. “So you gave in to the frenzy.”
“Aye, despite my better judgment, I did. I was young and in love; I wanted to give my mate everything she desired. If she wanted a child, we’d try.
“She conceived in just over a week. I was a young doctor then and was maybe a bit overzealous in my protection and restrictions. But in my mind, I wanted to give Bridget the greatest chance of survival. While there were a few scares, she was fairly healthy up until the day I found her dead.”
~~~
Gregor remembered finding Bridget in their bed with blood on the sheets. The image would haunt him for the rest of his life.
Cassidy’s voice was soft as she asked, “What happened, Gregor?”
As he met her brown eyes, he knew he could refuse to say anything. After all, he’d done a good job of not talking about that day since it happened.
His dragon spoke up. Tell her.
The next bit spilled from his lips. “When I came back from a twenty-four-hour shift at the surgery, I found Bridget in our bed with blood everywhere. Her mother was supposed to have stayed with her, but had gone out to get some supper and ended up staying out longer than expected.”
Gregor shut his eyes and clenched the fingers of his free hand. If only his mother-in-law had stayed, Bridget and their son might still be alive.
His beast spoke up again. They will always be with us, but we can’t change the past. Every decision could result in death. Worrying or placing blame on a random act of fate is a waste of time.
It’s still my fault.
Rather than argue, his dragon fell silent. When Cassidy remained silent as well, he opened his eyes to make sure something wasn’t wrong.
But her eyes were merely studying him. For once, it was nice not to be bombarded with questions, false platitudes, or to be pitied. No doubt, Cassidy had gone through that most of her life.
And without the comforting presence of her dragon.
Gregor could at least be honest with her. “It was a placental abruption brought on by a genetic disorder. It came on suddenly and even if her mother had stayed, Bridget might not have lived.” He took a deep breath and whispered, “But even so, I should’ve been there for her. Bridget had trusted me to take care of her. I might’ve been able to save her.”
Cassidy finally replied, “Maybe, maybe not. I’ve thought the same thing over and over with my brother’s life, and always wondered if I had been stronger, I could’ve saved him in time. But the longer I worked as a doctor, the more I began to realize that sometimes, no matter what you do, it isn’t enough. I know it’s not the most comforting thought, but even if you had been glued to Bridget’s bedside, the bleeding could’ve been too much too quickly. You did everything you could. You both knew the risks, and she accepted them. To blame yourself for everything is ridiculous.”
He shook his head. “I should’ve resisted. Bloody hell, I was a doctor when I met her. I knew better.”
“Listen, Gregor Innes, doctors aren’t gods or wizards. We don’t have magic that can instantly wipe away any small chance of complications or death. Your mate knew what she was getting into, just as you did. There is no blame to place.”
“I appreciate you trying to comfort me, but—”
“No buts. I’m stating the facts. You both loved each other and made a decision together. I’m sorry she died, I truly am. But from my experience, whenever a dragon-shifter has left their mate behind, their dying words were always for the other one to eventually find happiness again. I imagine Bridget would’ve wanted the same. You’ve denied yourself for long enough, Gregor. Keep your mate and son in your memory, but don’t let the past barricade your heart from others.”
His dragon growled. Listen to her. She says what I have been saying for years. You wanted your second opinion, and there it is.
It’s not that simple.
Isn’t it? Wanting happiness doesn’t mean we will forget Bridget or the bairn. They will live with us. And if you give Cassidy a chance, we might be able to start again.
That almost feels like betraying Bridget.
Why? She wasn’t selfish. She would’ve wanted us to embrace a second chance. Finding a second true mate is rare. Are you really going to throw away what could be your last chance for happiness?
Searching Cassidy’s eyes, which had lingering signs of pain, he made a decision. If I can make her whole, then I will consider it.
Good. Then let’s hurry up and get to work.
Gregor cupped Cassidy’s cheek and murmured, “Once we free your dragon and make sure she’s stable, we’ll revisit this conversation.”
She frowned. “Hoping isn’t the same as having.”
“No, but I’m not going to leave Stonefire until I’ve tried everything I can think of to make you happy again, Cassidy.”
“I’m not sure Bram is going to like that,” she replied.
He squeezed her hand. “That doesn’t matter. As long as you want my help, I’ll fight your bloody clan leader if I have to. So the question is, do you want my help?”
She leaned against his hand and whispered, “I think I do.”
“Good. Then I’m going to call Bram to come here so I don’t have to leave your side.”
“I’ll be fine for a short while—”
He shook his head. “No. I’m staying.”
At Cassidy’s smile, Gregor couldn’t help but notice how beautiful his doctor looked when she was happy.
Releasing her cheek, he pulled out his mobile phone and dialed Bram. The sooner he told Stonefire’s leader he was staying, the sooner he could take care of his female.
His dragon hummed. Ours?
Yes, ours.
Good.
