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A short while later, I was in an exam room with the shifter doctor who had done everything to save me when I’d been rushed in with a silver knife sticking out of my belly. He’d also had the pleasure of restitching me when I had lost my cool with Clawson and shifted.
“Can you rotate from side to side?”
I did as he asked, keeping my shirt bunched up to show my belly. I wanted to laugh at the flabbergasted look on his face.
He asked me to lie down while he palpated my stomach and side. “None of this hurts when I touch you or apply steady pressure?”
“Well, it’s a little uncomfortable. And with the bruising, it’s not my favorite sensation. But no, Doc, it doesn’t hurt.”
“That’s good. If it’s okay with you, I’d still like to do some scans of the wound site and get some blood drawn. I’ve never seen a shifter heal like this when silver’s been involved. It’s a complete miracle.”
Chuckling, I lowered my shirt and sat on the exam table. “Doc, it’s less of a miracle and more to do with the magic you mentioned when you stitched me up the second time. I was able to get a hold of some witch pills, and this is the result.”
“Okay. But because we’re dealing with an unknown, I still want to do some tests now. I want to ensure you’re good, and then down the road, I wouldn’t mind getting more tests and scans just to be safe.”
“Sounds fair to me, but I wanted to thank you and the other doctors for everything you did for me. Whether I took the witch pills or not, without you and your team’s efforts, I’d be dead. I’m grateful to you for saving my life, and I cannot thank you enough.”
The doctor got a little bashful, and I chuckled a little as he stammered. “Thank you, Ms. Summers, but the staff and I were merely doing our jobs.” He rushed along to get me scanned and blood drawn, not liking the gratitude. I would have to keep that in mind for the future.
When the tests were complete and we were back in the exam room, the doctor checked the results. He was amazed at how well everything had healed. “Once the bruising fades, you’ll be good as new. There won’t even be a scar. It’ll be as if you’d never been stabbed.”
Smiling, I clapped my hands at the good news. “Thanks again, Doc. It’s great to be on my feet and moving around so easily again.”
“Now, if something’s off or feels wrong, or if there’s any discomfort, I want you to rush here immediately so we can check you and ensure there are no side effects.”
After agreeing to his request, I collected my stuff and headed out. While I had been aware of the healing pills for years, I had never personally experienced or witnessed their effectiveness until now. I was pleased that they did the job. I’d have been a mess if I’d had to stay in bed and take it easy for weeks on end. Shifters weren’t good at staying down for long.
Before I left the hospital, I decided to look in on Zander. After asking the front desk where to locate him, I found Elliot Elkins sitting outside Zander’s room, apparently taking a breather. The cantankerous man looked downtrodden and defeated. Having seen Zander’s condition myself, I could only imagine what was going through his father’s head, knowing his son had been captured and tortured.
My last run-in with the older man had spooked me enough to have me running away. I couldn’t connect this man and how he knew my father. My father was a hunter, and most shifters and supportive humans in the know would have run in the opposite direction if they saw me coming. I wondered how Mr. Elkins had met my father and if he’d revealed the connection to anyone.
Pulling my shoulders back, I approached the older man. I may not have liked Zander, but he didn’t deserve this. Nor did his father deserve to sit alone for hours on end.
“Mr. Elkins, I wanted to check and see how Zander’s doing. Do you have any news?”
Elliot Elkins lifted his head. His eyes were glossy, and he’d aged even more since I last encountered him. Wearily, he said, “You can go in and check on my boy yourself if you’d like. Zander hasn’t stirred or anything since he was brought in.”
Nodding, I walked into the room. Zander was lying still in the bed, with various tubes and cords attached to him. A soft beeping sound chirped in the background, proving his heart was still beating.
His coloring hadn’t improved, and I worried that whatever the hunters had done was irreversible and he’d never come back from it.
Sparing a glance at Zander’s father, my heart cracked a little for the man. It had to be torture not knowing whether your child would live or die.
“Ms. Summers, I wanted… I wanted to thank you. I’m so grateful to you for bringing my son back to me.”
I waved off his thanks. I didn’t know how to handle it and was a little confused by it. I’d been certain that because Mr. Elkins knew who and what my father was, he would be the first to point the finger at me for bringing the hunters to Blackwood Creek. Rather than thanking me, I’d expected him to petition to have me hanged in the town square.
Now, though, he appeared fragile to me. I didn’t want to remind him that he knew my father, not only for my sake but for his. I wanted things to get better, not worse.
“Mr. Elkins, Zander seems like a spirited guy, and I’m sure he’ll pull through. He’s a fighter.”
The older man nodded, but I didn’t know if he’d heard me. It was like he was going along with the motions and not absorbing anything else besides his son.
I wondered if I should get the healing pills from Ridge’s manor and try to force-feed them to Zander. Would that help? Or would it worsen whatever Zander was going through now?
Elliot stepped closer to the bed and patted Zander’s leg. “I didn’t know a single thing about paranormal stuff or wolf shifters until after I was married and found out my wife was one.”
My brows rose so high, they disappeared into my hairline. Being pulled into this world like that must have been a massive shock.
