Page 20

Chapter 20

MADELINE

I enter the cold hospital room, surprised not to hear anything. “Aunt Cora?”

She rolls in the bed, still wearing the bland hospital gown. “Madeline?” Her voice is hoarse, almost like she hasn't had any water in a long time.

I rush to her bedside and lean against it. “What's wrong? Should I get the doctor?”

“They just left,” she says. I give her a glass of water from the table, supporting her shoulders.

Aunt Cora's hair seems to have lost its luster after being in the hospital so long. She takes a deep breath and then coughs. “What did they say?”

“No one knows what's wrong,” she explains. “I'm not just talking about the doctors here either.”

“But we're supposed to be able to heal, right? You should be better by now.”

“I don't know what's happening, but I feel better than yesterday so I'm probably on my way to recovering.”

“I really hope so,” I sigh, taking her hand in mine. I hold the back of her palm to my face. Aunt Cora looks so tired, but there's so little I can do.

“How's work?”

I let out a small laugh. At least she can still talk about what's important. “You don't have to worry about a thing. Work is great.”

“Good, good,” she says. “I'm tired.”

“Yes, of course. You should rest. I'll leave you to sleep. I love you Aunt Cora, please get better.”

“I love you as well,” she sighs, goes back to sleep.

My feet stay planted at her door, watching all the patients and staff as they traverse the hallways. My senses start to tingle when I find who I'm looking for.

The young doctor keeps his eyes buried in a file as he moves toward me. I wait for the shifter’s eyes to meet mine and that's when he stops.

“Hi,” he says.

I glance at the name on his scrubs. “Dr. Gordon?”

“Yes. You're Cora's niece, aren’t you?”

I nod in response. “I am. Can you tell me what's wrong with her?”

I think it's finally time to ask a shifter about my aunt. Her usual doctors are puzzled and simply assume she's just an old, fragile woman, but we don't stay this sick for this long.

“I don't know,” he answers genuinely. “I really wish I had an answer for you, but we're doing all we can.”

“That sounds like such a generic answer.”

The doctor sighs. “She's going to be okay. Something may just be stopping her recovery, but I don't think there's any reason to be afraid just yet.”

His words don't reassure me as much as they should, but I take them anyway and leave the hospital. My mind is quiet throughout the cab ride back to the office.

It feels like I'm in a trance until I see Nate in his office. “Hey, you're back early,” he says. The small smile on his face disappears when he sees my expression. “What's wrong, Madeline? Is Cora okay?”

“She's the same way she has been,” I sigh, “and that's the problem. Do you know any shifters that stay sick this long?”

“No, but it's not uncommon for shifters to fall sick.”

“Yeah …” I move to the chair and sink into its softness. My hands move to the table, tapping on the polished wood as a way to distract myself. “It's been a while, though.”

Silence passes while Nate studies me. I can tell he's worried about me. He makes a move to extend his hand, but stops himself.

“There are a couple reasons why something like this could happen. It's rare, but some things could hinder healing or just generally make a wolf weak. Chances are she probably came in contact with something that compromised her immune system. She's not exactly young, so it must have made her prone to illness.”

Nate finally places his hand on mine. He gives me a gentle squeeze before continuing. “She's going to be fine,” he assures. “There's nothing to worry about.”

I try to smile, but it's far too weak to fool anyone, especially Nate. Still, I definitely appreciate his reassuring words. I'm especially grateful for the feeling of his hand on mine. My body aches for way more than his hands, but I'll take what I can get.

“Okay. Thank you.”

“Hey, there's still something to look forward to. Do you remember?”

“What?” I ask, searching my brain but coming up blank.

“Ouch,” Nate says, clutching his chest. “We're supposed to go to dinner. You forgot.”

My eyes widen and I place both my hands on my face. “I'm so sorry. I didn't forget, I swear.”

While I'm not technically lying because I didn't forget my date with Nate—what I forgot is the dress I need to wear.

