~ * ~
Kelly had been in the hospital for two days. Due to her injuries, they were keeping her heavily sedated so her body could heal. Dominic had rallied the cats, and they were taking shifts in guarding her. Dominic promised the little girl he would keep her protected, and he never broke a promise. Aside from that, it's what his kind did. Snow leopard shifters were essentially protectors. They were created to protect snow leopards from extinction by a couple of Tibetan monks long ago. The need to protect was soul deep in their entire breed. Nothing spoke to that part of them like a seriously abused innocent little girl--or a big hearted woman looking after the child. Adele had spent the last two days with Kelly, only leaving her side to attend to other emergencies.
She hadn't been out of the hospital.
Hadn't slept in a bed.
Hadn't eaten a proper meal.
Tonight that was changing. Dominic was taking care of his mate whether she wanted him to or not. She was looking paler each day and would get sick soon if she didn't start tending to her own needs and that was simply unacceptable.
Kit was on 'guard-cat' duty. She sat outside Kelly's door in the hospital hallway with her long legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles. Her cherry red Doc Martins reflected the fluorescent lights. She had her arms crossed over her chest. Her tight black muscle shirt and dark denim jeans made her look every bit as dangerous as she was. She sat still as ice, but her eyes watched everything that happened around her. Dominic knew she wouldn't miss a thing, and if someone tried to get to Kelly, they would get a rough welcome. Dominic almost hoped the bastard would come and try to take Kelly. Then they could deal with it. They all would be breathing easier once the young girl was out of danger. Well, there was also the bonus of getting to watch Kit fight. That woman had moves alright. As she saw him approach, she unfolded herself from the chair, stood up and stretched--looking every bit the feline she was.
"That coffee for me, boss?" she asked with a grin.
"Hey, Kit, yep, it's all yours. Thought you could use a jolt of real stuff over the crappy hospital grade," he said as he handed over the take-out paper cup to Kit.
Kit lifted the lid, took a deep inhale and sighed.
"Now that's what I'm talking 'bout, real coffee."
As she started to drink it, Dominic asked, "You seen Adele? She still in with Kelly?"
Kit nodded as she swallowed her first mouthful. "Yep, she's still in there. You planning on removing her?"
"That was the plan. That woman has a heart the size of a mountain, but she's going to run herself into the ground if she doesn't start eating or sleeping properly soon."
"I hear you there. Clint's starting to worry about her health too." She fished a key out of her pocket and handed it to Dominic.
"Why don't you take her back to my place. Plenty of food there and you'll have more privacy than at yours."
"Thanks, Kit, you're a gem. You know if I took her back to mine, Mum would have her fed and rested alright, but I wouldn't get a damn look in at getting any alone time with her." He smirked; his mum would no doubt love to pamper her future daughter-in-law given half the chance.
Kit chuckled.
"Yeah, your mum is a doll, but she wouldn't help your chances of alone time with Adele one bit."
Leaving Kit to enjoy her little slice of coffee heaven, Dominic quietly opened the door into Kelly's room. He stopped in the doorway to take in the scene before him. Kelly lay unconscious in the bed, her pale skin a perfect match for the white sheets except for the bruising that colored about ninety percent of her exposed flesh. Her jet-black curly hair was a mess around her petite face and stood out against all the white. Even though she clearly looked unwell, she was looking a boatload better than when they found her. For one thing, her face looked relaxed and peaceful now. Like she knew she was safe and could focus on healing.
His gaze roamed over Adele, drinking her in. She sat in a chair next to the bed, holding Kelly's hand loosely with her head resting on the mattress next to it. She was sound asleep. Her hair was a mess, he assumed it had originally started out in a plait but now more of it was loose than in the hair tie. He didn't like that her cheeks looked sunken in or that her eyes had dark circles. He slowly walked up to Adele's side, crouched down by her. He gently ran the back of his knuckles across her cheek.
"Adele...c'mon, wake up beautiful. It's time to go."
Adele blinked and slowly raised her head. Dominic could tell she wasn't fully awake. She looked so sweet and sexy all sleep rumpled. He cupped her chin in his hand and she tilted her head into it. She nuzzled against him as she murmured, "My chaton," before kissing his palm then settling her head back down on the bed. Dominic couldn't help but grin, he'd been spending as much time as he could with her in her dreams, hoping that by hanging out with his leopard she would sleep better, be calmer and more relaxed during the day. She obviously liked his visits if she was dreaming of him even now when he wasn't creating the dream. That was a good sign; she had accepted him--as a leopard. He gently shook her shoulder.