Red Ribbons (Forgotten Series #1)

Chapter Six

"Hello, Maricella. My name is Amber. I am the pack doctor." The blonde woman smiled happily at me and I gave a small nod before looking at the white tile floor. My bare feet dangled over it. I couldn't tell if I was too small or the cot I was sitting on was too tall. I was probably too small because Uncle Jace was standing beside me and the cot didn't look to be too tall on him. "I heard you have been having some issues with a partially severed mate bond. So I am here to check on it and give you a bit of relief for it, okay?" Her tone had an expectancy of a reply so I nodded.

I glanced up at her and her light blue eyes were kind as she moved closer. "Is it alright if I touch you? I want you to be completely comfortable here." Her voice was soft and gentle I nodded. I didn't want them to give me a reason to not like me.

Something inside of me told me that Uncle Jace and Davin wouldn't throw me away, for some reason they liked me, cared for me. I tried to shake the thought from my head. They liked me because of a story in a photo album, a story about a happy little girl with grey eyes. They were protective because I had been hurt and in their eyes I was Uncle Jace's niece and Davin's cousin. As Davin said, he had grown up with me even if I never did with him.

She picked up my wrist and checked my pulse while looking at the watch on her wrist. I could see her nodding her head to the pulse. I could see several pauses in the rhythm her head was making and she frowned. When she set my wrist down I lowered my gaze, avoiding hers.

"Okay, so you have a slightly irregular heart rate. It is a bit worrisome but with the state your body is in, it is not unusual." She was looking at me but I refused to look at her. It was impossible to try and shake off the lessons I had been forced into. I had only been gone for a day and I had years of it branded into me. The mantras were my life. "Alpha Lawrence, could you set her on the scale. I know she is underweight but I need an actual weight." Large arms wrapped around me and lifted me easily off of the cot. I couldn't help how I stiffened slightly at the contact.

I still didn't have the strength to walk. Yesterday had been hard on my body and I was now feeling the effects. I had a bit of a rattle in my chest and I felt cold all the time. I spent most of the morning wrapped up in several blankets shivering while Davin, Collin, or Seamus had sat beside me on the couch. I had been allowed to watch a movie and Collin said he would take me out for movies all the time if I was that excited. Which made the excitement instantly disappear.

I wasn't sure why Ingrid made smiling or excitement seem forbidden but she did. It made him happy to see me excited about something and so the two lessons were clashing inside of me. I needed to do things that made the pack members happy but I could not show my emotions. It was enough to give me a throbbing headache.

Uncle Jace set me down carefully on the scale and I wobbled slightly, trying to stay upright on my trembling legs as Amber quickly marked my weight down. My legs shook hard and I felt like they would buckle but Uncle Jace picked me up without a word before setting me back down on the cot. My breath was coming out in pants from the exertion and I felt suddenly tired, my eyelids drooping.

"No sleeping yet. I know that was exhausting for you, Maricella, but I have a few more tests to do. Just try to stay awake, alright?" She wasn't looking at me and so I glanced upwards, taking in the lines on her face and the tight bun she had her hair pulled into. "You weigh seventy-four pounds and at the height of five foot three inches, that puts your BMI at nearly thirteen. You are severely underweight, which is something we all could clearly see." She gestured at me and I looked down at my thin wrists. I hated feeling guilty for something I didn't have any control over but I had worried people. That burden was on me.

"I'm sorry." The whisper was barely audible and I started to pick at my nails, pulling at my cuticles. Uncle Jace grasped my hands in one of his to stop the motion, my heart jumped at the motion before I tried to force it to stop. My nails were still ragged even if the skin was smoother. Davin had rubbed more of the paste into my hand earlier, telling me it was an all-natural beeswax and herbal hand paste to help with dry and rough skin. I had been confused as to why they had it. Collin had spoken up telling me they worked rough jobs and didn't need bleeding or cracked hands and that I needed to stop asking questions and enjoy being pampered.