Chapter Fifteen
Bennett
June
“I believe it’s in Felix’s best interest if we continue with the plan to wean him off the drugs now,” Dr. Tanaka said a few hours after Felix had stabilized again.
“Based on his scans from this morning, his brain swelling has decreased, and keeping him under will likely do more damage than good at this point.”
“Okay,” I said. “Let’s do it. Start the process, please.”
She nodded and picked up her laptop from the edge of his bed. “I’ll go draw up the orders and Julia and Carissa will be checking on him every thirty minutes during the process.”
“Will he remember what happened?” I asked. “If someone did this to him, will he remember that?”
Dr. Tanaka pursed her lips. “It’s too uncertain to say. Some people never recover their memories in situations like this, others remember everything. For most, it takes a few days for it all to come back to them.”
“Okay,” I said as she stepped out of the room. I leaned over the bed and kissed Felix, brushing his dark hair off his forehead. “I can’t wait to hear your voice again.”
I pressed my forehead to his and closed my eyes, breathing in the scent and savoring the touch.
There were so many smells in his hospital room that were wrong.
Felix belonged in my bed, smelling like me, smelling like snow and the hint of arousal that always lingered on him when we were alone together.
I fought the stinging in my eyes and lifted my head at the sound of his door opening again.
“Hi,” Carissa said, tossing her braids over one shoulder. “I’m going to start weaning him off the meds now. It’s a slow process, but he’ll likely be awake sometime tomorrow.”
She moved to Felix’s IV stand and pressed several buttons before hanging a new bag of medication, flipping a few tabs on the IV line, and pulling off the old bag.
“Thank you,” I said, watching her carefully as she pushed a few more buttons. The last time she’d touched his meds, things had gone awry and I wasn’t willing to see that happen again. “What will happen now?”
She stepped back and gave me a sympathetic smile. “Not much for the first few hours, I’m afraid. You have time to give yourself a breather if you need to.”
Is she trying to get rid of me?
Or is Oak right and I’m completely paranoid at this point?
“No.” I squeezed Felix’s hand tight in mine as I sat down in the chair next to his bed. “I’m staying with him.”
Felix’s door opened again and Ryder stepped into the room. I tensed, balling my other hand into a fist to prevent myself from punching him on sight.
“I hope you’re not making major medical decisions for my omega, Bennett Winchester.” Ryder held up a piece of paper, and even from across the room I could clearly see that it was a bonding certificate.
“You don’t get a say in his care,” I growled.
“Actually, I do.” He waved the certificate in the air. “Some might determine I have more of a say than you. Even better, the only say.”
“Fuck. You,” I said through gritted teeth. “Get out and show that to someone who gives a shit.”
“Gentlemen,” Carissa said. “We’ve already started the weaning process; this decision is done. If you want to argue about who makes the remainder of decisions until Felix can speak for himself, then I suggest you step outside to do that.”
“There’s nothing for us to discuss,” I said, glaring at Ryder as I stood from the chair.
He lifted the paper in front of his chest and pointed to it. “I disagree.”
“If you wave that paper at me one more time, I’m going to shove it down your throat,” I barked.
Felix’s monitor beeped and I whipped my head in his direction, rushing to his side.
“He’s okay,” Carissa said, pressing a few buttons on the monitor. “Just a quick spike in heart rate which isn’t uncommon during the process. Your arguing is probably not helping either.”
His heartrate steadied and I glanced at Ryder.
My stomach dropped as genuine concern washed over Ryder’s face. I was still convinced he had something to do with this situation, but there was no misinterpreting that look. Some part of him actually did care about Felix.
He met my eyes again. “I want him back. I thought I could give him what he wants and I can’t.”
My canines dropped and I lunged for him, the tension in my body from the last two days finally snapping. “Over my dead body,” I growled as I shoved him against the wall.
“Bennett!” Carissa yelled before pressing a button behind Felix’s bed.
I took a swing at Ryder and felt the satisfying crunch of bone cracking beneath my fist. Blood poured out of his nose and I wound up again.
A security officer accompanied by Donovan came flying into the room and broke us apart.
“Bennett, what the fuck are you doing?” Donovan yelled as he pulled me off Ryder.
“This stupid mother fucker is the one who put Felix in the hospital, I know it. And now he has the nerve to show up here acting like he has any rights whatsoever.”
The security guard, who had Ryder pinned against the wall with his forearm, turned to Donovan and said, “We need to take them out of here and sort this out or I’ll have them both removed permanently.”
“I do have rights,” Ryder insisted.
“Come on!” I yelled, gesturing toward him. “How the fuck am I supposed to not kill him right now?”
“I get it, Bennett,” Donovan said. “Trust me, I do. But arresting you for murder is not high on my bucket list, so can we try to calm down?”
I took a deep breath. “Fine. I don’t have to kill you. Felix would never want you back anyway.”
Ryder growled, and the security guard shook his head. “Shut up, the both of you.”
Donovan loosened his grip on me. “If I let you go, are you going to walk out of here calmly so we can figure out what to do next or are you going to cause another scene and get yourself kicked out?”
I growled at Ryder and mumbled, “I’ll be fine.” I turned back to Carissa, who was by Felix’s side watching us with apprehension. “Will he know I’m gone?”
She took a deep breath, shaking as she answered. “I’ll stay with him, but for Felix’s wellbeing, I’d advise you to resolve this. He’s going to need his alpha when he wakes up and I think we both know who I mean.”
My cheeks flushed with shame. “I’m sorry for scaring you,” I said, trying to ignore the apprehension I felt at leaving Felix with anyone—let alone someone I still didn’t know if I could trust.
Ryder wiped the blood dripping from his nose with the back of his hand, also having the decency to look ashamed.
Pretty sure she isn’t advising me to kill this idiot, though that is definitely my preferred resolution strategy.