Page 43 of Doctor Wolf's Human Nurse

He touched her face and gently woke her up. “Hey, Sleepy Head.”

Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him.

“Good morning, Sunshine.”

“Oh, wow. I did not mean to fall asleep.”

“It’s quite alright,” he said, smiling at her.

“I guess I should go home. I am pretty tired.”

Sawyer hesitated for just a minute and asked, “Why don’t you just stay here? You’re sleepy and I don’t want you falling asleep on the way home. I have an extra toothbrush.”

Abby looked up at him for a few seconds and then nodded. She stood up and swayed on her feet. He took her into the bathroom and gave her the toothbrush.

“See, straight out of the package. I haven’t used it on any dogs or anything.”

She laughed.

Several minutes later she walked into the bedroom after brushing her teeth and hair and washing her face. She pulled off her clothes and slid between the sheets. He quickly undressed and laid down beside her. Sawyer gently kissed her neck and realized that she had already fallen asleep.

Laughing softly, he pulled her close to him. She instinctively cuddled against him with her head tucked under his chin.

“Good night, Sweetheart,” he whispered.

The next morning, after she went home, Sawyer thought about Abby and how he felt about her. There definitely was something there, although he wasn’t ready to call it love.

We might be working our way toward that, but not yet. I would like to take our relationship to the next step. Back in the day, they would call it going steady, but we aren’t in the 1950s.Is saying we’re officially dating or seeing each other too old-fashioned or corny?

He had some errands to tend to and stopped at the jewelry store. Sawyer picked out a dainty necklace with a tiny wolf head pendant with a diamond for the eye. Reluctantly, he went back to the clinic. The last thing he wanted to do was spend the day squinting through a microscope, but he had to figure out what was in the spray. He didn’t get far, except to discover trace amounts of wormwood, which was used to negate magic.

Sawyer sent a quick text to Beth and Savvy, warning them.

Beth replied,We picked up on that. Thanks for the heads up, though.

After several hours, he went back home, frustrated. He thought about calling Abby but decided not to.

I think I’ll just have leftovers, a beer, watch the game, and drool on myself until it’s time for bed. My brain is addled, and I’m pretty sure I’m not fit for company.

He fell asleep on the couch and woke up when the buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the game.

The next morning, they arrived at the clinic before anyone else.

“I have something for you,” he said awkwardly and handed her the box.

She opened it and smiled. “I love it. Thank you.”

Abby threw herself against him and wrapped her arms around him.

“A-hem.”

They both turned to see Martha standing in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest.

17

Abby

Abby yawned as she climbed into her car to go home from the clinic. She was pretty sure that she had been running nonstop since the first patient showed up that morning. Luckily, they were run of the mill type cases. No new shifter cases came in. She and Sawyer had briefly discussed it and decided they weren’t sure whether it was because no new shifters had been affected or that all of them knew there wasn’t a treatment or cure yet, so they decided not to bother coming in.

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