Page 20 of Breathe Again

“Surgery?” I squeaked. “Is that really necessary?”

“Just a few stitches, child. It’s no big deal. Still a surgical procedure, but we’ll fix you up right here, will only take a few minutes. Now, young man,” he said, speaking to Cole, “where were you when all this happened? Are you the one who saved her from the Larkens?”

I saw Cole’s jaw tighten. “No, sir, I wasn’t there when it happened, though I’m quite certain it was my fault.”

“Your fault? How so?” Doc asked, as he set about cleaning the area and prepping a syringe.

“We argued, and she was upset and ran off. I was tracking her when we came across her with two Larken wolves hunting her. If I hadn’t been an ass to begin with, none of this would have happened,” he admitted.

“Cole, it wasn’t your fault. I shouldn’t have just run off like that.”

As Doc went to numb the area, I squeezed my eyes shut and grabbed for Cole’s hand. He bit back a grin but didn’t say anything. I couldn’t help my fear of needles. I had felt invincible and ready to take on the world when I’d convinced Cole to get matching tattoos. I would never admit to him just how badly it hurt or how scared I was. How he ever got another, let alone covered his body with them, was beyond me.

When I was tormenting Ruby at the dinner table, it had been just that, a way to one up my sister and say, hey, I’m not the goodie-goodie you think I am. In truth, when it came to pain, I really was a wimp.

“Better?” Doc asked and I tried to relax and open my eyes to see what he was talking about. He was touching the injured skin and I couldn’t feel anything.

“Yeah, much better,” I told him.

He shook his head. “You’d think your britches would have protected you better than this. Don’t tell me you were out riding in those designer things again.”

I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks. “Um, no sir, I definitely wasn’t riding in designer jeans,” I confessed.

Cole cocked one eye brow up in question.

“Well, child, just what were you wearing when you fell off the horse? This is a very serious cut, and I want to warn the other young people to stay away from those pants you had on. Do you know the brand?”

He had started to sew my leg back up, but I couldn’t look. I shut my eyes tight and wanted to fade into the mattress and just disappear.

“There was no brand, Doc, because I wasn’t wearing any pants,” I blurted out.

I opened my eyes just in time to see Cole purse his lips and shake with silent laughter. I reached out and smacked him.

“Don’t laugh! I went for a run first in wolf form, and then decided to go for a ride, but my clothes were back where I started, so I just went anyway.”

Doc chuckled. “Now that explains a lot. Are you sure you and Ruby didn’t switch places on me somehow?”

I covered my face in humiliation and shook my head.

“We’re all done here. I’m going to give you some painkillers, and I’d rather you have someone stay with you tonight. It’s going to hurt for a few days, but then you should be good as new. No shifting for at least five days or you’ll pop your stitches too soon.”

“I’ll stay and keep an eye on her,” Cole volunteered.

Doc looked about as curious as one of the old gossip bats in town. “Son, that would be up to her, though I’m sure her daddy will have plenty to say about that.”

“He’ll be fine,” I assured them both. The pain pills Lola had given me when I arrived were taking effect, and my head felt light and I swayed as I tried to sit up.

Doc hesitantly left, asking three times if I wanted Lola to come back and help me dress. I assured him I was fine, but he didn’t look too pleased when Cole stayed behind.

Cole was being sweet to me, like the young boy I had loved so deeply. He gently removed the dressing gown and assisted me with my own clothes. When I swayed as I moved to stand, he wrapped a protective arm around me for support. I think he would have carried me again if I asked.

I sighed. It felt like heaven being cradled in his arms. His scent tortured me, and it took much effort to keep my canines in place as my wolf demanded I seal our bond by biting his exposed neck. We had a lot to figure out first, but now that he was talking civilly to me, I could check off stage one of my “Get my Mate Back Plan.”

My family was all sitting in the waiting room. They rose to their feet and started peppering me with questions immediately. Cole never left my side, keeping his hand at my waist to ensure I didn’t fall over. When the chaos became too much, he intervened.

“Okay, look, they gave her some painkillers, so she’s a little unsteady on her feet right now. Can we just take this back to the house?” he asked, not exactly in a way that left room for argument.

A hush fell over the group as heads nodded and a path was cleared.

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