Too Many Secrets To Hide | ✔| #Wattys2017

Chapter Twenty-Five

Word Count: 3179

   I threw on Jasper's shirt and pulled my underwear on as I scrambled out of the room. He fumbled with his pants, but I was already gone. It was a nurse that had come to the door with news of Bel, although he wouldn't say what it was. I followed him down the hall while he tried to pretend he hadn't just seen the future alpha's mate naked. Jasper, of course, had done his best to shield me, but when I heard my sister's name I jumped up not caring who was around to witness.
  
   We made it to the infirmary where Bel was in record time, and I wasn't sure how far behind Jasper was. I didn't care right now though as I burst into the room. "Her wolf should be able live, but the human half of her is dying," the doctor explained. Maddox sat next to the bed, holding Bel's hand in his and not paying attention to the doctor. He had likely already heard what he was telling me now.
  
   "So when she wakes up, she'll be a full werewolf, no human blood?" I asked. "If she wakes up," the doctor corrected, Jasper walking in just in time to hear him say it. "But I thought you said she was going to be fine?" he questioned in his alpha voice. "I don't know what happened, she just took a turn for the worse," the doctor spluttered. "She was doing great and then..." his words trailed off into a place of pain that we all felt.
  
   "So how are you going to save her?" I asked angrily, insinuating that it was impossible for Bel to die. "There's only two things I can think of," he began. "One would be to inject her with something that would kill her human but not her wolf, and do the job quick enough that he wolf might be able to pull through. It's extremely unlikely that she would live through that. The risk of death for the other procedure isn't any lower, just not for her," he went on cryptically. I raised one eyebrow, demanding further information.
  
   "I didn't get a chance to tell you before you ran off, but when I took blood from Jasper to give to you, it left you as quite a higher percentage of werewolf than human. Before, you were equal parts of both, now, it's more like three quarters to one." I nodded, although I had no idea how that applied to Bel. "If Bel were the same way, if she had just a little more wolf in her, I'm certain it would be able to save her, and possibly her human too. Giving her just werewolf blood from her mate would be out of the question though. Because it's just her human fighting for life, I'm almost positive her body would reject it." I think I saw where this was going.
  
   "If she could take blood from someone who was part human as well, her body would most likely accept it- especially given you are biological sisters- and both her human and her wolf would make it out alive."
  
   I nodded. I was ready to give up some blood, I was just waiting for the 'but'. "But," here it comes. "It would be incredibly risky for you." I shrugged. "I don't care," I sneered, not liking how everyone else seemed to think my well being was just as important as my sister's. "The amount of blood I would have to take from you could be enough to kill you," the doctor persisted. "Nothing I've never dealt with before," I muttered. "Besides, Jasper could replenish my blood levels as I donate to Bel, it isn't like he's never done that before," I pointed out, thinking I had just solved the problem. "Out of the question," the doctor stated sternly. "Not until the procedure is finished. You're blood has already been tainted by his enough, much more and the procedure would be completely ineffective for your sister." I nodded in understanding. "Then I guess it's gonna be a gamble for my life," I concluded with a bitter chuckle that dared anyone to argue. Jasper took the dare. "Cadence, maybe you should think about this," he tried to reason. I stared at him blankly for a moment. "There, I thought about it. I'm doing it," I stated without question.
  
   The doctor looked skeptical. "You wouldn't tell me no, would you?" I asked, because I knew he wouldn't. He sighed and directed me towards a chair next to the bed. I sat down as he found the supplies he needed to complete the procedure. It was a tube like the one Jasper and I had used before. There was also another one that would drain her blood to make room for mine. Apparently, it was exactly the same thing the doctor had done with me after I got sprayed with the wolfsbane.
  
   Jasper stood nervously by the door, while Maddox looked hopeful, grateful even. I could see the raw emotion shining in his excited green eyes that had previously been void of any feelings whatsoever. It wasn't Maddox I was doing this for, but seeing that out of him wasn't a disappointment. I hoped to see that same look on my little sister when she woke up- if I was alive to greet her.
  
   In a matter of minutes, my blood was streaming into Bel to replace her's. I was a bit surprised it had all happened so quickly. I assumed there would have been some kind of prep work or something, but apparently not. It was just a matter of getting the IV's in and starting the transplant. It didn't even seem like a big deal, like this was something the doctor did a lot. I didn't think human blood could be mixed around like this, so it was probably a werewolf thing.
  
