Page 47 of Bullied Mate

If you trust me.

White feathers dusted the air, soft enough to invite my touch. I could have reached up and stroked her feathers, but now wasn’t the time to explore their texture. I could do that later.Ifthere was a later for us.

I handed Leo back to her without a second thought. “Yes, I trust you.”

“I expect you to keep up with me,” Galanthia said while bending her knees, “just like you did before we found him.”

Off she went, with me sprinting after her.

***

Sterile environments reminded me of my mother in ways I didn’t necessarily want to think about right this second. My kid was in the hospital bed with the sheets pulled up to his chest, bandages on his head, an IV attached to his wrist. Etta checked his vitals and dabbed oil on his temples.

“Is he alright?” I asked for the twelfth time in the last thirty minutes. “Tell me what’s going on, Etta. Does he have any broken bones?”

“His ankle is fractured, and his head was pretty bad until Galanthia came to the rescue,” Etta reported. “He’ll be just fine.”

I nodded. “Just fine.”

Bless Etta for repeating her prognosis again. Leo had taken some pretty nasty falls over the years, but this was one that took the charts by storm. He’d never fallen into a hole. And he’d never been beyond my reach.

Not until today.

Etta smiled with all the reassurance in the world. “Hey, sit down. Get some water. You’re looking like you need some saline in a minute.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’ll be a lot better if you sit down.”

The smell of roses encircled me as Galanthia gently took my shoulder and maneuvered me to a chair. She forcefully sat me down, wrapped her arms around my shoulders, and welcomed me into her bosom.

It was wild that our fights never outranked our comforting moments. No matter how many times we clawed at each other’s throats, we always came back to this. We always hugged.

Were we doomed to repeat this cycle forever?

She rubbed my shoulder. “He’s a tough kid.”

“He’s a reckless kid.”

“Reminds me of someone.”

Etta stepped toward me with a clipboard. “I’d like to keep him overnight for observation just to make sure he doesn’t develop any other issues.”

I stiffened while clutching Galanthia’s arm. “Like what?”

Galanthia urged me to settle down. Etta smiled and handed me a tiny bottle. Probably something for my nerves. Whatever, I’d take just about anything at this point if it meant I could get my system to calm down. Somehow, the adrenaline had yet to wear off even though I knew Leo was okay and I was with him.

What was wrong with me?

“It’s a formality. I do this with every child when they’ve suffered a traumatic event. He’ll be fragile when he wakes again,” Etta explained. “I just need your permission. Could you sign this form, Xavier?”

I didn’t want to drift too far away from Galanthia, but I knew I had to act like a parent. I had to make up for the fact that I hadn’t been a good parent back in the woods. How many hours had it been now since the incident? While I knew there was a clock in the room, I hadn’t bothered to look at it.

These places could really suck the time out of me.

Once the form was signed, I leaned back into Galanthia, keeping my eyes on Leo and his heart monitor. Steady beeps came from the equipment, indicating he was level again. Everything was fine. He was fine.

So, why didn’t I feel fine?

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