Awakening

Chapter 8

An hour and a half later she was seated on an examination bed, already x-rayed, waiting for a doctor to inspect her leg.

"Oh, would you stop pouting? It's a hospital, not a prison. Stop being such a baby." Emily chastised her.

Rose simply crossed her arms and turned her head away.

"Fine." Emily managed to squeeze through pursed lips. "Give me the silent treatment. Act like a child. I'm going to get something to eat in the cafeteria. Call me when you've decided to act your age." And with that she stalked out of the room.

Rose knew she was being childish. You would think a 197 year old would act more grown up, but she felt betrayed and her lycan side would not have her forgive that so easily.

The air was thick with the smell of cleaning agents. In the distance monitors were beeping, slowly keeping track of patients' heartbeats. She could hear the scurrying of feet, always on the move. Then she heard footsteps approaching down the hall. She could hear the metal of a stethoscope clinking together. So the doctor was here at last. She listened to the footsteps again. They walked swiftly and with purpose, confidently. Too heavy for a woman, so a male doctor. Rose's brows furrowed in confusion as she smelled the air. The smell of the forest now clung to it. She could smell the damp ground and the pine needles, a hint of wild. Instinctively she knew that no company could manufacture that smell, it was too real. This man had been spending a lot of time in the forest. As the footsteps drew nearer she noticed his body heat, too warm for a human. Then she knew. He was a lycan.

She hadn't met another lycan in over fifty years. She learned soon after she awakened in 1946 that most lycans had been killed in the late 1800's. The species was on the brink of extinction. They couldn't breed as fast as they were killed and ninety percent of the time the bite killed the host. It was a rare occurrence for someone to survive the bite. The lycans that were left, kept to themselves and blended in as much as possible, later becoming just another myth. Those who were left were very territorial. Two lycans within the same town attracted too much attention. She learned this the hard way the last time she ran into another of her kind. It led to a fight. Kill or be killed, no mercy. Which was a shame for the other guy.

Silently she got up from the bed, readying herself to fight. The last one didn't ask questions and she doubted this one would either. The wing was almost empty, the other two patients sleeping soundly. There was nothing to stop a fight. She put some weight on her left leg and winced when a sharp pain shot through it. It was technically broken, in place, but broken. Although it was healing fast, it would be useless to her now, she would have to do without it. She waited silently for the man to enter the room, her heart beating wildly in anticipation. He, no doubt, would have figured her out by now too.

He stepped into the room and within seconds he shifted partly to his hybrid form, bearing his teeth, claws at the ready. She followed suit, letting out a snarl in the process. She could sense him readying to attack and she did the same. She tensed the muscles in her right leg, ready to shoot herself forward. She would have to endure the pain in the left as best she could. Suddenly she heard footsteps approaching. Light and airy, almost like the person was dancing... Emily. His head whipped to the side. He heard it too. They gave each other a final look, quietly coming to a temporary truce, and both shifted back to their human form. Staying undiscovered was a bigger priority than a pissing contest. She quickly lifted herself onto the bed and straightened herself out. Her leg was pounding furiously.

Emily walked in, heading straight to the chair in the corner, where her purse lay forgotten. She talked to, but didn't look at Rose as she walked, her voice laced with sarcasm "Don't mind me, just getting my purse. If that's alright with you M 'Lady? Wouldn't want to offend you and..." She turned her head towards Rose mid-sentence and spotted the man in the corner. She blinked in surprise. "Oh, hi."