Page 51 of Sly Like a Fox
He opens his eyes and smiles despite his injuries.One that promises so many, many things.
The ambulance pulls into the hospital’s emergency bay, and as the paramedics prepare to wheel Fenton inside, I realize how much has changed since I first walked into Red’s Romance Expected looking for a wealthy man to solve my financial problems.I found something so much better than financial security.I found a partner who sees my fox shifter cunning as an asset rather than a liability, who appreciates my tactical thinking instead of being threatened by it, and who loves me for who I am rather than who I pretend to be.
“What’s next?”I ask when we enter the hospital.
“First, stitches and antibiotics,” he says with a wry smile.“Then we figure out the rest.”
Chapter 16
Fenton
TheemergencyroomatSt.Catherine’s Hospital buzzes with its usual chaos of weekend night trauma cases, but I barely notice the drunk college students or domestic dispute victims around us.The triage nurse takes one look at my blood-soaked shirt and bandaged shoulder and fast-tracks me past the waiting area into an examination room as the EMTs wheel me in.They transfer me from the ambulance gurney to a hospital bed with efficient professionalism that indicates bear claw wounds aren’t entirely uncommon in their experience.
Jenna sits in the chair beside my bed, her hair disheveled from crawling through air vents and her clothes torn from her escape route, but she’s uninjured.The adrenaline crash has left her unusually quiet while tracking every movement of the medical staff with the hypervigilance of someone whose survival instincts are still engaged.She’s stress-grooming without noticing, making her hair even wilder.
“Mr.Nielsen?”A tired-looking doctor appears with a clipboard and the practiced efficiency of someone who’s seen too many weekend trauma cases.“I’m Dr.Garcia.Let’s take a look at those wounds.”
He removes the paramedic’s bandages, revealing the three parallel gashes Porter’s claws carved across my shoulder and upper arm.The wounds are deeper than I’d realized, with ragged edges that will require skilled stitching to minimize scarring.A few shifts would probably heal it quickly, but I don’t have enough strength to shift with all the blood loss, so I guess it’s good they brought me here.
“Bear shifter?”Dr.Patterson asks, clearly already knowing the answer from the distinctive claw pattern.
“Unfortunately.”
“You’re lucky these didn’t hit any major arteries or nerves.The deepest one missed your brachial artery by less than an inch.”He probes the wounds, checking for foreign debris.“They’re going to need thorough cleaning and about twenty-five stitches total.Bear claws carry significant bacteria, so we’ll start you on prophylactic antibiotics immediately.”He draws up something from a bottle into a syringe and sticks me in the hip.
“Ouch.”
He ignores that and continues with his instructions.“In a couple of days, when you’re strong enough to shift, you’ll be able to stop the meds, and the sutures will fall out during the process.Should take four or five sequential shifts, so don’t start until you feel strong.”
As he works, cleaning the wounds with antiseptic that burns like fire, I think about how close we came to a very different outcome.If Jenna hadn’t acted when she did, Porter would have finished what he started.
Detective Ryan Murphy appears in the doorway as Dr.Patterson finishes the stitching, notebook in hand and expression professionally neutral.He’s had a chance to restore order and no longer looks like he rushed to my apartment for a late-night call.“Ready to give your statement?”He settles into the visitor chair as the doctor applies fresh bandages.“Maria’s getting Ms.Johnson’s version official downstairs, so we can compare details.”
I walk him through the evening’s events, starting with Porter’s forced entry into our apartment and ending with his humiliating capture in our building’s service corridor.Ryan takes copious notes, occasionally asking clarifying questions about the timeline and Porter’s specific threats, but I can tell he’s struggling not to smile when I describe how the building’s security systems mysteriously malfunctioned in ways that aided Jenna’s escape.
“These systems just happened to work in your favor?”His tone carries studied innocence that suggests he knows exactly what happened but can’t prove it.
I maintain the same innocent expression that served me well during years of social engineering that I also used on Maria.“Like I told your partner, emergency systems can be unpredictable.”
He closes his notebook with what might be amusement.“For what it’s worth, Porter Kane has outstanding warrants in three states for assault and intimidation charges.Taking him off the streets was a public service, regardless of how it happened.”
I nod.“Maria mentioned some of his charges before.”
Dr.Patterson returns with discharge instructions and a prescription bottle.“Keep the wounds clean and dry for the next couple of days.No strenuous activity until you feel like the shifting session we discussed, and the stitches come out at that point.Come back immediately if you notice any signs of infection, like redness, swelling, fever, or unusual discharge.”
He hands me a sling for my arm.“Use this if the shoulder gets too painful.The less you move it, the better it’ll heal until you’re ready to accelerate the process.”
Jenna joins us then, and Maria remains partially visible in the hallway, clearly waiting for her partner.After Ryan leaves with her, I sit on the edge of the hospital bed while Jenna helps me put on a clean scrub shirt the hospital is loaning me.Her fingers are light around my bandages, but I see the strain of the evening in the methodical way she moves as well as the slight tremor in her hands.
“How are you holding up?”The question encompasses much more than her physical condition.
“Like I just spent an hour playing tag with an angry grizzly bear through an obstacle course designed by sadists.”She manages a genuine smile despite her exhaustion.“Also like we actually did it.Anklor’s in custody, his network is dismantled, and his most dangerous associate was extracted from a doorway with pulleys and lube.Three months ago, if someone had told me I’d be here, I’d have thought they were insane.”
I shoot her a crooked grin.“Three months ago, if someone had told me I’d have a partner who could outmaneuver Porter Kane using only agility and building maintenance access, I’d have assumed they were describing someone fictional.”
We sit in comfortable silence for a moment, both processing the surreal completion of our mission.Around us, the emergency room continues its chaotic rhythm, but we exist in a bubble of exhausted satisfaction.When a nurse appears with our discharge paperwork, I’m relieved it’s almost over.
We’re on our way a short time later after waiting for a taxi.The ride back to my apartment building passes in contemplative quiet, both of us lost in our own thoughts as the city lights blur past the windows.My injured shoulder throbs with each bump in the road, but the pain medication is starting to take effect.The lobby shows signs of the evening’s excitement—wet footprints across the marble floor, caution tape around the damaged service corridor, and a very apologetic-looking building manager who intercepts us at the elevator.
