Claws

Chapter Twenty-Two

It took about two days for the nurses to give the OK to take off the brace on my neck and get me off my IV drips. Luckily, I was healing faster than expected. At that time, Beck visited me twice, Jade stopped by freaking out once and had to be dragged out by a couple of nurses for causing a scene--which I found hilarious, and Robin, Linda, and my parents visited me every day. I wasn't surprised that Zale hadn't stop by. In fact, I was glad.

"Alright, now that the brace is off, let's give your voice a try. I'm going to feel around your throat, so it might hurt a bit, but try to keep talking, alright?" Angelica, Beck's sister and the sweetest doctor I'd ever met gave me a smile as I nodded shortly, the muscles in my neck feeling weak. "Alright. Start with something simple. At least one word."

"B-brace," my voice came out as a squeak first. It hurt to talk. "The brace..."

Angelica looked up at me, smiling as she gently pressed against my swollen, bruised neck. I winced as my eyes widened in shock, glancing at her. "I know, I know. It hurts. Just bear with me and keep going. What about the brace?"

"My...bra-ace was u-uncomfortable," I said, struggling to get anything above a whisper. "I hated that thing."

Angelica's fingers paused on my throat, and she looked up at me with a growing smile. "Pfftt! That's the first thing that comes out of your mouth when you haven't been able to speak for days?" She burst into laughter. "Why am I not surprised?"

"It was," my voice was a little stronger that time but still raspy. I clenched my teeth every time she felt around my vocal cords. "When can I go home?"

"If everything checks out, today. You need to ice your ribs as much as you can and don't overexert yourself for the next few days. Your ribs are still healing, and you still have a concussion," Angelica sighed, stepping back. Her long blonde hair waved behind her as she set her hands on her hips. "You'll be able to shift in about four to five days, seeing how fast you're beginning to heal already."

I smiled, carefully lifting myself to the side of the infirmary bed. "Ugh. Sore," I gently laid my hand on my aching right rib. "Let me get at least some fresh air. It's been five days."

Angelica looked at me, hesitating. "Fine," she sighed. "But wait for my brother. He should be here any second to visit you. He should be able to help you around. Just...please, take it easy."

"I'm a strong alpha. I'll be fine," I jokingly gave her a cocky grin, teeth and all, with a couple of wiggles of my eyebrows.

"Pfttt. You just gave a perfect impersonation of Zale when I asked if he wanted me to bandage the wound on his shoulder! He told me you bit him pretty hard," Angelica scoffed. "Of course, it got infected the day after. It took two days of convincing him to let me look at it each day he came to visit you. It was really infected when he finally gave in and let me clean it. What a punk. My husband isn't even as stubborn as that kid, and he can sure put his foot down."

"Wait, what?" I looked at Angelica with wide eyes, brushing my fingers against my swollen, sore throat. "He visited me while I was unconscious?"

"Oh yeah. Every day. He looked stressed out as if he didn't know what to feel about your current state then. I didn't know whether he was upset, angry, irritated, or worried. He just stared at you with this blank expression on his face, like he was deep in thought. I haven't seen that look in a while. It was as if he was actually thinking about something, and I mean contemplation deep," Angelica frowned, tapping her finger against her crossed arms.

"I don't suppose my parents told you what happened that night? I mean...to the full extent?" I cringed, humiliation washing over me when I thought about everything I did.

"I'm your doctor. Of course, I know what happened. I had to know," Angelica nodded. When she saw my tense expression, she gently placed her hand on my shoulder and gave me a warm smile. "You have my word. As your doctor and a friend, no one will hear about it. I do not disclose any of my patient's medical information, so you don't have to worry."

"Thank you," I sighed, closing my eyes in relief. "I wish this mess would just go away. Pheremone disorder and all."

"That would be nice, but unfortunately, you'll have to find a mate and get marked for that second one, so it'll be a while," Angelica tilted her head, her hazel eyes drawing to the side. "If only my brother were an alpha. He's liked you for ages, poor kid."

"Who's liked who?" Beck's voice shocked both of us as he appeared at the infirmary room door. His blonde hair was a bit messy, and he looked a bit more hesitant than usual, but he was still smiling as warmly as ever. "Hey, guys. I just came to check on the special patient."

"You make it sound like there's something wrong with me," I joked, shutting one eye as he gently ruffled my hair.

"Yeah, 'cause you look like you're in tip-top shape. You totally don't sound like a chain smoker either," Beck scoffed, turning to his sister. "So, what's the verdict? Is she cleared to go home?"

"Yes, as long as she promises to take it easy and take care of herself. Keep an eye out for her, would you? Make sure she doesn't go roaming around all the time until she's able to shift again," Abigail sighed. "She needs to have someone with her, just in case she runs into any problems. Alphas can be very reckless, especially with the emotional state she's in."

"Everyone keeps mentioning that I'm in a weird emotional state ever since I've come back, but the only time I went off the rails was at the party, and I had a good reason. What's the big deal? I feel stable right now," I frowned.

"You're fine now because I've been giving you pheromone stabilizers through your IV drip. You reached emotional instability when you got set off at the party, so make sure to take the shots I gave your mom every day to maintain your current state. If you don't, you'll be a mess," Abigail explained. "Now, let me go get your paperwork. You need to fill a few things out before I let you go. Beck, make sure she doesn't go anywhere."

"Will do," Beck saluted, winking at me. His sister rolled her eyes and walked out of the room with a swish of her lab coat. Beck turned to me and sat next to me in my bed. "Just look at those bruises. I heard you and Zale ran into southern wolves and ended up killing them. I guess they did a number on you, but I'm not surprised you guys won. Your wolf form is huge. I've never seen a female Claw that tall in my life."

"Oh...Yeah. I got the genes from my dad, I guess," I forced a weak smile. So that was the story, huh? It was better than the truth, that's for sure. "Anyway, I'm just glad I got out alive. Zale barely got scratched. I could've done so much better. How am I going to be chief when I'm in this state?"

"Zale's had four more years of training than you...well, two, if you don't count these past few years since he's gone downhill. I bet you'll be even better than he is in less than a year of training." It was sweet of Beck to comfort me, but the main problem was my pheromone disorder, not my lack of training. I could've taken those Southerners down easily if it weren't for my pheromone sensitivity. If I was going to improve, I needed to find a mate soon and get marked.

"Thanks, Beck," I gave him a genuine smile this time. "After I get out of here, can you take me home? I want to talk to my parents about something."

"Oh, I heard from Robin your parents were going to be at his mom's house today. They had something to discuss with her or something like that. It seemed serious," Beck said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Anyways, whenever you get better, I think we should...talk. You know, about what happened that night? For now, I just want you to heal."

"Oh, yeah. We should," I nodded, looking down. "Thanks for helping me. Sorry to be such a pain."

"Oh, right. How dare you protect our village. It's such a pain," Beck teased, rolling his eyes.

I laughed even though it hurt my ribs and throat. He was a good guy. I wished he were an alpha.