Chapter 128
They could hear the beeping sound of the life monitors stationed beside him. The rubber mask that supplied air to his lungs rested on his nose and covered his mouth. His entire upper limb was wrapped in bandages, which the sky blue hospital gown he had over him covered. Alpha Cole kept his eyes on his son. The beta and gamma stood outside and watched from the wide and transparent window.
The short doctor touched vital parts of Lake's body, he spoke in hushed tones to the nurse and two younger doctors. The younger doctors took notes, while the nurse held on to the doctor's note pad. When they were done, the doctor looked up at the alpha and flashed him a polite smile. Alpha Cole did not return the smile. He was worried about his son, and until he knew what was his son's fate was, he would not know peace.
"I would like to speak to you in private, alpha Cole." The doctor spoke politely. Cole turned to his mother. Her eyes were closed and her lips were spread apart, she seemed to be fast asleep. Cole returned his eyes to the doctor. "You do not have to worry about her, she is fast asleep." He replied.
The doctor looked over his shoulder, to the sleeping woman beside him. He heaved a sigh and shrugged his shoulders before he continued.
"The bullet, or bullets, that hit the alpha were not just any normal ones. They were poisonous, with a rare Sulphur that is not supposed to be found in the bloodstream. If he wasn't an alpha wolf, he would not have been able to make it." Alpha Cole swallowed hard. It had not crossed his mind, not even once, that there would come a time he would be scared to lose his son. He had never thought that there would be a time he would stand beside Lake's bed and wish that they had not fought as often as they used to, that he had listened more. They say you do not know the value of what you have until you're on the verge of losing it. The alpha's father understood that saying very clearly now, because he could feel his fear freeze the sole of his feet.
"So, since he is an alpha wolf, what do you say his chances of survival are?" He tried to sound brave and ready for the worst. But Cole was far from ready for anything. He needed his son to be alive and well.
"Well, the poison only numbed some of his limbs. The surgery helped to repair most of the damage done to his vital cells so he is sure to wake up. We just don't know when, but I can assure you that we will continue to do our best. You have no reason to be frightened.
Oh! He did alright. But he was going to take the doctor's word for it. Cole found himself heaving a sigh of relief. Now, all he had to do was wait for Lake to get better, wake up and face the duties that waited for him.
"One more thing, alpha." The doctor called out. The alpha looked down at him with an arched left brow.
"Is there a problem? Because you just said..."
"Not at all, not at all. I was just wondering. Did the alpha recently reject someone? Or was he recently rejected by his mate?
Alpha Cole narrowed his eyes on the doctor. That was certainly not a question he heard every day. Why would the doctor ask that when his son was currently in what looked and felt to him like a deathbed? "Not at all. Why would you ask that?"
"We detected some signals from his heart last night, during the surgery. When we scanned we found nothing, but after checking his previous medical records, we found that he had come here once complaining about the same kind of pain that we always detect from wolves who have severed a mate bond." The doctor replied. It was a straight forward and honest one, but it confused the alpha.
"Then you have your facts wrong. My son has not rejected a mate in five years, nor has he ever been rejected. Surely, the pain of five years ago cannot just pop out from nowhere. Or can it?" As he spoke, he arched a left brow at the doctor. The middle-aged man did not bother to speak any further.
The doctor looked back at Lake, before returning his eyes to Alpha Cole.
"I wish we were wrong, Alpha Cole, but we seldom are. But, if you insist, I would run more tests and scans, just to be sure that we are not missing something very... vital." He replied.
The alpha snorted, sneering at the man's white coat.
"You should."
The doctor flashed the alpha a polite smile.
"Of course."
*************
Kenji sat close to her bed, he had done so throughout the night and there was no indication he was going to be leaving anytime soon.
She was asleep, and he watched her rest her pretty head, while he stayed awake as though he were guarding her from nightmares.
When she woke up, Kenji got her a breakfast of coffee and pancakes. He watched her ravage the meal like a hungry she-wolf, while he laughed. His eyes sparkled with adoration as he looked at her, all fear he had previously had in his heart was gone, all gone.
That afternoon, he sat by her side while she read a book quietly. When she shook her head and dropped it on the wooden cabinet by her right, Kenji's left hand squeezed her right knee gently.
Her wounds were already starting to heal, but she had been kept in the hospital for close supervision, due to the severity of the anxiety and panic attack she experienced in the outlands. "Are you alright?" He asked.
Ashley rested her gaze on the loving man, before shaking her head.
"Yeah, I am. The book was just boring the crap out of me." Ashley replied, making sure that she stared into his rosy and loving eyes.
"You know you can talk to me right? I'm here." Kenji added. Ashley's chest rose and fell as she sighed.
"Yeah, I know. It's just... I was really scared, you know. He was, he was going to hurt me... I could see it, and then..."
Kenji's grip on her knee tightened. Ashley paused and stared down at her leg. Kenji's eyes followed her gaze before he realized what he was doing. He shook his head and released her from his grip. "I'm sorry." He muttered, but loud enough for her to hear.
Ashley's heart warmed at the sight. She knew that he cared about her, and it gladdened her heart.
She flashed him her ever-charming smile.
"Nah, don't worry about it. Come on, where was I?" She added the second sentence with a short laugh.
Kenji shook his head with a broad smile on his face, while he leaned closer to her.