Page 38 of Monster. Me.

His fingers tighten slightly around my hand.

"No problem. If it helps, you can always ask for me."

"I think that's exactly what we'll do," Dr. Lee says as he seals the marrow sample inside a refrigerated container.

He starts dressing the wound in my hip.

"Because I have to admit, everything went much more smoothly than usual. Do you happen to possess any unusual…" He pauses, searching for the right word. "…abilities?"

We all know what he's asking.

Within the ABO community, there are people with unexplained gifts. That's common knowledge, although serious scientific institutions don't really study it. The whole topic sits somewhere between accepted science and urban legend.

A faint blush appears on Marlow's cheeks, and the brief hesitation makes both Dr. Lee and me study him even more carefully.

"Not that I know of," he says, averting his eyes.

But I know he's lying. Now that he's touching me, that realization feels obvious. It's not a complete lie. I'd bet Marlow genuinely didn't know he could take away someone's pain. But something is definitely going on. He's hiding a secret.

Well, I can't blame him. The reason he doesn't want to discuss it in the middle of a laboratory where mutants are experimented on is pretty obvious. It should be obvious to Dr. Lee too, which is probably why he doesn't push further.

"Well, whatever it is, it turned out to be useful. Next time he has a procedure, we'll probably call for you too. It'll save us from wasting painkillers that barely work anyway," Dr. Lee says with one of his carefully crafted smiles. But I have no interest in looking at him. Only at Marlow.

"Alright. You can take him back to his room. Send Wilhelm in."

"Wait. Could Marlow stay with me a little longer, at least until the pain settles down?" I ask, even though the truth is that the pain has already settled. I'm lying just to keep him with me for a little while longer.

"That’s a question for Marlow, not me," Dr. Lee says.

I glance at him. There’s a visible blush on his cheeks, but he nods anyway.

"Of course. If you need me, I’ll stay and help."

"You don’t have to. Who am I, anyway?" I whisper, so quietly it can only be heard by an alpha. No beta in the room can hear it, Dr. Lee included.

Marlow shakes his head.

"I want to help you, if I can."

Reed and Wilhelm return to the room, and I’m glad they weren’t here for any of that. They would’ve had a field day with it.

Dr. Lee does us a favor when he says, "Take Drax back to his room. Marlow will accompany him. He can stay there as long as he wants."

Thankfully, neither of them comments on it, at least not in front of Dr. Lee. So we leave, or rather, my bed rattles out on its wheels while Marlow walks beside me, still holding my hand. They don’t say a word, although I catch them exchanging looks that seem equal parts pity and amusement.

This time we don’t go through the promenade because Elevator A2 has been repaired. We head straight to the corridor where my room is located. Wilhelm unlocks the door with a code and then says to Marlow, "Punch in code thirty-nine when you want to leave."

Reed pushes my hospital bed inside and rolls it up beside my regular bed. Even with the discomfort from the dressing on my hip, I don’t want his help. I slide off the gurney onto my own bed by myself. The entire time, Marlow never lets go of my hand.

Reed throws us a contemptuous look, takes the bed, and the two of them leave. The door closes behind them with the familiar electronic beep of the locking mechanism.

The last look Wilhelm gives me is pretty telling. He probably thinks I’m about to get laid.

Then suddenly we’re alone.

I’m sitting on the edge of the bed, Marlow standing beside me, and I’m still holding his hand.

Our eyes meet, and I decide to do something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. Slowly, I lift his hand to my lips and press a kiss against it, a kiss filled with gratitude and maybe even adoration, because that’s the closest word I can find for what I’m feeling. But I don’t pull away afterward. I close my eyes and simply enjoy having him near me. My lips move unconsciously across his skin, leaving gentle pecks along the back of his hand, affectionate kisses colored by something else growing inside me, a strange hunger for even more closeness.