I made it back to my room by curfew and I was happy to see that Marilyn was asleep. I don't think I would've been wise to tell her most of the details of the evening. I didn't want to lie or anything, but I knew there were some things that I shouldn't mention.
I was so tired when I returned to my room that I fell asleep that night with no problem.
When morning came, I found myself in a really good mood. Dellanira was with her mate for the day, so I wouldn't have her breathing down my neck. I talked to Keira who told me that she was pregnant with her first kid. Plus Dr. Rosen told me that my Seperation was nearly complete. I should only be on the meds for another two weeks.
I turned on the tv in my room and relaxed. I was still exhausted so I decided today would be a good day to just stay inside and rest.
I was texting Ruby when I heard Liam's name mentioned. My head shot up and my heart began to pound hard against my chest.
Liam was on a talk show and he looked great.
He sat up tall in his white button up shirt and black slacks. His brown hair had been neatly combed into an old gentleman's style, making him look even more sophisticated and important.
Next to him were his siblings who looked just as good. Suddenly I was overwhelmed by a flood of emotions. Pain. Sadness. Fear. Betrayal. Relief. Jealousy. Longing.
When my head began to hurt and my heart blood began to warm up that I was starting to reject the medicine. Liam shifted uncomfortably, and I could tell he was feeling it even though he played it off so well.
Before I knew it I was on the ground screaming for Harvard with the last bit of strength left in me. Harvard ran inside, and when he touched me his hand recoiled.
"Why are you so hot?" He placed one arm under my back and the other under my legs so that he could carry me.
I was taken downstairs where Harvard fanned me until the ambulance arrived. I wasn't surprised when the lobby became full of nosy guests but when Adrian and his brother burst through the front doors of the hotel, everyone looked afraid.
Adrian was dressed in a suit, with his hair neatly groomed. His green eyes scanned the room before landing on me, they softened for a moment before he rushed to my side. His brother and the other Sigmas began dispersing the crowd while Adrian bombarded Harvard with questions.
"Fuck! Where is the ambulance?" He yelled as he cradled my head in his arms.
He growled, but calmed down a little as the sound of a siren got louder and louder.
I was strapped down and lifted onto a gurney before being shoved into the ambulance. Adrian stood back as the medics set to work taking my temperature and blood pressure and asking me yes or no questions. I was already scared at the moment, but when my body started convulsing violently I was terrified.
But those feelings only lasted a short while since I blacked out 20 seconds into the seizure.
When I woke up I found Franco and Ruby huddled up in the corner of the hospital room. Franco held her tightly in his arms as Ruby laid her head against his chest. It took me a while to notice how pale Ruby was, while her eyes were bloodshot, and her lips looked a little dry. She probably looked worse than I felt right now, and that's saying something.
"You need to eat Ruby." He whispered.
"I just ate a sandwich Franco." She rolled her eyes and Franco sighed.
"That's not what I meant and you know it. It's been a week."
A week since what? I stayed quiet and closed my eyes again so that I could continue to eavesdrop.
"I know. I haven't really been able to get my hands on any fresh blood." Ruby said.
Blood? Why would she...oh my god. She can't mean-
"Maybe I could sneak into the blood bank and gets some." Franco whispered.
"No, I don't want you to do that. I can't risk you getting caught doing something like that."
"Fine, then you can drink from me."
Franco was volunteering to let Ruby drink from her? What the hell? This can't be happening!
"No!" She protested.
"Damn it Espen! We're running out of options here! Now choose your pick! I'm not just going to sit here and watch you waste away!"
Espen? Was that some nickname he had for her?
"You let me worry about my feedings. It's really none of your business."
"The hell it isn't!" I heard Ruby jump to her feet and walk towards the door.
"This isn't going to work Franco I-"
"Don't you fucking dare finish that sentence!" Franco growled. Before the argument escalated further the door opened and I heard two people entering the room.
"Quit it! Both of you. You're disturbing the other patients including Deianira. This is not the place for your bickering and fucking arguments." Adrian yelled.
"Sorry Adrian, we were just about to leave." Franco said in a gentler tone. I opened my eyes just a peak so that I could watch as Franco took Ruby's hand and led her out of the room. I wasn't surprised to see Adrian standing in front of the doctor who had his back turned towards me.
"Sorry about that Dr. McGrath." Adrian apologized.
The older, salt-and-pepper-haired man in a white lab coat shook his head before turning to face me. "It's quite alright Adrian. Now let's check on your girl shall we."
I closed my eyes again and quickly tried to decide whether or not I should "wake up" or stay the way I was for a while longer.
"Has anything changed since yesterday?"
"No, she was still unresponsive this morning. There's no telling when she'll regain consciousness. Her body is still pushing out the residuals of the medicine in her system."
Adrian sighed and I heard the creaking of a nearby chair. He must be sitting beside my hospital bed.
"This is my fault. I should have just let her go, she wouldn't be suffering like this."
