Tenebrous ↠ Volturi Kings {1} ✓

030

"Every step of the way," Marcus promised.

"Forever," Caius finished.

I nodded, the pain in my head making me dizzy. "I'll call the nurse," Aro said, picking up on my thoughts. He stood, giving my hand another squeeze before walking out of the room.

"I think I need to lie back down," I said to Caius, who helped me recline back on the pillows. Marcus had rounded the bed to take the spot where Aro had been sitting, and I grasped Caius's shirt before he could walk away.

"I'm not going anywhere, amore," he soothed, taking a seat near my head. I knew I was being clingy, I did, but the idea of being left was too much to bear.

"Your friend said your head is bothering you?" A nurse entered the room, followed shortly by Aro.

"Yes. It's pounding," I said.

"It's about time for your painkillers, so I'm not surprised. Are you feeling dizzy, nauseous, or disoriented?" she asked, checking my chart.

"Just a little dizzy."

"Alright. Follow the light for me," she said, shining a flashlight in my eyes. I grimaced as my headache flared. "Alright, it looks like your pupils are currently different sizes, that's because of the concussion and should return to normal in a few hours. However, because of this there needs to be someone with you at all times to make sure you don't fall asleep, and your painkillers will make you drowsy."

"Great," I mumbled.

She smiled sympathetically. "It's all for your safety. Now, how's your shoulder feeling? Any pain or discomfort?"

"A little, but it's barely noticeable," I said.

"Good, good. I'm going to give you your painkillers now, they should start working shortly for you and get rid of that headache." Marcus moved so that she could start the morphine drip. "Now we'll probably have you on morphine for your head and shoulder until tomorrow evening, then we'll switch you to something less potent."

"How long will I be in the hospital?" I asked her.

"Hard to say, as it really depends on how well you recover and whether your condition worsens. We're keeping a close eye in case your brain swells, which isn't uncommon with concussions as severe as yours. All goes well, however, I'd say you'll probably be discharged by Tuesday," she said.

I sighed. Tuesday. Assuming it was still Friday, that was four days in the hospital. The nurse offered me a smile. "Don't look too put out by that. From what I've seen, you've got a lot of loyal friends and family members here for you."

"Yeah, I'm lucky to have them," I said with a smile.

She checked my vitals before walking towards the door. "You can call any of us in with the emergency button on the bed remote, should anything change or should you feel faint or disoriented."

"Thank you," I called as she left. I turned towards Aro. "What did Carlisle say happened to me?"

Aro chuckled lightly. "You were kept shortly outside Seattle, so the story goes you were walking home in a less safe part of town and were attacked. The reason you weren't immediately found is because they had hid you behind a dumpster, thinking you would bleed out. The police will want to talk to you, but it's important to maintain that you don't have any memory of what happened. With that sort of blunt force trauma to the head, it's not uncommon."

"I can do that," I agreed. I didn't want Carlisle or my family to come under scrutiny due to my injuries, but there would be too many questions and too much attention if I revealed what truly happened.