   He began explaining further to me the whole process like it was rehearsed protocol. "You can safely loose one pint of blood without requiring any medical attention. If you lose two pints, it could make you go into hypovolemic shock. Because of your werewolf genes however, you should be able to deal with less than that. I can't be sure though, since I've never let you lose more than that." I nodded, wondering if that two pints, just a quarter of a gallon, would be enough. "I'll keep taking blood until you reach the point of shock or when her health improves." I nodded again, not wanting to say anything, but rather relax for a little while.
  
   Jasper and Maddox both stayed in the room. The doctor was there too, constantly monitoring Bel and I. He never said anything about any improvements. He would occasionally update me on my blood levels, particularly so when I had already given her a pint. I felt fine, which I told the doctor when he kept asking.
  
   Jasper probably asked more questions than anyone did though. He had moved to sit directly next to me. His arm was draped over the back of my chair as a comfortable pillow for me. I laid my head on it while I repeated 'yes, I feel great, Jasper' over and over. I tried to refrain from saying 'I'm fine' because I knew how Jasper felt about women saying that.
  
   "Good news," the doctor said after a little while. I was feeling just a bit woozy now and he had just told me two pints of my blood was gone. "It looks like her human is doing a little better." I beamed when he said it. "Then we can get her off the IV's now, right?" Jasper asked skeptically from beside me. I rolled my eyes. "Well, better, but not good enough," the doctor clarified. "I would like to keep her on the IV's for just as long as I can, the more of her blood we get to Bel, the greater the chance of her survival." Jasper sighed exasperatedly and leaned back in his chair.
  
   The doctor stopped updating us on my blood levels, most likely to keep Jasper from losing his mind. He only asked how I felt on occasion. I never told him about the headache or the nausea I was struggling to keep at bay. It was even harder to cover up how tired I was, wanting just to lay my head down and sleep. I wondered if Jasper felt the same way I did. Either he didn't or he, like me, understood I wasn't experiencing anything serious enough to cut the operation short.
  
   I tried to control my breathing as each breath grew more shallow and faint. I was almost too dizzy too care, but as confused as I felt, I still remembered what I was doing, for now. My heart pounded, like it was trying to pump blood that wasn't there. The doctor asked how I felt, and for a second I didn't know what he meant. "Good," I finally said. "Good," he replied. "I think she'll need just a tiny bit more to ensure a recovery. Maybe five more minutes."
  
   Ok, five minutes. I could wait five minutes. I could hold on that long. It didn't seem like Jasper could though. "Her lips are turning blue!" I heard him say. Who's lips were turning blue? The doctor turned back to me and his eyes widened. Were my lips turning blue?
  
   My head fell back against my will. I felt like I was about to pass out. "I'm fine," I muttered with my eyes closed. I knew I wasn't being very convincing but I wasn't sure what I was trying to prove anyway. "No you're not," Jasper argued and I heard him stand up. "Stop it! Now!" he yelled to the doctor. I didn't know what 'it' was until I felt the IV being pulled out. I wanted to protest, but I was already gone.
***
   There was a muffled cry coming from somewhere in the room. "She saved my life and now she's gonna die!" I knew instantly it was Bel who spoke. My eyes popped open to see her sitting upright in a chair next to Maddox near the bed I was laying in. "She's not gonna die," I heard Jasper grumble from my left. He sat with his head in his hands not looking at me, so he didn't know I had woken up until he heard Bel gasp and jerked his head towards me.
  
   I sent a toothy grin up to him. "You scared the hell out of me!" he yelled unhappily. I giggled before closing my mouth into a wide smile. He pursed his lips while he looked me over. I took this time he wasn't speaking to direct my attention towards Bel. She bounced in her seat, mostly not even sitting anymore. "I thought you wouldn't make it!" she squealed. I looked at her with feigned annoyance. "Pfft. Me, die? Not in your lifetime," I said sounding serious. Bel giggled and covered me with a hug as best she could given my currently laying on my back position. I tried to hoist myself up to hug her back, but Jasper made me lay back down and Bel to get off of me.
  
   "I'm fine," I grumbled. "Yeah, and that's the last thing you said before you passed out too," Jasper countered. "When a woman says she's fine, she never is," he told me as if it were something he had never said to me before. I rolled my eyes. "I feel great," I rephrased. "If I'm awake that must mean I've got enough blood now," I went on, motioning to the IV connecting him and I. I was really getting tired of those things. It wasn't until now that I noticed the doctor standing in the room. "Yes, I think that's a valid argument, Cadence," he smiled as he made his way towards the bed. "Like last time, you're still missing almost a quart of blood, but I think you'll be alright for now. Particularly because he isn't in any better condition." I noticed the fatigue flooding Jaspers eyes as the doctor unhooked the IV. "But I do want to keep you in bed for a day or two just in case," he finished. I nodded happily. Even if I was still bed ridden, I was at least alive, as was Bel, and hallelujah- no more stupid IV's.
  
