Chapter 90 90. Excellent evening
Tabitha’s POV
I count to ten before jumping out of the bed and pulling out the IV from my hand. I look around the other patients who are minding their own business in their own curtain partitions. Then, I carefully tiptoe out of the room quietly. Every time I encounter a nurse in the hallway, I hide behind a wall until they are gone. Better cautious than sorry.
My eyes scan the plain white tiled floor and boring pearly walls of the hospital, trying to decide where I should go next when the familiar thread-like sensation tug on my chest again. It’s pulling me somewhere, whispering to me to follow it, so I do.
I find myself walking in a hallway until it leads me to a particular room. I don’t exactly know how but at that moment, I was sure that all four of them were behind that door.
I take a deep breath before knocking twice and opening the door. Just as I expect, they are all there. Reed lies on the bed with his legs heavily wrapped in thick bandages. Bruises also paint his face and he has another bandage around his head. Also, his left arm is in a cast. He looks pretty banged up. On the other hand, Luca is on the next bed. He also has a shoulder cast, but to his right arm. And he has a small cut just above his chin. Jace and Evren are present in the room, mainly sitting on the couch close to the two beds.
But what really surprises me are the two women who are also there. Elsie is feeding Reed, and another woman—Isabel—sits on the foot of Luca’s bed. They both turn to me directly, a look of equal surprise on their faces, as soon as I open the door.
“Uhm… hello,” I awkwardly greet the crowd.
Jace raises an eyebrow.
“Huh. I’m surprised you came here after your little date,” he says and I can detect the veiled bitterness in his tone.
“It wasn’t a date.”
“Yeah right.” He shakes his head and grabs a remote to open the television.
As the sound of the television fills the room, I watch Elsie carefully feed Reed spoonfuls of soup, while Isabel sits at the foot of Luca’s bed, quietly peeling an apple.
I shift uncomfortably, my hands fidgeting at my sides. “So… uh, how are you two? Are you okay?”
Luca snorts.
“If a dislocated arm and some broken bones are okay, then yes, we’re having an excellent evening.”
Heat crawls to my cheeks. Right, that was a stupid question. Obviously they aren’t okay, that’s why they are in a hospital! I wanna smack myself for being so tactless. Isabel gives me a sympathetic look while putting apple slices on a plate. Aside from the fact that we all went to Silver Hills High and that she’s Beta Renston’s daughter and Yennifer’s cousin, I don’t really know how close she and Luca are. But seeing the way she moves around him now, it’s clear they share a really strong bond.
“My bladder’s about to burst. I need to take a leak,” Reed groans.
“Do you want me to help you?” I offer.
Elsie shakes her head. “No, I can take him,” she says, already on her feet.
I stand awkwardly to the side, utterly surprised and helpless, as Elsie guides Reed into the wheelchair. I know there’s no way I could lift him on my own—he doesn’t exactly look light. But Elsie makes it seem effortless. That’s werewolf blood for you. Even she-wolves have strength that can surpass a strong human man.
Elsie carefully rolls Reed toward the restroom, and the two of them disappear inside. I am left standing there, unsure what to feel, but it is certainly not good. I don’t want to imagine what Elsie’s version of ‘helping him pee’ could be, and I have a feeling I won’t like the answer.
I force a smile and try to sound enthusiastic. “Is there anything else I can do? Grab a snack? Get a supply from the house? Talk to the doctor? Anything?”
Luca glances at me, looking almost uninterested. “Everything has been handled. Some of the maids from the estate will be arriving later for our things. And we already spoke to the doctors.”
“Really? What did the doctors say?” I ask eagerly.
“They suggested we may stay another day or two. We’ll be discharged after that.”
He might as well just shoo me away with the way he’s speaking to me right now. I mean, even Jace and Evren don’t look remotely pleased in my presence. My eyes drift to Isabel as she offers Luca some apple slices she has been peeling, and he mutters a thanks before taking them.
Great. Now I feel utterly useless just standing right here.
Just then, Reed and Elsie exit the restroom. A tight feeling presses at my throat as I watch Elsie help Reed back onto the bed.
“I’m thirsty,” Reed whines.
Thirsty? I swiftly step to the table and grab a bottle of water. “I got it!”
“I got it,” Elsie says at the same time, reaching for the same bottle.
We tug at the bottle, neither willing to let go. “I got it!” I insist, pulling harder.
“No, I got it!” Elsie insists, matching my strength.
The struggle escalates until I finally snatch the bottle from her grip forcefully. In my haste, I accidentally undo the top. Water spills across Reed, soaking the upper part of his hospital gown.
There goes my attempt to be useful!
The room goes silent. My hand hovers in the air as I watch Reed shake his head. He clicks his tongue, looking visibly annoyed.
“So much for being thirsty,” he mutters.
“I-I am so sorry!” I blurt, my voice panicked.
Elsie immediately grabs a towel and gently wipes him down.
I try to apologize again while reaching for another water bottle, but my movements are clumsy. I flick the cap too hard, and it flies through the air, hitting Isabel in the left eye.
“Ouch!” Isabel exclaims.
“Are you okay?” Luca asks worriedly, tilting his head as if checking if she has any bruise.
“Oh my god. Isabel, I’m sorry! I will—”
Reed raises his uninjured hand in the air, making me stop.
“Just… you’ve done enough, Tabitha. Just go. We’re okay here,” he says firmly.
His words stop me. I feel hurt but force a small smile and clear my throat.
“Oh… uhm… okay. Uh, I guess I’ll go then.”
I glance at Reed and Luca. “Get well soon,” I say softly, and then I turn and leave.
Tears sting my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. I hail a cab and head back to the estate. My mom is sitting on the living room couch watching television when she notices me.
“Darling! How have you been? I heard about the accident, but–”
I ignore her and march straight to my room. I lock the door behind me and step into the shower. As the warm water brushes against my skin, I tell myself that the wetness on my face is just shower rain.