CHAPTER FIFTY
ROXANNE
You know that light head‐ ness that comes with being run over by a carriage and series of hooves of many horses. That's if you've ever been run over by a carriage.
That dizzy feeling, like the world is swirling around you and then you feel yourself falling into a deep end— that was what best describes my situation the minute I opened my eyes.
It was as though the world had shifted on its axis and everything seemed different. My vision was blurry and I could make out one color — blue. The constant beep in my ear was beginning to annoy me and the repugnant odor of antiseptic congested my nostrils and invaded my senses.
I moaned and slowly forced my heavy eyelids wider apart till my vision became clear. I didn't recognise anything and I could barely lift my finger.
Now I saw white and then— a pair of eyes.
“You're awake!” someone squeaked.
Was it now a thing if someone was awake?
“Don't move please,” a man said in the calmest voice ever as he flashed a light in both my eyes.
I wanted to groan in protest at the blinding light but I couldn't speak.
I lolled my head to the side, my pupils dilating as I tried to make out my surroundings. The first thing that came into view was a bouquet of flowers and multiple balloons and stuffed animals.
My head felt heavy and my body ached. Why did I feel this tired when I was just waking up?
The man who checked my eyes didn't utter a word to me, he just walked away, to the other side of the room, talking to someone about me being awake.
I turned my head to the side and lifted my hand. There was stuff connected to the vein on my left hand and a monitor that wouldn't stop beeping.
A monitor?
That was when it hit me. Was I in a hospital? I pulled out the drip that was being passed into my veins and yanked off the oxygen mask. I forced myself to my feet, groaning in pain and moaning.
My first instinct was to run.
“Please lay down,” a woman urged.
She must've been from White moon. Her hair and dress could tell.
“No,” I cried out as I tried to move a leg. Why did it hurt so much to even walk?
“Ma'am you have to hold on,” the male physician said as he grabbed me by my arm. “You could've hurt yourself.”
“I want to go home,” I said weakly.
“You're home,” he said.
“What am I doing here?” I demanded as I glanced around.
“This is the pack house ma'am and you're receiving treatment,” he explained.
“What? But I don't feel sick,” I protest.
“Yes ma'am now please you'll have to lie down,” the doctor urged.
Adrenaline pumped through my veins as I contemplated dashing out or just staying in. If I tried to dash out, the guards may try to stop me.
“Okay, but firstly you have to promise that you'll answer my questions,” I proposed.
“Promise,” the man said.
I shrugged, “I don't believe you.”
“Pinky promise?” He suggested, with a grin.
I nodded hastily and we locked pinkies before separating them. Two women were now in the room. They helped me back onto the bed and connected whatever it was that they were passing into my veins.
I tried to figure out what had happened but my memory was blank. I glanced at the large organization of flowers and the cute bodiless stuffed toys and the many get well balloons tied to each post of my bed.
I was certain if there was wind, the bed would take flight.
The physician looked at me with concern in his eyes. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I was run over by a carriage,” I stated.
“Are you feeling pain here?” He asked as he pressed my abdomen.
“No,” I said flatly and closed my eyes.
“Really? No pain at all?” He asked in a voice that screamed ‘shock’ for whatever reason.
“Um. Am I supposed to feel any pain?” I asked, arching a brow.
He swallowed. “Where do you feel pain?”
“In my legs and stomach. I feel like my insides have been stabbed with a fork and my legs feel as though they've been electrocuted.”
I saw the man write in his note after I spoke. I closed my eyes. “What day is it today?”
“It's a Wednesday, ma'am.”
A sigh escaped my lips. “I've got practice. Would you tell the coach I won't be there?”
“Yes ma'am.”
I opened my eyes and scanned the flowers in the room. There were a lot of them and in different types I was sure I could become a florist. And the stuffed animals were cute too but they were a lot.
“Um, whose are these?” I asked, gesturing to the gifts.
“They're yours. They came everyday from the people who came to visit you everyday for the past six months.”
I gasped. My brain ignored the rest of his words but caught one; every day.
“What do you mean every day for the past six months?” I asked.
The physician's shared a look and swallowed. “Talk to me or I'm going to bolt through that door and find out for myself.”
“You've been in a—”
Their words were cut off by the presence of the ever oppressing aura. He stood tall and leaned at the door frame with arms crossed. And for some dumb reason my lips curled into a smile.
I got to see this dumbass.
“Were you saying something just now?” He asked the physicians.
They shook their heads hastily in denial. I opened my mouth to speak but Ryker’s voice stopped me. “Your job is to take care of her and not communicate unnecessarily.”
They bowed. “Yes Alpha.”
He shot them one last look and maneuvered towards my direction. He sat on the chair beside my bed and smiled at me. “Hi sleeping beauty.”
I grinned then stopped when I saw his neatly trimmed mustache. When did Ryker grow a mustache?
“Is it just me or do you look taller than when I last saw you?”
He smirked. “I had a growth spurt overnight.”
“Asshole.”
***
RYKER
If anything, that was the Roxanne I missed. Roxanne with the guts. Everyday for six months I would come into her bedroom to check on her, praying to get a positive response but she just wasn't responding to treatment.
The last time we saw, was at the sea and that day has been stuck in my head since forever. I wanted that moment with her again. I wanted to tell her how much I didn't mean to hurt her. I wanted to say every word in my mind but now that she was awake, seeing how happy she was to see me, I couldn't ruin that with the past.
I always believed Roxanne was going to wake up and I never stopped coming to check on her everyday, believing one day she would respond to treatment. Which was the reason why I almost went crazy when the physician told me she had woken up.
“Alpha,” she said softly as she stared into my eyes. “I saw these flowers and they said they were brought to me everyday for six months. Have I been asleep for six months?”
I stared at her. “Um, you don't remember?”
“No,” she said genuinely. “I woke up here and in pain. I saw the get well cards and balloons and flowers. I just don't understand. What happened?”
I stared at her in shock. Did Roxanne lose her memory?
“You got injured Roxanne, so you've been asleep for months.”
“How did I get injured? Is it from sparring with that girl?”
Shit. Roxanne remembered sparring with charlains but not even how she ended up here.
I smiled at her. “You've not been asleep for too long. You've just been really sick and it would take a lot of time for you to heal.”
“Will I be okay again?” She asked.
“Yes, Roxy, just eat.”
As I watched her eat, I scanned the flowers. They had actually doubled in number and most of them were from me. My eyes fell on the flowers at her bedside table. They were different from every other flower here. One was a bouquet of lilies and the other was a bouquet of carnations.
“Who brought these?” I asked the physician.
“A red head woman. She brought them yesterday. She said she was a friend to the patient.”
There were lots of redheads in Red Moon. How was I supposed to know who exactly? I picked up the flowers and glared at them, not because they were exceptional but because they were mostly flowers given to the deceased.
Anger surged through my veins as I lifted the flowers and a note fell from one. I picked it up and on it was written:
I really hope you rot in hell and that your soul never finds peace.
“Is something wrong, Alpha?” Roxanne asked as she looked up from her food.
I shook my head and squeezed the note into a ball. “No, princess.”
“Can I go home now? To my room? I don't like it here. It stinks,” she said.
I smiled at her, “Yes you can go home.”
I had three things to do, first one was to thrash these damn flowers from anon, second one was to find out who sent it and last one was to protect the secret of six months ago. Since Roxanne didn't remember, it was safe to keep it that way so she wouldn't know she got hurt because of me.