Learning to Live, Again

Chapter Nineteen

Caleb POV

I sat in the waiting room, my head in my hands as I waited. People walked past me, but none of them stopped. My heart was racing in my chest. Niamh was awake; she was alive.

My throat was dry, and I had serious cotton mouth. Beth was in there with the boys now. They were catching up, and I knew it was wrong of me, but I wanted to be in there too. I wanted to sit beside her bed, hold her hand, and promise to never let anything else every happen to her again. I wanted to protect her, and I couldn't do it out here in the waiting room.

The only reason I had been allowed into her hospital room in the first place was because I'd lied and said I was her husband. They'd figured out the truth only hours before she woke up, and now I wasn't allowed in there until she said was okay.

I had a sinking feeling that they weren't even going to ask her. They were probably going to leave me out here to sit and rot until she got better. My head rested in my hands, and my stomach twisted in guilt. I should have never stormed out. If I hadn't, I could have been there when she woke up. I could have taken her hand in mine and kissed her fingers and each fingertip. I could have whispered in her ear about how everything would be okay.

Of course, there was no way for me to prove that everything would be okay, but at least I could give her some hope. God knows we all need it. 

Standing up, I paced the hallway, walking back and forth in front of the other people in the waiting room. I could see them watching me from the corner of my eyes, and I could only imagine how crazy I looked, but I wasn't really concerned with looks at the moment. I wanted to see Niamh. I wanted to talk to her, to see for myself that she was alright.

I'm not saying that the doctors would lie to me, but then again, they have been known to be wrong. I wanted to speak with her. I wanted to hug her and never let go. I wanted-

I stopped pacing. One of the doctors, Natasha I think her name was, walked up to greet me. She was holding two cups of coffees, and I was thinking how strange it was for her to want to drink so much when she handed me a cup. I took it from her gratefully and held it between my hands, trying to warm up my fingers.

We stood there quietly, and when the silence dragged on too long, and I cleared my throat. "You're the doctor that was helping Dean, right?"

Natasha smiled, and it instantly softened her face. "Right. I convinced Niamh to foster him. I never expected her to adopt him, but-" she paused, looking up at me "-I'm glad she did. I was right about her. She's a wonderful mother. And she was responsible. She made sure that her children were cared for by someone she trusted."

I shrugged. "I had expected her to leave them with her mother, or even Corbin, but-"

Natasha shook her head. "She made the right decision. Grandma's are great, but there's an even higher chance of something happening to her than there is of something happening to you. And Corbin? He's an attempted baby stealer, for one, and for another, he's married, with his own two children; throwing two more on top of two baby-babies would be insane."

I nodded. "Yea, I guess, but I have no experience with children except for my niece. And I only see her a couple times a week when I visit her and her mother."

Laughing, Natasha shook her head. "You're a natural though. I see the way those boys look at you. They adore you, and you them. They may not be your biological children, but they might as well be. Besides, Niamh obviously saw something in you that she trusted; something she liked. If Niamh trusts you, then I do, too; even though you lied to me."

I blushed, laughing a little and rubbing the back of my head. "Yea, sorry about that. I-"

She held up her hand, shaking her head. "You don't have to explain yourself. I understand." 

At about that time Mr. Jehovie, Niamh's main doctor, walked up to us.

"How is she," I asked. "Can I see her?"

"She's doing great. Her vitals are all great, and she's healing amazingly well."

"So," I repeated, "can I see her?"

He shook his head. "No. She's asked that you be sent home. She doesn't want to see you."

-----~-----

Hello Readers,

I'm very sorry for being so late on updating. I've had serious writers block so I took a small break to work on another book I'm writing. It's a romance book, like this one, but it's also a werewolf/werecoyote book. I am in love with coyotes and wolves (I love one just 1/100000000th more than the other) and I am really looking forward to this book. I'm thinking of uploading it today or possibly tomorrow and updating it every Thursday.

It's called Abused Virtue. The name may change, but for now that's what it's called. It's for mature readers, if you haven't already guessed, so I expect only the people mature enough to handle it to be reading it. Of course, if you're under 16-18 years of age, I can't stop you from reading it, but please consider whether or not your parents would like you reading it. Thank you.

Here's the synopsis:

" "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good men to do nothing."

                                                                                 - Edmund Burke

 -----~----- 

 "You will never be the perfect mate," I growled, my voice low and angry. 

 His deep chuckle sent shivers down my spine and turned my blood cold. He leaned in closer to me, his arm resting on the wall I was pressed up against. Our lips were inches apart, and his breath played sensually across my face. "I've got all the time in the world, mi compañero roto."

-----~----- 

 After being kidnapped at age six, Virtue is finally free of her captors. She is weak from her wounds and near death from starvation, but she is free. The only thing she can hope to do is run, and never get caught again. 

 But what happens when she finds herself in one of the biggest werewolf pack territories in Northern America and in the arms of the pack's strong and terrifying leader? He claims to be her mate, but his controlling and terrifying persona has her too frightened to trust him. He promises she's safe, but when one of her captors is able to break into the Alpha's home, Virtue's slow earned trust disappears. 

Can her big, bad alpha protect her, or will her captors' attempts to lock her up again come to fruition? 

Copyright©2015 Jax Nicoles 

 All Rights Reserved 

 ~* This Story is for Mature Readers due to the mature content within; read at your own risk.*~"

I hope you all will check it out, but if you don't I completely understand. Thank you for all the votes and comments; you guys are the fuel for my writing engine. ;) :)

Thank you all so very much,

Jax Nicoles

P.S. So I've decided to upload the first chapter of Abused Virtue tomorrow since tomorrow is Thursday for me, and that's when I plan on  updating AV each week. So, look for it first thing tomorrow! Thank you all again~