Page 46 of Eden and her Mercenary
Eden smiled, the first genuine smile I'd seen since the shooting. "Stella. When can I see her?"
"Doctor says you can have visitors tomorrow. Wren's bringing her by."
"She'll be so confused," Eden said softly. "All this time away..."
"She'll understand when she sees you. Dogs forgive everything when you come back to them."
Eden's eyes filled with tears. "Like you came back to me."
I took her hand, lifting it to my lips. "Always. No matter what."
∞∞∞
The next day came with a different kind of anxiety. Wren had texted that she was on her way with Stella, and I couldn't stop checking my watch. Eden kept fidgeting with her hospital gown, smoothing it down despite the wrinkles that refused to disappear.
"Do I look terrible?" she asked.
I chuckled, “I don’t think the dog will care.”
She tried to sit up straighter, wincing as the movement pulled at her stitches. The pain medication made her drowsy, but she'd asked the nurse to delay her next dose. She wanted to be fully present for this.
The click of nails on the floor announced their arrival before Wren's gentle knock on the door frame. I turned to see Stella straining at her leash, nose working overtime as she picked up Eden's scent.
"Someone's eager to see you," Wren said, her voice light, though her eyes were damp.
Stella whined, pulling toward the bed. When Wren unclipped the leash, the dog didn't bound forward as I expected. Instead, she approached cautiously, her tail wagging in slow, uncertain sweeps.
"Hey, sweet girl," Eden whispered, her voice cracking. She extended her hand, palm up.
Stella sniffed her fingers, then pressed her nose against Eden's wrist where the IV line was taped. The dog looked up, ears flattened slightly as if worried about hurting her human.
"It's okay," Eden said. "Come here."
Stella placed her front paws delicately on the edge of the bed. Eden leaned forward—too quickly, I could tell from her sharp intake of breath—and buried her face in the dog's fur.
I stepped back, giving them space as Eden's shoulders shook with silent sobs. Stella stayed perfectly still, allowing Eden to hold her, the dog's eyes half-closed in what looked like relief. After a moment, Stella began to lick the tears from Eden's cheeks.
"I missed you so much," Eden murmured into the dog's fur. "I'm sorry I was gone."
Stella whined again, then carefully maneuvered herself onto the narrow hospital bed, curling up against Eden's hip. The dog sighed deeply, as if she'd been holding her breath for days.
Wren caught my eye and mouthed, "I'll wait outside," before slipping from the room.
"The nurses will have a fit," I said, but I made no move to remove Stella from the bed.
Eden looked up at me, her face transformed. Despite the pallor, the exhaustion etched into every line, she looked peaceful for the first time since she’d awakened.
"Let them try," she said, running her fingers through the dog’s fur. "Some rules need breaking."
Stella rested her head on Eden's thigh, brown eyes fixed on her human's face as if memorizing her all over again. The machines continued their steady beeping, but the room felt different now—warmer, somehow. More like home.
"She didn't forget me," Eden whispered.
"No one who loves you could ever forget you," I said, settling back into the chair beside the bed. "Not even if they tried."
Eden's fingers found Stella's ears, scratching that spot that made the dog's back leg twitch slightly. "I heard you, you know. When I was... under. I heard you talking to me."
I stilled. "What did I say?"
