Page 55 of Mated To My Boss

“Good, good,” she says. “I'm tired.”

“Yes, of course. You should rest. I'll leave you to sleep. I love you Aunt Cora, please get better.”

“I love you as well,” she sighs, goes back to sleep.

My feet stay planted at her door, watching all the patients and staff as they traverse the hallways. My senses start to tingle when I find who I'm looking for.

The young doctor keeps his eyes buried in a file as he moves toward me. I wait for the shifter’s eyes to meet mine and that's when he stops.

“Hi,” he says.

I glance at the name on his scrubs. “Dr. Gordon?”

“Yes. You're Cora's niece, aren’t you?”

I nod in response. “I am. Can you tell me what's wrong with her?”

I think it's finally time to ask a shifter about my aunt. Her usual doctors are puzzled and simply assume she's just an old, fragile woman, but we don't stay this sick for this long.

“I don't know,” he answers genuinely. “I really wish I had an answer for you, but we're doing all we can.”

“That sounds like such a generic answer.”

The doctor sighs. “She's going to be okay. Something may just be stopping her recovery, but I don't think there's any reason to be afraid just yet.”

His words don't reassure me as much as they should, but I take them anyway and leave the hospital. My mind is quiet throughout the cab ride back to the office.

It feels like I'm in a trance until I see Nate in his office. “Hey, you're back early,” he says. The small smile on his face disappears when he sees my expression. “What's wrong, Madeline? Is Cora okay?”

“She's the same way she has been,” I sigh, “and that's the problem. Do you know any shifters that stay sick this long?”

“No, but it's not uncommon for shifters to fall sick.”

“Yeah …” I move to the chair and sink into its softness. My hands move to the table, tapping on the polished wood as a way to distract myself. “It's been a while, though.”

Silence passes while Nate studies me. I can tell he's worried about me. He makes a move to extend his hand, but stops himself.

“There are a couple reasons why something like this could happen. It's rare, but some things could hinder healing or just generally make a wolf weak. Chances are she probably came in contact with something that compromised her immune system. She's not exactly young, so it must have made her prone to illness.”

Nate finally places his hand on mine. He gives me a gentle squeeze before continuing. “She's going to be fine,” he assures. “There's nothing to worry about.”

I try to smile, but it's far too weak to fool anyone, especially Nate. Still, I definitely appreciate his reassuring words. I'm especiallygrateful for the feeling of his hand on mine. My body aches for way more than his hands, but I'll take what I can get.

“Okay. Thank you.”

“Hey, there's still something to look forward to. Do you remember?”

“What?” I ask, searching my brain but coming up blank.

“Ouch,” Nate says, clutching his chest. “We're supposed to go to dinner. You forgot.”

My eyes widen and I place both my hands on my face. “I'm so sorry. I didn't forget, I swear.”

While I'm not technically lying because I didn't forget my date with Nate—what I forgot is the dress I need to wear.

“Alright, because I made the reservations already.”

“I'm ready,” I promise.

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