Pack Mentality: Wild at Heart

Chapter 10

Hospitals could be a point of superstition for wrestlers. No one, athlete or not, generally liked going to or being in a hospital, but a trip there for a wrestler often meant weeks or months out of action—sometimes a year, sometimes forever. Just as some people held their breath when they drove past graveyards, some wrestlers went quiet when they drove past a hospital. Medical facility was thrown around the same way actors said 'the Scottish play' for Macbeth.

Vida's hospital might have been nicer than most, but it still made Seth uncomfortable at his core. He stayed with Becky as long as he could, of course, as long as he was allowed to, but he still felt the need to slough off the energy of the place the way dogs shook water out of their fur. Vida and Zenna had offered to go to a cafe owned and operated by witches so he could get a break from the atmosphere, but Seth didn't want to be too far from Becky. I should have gone home with her, he kept thinking, or asked her to wait for me. They weren't the sort of couple who were joined at the hip, but now he was finding it hard to be anywhere where he couldn't see her.

The rooftop terrace was a compromise. Zenna insisted that he needed some sun, fresh air, and space. Vida hooked up a visual monitor in Becky's room and connected the feed to a tablet, setting it in the centre of the patio table so Seth could be assured that Becky was okay. "Some space will be good for you," Vida insisted. "If you worry too much, Becky will pick up on that energy."

Zenna nodded in agreement as she held unpack and distribute their take-out meal. "I'm not saying you need to be sunshine and rainbows. That doesn't appear to be your natural state. But the more positive you can be, the better it will be for Becky in the long run. It might sound silly, but 'good vibes' can have measurable effects."

"I know. I'm just trying to think of what I can do to help her." Seth sat back and rested his coffee against his thigh. The cup was uncomfortably hot and likely leaving a red ring on his leg, but he didn't care; it helped him focus on the conversation. "Vida, you said you originally wanted to work on werewolf prostheses. Is there anything you've developed that could help her?"

"Prostheses for high-level athletes are tricky," Vida admitted. "If she were an actor or a model, it wouldn't be so difficult. Even if it was her knee or her calf. But it's a 'middle piece', for want of a better term. It's harder to replace, because it has to work and interact with two major body parts, the hip and the knee. If she stays human, we can definitely fit her with a prosthetic leg, but I don't think it would be suitable for wrestling."

Zenna pointed to a small e-reader on the table. "I've gathered some case studies about humans who survived traumatic injuries by being turned into werewolves. Obviously, it's not something we would offer to any random human. Becky knows you; she knows what you are. You could help her adjust to werewolf life. Becky's been going over them and making a list of questions...."

Seth sipped at his coffee, relishing the sharp heat on his tongue. It wasn't even a fraction of the pain Becky must have felt, but it helped him put things in perspective. "I just hate that the discussion is happening because of... because of Maggie." Thinking of the attack just made him angry, and he didn't want to spiral back down into that darkness again. "On that first run I went to, Hayden asked me if I wanted to turn Becky, and I said no, that it would have to be her decision. And now... now it's not. I hate that it's on Maggie's terms and not Becky's."

Vida shot him a sympathetic smile. "Do you think it's something she would have wanted one day? Or something you would have brought up?"

"I—maybe, yeah. I don't know. I know Becky wants kids," Seth replied, "but I don't know how well that works between werewolves and humans. Obviously it can happen, because...." He gestured to himself. He wasn't sure if only one or both of Vida and Zenna's parents were werewolves and he didn't know if it was polite to ask. "And of course I've love to have her be a wolf and go on full-moon runs with me, but I know that's selfish."