Page 75 of Bossed By the Orc

“H–Hello,” a nurse said, eyeing Dristan with a suspicious look. “Can I help you?”

“My mate is hurt and she needs to be checked over. Now,” he growled.

I gave her a smile and her eyes narrowed on my face before turning to glare at Dristan. “I can help her from here, but you’ll have to put her down and leave.”

“I’d like him to stay, please. If he can,” I asserted, a pained smile on my face. “I’ll feel safer if he’s here.”

That settled some of her ire and she gave me a sweet smile. “Alright, love. Come with me.” She tilted her head toward the desk.

I was ready to fill out my forms, but Dristan took over—as he did with everything—completing them with minimal information from me. I quirked an eyebrow at him, but he just shrugged at me, his elegant scrawl continuing across the papers with me bracketed between his huge arms.

“You shouldn’t know all of this stuff,” I whispered, rolling my eyes and leaning my head against his chest. I offered a smile to the admission nurse who was giving us amused looks.

When it was time to go for the exam, the nurses gave a valiant effort to take me on my own, but Dristan wasn’t having it and they conceded after realizing that he wouldn’t budge. I kept up the apologies until we were left alone behind the screens surrounding the bed I was perched on. I smacked his chest.

“You should have just waited outside,” I whisper-yelled.

He shrugged, tucking my hair behind my ear, and when I saw the concern in his eyes, I couldn’t hold onto my annoyance.

“I’m okay,” I murmured, and he nodded, but his brow was furrowed as he looked at my injuries.

The doctor came in, jerking back as she spotted Dristan with me. She glanced down at her chart, looking back up at us. “Penelope?” she asked, eyebrows raised.

I sent her a smile while Dristan eyed her with speculation. Before he could begin the interrogation I saw brewing, I said, “I’m sorry, but I asked my mate to be here while I get examined, if that’s okay.”

The doctor relaxed then, before nodding. “That’s fine. I see here that you were attacked. Do you mind if I touch you?”

As the examination began, Dristan winced with every prod and poke. When I flinched away from a spot on my face that was aching, he gave a low growl. The doctor didn’t even react, making a soothing sound in the back of her throat.

“Sorry about him,” I said, shaking my head.

“I’m used to it,” she laughed with a wink, rolling in a cart with gauze and antiseptic. “My mate’s an ogre and he’s the same way.”

I grinned, sharing a conspiratorial look with her, relaxing with the knowledge that he wouldn’t be kicked out.

“Ogres and orcs aren’t anything alike,” Dristan groused next to me before wincing again as the doctor cleaned a cut on my cheek.

It wasn’t long before we were finished and I was released. We consulted the nurse for aftercare tips—while Dristan asked way more questions than I thought necessary—and I waved at where Rudgar and Kor were sitting, dwarfing the chairs in the waiting area.

“Hey,” Rudgar called, waving the phone he held in his hand and holding it out to me. “Your family wants to make sure you’re okay.”

I grabbed it with a grateful smile, putting it to my ear. “Hi,” I said, “I’m okay.”

The collective breath of relief from the other side brought a watery grin to my face.

“Are you coming home?” My mom asked, sniffling. My lips parted, but Dristan shook his head, taking the phone from me. “I’m getting Rudgar to come get you. Pack light. We can always go back for more of your things later. For now, I don’t want you staying there since they know where you live.”

He tipped his head at Rudgar and his brother nodded, taking his phone back and heading out. Kor was left, turning to give me a concerned look.

“How’re you feeling?” he asked, eyeing my bruises.

“It looks way worse than it feels,” I told him. “Thank you for being here.”

He shook his head. “Dristan’s a great friend. Even if he’s an asshole sometimes. I’m just glad I could help.”

“You’re leaving, right?” Dristan asked, glancing up from where he’d been tapping at his phone.

Kor pursed his lips, huffing out a breath. “Yes. I’m heading back to my own mate, thanks for asking.”

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