Chapter 50
~ NYSSA
Eric was surprisingly good company.
He was at my house every morning, and he left every night around ten.
I had no idea where he slept and despite me asking numerous times, he didn’t tell me. He said, ’a little mystery is good for every relationship’
He followed me everywhere.
It was annoying at first, especially when he had to accompany me to council meetings and to the grocery store. He drew attention wherever he went, firstly because he was about a head taller than everyone else, and secondly because he had no filter.
He said whatever was on his mind, no matter how absurd it was.
It took a few days to get used to, but now I welcomed it, especially since I realized that I didn’t have any friends in the pack.
Most of the people I considered friends were Henry’s friends, and ever since my public rejection, they decided that he was the one they wanted to stay tied to.
News had also gone round about my fight with Alisa. Since she got the chance to tell the public first, she was able to tell the truth and because of that, everyone stared at me like I was a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.
“One of these days, I should beat up someone on the road,” I grumbled as one woman pulled her teenage daughter to the other side of the road when they noticed me coming their way. “Maybe then it’ll give them a real reason to be wary of me p>
“I’d pay to see that,” Eric mused, throwing a handful of popcorn into his mouth. “But you could always ignore them p>
“Easier said than done,” I grumbled.
“Not really. You’re already doing a good job as is. You don’t have to speak to them. Look at me, I don’t talk to anyone p>
“Because it’s not your pack,” I cut him off. “It’s just easy for you to go about your day because you know that at the end of the day you’re going to leave. I’m not. This is my home, for better or for worse p>
He sighed deeply, staring at me intently. It was the most serious I’d ever seen him in the entire time we’d spent together.
“I’m going to ask a question and it is very personal. You don’t have to answer p>
That earned a snort from me. “Since when do you ask permission p>
His lips quirked. “The guards have been talking. You were at the palace for a while. They say you stayed at the palace as the King’s guest and you ate with them, but no one really knows why. Everyone has their own suspicions. The king doesn’t really do guests… or women p>
I fought to keep my expression neutral so as not to betray how uncomfortable I felt about the question.
I’d managed to keep Rowan out of my mind for the most part. Occasionally, I’d catch myself thinking about the palace or him, but I tried to banish those thoughts as soon as they came.
I wasn’t going back… not until he asked me back himself.
“Can you get to the point?” I snapped, unable to hide my impatience.
“What I want to know is, are you two p>
“Casualties!” a voice yelled, cutting off whatever Eric was going to say.
A pack guard ran through the crowd, trying to clear the road as a large car followed behind.
The smell of blood filled the air as the car drove by and it was only then that the words being yelled fully settled in my brain.
“There’s been another attack,” I cursed, rushing towards the car. “We have to go p>
He placed his hand on the door, holding it closed. “Where to? My job is to keep you away from the danger, not take you to it p>
“I’m not going to the danger, Eric, I’m going to the hospital,” I snapped. “I studied medicine. I help out at the hospital sometimes. If there are casualties, they’ll need as many hands as they can get, now fucking move p>
He stepped aside immediately and I got into the car.
He barely managed to get into the passenger side before I hit the gas and followed closely behind the yelling guard.
They went straight to the pack hospital and doctors were already waiting on the scene.
I cursed as bodies were loaded out of the large car, some in worse shapes than the others. There were open wounds, broken bones, and so much blood that I had to remind myself to breathe.
“Nyssa! Thank goodness!” one of the nurses whispered as she saw me. “Are you here to help p>
I’d barely finished nodding when she tossed a pair of scrubs at me. “You can help in the emergency ward. They’re understaffed there p>
I took off, not even bothering to thank her. She didn’t need it.
As I ran through the halls, weaving through hospital beds and yelling doctors, I couldn’t help but wonder if this was what the hospital looked like the day I was stabbed.
Was I just one of many bodies that were being rolled into an understaffed hospital?
“Nyssa! In here! I need you to apply pressure on this wound p>
I slapped on a pair of gloves and did as I was told, quietly dissociating as I did. It was the only way I’d ever been able to get through a hospital shift.
It was hard enough watching people get hurt knowing that you wouldn’t be able to save them all. What made it even worse was forming bonds with them.
I got lost in the motions. I applied pressure, I pulled out weapons, I did sutures and ran down the halls to get blood from the blood bank.
I didn’t even realize how long I’d been running around until the last patient had been attended to.
I stood in the middle of the hallway, staring out at the now dark sky.
The moon was barely a blip in the sky and there weren’t any stars. It looked like the sky was mourning alongside us.
“You haven’t eaten a thing since morning,” Eric said, his voice soft.
I’d momentarily forgotten that he was even here. “You should have gone p>
“My job is to be with you, wherever you are,” he shrugged simply. “How many people did you lose p>
“Three,” I whispered. “Two teenagers and a mum. I had to tell three families that they lost someone p>
“I’m sorry p>
I wiped at the stray tear that dropped down my cheek. “I don’t know that I can drive back. Can you p>
He didn’t even let me finish before slinging an arm around my shoulder. “Of course, come on, I’ll even make you dinner p>