The young woman darted from the room, and Aaron looked down at his arm and then at Marshall. He found the other man looking at him quizzically. Aaron shrugged. He had no idea what was going on.
“Son, hop back into bed and get some rest,” his father told him.
“Any ideas, Dad, on what Darcy saw?”
“Maybe. Something is tickling the back of my brain, but I can’t quite pin it down,” Vaughn replied as he plumped Aaron’s pillows. “I’m sure Alice will be able to help once she gets here.”
“Who is this Alice person?” Marshall asked.
“She’s one of the Pack Elders. She’s a witch and a seer.”
“That’s a powerful combination,” Marshall said, and Aaron was impressed with his knowledge. “We had a mage who had occasional visions in our unit, but he wasn’t a seer.”
“Okay, everyone out,” Sam said. “I want these two to get some rest until Alice gets here.”
Anna and Vaughn hugged their son, and Aaron took strength from their support. Anna paused by Marshall’s bed and gave him a hug as well. Aaron silently chuckled at the surprised look on Marshall’s face.
“I’m going to call and check in with Murphy,” Saint said. “I’ll be back as soon as this Alice person gets here.”
Marshall nodded at his friend before collapsing back onto his pillow with a sigh.
“Get some rest, both of you. Call buttons are just beside the beds, so if anything changes or you need me, just press that, okay? I’m only going to be in my office,” Sam instructed them both.
“Sure, Doc,” Marshall said, and Aaron could hear the tiredness in his voice.
“Thanks, Sam,” Aaron said.
The bear shifter left them, and a comfortable silence settled in the room, only broken by the faint beep of their monitors.
Aaron ran his eyes over the man lying next to him before settling back on his own pillow and closing his eyes. May as well get some rest now before Alice arrives and hits them with Goddess only knows what.
Chapter 4
Marshalltriedtorelax,but it wasn’t an easy task in the narrow hospital bed. His thoughts were pinging all over the place. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was scared. He didn’t want his best friend to see him like this. He’d been glad when Saint had gone off to call their gym manager and friend, Murphy.
He’d learned to live with the strange illness that had plagued him for the last two years. Yes, the symptoms had slowly gotten worse, but he’d adapted and clung on to the hope that someday they’d disappear as quickly as they appeared. But today, that had all changed. Having three seizures had frightened him and made him realize that there was probably more going on than either he or his doctors had realized.
Sam hadn’t seemed overly concerned though, and Marshall drew a little comfort from that. Unless, of course, the doc was an excellent actor and better at hiding his worries than an Oscar winner.
A soft snore from the other bed had him peering over at Aaron West. The Pack Alpha appeared to be dozing, and Marshall took the opportunity to look at the man properly. Everything had happened so quickly he hadn’t had the chance to take in everything.
Dark hair with a few flecks of gray was neatly cut and brushed off his handsome face.
There was a hint of stubble smattered across his jaw, and Marshall had the urge to feel the rough skin with his lips. A tingle of heat went through him at the thought, making him blink in surprise. He hadn’t felt a tug of desire in a while, and while not entirely welcome or appropriate right now, Marshall took a little comfort from the feeling. Maybe things weren’t as bad as he thought.
He settled back into his pillow, stretching his aching muscles as best he could. His eyes drifted shut as the reassuring beep of the monitors slid into white noise, settling his brain.
A familiar snarl had him waking with a start.Saint!
He pushed the covers off the bed and swung his legs round. His head spun for a second at the sudden movement, and he had to take a breath to get his balance.
Growls echoed down the corridor, and Marshall was aware of Aaron jumping out of bed. Using the bed for support, Marshall shuffled towards the door. Saint snarled again, and Marshall needed to get to his friend before all hell broke loose.
“What the fuck?” Aaron muttered as he glanced at Marshall.
“That’s Saint. I don’t know what’s happening, but I need to get to him before he shifts.” Marshall took a deep breath and took the few steps required to reach the doorway. Aaron stepped in right behind him, not close enough to touch, but close enough that if he fell, he’d be able to catch Marshall.
Frustration poured through Marshall. He hated this weakness. He hated that he couldn’t be at his friend’s side when he needed him.