Ignoring his dragon’s smug tone, Gregor waited for Bram to answer the phone so he could start planning the next phase of his life. Because if he was ever going to try and be happy again, he needed a certain strong dragonwoman at his side.
Chapter Six
For the first time in a long time, Sid wished she had her dragon and a guarantee for a mostly certain future.
She’d been a doctor for so many years, taking care of others, that she had forgotten what it was like to be taken care of. Gregor’s sheer determination to challenge her clan leader if need be made her think she needed someone to kick her arse and point out when she needed a break. Bram had Evie, but as much as Bram tried to make Sid stop and take care of herself, she’d never really listened.
Yet with Gregor, taking a break was something she could get used to. And not just because it would mean forcing Gregor to take a break as well, which he needed as much as she. But rather, he could work with her both professionally and personally. That idea appealed to her in a way she almost couldn’t resist.
If only she had her bloody dragon in her mind and sane, then Sid would kiss him and not care abou
t the mate-claim frenzy.
Gregor hung up his phone and grinned. “Bram’s coming, so you can have your front row seat.”
She rolled her eyes. “You could’ve asked him over the phone.”
“And give up a chance to see his facial expressions? I think not. Besides, you’ll be a witness and my standing up to Bram will win points with Finn.”
Finn Stewart was Lochguard’s clan leader, who irritated Bram like a younger brother.
“Shouldn’t you ask Finn first about staying?” she asked.
“Finn told me to stay as long as I like. Layla can handle things. Besides, Clan Seahaven has a doctor who helps Lochguard every once in a while, too. They won’t miss me.”
“I somehow doubt it. I bet your patients miss you already.”
He smiled. “I do miss them, but you need my help more. I’m sure they would understand.”
She tilted her head. “Why are you so determined to help me? I sense it’s more than you just being a doctor.”
He leaned down until he was a few inches from her face. “Because I’m starting to picture a future I want and I can’t have it if you’re not there.”
Her breath hitched at the huskiness in his voice. When his pupils flashed, Gregor pulled back and added, “But for now, I must resist your sweet lips or my dragon may take control.”
At the mention of his lips, her gaze shifted to them. She wanted to taste them again, which was ridiculous since Sid was thirty-eight years old and should be able to control herself. She needed to stop acting like a randy teenager.
A low warning hum sounded in her brain, but the sedative kept it from being full-blown. If the presence were indeed her dragon, Sid needed to avoid tempting her until she had a solution to ending her episodes.
Hope was a dangerous thing for someone like her, but Gregor’s confidence and determination made her want to believe she could be cured.
Bram’s voice muffled voice boomed down the hallway. “Where the hell is that bloody Scot?”
Ginny’s steely voice answered, “Keep your voice down, or I’ll toss you out.” A pause and Ginny added, “They’re in Room 4.”
A few seconds later, Bram walked into the room and looked straight at Gregor. “What’s so bloody important that I needed to come here in person?”
Gregor tsked. “Remember about your blood pressure. You need to stop yelling.”
Bram narrowed his eyes, but his voice was more of a normal volume when he replied, “Why am I here, Innes?”
“You’re here because Cassidy wants you to be.”
“Don’t drag me into this, Gregor,” Sid hissed.
Bram looked between them before asking again, “Why am I here? You may have forgotten, but I’m clan leader. I have shit to do.”
Gregor took Sid’s hand and Bram watched the motion. Sid could’ve pulled away as Gregor had no claim on her. But she rather liked having someone know the Scottish doctor wanted her.
Hell, she rather wanted to hold his hand in front of the entire staff to signal he was off limits.
Before she could think too hard on that thought, Gregor’s voice filled the room. “I’m staying on Stonefire until I find a way to bring Cassidy’s dragon back.”
“Is that possible?” Bram asked.
“I don’t know,” Gregor answered. “But we have a few ideas. Two doctors working on the case in close proximity means a greater chance of succeeding.”
“By ‘close proximity’ do you mean living together?”
Sid wasn’t surprised Bram had pieced that together so quickly. “Yes, although not quite in the way you think,” Sid said. Gregor squeezed her hand, signaling he didn’t agree with that, but she ignored him, for now. “While you know I suffer from terrible headaches from time to time, there’s something I’ve been keeping from you.” She took a deep breath and added, “I have episodes of intense pounding and pain, as if something is trapped in my mind and can’t get out.”
“So every time you disappeared because of a headache, it was because of this?” Bram asked.
“Yes. I didn’t mean to deceive you, Bram, but I didn’t want to be locked away. Besides, when they started to increase in frequency, I requested another doctor,” Sid stated.
Bram searched her eyes and sighed. “You should’ve come to me, Sid. I would’ve done anything I could to help.”
The corner of her mouth ticked up. “Well, doctors don’t often like to admit something’s wrong with them.”
Gregor jumped in. “Which is exactly why I’m going to stay. I’ll make sure she takes care of herself.”
