Page 21 of Her Bossy Wolf Protector

“It is time to change her dressings,” she tells me.

I take a step back and let her get on with her work. Alyssa’s bruises are huge. The nurse bandages all the scrapes and cuts before finally getting to the one around Alyssa’s neck. I wince as I see the marks formed on her neck.

Who the hell would do this?

Tears well up in my eyes.

Once the nurse is done, she leaves. I sit back down in my chair and take my best friend’s hand in mine. I couldn’t protect her then, but I will be damned if I let anything happen to her again.

I plan on keeping vigil for as long as possible until she is released from this place. It is the least I can do after abandoning her in that bar.

I stroke her hand. I remind her of all the plans we have for the future, and the vacations we still haven’t taken. She needs to find strength to overcome this, and I plan to give her mine.

“Alyssa, you’re going to get through this. I am here for you, waiting for you to wake up. You’re not alone in this, and I won’t let you face it alone. I love you so damn much. You are all I have. Please wake up. Please wake up and tell me who did this to you, hun! They have to pay.”

I reach out and gently brush a strand of hair away from her face. Her skin feels warm, and I’m filled with a mix of emotions. Anger at the person who hurt her, sadness for what she’s had to endure, and determination to see her recover.

The door to the room opens, and a different doctor enters.

“Hello Jade, my name is Dr. Montgomery. I am here to check on her. Is that okay?”

“Of course. She still hasn’t woken up. Is this normal?”

He takes out his stethoscope to listen to her heart, before recording it in her chart. “She has lost a lot of blood. She is just taking the time she needs to recover. What matters now is that she is stable. We are going to schedule another transfusion in the morning. She is strong. She will survive this.”

Relief washes over me, and I offer a grateful nod to the doctor. “That’s good news, Doctor. Thank you for taking care of her.”

“Of course. I would also recommend you take care of yourself, Jade. You can go home for a couple of hours. I promise that nothing will happen to her when she is here. We will all keep an eye on her.”

I take Alyssa’s hand once again, “I appreciate that, but I am going to stay with her.”

He smiles kindly and leaves the room, leaving me alone with Alyssa once more. I continue to hold her hand, whispering words of hope and love, knowing that shewillwake up, and I’ll be there to see her beautiful smile again.

And then, she can tell me who did this to her, and I will find a way to make them pay.

The next few days unfold in much of the same way. The doctors coming in, the nurses come to check her vitals and change her bandages, but she remains in her coma.

Three days later, I request that a nurse keep an eye on Alyssa so I can head down to the cafeteria to grab a coffee. My mind is still a cesspool of absolute terror. I am scared that the moment I take my eyes off of her, she will go missing again. I walk briskly to the counter and order a steaming black coffee.

I usually skip coffee because it messes with my anxiety, but it is basically the only thing keeping me alive and upright for now. Between sleeping in the chair beside her bed and the long hours keeping watch, my whole sleeping schedule is wrecked.

I am speeding back to her room and find the nurse exactly where I left her. On the chair I vacated, though, there is a lavender sweater, a pair of jeans, and some fuzzy socks. There is also a matching bra and panties set. The sweater and jeans I recognize as mine, but the underwear are new, with the tags still on.

What the fuck is this?

“Who brought this?”

The nurse smiles at me, “Gabriel. He said he was a friend and wanted you to have a change of clothes.”

I look around, willing him to materialize. “Where is he?”

“Oh, you just missed him actually. Is there a problem?”

Yes.“No. I just wanted to thank him. Do you mind staying with her for a couple more minutes?”

She nods. I place my coffee on the bedside table, ”I’ll be right back.” And I take off running.

I go as far as the parking lot before I recognize his tall stature. “Gabriel!” I call out.

---