Rance looked at Frenzy, realizing this was a side of him he’d never seen before. “I have a hard time believing that. You haveto be a good male to do all the good you do. You don’t take care of just the Variant, you take care of anyone you come across that needs taken care of. It takes a male that is inherently good to instinctively respond that way.”
“Well, we’ll never know if I’m inherently anything. Except pushing the envelope. I’m good at pushing people to the very edge of their patience. I’m good at pissing people off. Am I inherently an asshole? Inherently good? Inherently provocative? I don’t know.”
“I vote inherently good.”
“Okay. How about you let this inherently good male check on your spectacularly lucky female?”
“Spectacularly lucky?”
“Yep. We arrived as she went down. She’s still alive. She has you. She has a houseful of people hoping and praying for her recovery. She’s got plenty of females out there entertaining her boys, and she’s got you.”
“You said she’s got me twice.”
“It bears repeating.”
Rance chuckled as he stood up and backed away from Gwen’s bed. “Do what you need to,” he said.
Frenzy whipped a penlight out of his back pocket and used it to shine in her eyes to check for pupil response as he held her eyelids open one at a time. Then he pulled a stethoscope out from under his shirt and put the earpieces in his ear, then leaned over holding its end against her chest. He grinned at Rance. “Strong heartbeat.”
“That’s good.”
“Very good. Now, I’m lifting her covers, so don’t attack! I just gotta check her dressings and the bed beneath her. If there’s no trace of blood, I’m not going to unwrap her until tomorrow when it’s time to redress her wounds.”
“I’m not attacking you,” Rance said.
“I don’t know. You look pretty ferocious. You been snarly to everybody.”
“You would be too if your female was in this condition.”
Frenzy almost smiled, but shook his head instead.
Rance caught it, but didn’t say anything since Frenzy was already focused on Gwen’s wound dressings and the bed beneath her, checking for blood.
“Just like I thought. She’s doing good.”
“Thank you, Frenzy. And Feral and Storm, too. I’ll thank them personally when I see them again.”
“You come downstairs and get you something to eat, you’ll see them again right now,” Frenzy said.
Rance shook his head. “I don’t want to leave her.”
“Want me to bring you a plate?”
“No, thanks. I can’t eat anything right now.”
“Gotta keep yourself strong for when she needs you,” Frenzy said.
“I know. But right now, she hasn’t even opened her eyes. After she does, then I’ll eat something.”
“Alright, suit yourself, but that’s some damn good food. Fried chicken, dirty rice, corn on the cob. I mean, damn, how do you not eat that?”
“You can have my share,” Rance said.
“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Frenzy said as Rance sat back down in his chair beside the bed. He slapped Rance on the back a couple of times as he passed behind him on his way to the door.
“The boys are still playing and happy?” Rance asked.
“Those little twins? Yeah, they’re the star of the show down there,” Frenzy said with a laugh. “They got everybody running to do their bidding.”
