102. A Woken Request
I had fallen asleep.
I felt a soft touch against my cheek as my eyes slowly begin to open. My neck was stiff from the position I was currently in for a little too long. The first thing I see was a hand, followed by Shane, who was fully awake and now sitting up.
My head jerks up and I wince at the throbbing pain shoot through the side of my neck. “Shane?!” I gasp, looking at him.
He just sits there and gives me a weak smile. “Hey.” His voice rasps a little, his tone one of exhaustion.
I come a bit closer to him, gripping his hand tightly into mine, searching his tired eyes. We stare at one another for a bit, his searching mine that seems to be questioning. But for what I wasn’t sure.
“How are you feeling?” I ask him as I sit up straighter to get closer to him, looking at his complexion that was still a bit pale.
“Okay, I guess.” He lowly says, his voice still seeming to be a bit strained.
“Let me get Dr. Starlite for you-”
“Wait.” He snatches my hand before I could walk away from him. “Before you do that, can you do me a favor?”
I frown at his pleading look. What was with him? Did he think I was upset with him for keeping me in the dark of the lashing? I was at first, and maybe I still was just a tiny bit. But I understood why he had done it. Because I would have done the same.
Squeezing his hand, I nod. “What is it?” I ask him.
“Could you…will you go somewhere with me later? There’s something I want to ask you.”
I wasn’t sure he was up to getting out of bed so soon. And I doubt Dr. Starlite will let him. But he looked so earnest that I couldn’t refuse him. All I could do was smile gently and nod my head.
“Absolutely, as long as you’re feeling up to walking around. You’re still healing.”
“That’s not really my concern right now. I just…I really need to talk to you.” His eyes turn dim, making me feel a little on edge now.
I squeeze his hand once more and head out of the room to Dr. Starlite. I couldn’t help wonder that what he wanted to talk about was something that may be quite serious. My heart twists a little as fear couldn’t help but grip it.
As soon as I told Dr. Starlite of Shane’s awakening, the place became a madhouse. Once she deemed that he was well and no longer in danger of any kind and unhooked the machines from his body, people started showing up to check on him. First it was Spencer, who took one look at him all over, grips his shoulder and then leaves, all within a ten-minute span.
Shane didn’t even seem bothered as he stayed quiet. He ignored him at best and didn’t seem like he wanted anything to do with him. Next came Trevor and his wife, who fussed over him as if he was her own son. I stood to the side as she fluffed his pillow, got him a fresh glass of water, checked his forehead and then his back and basically just mothered him.
Derek came in as she was fussing and he had rolled his eyes, but he was all smiles when he saw his friend seeming to be okay. I had texted Benji to find out where he was at, just to get told that he was home watching over his siblings since his parents had gone out for the night.
Through it all, I couldn’t help but watch Shane’s reaction to everything. He seemed like he was happy and okay on the outside, but there was something that was deeply bothering him. I didn’t know what it was, but I could tell he was trying really hard to hide it from everyone. I was sure that Derek and Trevor could see it too, but for the moment they didn’t say anything.
After Maribel came and provided a hot meal for him, she gave him a hug, a kiss on the on the forehead and blabbered about what was going on in the main house, which wasn’t really anything important.
Until she said, “There are rumors going around however, that Stella is keeping to her room. She hasn’t come out for the past two days now. They are saying that your father had locked her up, he was awfully angry with her the day you…” Her voice shook as her sentence falls off.
Shane frowns. “I haven’t asked this, but…did something else happened to me while I was sleeping?”
No one said a word as they each looked to the other. Trevor steps up, clearing his voice. “You were in a coma state from the lashing to begin with. Benji’s red wolf helped heal you a bit, enough to where the healing process of the silver to your skin wasn’t going to scar you.”
“I dreamed…that I was suffocating, like I couldn’t breathe. There was so much pain in my chest, right here…” Shane lifts his hand to where his heart is and thumps it gently. “It was the worst pain I had ever felt, and I saw him…” He whispers.
“Saw who?” Derek asks, his face in an expression of worry.
“My wolf.”
Everyone became deathly quiet at that. Dr. Horus comes forward. “You were poisoned with Wolfsbane, while you were recovering.”
Shane scoffs as he looks down. “That’s why…” Looking back up at all of us, I could see that he was struggling with his next question. “Who…poisoned me?”
I instantly knew who he was thinking, and I wished I could immediately refute it, but none of us knew who had actually done it.
“We’re still investigating that. But…I have an idea who it might be.” Trevor states with a heavy sigh.
“I think we all do.” Maribel shakingly says.
“I wish to be alone please.” Shane suddenly looks tired as he leans his head back against the pillow.
“We’ll let you get some rest.” Dr. Starlite starts ushering everyone out of the room.
Just when I start heading out, Shane stops me. “Not you. Could you…stay with me a bit longer?”