Page 61 of It's Kind of a Bunny Story
“That’s also good to know.” Linc winked at me.
“For the record, I’d prefer if you stayed completely dressed all the time. Just putting that out there,” Fletcher joked.
The men laughed, the last of the tension easing from their tight muscles and fatigue-lined faces. Once he’d slipped on the scrubs, Linc stretched out beside me.
“If you can behave yourself and keep from biting people, I’m going to let the staff in.” Copeland directed the comment to Linc, who merely shrugged.
Realizing that was the most assurance he was likely to get, Copeland shook his head and opened the door.
Two doctors hurried into the room, followed by half a dozen nurses. Ignoring my protests, they hurried to hook me back up to the various machines.
“When can I go home?” I asked after one doctor finished listening to my heart.
“We’re not sure. It could be a while until you’re strong enough to be discharged.” He patted my arm, then yanked it away when Linc snarled under his breath. “You nearly died, Charlee. Honestly, I’m still not sure how you survived, but I guess sometimes there are miracles that science can’t explain. And you’re one of them.”
When the nurses finished fussing over me, they turned their attention to Fletcher, and for the first time, I noticed there was a bandage wrapped around his arm.
“What happened?” I gasped, scanning his body for other signs of injury.
“Don’t look so worried.” He caught my chin between his thumb and forefinger. “All I did was give a little blood.”
“Your mate gave significantly more than that,” the older of the two doctors corrected him. “Every time we tried to stop, he’d demand that we take more. It wasn’t until he finally passed out and shut up that we stopped.”
My brain was still foggy, and I was struggling to put the pieces together. “Why did you need Fletcher’s blood?”
“I wasn’t the only one,” Fletcher answered before the doctor could. “Monroe and Ellora gave blood as well.”
The doctor nodded. “Yes, they did. Using the research you managed to get into our hands, we created a vaccine to give to the wolves prior to exposure. It will save so many lives.”
“But why couldn’t you use Boone’s and my blood?” I didn’t like the idea that the others had been put at risk.
“Because we nearly drained you and Boone dry to save Copeland and Linc,” the doctor answered. “It will be some time before you’re able to give blood again. With the threat of the burrow retaliating with the toxin, Fletcher was unwilling to wait.”
I looked at Fletcher, my heart swelling with love and pride that this selfless man was mine. “Thank you.” Those two words hardly seemed like enough for everything he’d done for me.
Fletcher guided my face to his and pressed a soft kiss to my lips. “You have nothing to thank me for. We’re family now, which means we’re in this together.”
“How is Boone?” I asked the doctor after I caught my breath.
“He’s doing well. Reese has taken it upon herself to be his caregiver.” The doctors exchanged knowing glances, and I caught two of the nurses trying to hide smirks.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he starts asking for more pain meds just to get a break from her.” Copeland chuckled. “She can be a bit much.”
“She sounds like fun.” My memory of meeting Reese was far too fuzzy to make any judgments about her character, but I was looking forward to getting to know her better in the future.
“She seems like trouble,” Fletcher corrected.
“Oh, yeah!” Linc laughed and shook his head. “The alpha has wanted to strangle her at least a half dozen times for the escapades and shenanigans she keeps involving Monroe in.”
We fell quiet as the doctors took a blood sample, and the nurses finished changing bandages. The doctors promised to check in later. The moment the battered door closed behind them, Linc rolled me to him, his face suddenly stern and unreadable. “I tried to get to you when I found out what you had done.”
Avoiding his gaze, I traced his jaw with my fingertips. “I know.”
His five o’clock shadow had become a scruffy beard, giving him sexy lumberjack vibes that I was here for. But it didn’t really seem like the best time to tell him that.
“You’re angry with me,” I observed when he remained silent.
Why wouldn’t he be? I’d done the exact opposite of what my mates would have wanted. But I didn’t regret it. I knew what I was capable of and had accepted the risks. There was no way I’d apologize for getting the job done. Besides, my apology would be hollow since I’d do the exact same thing if a situation like this arose again.
