Adored by the Alpha

Chapter 67

Hey guys. I have work in the morning, I'm tired. Sorry if this chapter sucks. 

***

Breathing hurts. A lot.

That was the first thing I became aware of; the constant pain that followed each breath. my tongue flicked out to wetten my lips.

Slowly, I forced my eyes open, blinking at the bright light. Someone said my name, but it sounded very, very far away. The brightness of the light reduced, the source of it turned away, and the vague contours of a face appeared before my eyes. I narrowed my eyes at the square jaw, my throat sore and raw as I whispered Allen's name.

"Allen is okay, don't worry sweetie. I'm here," a hand ran along my hair, and a kiss was placed on my forehead. The smell of the deodorant my father always used filled my nostrils. I blinked to clear my eyes, and soon, my father's face became clear before my eyes.

"Dad...?"

He inhaled a shaky breath, before I felt warm arms close around me tightly. "Thank goodness you're alright. Don't worry, sweetie, you'll be okay. Allen saved you, you'll be just fine." he said, stroking my hair. Something touched my arm. My mother.

"Oh my baby, how are you feeling?"

"Breathing..." I whimpered to make the point.

My mom nuzzled my cheek. "I know, baby. The dirty water in the lake got into your lungs, and the doctors strongly suspect that you have a lung infection. They're waiting on the results from your bloodwork. But either way, you should be okay - even with an infection, you'll be alright in time for christmas. That's what the doctors said." She kissed my temple.

"Allen?" I asked, weakly turning my head.

My mom looked into my eyes, gently brushing the hair away from my face. "Allen is alright, he just has hypothermia. He's in another hospital room, but they're trying to rearrange, so they can find a room where there's enough space for more than one hospital bed."

"We can just share," I said, just wanting Allen with me. Needing him. Needing to assure that he was safe, that he could keep me safe.

My parents went quiet for a minute, before a laugh left my dad. "I think the doctors would disagree with that, sweetie. You'll see him soon enough, I promise."

I nodded and rested my head back, tried to breathe. The door to the tiny hospital room swung open, an aging woman in a doctor's scrub walking in with a clipboard with a bunch of papers. Her eyes flicked towards me. "Oh, you're awake. That's good, all things considered. I'm afraid to inform you that there is an infection taking hold in your lungs, and a bad one, from the look of your infection numbers. So we will be keeping you here for a few days, just as a security measure. We'll get you on some antibiotics, fluid and plain ol' rest. But before any of that, how are you feeling?"

My mom answered on my behalf. "She's complaining of pain when she breathes."

The doctor nodded. "That is to be expected. We can up your pain meds a smidge, but otherwise, the pain is just a part of the deal."

I nodded slowly, but then a thought occurred to me, and I looked at her. "Austin?"

The doctor licked her lip. "Your brother in law is currently in a medically induced vegetative state. I'm afraid that I can't give you any more information, as you are not family by blood or marriage."

"But she is their family. And she's not going to be able to rest if she's worried about her brother in law!" my father argued.

She gave a weak shrug, her lips pressed together. "Apologies. Hospital policy. I can, however, with your consent inform your in-laws that you're awake, and then they can tell you the specifics. Would you like that?"