A Handful of Daffodils (Forgotten Series, #7)

Chapter Thirty-Five

A week later

"Good job!" Lilith clapped her hands as I made back to the cot I had been stuck in for the past three weeks. My legs shook and I felt shaky but after the sixth time making the trip from the cot to the counter and then back, I was feeling a bit exhausted. But I was proud of myself. I was allowed to move around more and I appreciated it. I hated laying around and getting nothing done.

I touched the bandages that were wrapped around my chest and sat down with a heaving sigh. I was exhausted but a good sort of exhausted, the exhausted that let me know I had been working hard. "When do you think Doc Howard will want me to take the stitches out?" I patted the bandage as I turned my head to look at Lilith and she slowly sat down in the chair next to my cot with a giggle. I had gotten them stitched closed once Doc Howard had given them a very good look and decided the chance of infection was pretty much zero. He had been happy to discover that and let me know the scarring would be bad but not as bad as he first thought.

"Big baby." She rubbed her big belly affectionately and I watched as she tilted her head, looking out into nothing. "No, I'm not doing that." She gave a small scowl and I ignored it. I had learned that Lilith was... She was different. It was one thing for her to say she heard spirits and another entirely to watch her do it. Plus she sometimes forgot conversations or what she was doing.

She had forgotten she had been helping me wash my hair last week. She had left for nearly half an hour before Micheal brought her back and she saw my hair and went back to doing it without a word. She was a great hairdresser. That was what Micheal told me she was trained as. I had never had my hair done by a professional before and she liked doing different things and trying out different products on my hair. I let her because they all worked and it helped me feel less sad. I missed everyone but having someone else hang out with me to play with my hair made me feel less alone.

"I wanna to a do a braided halo on you." Lilith said it suddenly and I touched my french braid. We had done that two days ago and I gave her a small smile.

"If you want too." At my words she gave a small shrug before extending her legs out and kicking them slightly.

"Are you hungry? I'm hungry." She wiggled her way out of the chair, doing her best to not get unbalanced by her big belly. "Can you walk to the kitchen?" She held out her hand and I looked down at my legs. I had gone to the kitchen before but I also hadn't done that after doing six back and forths either.

"I can." I nodded decisively as I took her hand and stood up on shaky legs. I gave it a second before I started my familiar, shuffling walk. Lilith held my hand, humming slightly as she practically waddled beside me. Everyone in Fortis was so nice to me, they were so genuine and kind. I really didn't understand it. They knew I was a half-breed but it didn't change how they looked at me, if anything they were more gentle and kind.

Like Micheal, he was a big male but when he came to hang out with me and Lilith, he always treated me with a soft and gentle caring that seemed at odds with how he looked. And then there was a wolf that was usually inside everyone called Ezekiel and he was big and terrifying but he sometimes walked beside me when I was trying to walk around, letting me grab the fur on his back when I felt particularly unsteady. Even the Alphas, their dominance was heavy and pushed at me, making me want to hunker down but they were really nice to me.

That wasn't even to mention their daughter, Heidi. She was a very energetic toddler and she liked coming to visit with me. Although she had to be reminded that I couldn't play like she wanted and to not climb on me because of the wounds. Then there was a red haired female with a black haired male and there was a therapist called May. She was a very nice female. Although she had a tendency to ask me questions and ask me about how I was feeling. Then there was an old shifter, she told me to call her Gamgam. She cooked meals and while she was a bit sharp, she was very nice as well.