SIX
Miles
“I’ll get us something from the hospital cafeteria. They should still be open.”
I look to Jensen, and he nods, silently letting me know he’ll look out for Mabel while I’m gone.
I know Mabel is still processing now she knows about my wolf. That’s okay. I get it. But I’m not letting her go. My wolf nods in agreement.
“Any allergies I should know about?”
“No.”
I nod. “All right, I’ll be right back.”
Leaving the room, I walk down the hall to the elevator. I check my phone as I wait for the elevator to arrive, seeing a message from Harris. He and Logan drove the ambulance back to the station, and Logan dropped my car off before he went home. I text back a thanks and tuck my phone into my pocket.
I completely forgot about the ambulance. I was so focused on my mate and ensuring she was all right.
I know I have to work fast with Mabel. I have a feeling she’ll be leaving town as soon as she and Dillon get the all-clear from the doctors. I can’t let her leave town. Not without me, anyway.
Plus, the full moon is coming soon, my wolf adds.
I grab a bunch of sandwiches and snacks from the cafeteria and head back to my mate. When I step off the elevator, I see Jensen in the hall and jog over to him.
“Is something wrong?”
He shakes his head. “No, the doctor is examining your mate. I didn’t think you’d want me to see your mate like that, so I gave them some privacy.”
“Thanks, man.”
“So…”
“So.”
“Things went better than I expected when you shifted.”
“She completely freaked out,” I remind him.
“Yeah. Maybe turning into a giant wolf after a car accident involving three giant wolves wasn’t the best idea.”
“Shit. Fuck, I didn’t mean to traumatize her. I only wanted to prove I wasn’t crazy or lying.”
“I know. I didn’t think about it either until I saw her face.”
I lean against the wall next to him and sigh. “What now?”
“My mate’s meds are wearing off. Her body is healing, and she should wake in a few hours.”
I can tell Jensen is on edge to finally meet his mate and explain things to her.
“I better head in,” I tell him.
The doctor is finishing up as I enter the room. He smiles at me, and I take that as a good sign.
“I was just telling our patient that we’ll be discharging her soon. She needs to rest, and she’ll be sore for a bit, but she can heal in the comfort of her own bed instead of in the hospital,” he says.
“That’s great.”
Mabel nods, and her eyes cut to Dillon.
“What about her friend?” I ask before she can.
“She’ll be here for a few days at least. Her injuries were more extensive,” the doctor says before leaving the room.
I sit in my seat and dump the food and bottled water on the bedside table.
“I can’t leave without Dillon,” Mabel says as Jensen enters and sits next to his mate’s bed.
“She’s going to be okay,” I assure her. “You can stay at my place. It’s close by, so you can come back during the day for visiting hours.”
“I’m not sleeping with you.”
“I can take the couch.”
She huffs out a laugh. “I meant sex.”
My wolf whines, but I shush him.
“All right. You can still stay with me.”
She eyes me for a moment, and I try to look trustworthy. I don’t know what’s happened to my mate to make her so skittish and distrustful, but I want to fix it. I want to be someone she can trust.
Mabel nods. She grabs a club sandwich from the pile of food, tears open the wrapper, and takes a big bite.
I smile as I grab a sandwich for myself. “Do you have your car key? I can go grab your bags.”
“I…I don’t know where it is.”
“Cops probably took it. I’ll reach out to Tucker and Crew.”
She nods, looking worried.
“It’ll be okay. Worst case is I pry the trunk open.”
She nods again and takes another bite of her sandwich. “How long have you been an EMT?”
“A few years. We started right after we graduated from high school.”
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-three. How old are you?”
“Eighteen.”
“And you’re traveling by yourselves?”
“No family.”
She’s tense. Her family and old life are sore spots for her. My wolf growls, wanting to tear anyone who has ever hurt her apart.
“We don’t have any either.”
Her eyes soften. “At least you have each other.”
“Yeah, we have each other.” I glance at Jensen who nods. Turning back to my mate, I say, “We were in a group home together. When did you and Dillon meet?”
“Kindergarten. Our parents always picked us up late, so we hung out a lot. Turns out we had a lot in common and became fast friends.”
“I’m glad that you had someone and weren’t alone.”
“Me too.”
Mabel’s eyes fill with tears as she looks at her unconscious friend. I open my mouth to tell her everything will be okay, but a nurse bustles in with Mabel’s discharge paperwork and medicine.
“You need to sign a few pages, and you’ll be all set,” she tells us.
I gather the rest of the food as Mabel signs the paperwork.
Jensen nods his thanks as I pass the food to him. “I’m not leaving.”
“I figured.”
“All set,” the nurse announces.
I help Mabel out of bed, and she leans on me as we shuffle toward the door.
“He gets to stay?” she asks, nodding at Jensen.
“He has to talk to her and fill out the paperwork once she wakes up,” I lie.
Well, it’s only a partial lie. We do have paperwork to fill out.
“I’ll call you as soon as she wakes up,” Jensen tells us.
Mabel relaxes beside me. “Okay.”
I nod. “Good. Now, let’s go home.”