We Are the Wolves

[35] Left and Lifted

When I was dropped off at the hospital, Colin was waiting outside for me. There was a weird, silent exchange between him and Dakota that didn't last longer than two seconds before the passenger door was opened for me and I was being ushered inside. I didn't question it because I had a whole three hour car ride with Dakota and knew him and Colin were fine albeit tense.

As we walked through the hospital, I wanted to ask Colin a dozen questions but my throat had dried up and there were way too many public people around for me to bring in any supernatural vocabulary or show my very real vulnerability at the moment. I was nervous more than anything and now it was to the point of nausea. When we got to Ryder's floor, Colin nudged my arm with his shoulder and kept his eyes ahead.

"As a heads up, we had to slip him some fluphenazine to induce hypothermia so the doctors wouldn't be too freaked out about how we run hot. But even though it's an antipsychotic, he's very..."

"Don't say psychotic."

"He's not psychotic," Colin assured quickly and then stopped to lean on the corner of one of the pods. He had a smirk waiting in the corner of his mouth. I narrowed my eyes but then my ears perked up to the most reassuring sound. 

"You don't understand. She is hands down the most beautiful soul in my life. Zero complaints. Ten out of ten," Ryder's voice was saying not so much in a slurred tone...but a different tone. Definitely different. I narrowed my eyes even more at Colin. How could he say he's not psychotic when he was talking rather loudly and assertively to presumably himself about presumably me unprovoked?!

"He's just a little more honest because he's on a bunch of drugs," he chuckled, causing me to roll my eyes at his entertainment because obviously I was considering how Ryder's big mouth could be a problem. "Oh!" Colin suddenly said and nodded behind me. "There's his doctor."

I followed the physician with braids into the nearest room and Ryder was still ranting away. I just noticed that Colin was correct in that Ryder wasn't technically psychotic because he was actually talking to people I could smell who were currently in the room–only one of them was familiar.

"--and I feel so goddamn bad that I have to leave her in a few weeks for college because I love her so much–I do. I love you so much," Ryder was saying and immediately chastised by Merida for his language while I was about to follow the doctor into the room. "What, Mom? I'm just saying. I'm just telling them how amazing you are and that I'm going to miss you and you don't deserve the bullcrap Dad put you through or what I put you through or Zander. I want to love you and protect you because that's what you deserve but I need to get away from–"

"Knock, knock," the doctor said, emerging through the door. I followed in after her, noticing that there was an older couple sitting off to the side on the couch in his room while Merida was at his left side, standing by his bed. Her green eyes slid to mine immediately. Not as fast as Ryder's though. My heart had completely stopped trying to jump out of my chest due to relief. He was sitting in bed with his right forearm completely wrapped up and his shirt was off to indicate something must've had a confirmed rib fracture because there was a bandage on his side. "Hi. My name's Dr. Kenya Wilson and I was one of your plastic surgeons from last night. Is now a good time?"

"Doc, if you come in my room and bring that angel with you, anytime is a good time," Ryder said, his eyes remaining only on me. My face heated up instantly. The doctor, unaware I was behind her (or maybe she was checking to make sure he wasn't hallucinating) glanced back at me and nodded. Even though I could hear Ryder's heart rate increase on the monitor, I tried really hard to keep distance between me and Ryder at the moment due to the company present.

"Is it okay to talk with everyone in the room present or do you want some privacy?" Dr. Wilson asked. Ryder's gaze still never left my face as he nodded even though I looked over to the couple on the couch that began standing up.