Chapter 22 - Laila
The hours turned into days with Laila glued to Tolliver’s beside. Last night, despite the doctor’s orders, she’d slid into his bed and curled up beside him like a sad puppy, waiting for him to wake up. He wasn’t conscious, but she hoped he could feel her presence. She wanted him to know she was always right there with him.
Now, she sat in the chair beside the bed with his hand in hers, staring at him. It was frightening how pale he looked, and it drove home how close she had come to losing him. The doctor explained it was a close call between blood loss and the wolfsbane in his system, fighting his body’s natural tendency to heal itself. But Tolliver was a strong shifter, so he would pull through. She just wished he’d wake up. It had been four days, and worry was starting to nag her again.
Laila let out a weary sigh and laid her forehead on Tolliver’s hands. She was exhausted, and her eyes burned from lack of sleep. She had only caught quick naps while she watched over Tolliver. She heard the door to the hospital room open, but she was too tired to look up.
“Laila,” Elena’s soft greeting carried around the room. “Goodness, you’re here already.”
“I never left,” Laila replied.
Elena sighed. “You can’t do this to yourself. You need to rest. Think about the baby.”
Laila finally lifted her head to look at Elena, who was in scrubs. Despite opening her apothecary shop, she was a nurse at heart and still did volunteer shifts at the hospital.
“I am thinking about the baby. He or she will need their father. I just wish he’d wake up.”
Elena advanced into the room and pushed the drapes aside to let the sunlight in. “Tolliver is one of the toughest people I know. Dr. Dorset said he’ll be fine.”
“That was four days ago. Don’t you think he should be awake by now?”
Elena gave Tolliver a concerned look, but she shook her head. “I refuse to be pessimistic. He’ll be awake, scowling, and dishing out commands like usual any day now.”
Laila had to smile at that. She actually missed his severe scowls and arrogance. What she would give to hear him growl out “woman” in his bossy tone. She always pretended to be annoyed by it, but secretly, she thought it was hot. “I hope so,” so she whispered.
“How about you run home, take a shower, eat something, and get some sleep?” Elena suggested as her eyes ran over Laila’s disheveled appearance.
“I’m not leaving. What if Tolliver wakes up?”
“He’ll be right here waiting for you. Honestly, Laila, I love you, but you might scare my brother when he wakes up.”
Laila scoffed, but she wasn’t all that offended. Elena wasn’t wrong. She scared herself in the bathroom mirror this morning with her tangled bird-nest hair, pasty skin, and bloodshot eyes. “Whatever. I’m not leaving.”
Elena shook her head and muttered, “You look a mess, honey.” But she didn’t push any further.
“Never,” came a wispy, groggy voice. “She’s the most beautiful creature to walk this earth,”
Laila and Elena gasped, their eyes flickering to Tolliver. His eyes were open. They were glassy and heavy-lidded, but a lopsided smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
“Tolliver!” Elena shrieked, making him wince. She clamped a hand over her mouth. “Right, sensitive shifter hearing… sorry.”
“You’re awake,” Laila said, smiling and near tears. She grabbed his hand while Elena rushed over to hug her brother.
Tolliver chuckled. “Looks like I’m going to have to almost die more often to get this much affection from you, brat,” he said. His voice was barely above a whisper, but its teasing note was clear.
“Oh my gosh, Tolliver, don’t even joke about that,” Elena groaned. She straightened and pulled her phone from her scrub pocket. “I’m going to call Ryder and Zach. They’ve been texting every minute, asking for updates.” As she hurried to the door, she glanced back at Tolliver. Relief was stamped on her face.
Laila was left alone with Tolliver, and she stared at him with misty eyes until a tear slipped out. Tolliver lifted a hand to wipe it away from her cheek. “Elena was right. You do look like hell, woman.”
The laugh that escaped her became a sob, and the tears started to flow. “Well, I’m sorry, but looking glamorous under these stressful conditions is hard. You almost died, Tolliver.” She thought finding out he was missing was the worst thing she’d ever experienced but holding him in her arms while he was unconscious and bleeding out was a terror she never wished to feel again. “I’m going to get Dr. Dorset.”
Before she could get up, he caught her wrist. “Not yet. Let me have you to myself a little longer.” His eyes moved over her face with adoration that he didn’t bother to hide, and her heart melted like butter under the sun.
“Jonas is dead,” he said. “You’re free.”
She tilted her head, thinking it odd that was the first thing he wanted to talk about. “We don’t have to—”
“You’re free to go back to your life… without me.”
The fear in his eyes struck a chord in her heart. He had no qualms about fighting to the death while at half-strength, but he was afraid of losing her. “Oh, Tolliver,” she breathed. “You shouldn’t be worried about that now.”
“I can’t help it.”
Settling back down, she took his hand in hers. “Look, I know I was adamant about needing more time and space, but then you went missing, and I almost lost you. Life is too short to continue living in fear. Maybe risking my heart is worth it because being with you these last few weeks has been… good. I realized I still love you, Tolliver. I never stopped.”
His eyes widened. “Thank fuck.” He then struggled to sit up. “You have no idea how happy I am to hear that. We—”
“Tolliver,” she reprimanded. “Stay down. You’re still stitched up like Frankenstein, for goodness’s sake.”
He laughed as he flopped back down. “Fine.” His hand remained on her wrist, and his thumb brushed her skin in soothing circles. “I love you too, Laila. I won’t ever make the mistake of letting you go again.”
She smiled. “Good. I need you to focus on getting better now. We’ll figure out everything else later. I need you to be okay because there’s no way I’m raising a kid alone.”
His eyes snapped in her face. “What?”
Heat filled her cheeks as she cleared her throat lightly. “I’ve been keeping a little secret… Well, it’s going to be a huge one in about seven more months…”
Tolliver blinked, his gaze locking onto hers with a mix of shock and disbelief. For a moment, he was frozen, his lips parting slightly like he was about to speak but couldn’t form the words. Finally, he sputtered, “What… How… When… You’re pregnant?”
She nodded.
He glanced at her midsection with confusion. “Impossible. How did I not sense it?”
She hung her head in shame. “I kept it magically hidden. I’m sorry, Tolliver. I just needed time to process. I mean, we weren’t even together. I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about it, and I didn’t want you to be with me out of a sense of duty.”
He sighed. “I wish you had told me sooner, but I get it.”
Her eyes jumped to his face. He didn’t sound or appear angry at all.
“Now I understand your reluctance to shift even when facing Mercer. I was confused about that.”
Their hands were still connected, and he tightened his fingers around hers. Seeing the fear in her eyes, he reassured her. “I’m happy about this, Laila.”
Her shoulders relaxed with her sigh of relief.
“What about you?” he asked, searching for her face. “Are you happy about it?”
She couldn’t help smiling because she was always so thoughtful, always checking on her. How lucky was she still have his love? “I was scared at first, but I’m happy. I’ve always wanted a family… with you.”
Tolliver’s smile slowly blossomed as he held her gaze. They stared at each other with the love they tried to hide before. Even when the doctor came in, they didn’t break eye contact for a while. For the first time in a long time, Laila felt like everything would be okay. Things would fall into place perfectly as long as they loved each other.