Callous

8

            I didn't take my eyes off of the pup as he laid beside me, his eyes shut as he slept through the night. I tentatively brushed my finger down his cheek, watching as his cheek pulled up at the sensation. My lips twitched, fighting a smile at the child.

How could I go back to Alexi, ever? He would ruin this child, no matter how much I would try to protect him.

I nuzzled into his cheek, my wolf basking in the scent of her pup. I couldn't go back, that wasn't even an option. I was going to leave and never come back. Never look back. The mate bond meant nothing to me at this point, Alexi never treated me as a mate.

I was a nuisance in his eyes. I was leaving.

As the door opened, I peeked over my shoulder smiling as saw Loretta, the nurse who had stayed with me since the beginning.

"How are you Momma," She set down the cup of ice and water in front of me. Coming around to the other side of the bed as she grinned at the baby lying by my side.

"I'm okay." I gnawed on my lip as I watched her run a long finger over his chubby arm. "When can we leave?"

Her surprised eyes met my own before flickering over to my wounds. "Another day and you'll be all good to go. We're making sure that you are all fine and healthy."

I sat up, wincing slightly at the pressure. "Another day." I nodded while smiling tiredly, surprised as Loretta sat down by my legs.

"Bonnie, are you okay?" I furrowed my brows at the statement. Was I okay? No. Would I be okay? Eventually. As soon as I get away.

"I'll be okay, Loretta." She lipped her licks as she glanced down at the baby who I still haven't named.

"The other nurses and I can't help but notice that you're injured. And how you react when someone talks or gets too close to you. And how you came here. Did you walk all the way here? Where were you that you had been in labor for over a day before finally getting out of there." I looked away from Loretta, staring down at her baby pink scrubs as she still ran a finger over the pup's soft skin.

"I can't tell you that Loretta." My voice quivered, and immediately I knew it gave me away.

"Are you going back to him?" My eyes met her own as I softly shook my head.

She didn't push any more as she pressed a kiss to the baby and my own forehead before standing up. "Get some sleep momma, you're going to need it."

As the door shut, I let the baby wrap his hand around my finger as the tears fell from my eyes, I stayed quiet as the tears fell. Unwilling to let the peaceful baby be disrupted by my feelings.

Loretta reminded me of Bella, they automatically knew that something was wrong. They instantly knew.

Another nurse came in later, helping me breastfeed the baby that we had to wake up. She showed me everything until both the baby and me were comfortable with the process.

She left, giving both the baby and I smile before leaving us to sleep. Throughout the night, I had to wake up the baby who didn't want to wake up to feed.

In the morning, I wrenched myself from the bed. Getting dressed in a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, I was slipping on my runners when Loretta came through the door, looking refreshed.

She had a few bags of things as I furrowed my brows. "What's that?"

"I have a few things for baby boy, come up with a name yet?" My mouth dropped open as I stood beside her as she put the two bags on the bed.

"No name yet," I whispered as she began to pull out varying sizes of outfits. "Why are you doing this?"

Tears welled up in my eyes as she continued taking out essentials and clothes, folding them and putting them in a diaper bag that the hospital provides that was already packed with diapers.

"I was once in your position Bonnie. It wasn't easy. I was young, married early. He wasn't a nice guy, he didn't show it until after we were married but he beat on me." She zipped the bag before taking the one outfit and began to dress the child in it, careful not to wake him up.

"He beat me until I was black and blue. And when I got pregnant, he was happy at first. Until he got angry, and then he didn't care." She took in a breath before turning to smile at me. "I miscarried, and then I left. I ran like hell."

She picked up the sleeping boy, now dressed warmly in a jumper, hat, and socks. A pacifier in his mouth as he slept peacefully. "I think that you're in the position I once was Bonnie. I think you're running from someone. Don't ever go back to that man. This baby right here, in my arms, he needs you. And you need him." She carefully transferred him into my arms as she smiled.

"Don't give up and go back to him. Focus on you and that baby right there. A few of us nurses pitched in money. We bought you a train ticket voucher, go down to the station and pick where you're going to go. Anywhere but where you came from." She laid a hand on my shoulder as tears streamed down my bruised and battered face.

"You're worth so much more than that."

She grabbed my bags and helped me walk out of the room. I held onto my son as she ushered me away from the hospital entrance. We walked through the winding hospital until we came to the back where an employee entrance was.

"You don't look like you're from here, go down the road to Fifth street and turn on Memorial. The train station is on the right." She helped me put the bags on my back. She took the child from my arms, putting him in a car seat that was waiting by the door.

The baby scrunched his nose up as he buckled him up as I shouldered the baby bag. "I'm never going to be able to repay you, Loretta."

"I don't need you to repay me, baby," She smiled, laying a hand on my arm as she passed me the car seat handle. "I need you to set yourself free."

I started walking out the door as she stood in the threshold watching me. I hesitated, before turning slightly to look back at the woman who just gave us a huge advantage.

"His name is Soren. Soren Lorenzo Frell. I'm going to pay you back someday Loretta." She smiled, tears welling up in her eyes as I disappeared down the road following her directions.

Loretta and those other nurses in that hospital will never know how much their kindness helped Soren and I in the long run.

When I finally got to the train station, I brought the soonest train leaving for Florida under a fake name. Alexi had to be searching for me now.

As we settled on the train, I smiled at the sight of a mother and toddler daughter sitting a few seats ahead of me, talking quietly to one another.

I set my bags down at my feet, while I had been searching for the voucher, I found money that the nurses slipped into the bag. I was going to repay them back, I was not going to let their kindness go unnoticed.

I felt light as the train pulled from the station, with my child by my side. I knew I wouldn't have made it this far without their help. I was going to restart. I was going to live a life so far and under the wraps that Alexi would never find us.

He couldn't find us.

I was going to live this newfound life to the fullest.