Chapter 13 #3
“You said that before as well.” The older healer frowns. “Don’t go getting her wet again!”
I run my fingers through my hair. “As you can see, I was also in the water, Sera. She wasn’t acting like herself. I was trying to snap her out of it. She was—She was going to get herself killed.”
Sera glances at the door and sighs. “There’s a reason we don’t use our healing magic on humans. I warned you, Grayson. It will mess with her head. In this case, I think her survival instincts were numbed. Give her time.”
My wolf is prowling inside me, anxious to return to Miranda’s side. I see Sera out and return to where Miranda is still sitting on the side of the bed.
I fetch a towel and come to stand before her. She goes still as I take her damp hair gently and press the towel against it. A long beat passes.
“I can do that,” she mutters.
I don’t respond, and she doesn’t stop me after that.
The hallway creaks. The door pushes open two inches, and a small face appears in the gap, clutching the worn ear of a stuffed bear, eyes enormous and fixed on Miranda.
“Miranda! You’re back!” Ethan rushes toward her, and I pluck him into the air by the back of his shirt.
“I don’t think so. Be gentle.”
He looks up at me. “Okay. I brought ChuChu. He always makes me feel better. He’ll help Miranda too.”
I release him, and he climbs up onto the bed without asking. He slots himself against her side like he belongs there, which he does, presses the bear between them, and takes her hand in both of his.
Miranda is frozen.
“Where did you go, Miranda?” Ethan asks, leaning against her. Her tense expression becomes one of helplessness.
“I had something to do.”
“Oh. Are you staying here with us now?”
Before she can say anything, I nod. “For a while.”
“You can stay in my room!” Ever the opportunist, my son tries to secure an around-the-clock storybook reader.
“She’ll be staying in my room till she recovers, Ethan.”
My words have Miranda’s head lifting. “I will not—”
“Where I can keep an eye on her,” I add, my eyes narrowed.
She makes a scoffing sound and looks away. She’s not happy about this arrangement, but I’m going to figure out a way to make it work.
“You haven’t eaten since yesterday. I’ll bring up some soup,” I tell her.
She doesn’t respond, but I expected that.
Heading downstairs, I ask Linda to pour out a bowl of soup for Miranda.
By the time I take it up, Miranda is propped up in my bed, Ethan curled by her legs.
She’s watching him, her fingers playing with one of his curls.
When I enter, she immediately drops her hand.
My lips press into a thin line, but I don’t comment on it.
Setting the tray in her lap, I pull up a chair and sit by her side. I know if I even try to feed her myself, she’ll probably dump the entire bowl on my head. Or not. Either way, I’m not going to risk it.
She doesn’t turn down the food, which tells me how hungry she was. After she’s had a few bites, I ask, “Why did the hospital fire you?”
She sets down the spoon in the bowl. “How do you know that?”
“You left your phone in my car. A friend of yours called. She said it was my fault.”
Miranda grimaces. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
I wait for a few seconds before getting up. “Okay, then I’ll get my lawyers to sue the hospital on your behalf. You just stay right here—”
“Wait, no. What are you doing?!” Miranda reaches out, grabbing my wrist to stop me. I look down at her pale hand around my thick wrist and then I glance at her. “I’m going to find out the truth one way or the other. I would prefer if you tell me, but I have no problem suing that place.”
I gently untangle her hand and lean forward till her face is inches from mine. “I have a lot of money, Miranda. Enough to burn. Don’t test me. If they messed with you, I’m going to find out and have a field day with them.”
She stares at me, confusion flitting in her gaze. “Why?”
“Why not?” I ask quietly. “They hurt you, so I’ll hit them where it hurts.”
Her lips tremble, and then she turns her head away as if unable to bear it. “Just don’t. And it wasn’t you that got me fired. I punched Axel.”
Surprise flickers through me. “The doctor you went on a date with? Why?”
“He was harassing me the whole day,” she forces out.
“I was on the roof to take a break, and he followed me. He recognized you, and he saw Ethan. He said something about Ethan, and I snapped. I—I had to tell the HR director about you and Ethan because Axel was threatening to expose Ethan’s existence.
They silenced him, but I got fired for punching Axel. ”
“You were protecting Ethan.” My head is spinning. She lost her job because of me and my son, because we dragged her into our lives. The rage that fills me toward the doctor is secondary. “Were you going to apply to another hospital—”
“No.” Miranda grips her spoon tightly. “Axel is an excellent surgeon and very well connected. I won’t be able to find a job here. Maybe if I leave the city, maybe in another state.”
My wolf stands, alarmed.
No. Another state? Another city?
She’s going to leave us?