Chapter 10 #2
A tap on the door had him closing his eyes and begging silently for control. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then spoke aloud to whoever was at Gwen’s door. “Go away. Please.”
The doorknob turned, then the door swung open.
“Hi, my buddy,” Frenzy said, leaning on the doorknob as he leaned into the room, at an almost ninety degree angle.
“Hello, Frenzy. What do you want?”
“That’s not nice. You think you sound like you’re nice, but, nope. Not nice,” he said, shaking his head.
“I’m sitting quietly, hoping she wakes up at all. And you want to come visit,” Rance said.
“No. I do not want to come visit. I want to come check on the patient. But you were not nice.”
“You going to tell me that if this was your female lying here like this, you’d be patient and accommodating, sitting with sunshine shining out of your ass while her life could be slipping away?” Rance asked, leveling him with a doubtful glare.
“Oh, no. Not me. I’d have already burned the fucking place down and beat everybody that tried to stop me to a pulp and probably be locked in Brutal’s jail by now. But we’re not talking about me. We’re talking about you.”
“What makes me any different than you?” Rance asked.
Frenzy’s grin faded from his face, he stood up straight and stepped just over the threshold and into the bedroom. “You’re a much better male than I am, Rance. Always will be.”
Rance looked at Frenzy, realizing this was a side of him he’d never seen before.
“I have a hard time believing that. You have to be a good male to do all the good you do. You don’t take care of just the Variant, you take care of anyone you come across that needs taken care of.
It takes a male that is inherently good to instinctively respond that way. ”
“Well, we’ll never know if I’m inherently anything. Except pushing the envelope. I’m good at pushing people to the very edge of their patience. I’m good at pissing people off. Am I inherently an asshole? Inherently good? Inherently provocative? I don’t know.”
“I vote inherently good.”
“Okay. How about you let this inherently good male check on your spectacularly lucky female?”
“Spectacularly lucky?”
“Yep. We arrived as she went down. She’s still alive. She has you. She has a houseful of people hoping and praying for her recovery. She’s got plenty of females out there entertaining her boys, and she’s got you.”
“You said she’s got me twice.”
“It bears repeating.”
Rance chuckled as he stood up and backed away from Gwen’s bed. “Do what you need to,” he said.
Frenzy whipped a penlight out of his back pocket and used it to shine in her eyes to check for pupil response as he held her eyelids open one at a time.
Then he pulled a stethoscope out from under his shirt and put the earpieces in his ear, then leaned over holding its end against her chest. He grinned at Rance. “Strong heartbeat.”
“That’s good.”
“Very good. Now, I’m lifting her covers, so don’t attack! I just gotta check her dressings and the bed beneath her. If there’s no trace of blood, I’m not going to unwrap her until tomorrow when it’s time to redress her wounds.”
“I’m not attacking you,” Rance said.
“I don’t know. You look pretty ferocious. You been snarly to everybody.”
“You would be too if your female was in this condition.”
Frenzy almost smiled, but shook his head instead.
Rance caught it, but didn’t say anything since Frenzy was already focused on Gwen’s wound dressings and the bed beneath her, checking for blood.
“Just like I thought. She’s doing good.”
“Thank you, Frenzy. And Feral and Storm, too. I’ll thank them personally when I see them again.”
“You come downstairs and get you something to eat, you’ll see them again right now,” Frenzy said.
Rance shook his head. “I don’t want to leave her.”
“Want me to bring you a plate?”
“No, thanks. I can’t eat anything right now.”
“Gotta keep yourself strong for when she needs you,” Frenzy said.
“I know. But right now, she hasn’t even opened her eyes. After she does, then I’ll eat something.”
“Alright, suit yourself, but that’s some damn good food. Fried chicken, dirty rice, corn on the cob. I mean, damn, how do you not eat that?”
“You can have my share,” Rance said.
“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Frenzy said as Rance sat back down in his chair beside the bed. He slapped Rance on the back a couple of times as he passed behind him on his way to the door.
“The boys are still playing and happy?” Rance asked.
“Those little twins? Yeah, they’re the star of the show down there,” Frenzy said with a laugh. “They got everybody running to do their bidding.”
Rance smiled.
“I’ll be back later to check on her. You should come eat something.”
“Maybe later.”
“Alright, I’m gonna hold you to it,” Frenzy said, as he opened the door and looked back at Rance.
“Hey, you shook your head when I said you’d be doing the same as me if your female was in the same condition Gwen is in. What does that mean? Did your female get injured?”
Frenzy took a deep breath then released it as he looked out into the hallway, before turning back to Rance.
“My female was a reward. We rescued her and brought her back to Alliance. She’s strong, Rance!
I mean, like kick you in the balls then yank you up and demand to know why you’re lying on your side strong.
I made my intentions known multiple times — I mean, I’m not exactly subtle,” he said with a grin.
“I don’t think she’s interested. And I can’t blame her, I don’t think I would be either. ”
“Maybe she’ll change her mind.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. It’s alright either way. Maybe I’ll get home and see that she missed me. Stranger things have happened.”
“What did she think about you leaving on another mission? Any reaction at all?” Rance asked.
Frenzy shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t tell her.”
“You just left?” Rance asked.
“Yep. I’ll be back later to check on your woman again. And I’m bringing you food.” Frenzy closed the door and left Rance alone with Gwen.
He sat back in his chair, and thought about what Frenzy had told him.
“Hope he gets his woman,” Rance said, shaking his head before he lifted his hands to his eyes and rubbed them tiredly.
He leaned his head to the left, then the right, cracking his neck, then stretched his back the same way, leaning it from side to side, then settled in his chair and reached for Gwen’s hand.
He sat there holding her hand gently in his, not knowing if she’d allow him to hold her hand after she awoke.
And he was fully accepting of that, she had a lot of healing to do before she’d consider Rance as more than just a protector.
As he looked down at her delicate, graceful fingers lying across his palm, they twitched. Rance sat up a little straighter and raised his focus to her face.
Gwen lay there, her eyes fluttering as she tried to open them.
“Hey, there you are!” he said excitedly.
Her eyes fluttered again, before she looked at him for barely a second before they fell closed again.
“Don’t push yourself. If you need to rest some more, rest some more.
I’m here watching over you. Your babies are outside with Bonnie and the females from your Pride, and some of ours, too.
According to Frenzy, they’re running things out there.
They’re fine. Our friends arrived just before you passed out.
They’ve got some excellent medics and medical skills for combat.
They stepped in immediately and figured out where you were bleeding from.
They cauterized the wound, and gave you some fluids and blood, and now you’re in your room and getting better I hope. ”
Gwen tried to open her eyes again and succeeded in getting one to stay open long enough to get a good look at the male speaking to her. “Wha…” she whispered a time or two before giving up.
“Are you asking what happened? You were bleeding, passed out, but we got you fixed up. I’m not sure you remember me. I’m Rance. I was at your home once, but didn’t exactly interact.”
Her eyes fluttered again and she forced herself to focus on him as best she could before she closed her eyes again. “Rance,” she repeated on a rush of breath. She seemed to settle again, so much so that Rance stared at her chest to be sure it was moving up and down with each breath she took.
“You’re okay. Your boys are okay. You have nothing to fear. I will not allow you or them to be harmed in any way. I give you my vow; you’ll all be safe and well.”
Her fingers tightened on his hand very briefly before they relaxed again.
“I got you,” Rance said, quietly. “Just sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.”