Bram searched Gregor’s eyes for one long minute. As easy as it was to wind up Bram, her clan leader based all of his decisions on the possible outcome rather than his emotions. Well, except for a few cases regarding his mate.
Sid hoped his emotions didn’t get in the way this time.
She blinked and tried not to think of how much she was rooting for Gregor to stay, especially since her condition might only deteriorate. Not even the most determined dragon-shifter in the world could prevent the inevitable from happening through sheer will.
Bram finally grunted. “Aye, I’ll let you stay. But, don’t think it gives you free rein. I want to be updated on Sid’s progress and anything you find. If we need to bring in more doctors, I’ll find a way. But I can’t do that if I don’t know what’s going on.”
Sid’s voice choked with emotion. “Thanks, Bram.”
He waved a hand in dismissal. “You’re clan, which makes you family. Of course I’m going to help you.” He looked to Gregor. “I’m going to be watching you, though.”
Gregor shrugged. “You’ll soon realize my skills and grow to love my charm.”
Bram mumbled, “Bloody Scot,” before speaking to Sid again. “I’ll put in a request for the Welsh dragonman to arrive as soon as he can. That way it will free up Innes’s time to help you.” She nodded. “And take care of yourself, Sid. Stonefire won’t function properly without you.”
Unused to praise and the talk of feelings, she bobbed her head. Before she could say anything, Gregor jumped in. “And right now, Cassidy needs to sleep. I’ll call you again if anything changes.”
Bram looked like he wanted to say something, but merely turned and raised a hand in parting.
After she heard Bram leave the surgery, Gregor pulled the blanket up around her body. “I was serious, love. You need to sleep.”
“But the data—”
“I’ll study it some more and investigate the dragon-shifter medical databases. Some of the research is locked up tight, so I might need Arabella’s help to retrieve it.”
Arabella MacLeod was a former Stonefire clan member, who was now the mate of Lochguard’s leader. She was also a fairly skilled hacker.
“Just make sure none of you are caught.”
“Well, if anyone comes to investigate, I’ll just have to bring out my charm.” He winked. “Few can resist when I really try.”
Smiling, Sid said, “I may have to prove you wrong later.”
“Oh, love, I’d like to see you try.” He tucked her in. “However, sleep first. And in case you’re worried, I’ll be right here, watching over you. I won’t let anything happen to you on my watch.”
Snuggling into the bed, Sid wholeheartedly believed him.
As he stroked her forehead and hummed a tune, her eyelids turned heavy. Before she knew it, she was fast asleep.
~~~
Aaron Caruso, one of Stonefire’s Protectors and Kai’s second-in-command, drummed his fingers against the desk as he waited for the video conference call to go live. “Where is the bloody female?”
Another Protector at his side, Quinn, answered, “It’s one minute past the time. Maybe something came up. After all, Teagan O’Shea has an entire clan to look after.”
“I’m sure one of her people could inform us that she’s running late.”
A familiar female Irish accent filled the room. “She would have if she were late. However, I’m exac
tly on time.”
Looking at the screen, Aaron’s dragon hummed at the sight of the green-eyed, black-haired female. It was Clan Glenlough’s leader, Teagan O’Shea.
His dragon spoke up. She is just as pretty as I remembered.
Ignoring his dragon, Aaron raised his brows. “It’s not very leader-like to argue.”
Before Teagan could reply, Quinn jumped in. “Thank you for agreeing to talk with us, O’Shea.”
Teagan’s gaze moved to Quinn. “Maybe I should ask Bram to make you our main liaison instead of Caruso.” She flicked a gaze at Aaron and back to Quinn. “We could get things done a lot faster.”
Clenching his fingers under the desk, Aaron growled out, “How about we put aside our differences for a minute and focus on what’s important? Your brother mentioned something about a similar attack to what happened to our doctor, but said only you could tell us the details.”
Teagan leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. Thankfully, the camera wasn’t pointed low enough to show her breasts or his dragon would’ve started throwing a tantrum again.
His beast growled. Why do you ignore the obvious?
Because I can. Life was complicated enough in Italy, and I need a break.
Teagan’s voice prevented his dragon from replying. “It happened a few weeks ago. Something in the sky attacked a child.”
Aaron frowned. “A child? Putting aside only a low-life would do such a thing, why? Targeting a clan’s only doctor seems more strategic.”
“Unless they were testing it out on an easy target,” Teagan answered.
Anger flashed in Teagan’s eyes and Aaron approved. Dragon-shifters treasured children. He couldn’t imagine anyone hurting one.
Pushing aside his own anger, Aaron said, “I hope you have specifics.”
Teagan lifted one arched eyebrow. “I’m not sure how the English dragon-shifters run their clans, but we document everything.”
“Of course we bloody document everything. You just take too long to get to the point.”
Cured by the Dragon (Stonefire British Dragons Book 8) Page 6