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“His hand.”
I sat on the edge of the bed at the behest of my sister. She threaded my fingers with his and then squeezed.
“He’ll be alright,” she whispered. “Five minutes, okay?”
“Okay.”
And then she was gone.
Matéo looked sick but stable. A monitor beeped next to the bed, displaying his heartbeat. Tubes connected to his IV were slung over a metal pole and ended in a bag of saline. Or did the lines end inside his wrist? A second tube contained what I assumed was a morphine drip, something to soothe the ache. Wolfsbane poisoning was a bitch.
“I had it once, you know,” I told Matéo. “A long time ago, I accidentally cut my finger with a poisoned blade. It was nuts. I was in bed for like three days.”
I chuckled, though I knew it was silly. What was amusing about getting sick like that?
His features twitched, drawing my attention. Encouraged, I continued, “I recovered, obviously. But I can’t imagine taking as much as you. You’re so strong, Matéo. So full of life…”
“Maman,” he murmured. “Stop… don’t strangle…”
I frowned and leaned forward. “What’s that? What are you seeing?”
He lazily shook his head. “Papa, why won’t you… stand… up?”
The monitor beeped rapidly, the line zigzagging across the screen erratically. I pressed his hand to my heart and hummed, the long and low sound vibrating his palm. I wasn’t sure why it occurred to me or if it would even work. Who did things like this? Not me.
Not ever.
“Matéo,” I whispered. “It’s Rose. I’m here with you now. I’m not going anywhere.”
His brows parted and his features slacked a bit. While he struggled to peel open his eyes, the monitor slowed back to a steady rhythm.
Sasha walked into the room before I could try to figure any of it out. “I’ve got it.”
I didn’t move. I didn’t release his hand. I sat there while she injected the serum into his IV, waited as the liquid entered his system, watched while he went from shivering and sweaty to lush with life all over again. Like before. Like at the diner.
Like in the Orchid Suite.
Sasha touched my shoulder. “Should I send for Charlotte? She usually does this. I only started learning recently because of the attacks on the Beaufort Pack.”
My mouth opened but closed it again soundlessly.
She massaged the base of my neck. “I’ll stay as long as you want me to stay.”
“Is he…?”
“He’s responding very well, Rose. He should come to any moment now.”
She pushed my hair aside, exposing my neck to the cool air of the room. Heavens, when had I started sweating?
“Here,” she said while applying a small ice pack to my neck. My eyes rolled back. “Yeah, I figured you needed one, too.”
“What? Why?”
She sighed. “Trauma. It happens. Your adrenaline was high. It’s why I haven’t stepped away from you. Your heart needs the regulation and comfort of your family.”
I touched her hand lightly, glancing up at her with a grateful grin. “Thank you.”
“It’s what we do. It’s how we take care of our own.” Her eyes flickered to Matéo and her smile grew. “No matter who we are or where we come from.”
