Page 19 of One for the Money

“Fuck, why do toilets always have to be so fucking cold?” I muttered, waiting for Bear to leave, but he didn’t. “Seriously? What, are you afraid I’m gonna fall in the damn thing and not be able to get out?”

He didn’t reward my sass with an answer. Instead, he simply turned his back like that would make everything better. Why I gave a shit about him hearing me pee, I wasn’t sure, but I had the habit of turning into a raging bitch when I was hurt or in pain. Feeling vulnerable wasn’t something I enjoyed, so I tended to manifest in being a total cunt. It didn’t matter what my feelings on the subject were since my bladder took the choice from me and opened the floodgates. Unable to hold the sound back, I let out an ungodly moan at the euphoric feeling of being able to pee. Of course, because the universe hated me right now, the moan echoed off the bathroom walls, amplifying it.

Bear better be the only person here. Otherwise, I would need to kill whoever was.

After what felt like an eternity, I cleaned up and started to stand. The problem was I put all my weight on the IV, and the damn thing betrayed me. It was too late for me to do anything since I was already pitched forward but prayed I didn’t break my nose when I landed on my face. An arm shot out, halting my descent and shoving me back onto the toilet.

“Von, knock this shit off. If you want to act like a damn child, I’ll be happy to spank your ass until you can’t sit,” Bear threatened. “I thought we’d gotten past this shit after the last time you had the flu.”

I grimaced as I remembered falling out of bed and landing on the puke bucket I’d just filled. That had taken the wind out of my sails for damn sure, but the trauma response and need to survive made it impossible for me to admit when I needed help.

“Like you’re any better,” I shot back.

He let out a long, suffering sigh and helped me to my feet. I tried to pull up my underwear since I was only wearing one of his oversized black T-shirts, yet I was thwarted. Bear grabbed my wrists and planted my hands on the wall so I could continue to stand on my own. There was something oddly intimate about Bear redressing me. I had absolutely zero shame being naked around him or if he walked in on me dressed only in my underwear getting ready. We’d seen each other in all kinds of situations over the years, but something about this was different. In a way, it felt so tender and sweet, something you’d do for someone you cared about on a romantic level.

With a playful slap to my ass as my only warning, Bear picked me up once more, and I grabbed the IV. Placed back in his bed, Bear pulled up the silk sheets, leaving the thicker blanket off. Some people loved to be smothered in blankets when they slept, but I wasn’t one of them. I never knew if it was going to be a solid night’s sleep or if my nightmares would be making an appearance. Getting tangled up in heavy blankets only set me off, not to mention I ran hot and would sweat my ass off.

“Get your fucking hands off me,” a male voice I didn’t know snarled. “Just let me walk. It’s not like I’m gonna be going anywhere with my hands and feet shackled like a fucking prisoner.”

Pushing up, I grunted at the dull pain in my shoulder and the hot white heat from my side. What the fuck had happened to me? The memories of what happened last night, if it was last night, had gaps.

“Whoa, easy there, sparky,” said the man I didn’t know as he rushed over to help.

When he placed a hand on my back to help me to sit up, I expected Bear to lose his shit, but he didn’t. In fact, Bear stood at the end of the bed, arms crossed, watching the interaction with a critical eye.

“Here, let me get these pillows behind you. I don’t want you sitting up too much. It will pull at the stitches.”

Pulling my attention from Bear, I looked at the man. He wasn’t bad-looking but not someone you would consider the traditional sense of attractive. His copper-red hair was buzzed short, probably for ease of maintenance since he seemed like a no-fuss type of person. Yet the beard was short but thick and well maintained, but the shadow of regrowth told me he hadn’t had the chance to shave yet today. Then again, if he was who I thought he was, that made sense.

“You’re the vet, aren’t you?” I asked, once settled against the pillows.

He paused and looked at me, holding my gaze with ease, which wasn’t something most people could do. It would seem Dr. Dolittle had more to him than a love for animals.

“If I answer that, will you tell me who you are and why you had him bring me here?” Dolittle countered.

I grinned, liking the challenge even though he was clearly at a disadvantage. “You’re welcome to answer and see if you get lucky.”

“Yeah, that’s not gonna happen. My luck seems to have dried up since meeting you,” he stated in a flat tone. “Look, I’m not sure what you want from me here. I did everything I could to save your life, and seeing as you’re awake, talking, and there’s no sign of complications, I feel like my job is done.”

There was something about his amber eyes that drew my attention. It was a look I’d seen in the men I chose to put more work into. Typically, it happened after some face-off with a client who thought they could double-cross me and wound up dead. There were two types of people in a situation like that. One froze and wound up dead or ran for the hills. However, the second type was the one who seemed to have awoken after falling into a state of mere existence. Instead of the danger driving them away, it made their blood sing and sharpened their mind, making them truly lethal.

“How long has it been since you felt that rush?” I asked, ignoring his previous statement.

He blinked a few times, clearly confused by my question. “I-I don’t…” He took a step back, trying to distance himself from me. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Bear grunted, drawing both our attention. “I brought you out here to change her dressings, Erik, or would you rather go back into the darkness?”

“Fuck you, Bear,” Erik shot back. “I’m not doing a fucking thing. You should have just killed me back at the clinic.”

“There are worse things than death. If you don’t want to help her after she saved your life, then I’d be happy to show you what praying for death looks like,” Bear said with a wicked glimmer in his dark eyes.

Erik gripped his head, letting out a frustrated scream before grabbing the medical kit left on the nightstand. Without meeting my gaze, he pulled on gloves and unraveled the bandage on my head. The headache had been masking the pain of the wound, but some of the gauze got stuck on it, yanking at the stitches. Closing my eyes, I fisted the edge of my shirt, refusing to make a noise.

“Sorry about that. It looks like the other doc didn’t put enough ointment on it to keep it from sticking. Although now that it’s stopped bleeding, I might be able to use something different,” Erik commented as he worked, not really expecting an answer from me.

The cut burned as he cleaned it, causing an involuntary tear to slip out. Erik was quick and efficient while being gentle where it counted. He didn’t act like I was going to shatter but didn’t use the chance to get back at me like I expected. To me, that was another sign he wasn’t as upset about being here as he wanted us to believe.

“There, that should be good for the day,” he announced, patting the edges of the bandage. “I’m gonna need you to lay back down to look at the wound on your side.”