Stephen stood outside the car, looking in, and Michael knew the man was waiting for him. He kept trying to convince himself to step out of the car, but he couldn’t seem to make his body function.
“Let’s go inside, man,” Damon said as he stepped out of the car, and Nicholas did the same.
Now all three men were waiting on him, but Michael felt as if he were frozen to the leather seat.
“Michael,” Nicholas called out. “Let’s go.”
Taking a deep breath, he slowly started to move one inch at a time. He wanted Kenny to remember him. The fear that the young man might actually forget weighed heavily on his heart. Lifting Kenny higher against his chest, he followed the other men into the emergency room. Stephen took the lead, talking to all the people, and Michael was glad he’d tagged along since he had no idea what to even say to all the people.
“This must be Kenny Reeves.” A nurse came in close and looked at Kenny. Michael’s bear growled, but he locked his mouth up tight, keeping the sound contained. “We’ve got a room for him, if you’ll just follow me, we can get him settled and you gentlemen can head out.”
Michael followed her down a long corridor.
When they reached a private room, she stood next to the bed. “You can just lay him down. We’ll take it from here.”
“I’m staying,” Michael decided.
He wasn’t going to leave the hospital or his mate behind. In the morning if the human didn’t remember him, he’d do his best to explain. If Kenny asked him to leave, he would respect his mate’s wishes, but he wasn’t going to leave otherwise.
“You’re not family.” She started shaking her head, a sour look on her face.
“We’re mates,” Michael told her. “I’m not leaving his side.”
“You can’t stay,” she insisted.
“I just said that we’re mates.” Michael did growl then.
He’d felt a negative vibe when the woman first approached and now he knew why. She obviously had some sort of animosity toward paranormals.
“That doesn’t mean anything unless he’s wearing your mark.” She smirked and Michael couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“I just told you…” Michael started, but Nicholas interrupted.
“Can we have a minute?” Nicholas asked.
The woman stared at Michael for a minute before finally nodding. “I’ll get the IV fluid. When I get back, I want you gone.”
Chapter 5
Michael went to the bed and sat down on the edge. He looked down at Kenny and gently smiled. He wasn’t going to leave his mate. The need to stay by the young man’s side was overwhelming and his polar bear agreed wholeheartedly. Leaning in close, Michael rubbed his nose back and forth against Kenny’s shaggy brown hair and inhaled the man’s fragrance—wild flowers and honey. As time passed, Kenny’s scent grew stronger, calling to Michael and his bear.
After a few minutes of coating his face in the young man’s scent, he kissed Kenny’s forehead, feeling at ease with his decision to stay.
Damon came into the hospital room and stood close, gripping his shoulder in a friendly manner. “I know you want to stay with your mate, but the best thing you can do right now is to let Kenny heal. He needs medical attention and we don’t want this nurse causing trouble.”
“Come on, man. We need to leave before the nurse comes back and kicks our asses out,” Nicholas urged from the doorway.
“I’m not leaving him,” Michael told them simply.
Standing up, he turned around and gently laid Kenny in the middle of the bed. He stared down at Kenny’s beautiful face before placing a kiss on young man’s cheek. Michael tugged off Kenny’s shoes and pulled the sheet up, tucking him in and making sure he was comfortable. Grabbing a nearby chair, he placed it next to the bed before sitting down.
“Okay,” Damon said. “I’ll go find Stephen and talk to him. He’s around here somewhere.”
Michael leaned his big body toward the bed and picked up Kenny’s right hand. He traced the length of each finger before caressing the soft skin. He started massaging Kenny’s palm, hoping that his touch would soothe.
The private moment was soon interrupted by the nurse. She breezed into the room with the scent of hatred and disgust wrapped around her like a thick blanket. Michael didn’t know what the problem was. He hadn’t done a damn thing to offend her, but still she sneered at him. He may not be “family,” but Kenny was his mate.
“You need to leave,” she insisted, holding an IV needle like a weapon.
“Listen, lady,” he growled, the polar bear rising to the surface. Michael did his best to keep the beast back, but he was slowly becoming irritated. “I don’t know what your deal is, but I’m not leaving my mate.”