Chained

Chapter 18 - Trust

Winter's POV

I had woken and fallen back into sleep twice before the light of the sun poured through the window of the hospital room. I found myself staring wistfully out it for hours, basking in its growing light and feeling surprisingly calm.

The boy, Nico he said his name was, was no longer seated beside me as the morning swept into the room. I wasn't sure how to feel about him. I had concluded that he was the white wolf I had fought

My head was clearer and I could remember everything that had happened over the past few weeks, giving me a small amount of comfort. Though I wasn't sure how long it was going to last. Nico seemed kind but there was no way of knowing how far that kindness would go after I healed. Even as he sat beside me I was unsure whether he was watching over me or guarding me to ensure I didn't escape.

Despite the pain relief they were keeping me on, my stomach ached dreadfully. I looked towards the tray of food and realised it wasn't because of my wound, it was because I was finally hungry.

Before I could bring myself to reach for it, the door swung open and a nurse uniformed in blue scrubs walked in. Her short legs carried her across the room as she tucked a loose piece of her blond hair behind her ear.

She paused after noticing I was awake before offering a smile as she walked towards me as I clenched my hands to stop them from shaking. I blinked and Byron's face flashing in place of the nurse's before disappearing just as quickly.

She walked up to the side of the bed and paused looking down at me. "I'm just going to give you a quick check-up, is that ok?"

Without waiting for an answer, she unravelled the stethoscope from around her neck and placed the ear tips into her ears before gently pulling down the blanket and pressing the chest piece against my ribs.

I lay frozen, my entire body tensed, unsure how to react at the sudden contact. I watched her movement carefully, waiting for her first sign of aggression. She smelt of a light perfume that was overwhelmed by the nauseating stench of sanitiser.

She glanced at me and gave me a polite smile. "Take a deep breath in for me."

For a few moments I wasn't able to react. All I could do was stare at her calmed expression. She gave me a pointed look and eventually I managed to suck air into my lungs.

She offered a slight nod. "And breathe out."

I followed her instructions and she eyed me cautiously behind her smile. Finally, she removed the stethoscope from my chest and stepped as if she too, was relieved to put distance between us.

She wrapped the stethoscope back around her neck as she checked the machine that was connection to my arm through a clear tube and unhooked a clipboard that was connected. I didn't dare take my eyes off her as she soundlessly checked the machine before scribbling notes onto the clipboard until she reached the bottom of the page.

"And how are you feeling today?" She asked her gaze flickering towards me before returning to the clipboard. "Any headaches or nausea?"

When I said nothing she paused writing at looked at me. I forced myself to shake my head despite the spike of pain it sent down my neck.

She nodded. "And if you could rate your pain on a scale from 1 to 10 what would you rate it?"

I bit the inside of the cheek unsure how to answer. My bones ached and every time I moved my wounds screamed, but I could hardly remember a time when they didn't. I just felt tired.

Was I supposed to be in pain? If I said I wasn't what would they do? If I said I was would they put me on drugs, or just make it worse?

She looked at me patiently.