Page 39 of Free Me

They made small talk until the hallway clock’s minute hand clicked onto the twelve. Miko was mildly surprised no one else was waiting to see Linus, but didn’t much care as long as he saw his bondmate in the next couple of minutes. Isa led their trio to the room, which was within eyesight of the main nurse’s station, instead of tucked down a corridor. Miko’s heart was beating in his throat when they walked inside. It looked like every other hospital room he’d ever been in with white walls, cream trim, bland artwork that gave a pretense of home, and a host of wires, tubes, and electrical outlets where a traditional headboard would be.

Linus’s bed was nestled among that chaos, but he didn’t seem to be attached to as many as Miko feared. Mostly the now-familiar monitor that tracked his heartbeat, pulse ox, and blood pressure, plus the IV stand and its constantly-dripping bags of clear liquid. Linus was sitting mostly upright, his right thigh propped up beneath the blanket, his left slightly bent to the side.His rolling table had a plastic pitcher and a foam cup with ice in it. The familiar, medicinal scent of the hospital faded beneath the enticing scent of Linus himself.

And his smile. Linus’s smile, though not quite reaching his eyes, was brilliant and exactly what Miko needed to see this morning.

“Good morning, my heart,” Liam said brightly. He deposited the flowers on the rolling table, and then tucked Linus into a hug. Linus impatiently hugged both his parents before opening his arms to Miko. His smile widened, and Miko swore Linus’s eyes sparkled briefly before he leaned in and wrapped his arms gently around his friend. His alpha.

Warmth and a keen sense of belonging filled Miko, and he rested his chin on Linus’s shoulder, content to stay there. To hold and be held, now that the embrace wasn’t followed by a torrent of tears. He soaked in the rise and fall of Linus’s chest, the slight rasp of his breathing through his nose, and the steady beat of his heart. He could fall asleep here—only his hamstrings began to ache and his lower back twinged from his bent-over position.

Miko resented letting go but he had to. He couldn’t be selfish with Linus’s attention.

“How’d you sleep?” Linus asked.

“Not bad, considering the couch,” Miko replied, amused Linus had been the one to ask first. “How about you?”

“Not a lot. This place is noisy and the room never really gets dark, even with the door shut. Gaven said they weren’t allowed to give me anything right now because of the concussion, so if I get really grumpy just blame my lack of sleep.”

“He’s already grumpy?” a stranger’s voice asked. “And I’ve only just arrived.”

Miko turned, unable to stop a soft, protective growl he hoped no one heard. A tall, muscular man in green scrubs stood justinside the room with what looked like a pile of bedding in his arms. His name tag wasn’t visible but even from a distance he gave the impression of being alpha, when nurses were typically beta.

“Was I expecting you?” Linus asked with a hint of snark in his voice.

“Depends on whether or not you were paying attention during rounds this morning, when you should have been told you’d have a visit from PT. I apologize for running a bit late, I’d hoped to be here before visiting hours began.”

“You’re Linus’s physical therapist?” Isa asked.

“Yes, Greco Schultz. You must be Linus’s parents.”

Isa introduced himself and Liam, and the trio exchanged handshakes. “And this is Linus’s best friend, Miko Tovey.”

Miko didn’t shake the therapist’s hand. “Hi,” was all he said. The guy was on the young side, definitely alpha, and he couldn’t get a scent to tell if he was mated or not. The hospital odors often competed with a person’s identifying scent, and while a lot of mated pairs exchanged rings, not all followed that tradition. Greco might also take one of those pheromone suppressors that alpha professionals often used so they could more easily interact with clients, especially of the opposite gender.

“Can’t we do this later?” Linus asked. “My family just got here.”

“Unfortunately, no, we need to get you started as soon as possible,” Greco replied. His tone was both gentle and commanding, and it reminded Miko a bit of how Isa talked to his kids. “Because the sooner we get you up and moving around, the sooner you can start using the bedside commode instead of a bedpan. How’s that for motivation?”

Linus snorted. “Pretty good, actually. What about my concussion?”

“I am aware of it, so we will go slowly and with precautions. The last thing I want is for you to fall and injure yourself, trust me. I’ve also been doing this for six years, and you are far from my first amputee. I’ve heard it all and there isn’t a thing you can say to me, or a curse you can throw at me, that will make me give up on you.”

Miko’s opinion of Greco went up a few notches. Linus was a perfectionist, especially with physical stuff, and he’d get easily frustrated if he didn’t master his physical therapy. Greco was definitely going to earn his paycheck here.

“I’ve got four older brothers, I know some pretty colorful curses,” Linus said.

“Duly noted. Now, your family doesn’t have to leave, unless you want them to, I just need everyone over there.” Greco pointed to an empty corner of the room beneath the wall-mounted television.

“They can stay, I guess.” He held Miko’s hand close to his heart, and Miko met his eyes. Beneath familiar affection and determination was a new hint of fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of failure.

“You’ve got this,” Miko said. “One step at a time.”

“So to speak?”

“Exactly.”

“You’re five days post-surgery,” Greco said, “and I typically prefer to have my patients sit up within a day, but you did have extenuating circumstances.”

“Kinda hard to sit up when you’re comatose,” Linus drawled.

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