“Alright, because I made the reservations already.”

“I'm ready,” I promise.

“I'm not ready,” I say, trying not to hyperventilate. Hannah places a hand on my back, hoping to help me breathe properly. “I've wanted this for so long and I still have no clue what to wear.”

Hannah laughs. “If it helps, he seems to really be into you.”

“I doubt that,” I chuckle. “He's taking me out to be nice, you know the story.”

“I would've believed that any other day, but he was clearly all about you the day he came here.” She leans in like she's about to tell me a big secret. “He even called you his girlfriend.”

I look down, letting my hair fall to cover my blushing face. “He did?”

“Yeah, but mainly because I was trying to hit on him.” Hannah lifts her hands when she sees the mad look on my face. “I didn't know he was your mate. This is a good thing though, at least you know he only has eyes for you.”

That helps me feel better but it still doesn't fix the problem. “What do I wear?”

I look around the yarn store, hoping it will give me an idea, but all the bright colors around me look great for projects I won't be able to wear.

“Oh, I have an idea,” Hannah says, clapping her hands together. “We could get you a dress online! Lucca, what's the name of that app you used? Can you come show us?”

“Yeah!” Lucca replies, happy to be included. She rushes over with her phone.

“I'm not sure getting a dress online is a good idea,” I say. “I need it for a date that's two nights from now. What if it comes and it doesn't fit?”

“You don't need to worry about that,” Lucca assures me. Although the woman is usually pretty calm, this is the first time I've seen her this excited.

“What do you mean?”

“I have this girl, Denise. You can pick a dress from her catalog and she'll have it ready in a day. The only thing we need to do is get you there tomorrow so we can make sure the measurements are perfect.”

“Are you serious?” I ask with wide eyes.

“Yup, I've done it a bunch. I can trust her and by the time you get your dress, you'll never go anywhere else.”

“Okay,” I smile. “Let's do it.”

“This is so exciting,” Hanna laughs. “Nate isn't going to know what hit him.”

“And can I just say that your mate is so handsome!” Lucca adds. “You're definitely one of the lucky ones.”

“I am,” I grin.

If only we could just be together without our complicated past.

“Alright, let's get to choosing,” Hannah says, handing Lucca's phone to me.

The first dress I see is a bright yellow piece with long sleeves that stop just above the knee.

Hannah and Lucca exchange disgusted looks before turning to me. “Hell no!” I declare, making them laugh.

Both sigh in relief. “Okay, let's go through some more.”

We continue to navigate a series of choices, with Lucca and Hannah providing only moral support while leaving the actual decisions up to me.

The morning of my date is here, and I barely slept. Excitement kept me up all night. Even then, it takes all my self-control not to call Hannah. The girl in question ends up calling me instead.

“Hey, did I wake you?” she asks.

“Nope,” I reply, excluding the fact that I still haven't slept.

“Okay, great. Lucca and I are coming to get you now.”

“I'm ready to go.”

I head out of my apartment to meet the stale air of a musty morning. Cold wind blows through me, causing shivers as it dances on my skin.

I pull my clothes tighter, wondering if I should add a scarf to my sweater and jeans combo. I don't have enough time to make the decision though, because the girls pull up to my building.

“Madeline!” Hannah yells, like I can't see her from my front door.

“Hi,” I greet her with a wave before hopping into the back seat.

“Denise said your dress is ready.”

“I can't wait to see it!”

Lucca blasts some eighties jams as we tear through the streets on our way. The drive is short, which is a little sad because I was enjoying the songs. However, the idea of a new dress is more than enough to make me feel better.

The girls lead me to Denise's store and the owner rushes inside one of the back rooms as soon as we enter.

She appears again with a large cardboard box and a smile on her face. I watch her lift the lid of the box to unveil the most beautiful dress I've ever seen.

It's even more gorgeous in person!

“Are you ready to try it on?” Denise asks.

“I've never been more ready for anything.”