Pieces Of Me

Chapter 25 Reece

It's been four weeks since we got our mate back. Two weeks since she woke up and her wolf started to rouse to heal her. Although, she's not really back as such. We left part of her behind in that cell and this version we attempt to interact with is a mere shadow of the woman I knew.

She jumps at sudden sounds or fast movements. Neither Darius nor I can get closer than six feet from her before the tremors start and she tries to mask them with anger and growls. She is afraid of us. Of strangers too. She's better with women. I'm guessing there were none involved in her confinement.

Lord help us if one of the med team comes near her with a needle. She explodes in panic, no matter how many warnings and explanations are given in advance. She tries to psych herself up for it but her body doesn't follow its own commands.

And the nightmares, dear lord, they break me. Watching her writhe and whimper, sometimes screaming and crying. I just want to hold her and tell her it's over, she's safe now. Not that she would let us hold her. She snaps at us and tells us she's fine.

It's hard to know how to help her best when she won't talk to us about it. We have a basic understanding of what was done to her body, from what we saw and what the doctors found, but I know there is much, much more to it.

She does however allow us near her in wolf form. I guess because even in her muddled brain, our wolf forms never hurt her. She greets our wolves like big dogs that she missed and she pats us, hugs us, and tells us how beautiful we are. At the moment we take what we can get.

Her wolf side's healing is doing its job, although slower than it should, but it's starting to pick up now that the drugs are nearly flushed out of her system. She had three days of withdrawals from one of the things they gave her and that wasn't pretty, to say the least. She's able to eat more now and they are giving her high-calorie foods to help her gain weight faster.

She was a little overwhelmed when I explained to her what her father had said about us being mates too. I had thought she would be happy. It was what we had always wanted, to be true mates but in her current state, I'm beginning to worry she will deny me.

I'm grateful at least Garret can be there for her, to a degree. He has told us about his dream walking to her and shared what he learned from those interactions. I'm so grateful he was able to get her to hold on till we could get her.

From what he says, we got lucky we made it to her in time. We nearly lost her. She crashed twice more when the med team was working on her back in the castle. I shudder to think what would have happened if we had waited even another twenty minutes to go in.

I can see her trying to re-find herself, pushing her limits already. She doesn't like being this weak, broken shadow. She knows who she was and she wants herself back. She's speaking up and challenging the med team and us more and more. Sometimes she holds her own and sometimes she backs down in fear, immediately hating herself when she does. She's so angry all the time, snapping at us without warning.
I

t's hard to be so close to her at last but not be able to touch her. To see her look at us in fear. Of seeing her so out of control. I have to remind myself to have patience. Somewhere under all those defense mechanisms, my Eve is hiding.

But today is a big day. She's gotten her casts off, her stitches out and her I.V lines removed. It's just her catheter left to come out. Her bruises have faded to mostly yellows, making her look jaundiced and we are allowed to take her out in a wheelchair. She wants to touch the grass and feel nature again. The sun is shining, it's hopefully going to be a good day. Well, once she gets past the catheter removal.

She's currently in Garret's arms as he whispers to her to focus on him. He starts to distract her, talking about the forests she can run in once she's better. As soon as her nether region is touched by the female nurse, she freezes and the growling starts. She squeezes her eyes shut and burrows her face into Garret's chest so she doesn't attack. His weird purr noise starts automatically and then the nurse is done and the blanket is pulled back over her legs.

I look at Garret. It's like something from the invasion of the body snatchers. He handles her like she's the most fragile thing in the world. He is patient and always softly spoken. His movements are always careful. He is always reassuring and encouraging. There's never a growl uttered at her, only those that dare to get too close to her or people she reacts badly to.

It's a far cry from the blood-soaked feral beast that we all tip-toed around. However, as soon as he is away from her, he is quick to anger. His beast rides him hard, and everyone ducks for cover. As soon as he's back in her presence, he's once again a teddy bear.

If only his enemies could see him now, I smirk, watching him coo to her as he coaxes her out from his chest, so he can get her ready to go.

She tries to negotiate for a real shower and clothes. Garret caves instantly. He would give her the world if he could. She doesn't want a nurse to help her, she just wants Garret to turn on the shower and place a seat in there. She wants her independence back. Garret agrees, but only if she shows him she can stand and take a few steps for him. Eve nods. He helps her into position on the edge of the bed and she eases her feet to the ground. She slowly bares her weight and grins when she succeeds.

It's the first genuine smile I've seen since we got her back and my heart flutters at the sight. She carefully shuffles forward, then once satisfied, she takes a proper step. She wobbles for a moment before regaining her balance, shooing Garret away as he gets ready to grab her if she topples.

Eve gains confidence and balance as she makes her way to the bathroom.

"Guess I won't need your help after all," She jokes, closing and locking the bathroom door in his face before he can react, leaving him bewildered. His eyes flash to his dragons at Darius's chuckle, as he stares daggers at him.

"Now that's the Eve we all know and love," I say, nudging Darius with my shoulder.

Bit of a filler chapter, but explains her progress.
If you like this chapter, show it some love with a vote :)