Adrian no...please don't say that.
"There's no way you could have known her body would reject the pills this late into her treatment. It was odd, freakish, and unexpected. Don't blame yourself for this."
The room went silent and I felt something sticking me in the toes. I grimaced and heard Adrian stand.
"Did you see that?" He asked.
Ugh, game over.
I let my eyes slowly open and readjust to the bright lighting.
"Deianira?" Adrian stroke my cheek, and this time when I looked in his eyes I saw the deep love and concern he had for me. It pained him to see me like this.
Dr. McGrath walked over and flashed a little light in my eye. "Deianira, can you speak?"
"Yes," I croaked. Adrian smiled and took my hand in his.
"How are you feeling?" Dr. McGrath asked as he checked my heartbeat.
I thought about it for a moment as I tried to sort things out. I felt a pain in my chest and lungs, and a little over heated but emotionally I was all over the place. I guess that didn't matter too much right now though.
"Umm, I feel a little hot and my chest and I feel a sharp pain in my chest and lungs when I breathe." Adrian's eyebrows furrowed as he looked between the doctor and I.
"Your heart is beating pretty fast and you're wheezing a bit. I suppose that's due to your body still trying to rid itself of the chemicals from your Separation meds." Dr. McGrath said.
"So what does that mean...for my Seperation?" I asked weakly.
"I don't know what or how, but something must have triggered a reversal of the Separation process. Have you seen or heard from your mate lately?"
I looked away from Adrian's burning eyes fearing what would happen if Adrian knew about Liam.
"Deianira?" Adrian prodded.
"Adrian, do you mind if I speak to Deianira alone?" Dr. McGrath asked. Adrian frowned, but before he could protest Dr. McGrath raised his pale hand.
"Deianira had a right to doctor-patient confidentiality. I need her to tell me everything if I can get to the bottom of this."
Adrian growled before he let my hand go and walked out of the room. Dr. McGrath turned to me and gave me a gentle smile.
"Now Deianira, have you been in any sort of contact with your mate?" He asked.
"Yes, I saw him on tv." Dr. McGrath frowned as he scribbled on a paper on his clipboard.
"Who is your mate?"
I looked down at my hands debating whether or not I should reveal this information. I trusted my doctor not to say anything, but that didn't mean Adrian wouldn't find a way to get to the doctors notes. He could be eavesdropping outside right now.
"I um...I don't think I should say."
Dr. McGrath nodded, understanding the risk. He grabbed a flyer from his desk and handed it to me along with a pen. Then I scribbled down my mate's name.
Dr. McGrath's eyes widened when he recognized the name. He ripped up the paper and threw it in the trash bin without hesitation.
"So there's the problem. Your mate is an Alpha. You have a natural bond that is stronger than most bonds of non-Alpha pairings, even if you haven't completed the bond. Seeing him triggered the reversal of the Separation."
"What can I do? There has to be a way for me to complete the Separation. "
"The best chance you had was to complete the Separation through the treatment, but it would've only worked with no contact at all."
"But I just saw him on tv! He wasn't even technically in the same room as me!" I sat up despite the developing headache.
"I know Deianira. All it would take is the sound of his voice or seeing his face. That's how strong the bond is, just seeing or hearing him is enough to trigger something in your brain to pull you two back together." He explained.
I placed my head in my hands and fought the tears. "So this is it. I have to go home now?"
"I think that would be best." I looked at Dr. McGrath who's gentle eyes were now darker. He wasn't telling me something.
"There's another way isn't there? You said that the meds was the best chance, but it wasn't the only chance. What is it? What do I have to do."
"Both could have grave consequences Nira, it's dangerous for you both physically and mentally. There's no other safe way."
"I don't care!"
"There are two ways you can break your bond through a formal rejection or through a completed mating with another Alpha."
The doctor left the room shortly after checking the rest of my vitals and asking me a few questions. I had so much to process that it began to overload my brain. Ruby and Franco we're keeping secrets. I don't know why he called her Espen but I knew that the girl I had gotten to know over the years was definitely not who I thought she was. I didn't even know what she was.
Then there was the whole situation with Liam and my current state of health. I couldn't possibly hunt him down and ask him to reject me formally for two reasons. One, I don't think I could handle the pain of his formal rejection. Secondly, I don't think I wanted to be Separated from Liam anymore. The war was over. It would be safe for us now...right?
But then there was Adrian. In these past two months I've grown extremely fond of Adrian. I would go even as far to say that I was falling in love with him and something in me held onto what I had with Adrian. I still wanted everything that he had to offer me and I wasn't sure I was ready to stop fighting for a life with him.
But what happens if he finds out that his cousin is my mate? What happens when he finds out the only two ways that I could separate from Liam? Would he force me out of the competition? Would he fight for me?
Ugh! I didn't want to think or talk about any of this! But as soon as Adrian reentered the room, I knew I had some explaining to do.