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The risk was high, yes, but something in our omega nature craved comfort and touch—two things we were constantly denied at the compound. Logan was the human equivalent of my safety blanket during some of my darkest days, but I still never really slept.
Until now.
I startled awake with a gasp, feeling out of sorts and wondering where I was and what had happened. Eyes wide, I sat up quickly, my fingers curling in the blankets cocooned around me as I took in the space.
The hospital room was still dim, and I was… alone.
Jude’s bed was still parked where it had been when I’d fallen asleep, but there were no signs of him, Rhett, Crew, or Kellan that I could see.
Clearing my throat, I called out a tentative, “Hello?” but there was no response.
Not sure what was happening, but desperately needing to relieve my bladder, I pushed the soft blankets away and swung my legs out of bed. I slipped off the edge, my socked feet hitting a warm floor.
Seriously? This place had heated floors?
The only lights were warm sconces on the walls that barely gave off any light, but I still managed to make my way over to the bathroom, pushing the door open and turning on a light. For a second, the brightness blinded me, then I beelined straight for the toilet. Once I sat down, I really checked out the space.
The bathroom was massive. Easily twice the size of the cabin I’d called home for the last several years.
There was a massive soaking tub that looked like it could comfortably fit at least three bodies, and a separate shower stall with multiple shower heads that would easily hold an entire pack. Once finished, I washed my hands in one of the double sinks, and glanced into the mirror over the vanity before grabbing an unused toothbrush from a pile in a little storage container that also had cotton balls, makeup wipes, and other odds and ends.
It was amazing how much better just brushing your teeth could make you feel. I had placed my toothbrush down next to several others lining the vanity and was rinsing my mouth when I heard the door to the hospital room open.
My spine snapped straight and my pulse pounded as I braced myself for the worst.
“Hazel?” Crew called, worry lacing his tone.
I exhaled, my shoulders slumping. I shuffled out of the bathroom and hesitated in the doorway.
Crew’s blue eyes found me, relief smoothing some of the frown lines. “Hey. Sorry no one was here when you woke up.” He’d changed at some point. Gone was the all-black tactical outfit from the night before. Now he was dressed in jeans, black boots, and a white t-shirt that clung to his chest and biceps.
“It’s fine,” I murmured, shaking my head with a weak smile. “You guys don’t owe me anything.”
“You were out cold when they came to get Jude for some tests. Rhett went with him,” he explained. “I had to step out to take a call, and Kellan’s… running interference.”
“Interference?” I echoed.
His mouth flattened into a grim line. “Yeah, it’s a long story.”
Translation: none of my business.
A pang slapped my heart, and I ducked my head before walking silently to the bed and climbing back in.
“Hazel—”
I cleared my throat and reached for the little remote with a call button attached to my bed. “I should see when the doctor thinks I can leave.”
“Hazel.” This time there was a sharpness to Crew’s tone that made me freeze. He came closer and seemed to hesitate for a second before sitting at the foot of my bed. “Look at me.”
Slowly I lifted my lashes, unable to stop the tremor that rippled through my muscles.
“I already talked to your doctors,” he told me, “and they’re not sure about when they’ll release you.”
“I have to stay here?” That shouldn’t have terrified me, but it did. I was tired of being kept in one place. Of being locked down.
“Your injuries aren’t that bad, all things considered, but you are dehydrated and malnourished.”
“Okay, so I’ll drink water and eat more food,” I blurted out. “Crew, I don’t want to stay here.”