   "Now you, back to your room," the doctor presently directed at Bel. She offered me a weak smile before making her way to her feet. Maddox helped her as he grabbed a pair of crutches leaning against the bed I hadn't noticed before. Him and the doctor helped Bel out of the room after Maddox turned to mouth a bleary eyed 'thank you' at me. I returned this with a friendly smile.
  
   I was now alone with Jasper. He cut me a sideways glance that only meant one thing. He turned almost slowly to place a hand on either side of me as he loomed over me. I put my hands on his chest and gave a silly smile because I knew what was coming. He covered my lips with his mouth, smiling against the kiss. "You're so beautiful," he praised as his hands began to roam. "All mine," he breathed. His tongue met mine in a battle for dominance I didn't even fight. He seemed pleased by that, kissing more passionately now. "So brave..." but I don't think he was listening to himself anymore. He was slowly lowering himself down to me so that now he was almost laying on me.
  
   My hands were finding his neck and shoulders, exploring over his jaw and finally twisting into his amber brown hair. It was starting to grow out a little since he hadn't had it cut in a while. I liked it like that, how it reached his ears and gave me plenty to play with. I think he liked my hair too. He kept running his fingers through it, getting them tangled in the mess before pulling them out and doing it again. At some point between breathing he moved completely into the bed. He was trying to find a place between laying on his stomach and being on his hands and knees. I don't know if he knew or not, but the way he was moving back and forth was driving me crazy. One time he came back down and I rolled my hips against his absentmindedly. He moaned a sigh, gripping my waist for a second. I think he just likes the feel of having something in his hands. That was alright, I could provide. He knew that already though, grabbing at my butt before leaving it for my thighs. I moaned this time, making him grin and squeeze harder.
  
   Unfortunately, we were interrupted, yet again. It seemed like we'd never get to finish what we started. This time though, we were interrupted in a different way than before. Jasper jumped off the bed while I sat up. He looked back and forth between me and the door, sniffing something. I took a deep breath through my nose, but I didn't smell anything. He also seemed as if he was deciding something. He must have been contemplating whether or not to take me with him when he left the room, but ultimately decided to take me.
  
   He grabbed my hand and led me out the door. He poked his head out, examining the halls before pulling me out too. "What is it?" I asked curiously. Then, before he could answer, I caught a whiff of something in the air. "That smells like...wolf," I said confused.
  
   How could I possibly be able to smell that... Unless they were extremely close? I voiced this concern to Jasper. "You've got a lot more wolf in you now, remember?" he said to me as he continued perusing the halls. "Oh yeah," I recalled. "Wow, so now my human senses are all heightened and stuff?" I asked stupidly as I forgot about the current situation. Jasper nodded. "Mhm," he responded deftly while pulling me towards a set of steps.
  
   "Who do you think it is?" I queried, remembering the issue at hand. "Someone from Malachi's pack," He replied. He then took me into another hospital room after giving it a good sniff. When the door was opened, I saw Malachi laying chained to a bed and looking less than half-alive. What had happened to him?
  
   "Your pack is here," Jasper said coldly from the foot of the bed, holding my hand so that I was pushed protectively behind him. "Good," Malachi retorted just above a whisper. "They can't threaten my pack, Malachi. They'll get themselves killed," Jasper informed him. Malachi tried to sit up. It was a partly vain attempt. "What did you do to her?" he asked for a change of subject as he eyed what was visible of me from around Jasper. "Just gave her a little blood," Jasper replied monotonously and although I couldn't tell, it looked like he was smirking. "Werewolf blood," Malachi concluded. "No wonder my pack is here."
  
   I looked back and forth between the two. There was something they weren't telling me. "What aren't you telling me?" I asked suspiciously. Jasper turned to me as if debating whether to answer or not. Malachi on the other hand, held no opposition whatsoever to filling me in. "If your human dies, so will I," he blurted out before Jasper could shush him. I reeled back just slightly. I looked again between a dry looking Malachi and a content Jasper. I realized something in that moment. Jasper had not been so adamantly against the procedure to save Bel because he knew the damage it would do Malachi too 
  
   I couldn't argue with that, I was growing to rather despise Malachi. It seemed like the more wolf I had in me, the more just the sight of him began to disgust me. The wolf inside me couldn't stop growling about how someone who wasn't my mate had actually marked me. It made me want to tear him to shreds, but I had to maintain my composure as there were far more important matters at hand. With that, I turned to walk back out the door, but unfortunately, I never made it across the threshold.