Unwanted Mates

Chapter 7

Julian gracefully drifted to the ground outside the hospital with his passengers. Dr. Clark and Dr. Reese were at the emergency room entrance, waiting for them to arrive. William hopped down and took Willa from Amelia so she could slide from the dragon’s back. They hurried toward the doctors, allowing Julian to shift and catch up with them.

“How is she? What happened?” Dr. Clark asked.

“She’s asleep. Rebecca sedated her,” William said as he allowed Dr. Clark to take Willa from his arms.

“She attacked Everly. She was on River’s back, sleeping as they went to the north meadow. Willa suddenly woke up and started biting Everly’s wolf on the back, shoulder, and neck. Rebecca and Ben stayed with Evvs and sent us ahead with Willa. She gave me a note for you about what she gave Willa,” Amelia said, giving the paper to Dr. Reese.

Dr. Reese read the note as they walked into the hospital and said, “Lia, Will, why don’t the two of you wait for us out here in the waiting room? There won’t be anything you can do right now. If Willa wakes up, we will let you know.”

Amelia nodded as William said, “Thank you, Dr. Reese. Please tell us if anything happens, good or bad.”

“We will. I promise,” Dr. Clark said.

“Come on, you two,” Julian said as he came up behind Amelia and William. He pulled them both into a hug, pushing his aura over them to ease their worry. “I will be right here with you until Willa goes home or to a room if she needs to be admitted.”

“Thank you,” Amelia said as she buried her face in her cousin’s chest and cried.

“Eeeeewwww… Lia snot,” Julian grinned. “You have got to learn to ugly cry without so much snot. It’s gross.”

Amelia could not help herself. She started laughing at Julian’s comment. He had teased her about producing snot when she cried for as long as she could remember. It was the small break in the tension they all needed.

“Don’t you need to go home and help Jonah with the kids?” Will asked.

“They are all at the art center and will bring pizza when they join us later,” Julian smiled as he ushered the pair to seats in the empty waiting room. “You know…,” Julian said, dropping into a chair and looking around the room. “This place needs to add a kitchen and stuff to this waiting room. Our family is here more than we should be, and that way, Nick and Emma could stress cook for us, and it would be fresh.”

“Don’t tell my dad that idea. He might do it. The last time we were here, he mentioned putting in a big refrigerator so we could keep everything cold,” Amelia said as she wiped her damp cheeks.

William grinned, “Tyson also said something about adding a microwave so we could have hot meals and warm-up leftovers if we were here for a while.”

“As a family, we spend way too much time in this waiting room,” Amelia nodded.

“We would not be here as much if you would quit falling down mountainsides,” Julian grinned.

“Hey! I did not fall down a mountainside. I was trying to reach a dragon whelp who had tried to force himself to shift. He is the reason we were here. Not me,” Amelia objected. “Lily never even slipped that day, much less fall off a mountain.”

Their conversation paused when the door opened, and Bethany, Julian’s sister, walked in and smiled at them. She was carrying a large plastic tote that she sat on the coffee table nearest to where Julian, Amelia, and William sat.

Bethany hugged Amelia and, as she sat on the coffee table, asked, “How are you? I know Willa is receiving the best care she can, so that leaves you and Will, who needs some care. What can I do?”

“Will you check on Everly, Darla, and Isla?” Amelia asked.

“I already did when I picked up this food on Lucy’s orders. Everly and Darla are exhausted but are both alright. Darla had the few bites that her wolf healed before you got there. Possibly even before you knew anything had happened. Everly’s took a bit more. Ben put everything back into place and healed it enough to hold it in place so her dragon and wolf could finish healing her. That was done before Tyson touched down beside the house.”

“What about Isla? How is she holding up with all this?” William asked as he put his arm around Amelia’s shoulders and pulled her close.

“Well…, Isla is a different story.” Bethany paused for dramatic purposes but could not hide the hint of a smile twitching on her lips. “There is a problem with Isla. You see, Grampy Ethan came and took her to the art center to join in the fun with Jonah and the kids. Tyson had barely landed before Ethan was standing there with a big goofy grin on his face and arms out to give Darla a big hug before whisking Isla away.”

Julian chuckled and jutted his thumb toward Amelia. “That doesn’t surprise me. Grampy Ethan had to check on his girls and try to put this one’s mind at ease.”

“And it is greatly appreciated,” William said as he kissed Amelia’s temple.

“It is,” Bethany agreed. She smiled and said, “It would also be appreciated if you would eat some of the food that Lucy sent you. I do not want her mad at me because you don’t eat and end up wasting away.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice. I had my phone in my hand, ready to order my lunch from the café in the Emery Tech lobby. Then Bex called me, and Dad started yelling in my head. Bex had called him first, so they were both telling me the same thing, which gave me a headache. Don’t worry. The flight let me work out the tension and fixed it,” Julian said as he opened the box and pulled out a sandwich.

“I’m not hungry. I’m not sure that I want anything until I know Willa is alright, and I apologize to everyone,” Amelia sighed.

“That is not an option,” Julian said as he pulled a bag of cookies from the box and gave them to William. “First of all, you need to eat and keep up your strength because you have two little girls to chase and an art center to run. You also have a mate that, thankfully, does not need as much supervision as the rest of us. Second, you do not need to apologize. Willa is sick. Her body is making her crave blood, and she is too little to be able to fight it when it hits. We all understand that and know none of you would ever do anything to harm or allow harm to come to those you love.”

Bethany nodded, “Jules is right. That is why I keep having assorted family members pop into my head and ask if they can come and be with you two. It is up to you if you want that or not. If they thought they deserved an apology, they would not want to be here with you.”

“They can all join us if they like. When something happens, I always feel better when I’m surrounded by family,” Amelia sighed.

“You will also feel better if you eat a chocolate chip cookie,” William grinned as he handed her one.

“I’ll let Aunt Elise and Uncle Joe know they can pass the word around that you are open to visitors,” Bethany said with a loving smile. “Oh, and we have already talked. As a family, we have decided to donate blood if Willa needs it. It's the same as when we donated to you when you were pregnant with the girls. Don’t argue. It has already been decided.”

William chuckled, “Bethany, you sound just like your Aunt Elise.”

“I will take that as a compliment,” Bethany grinned as she got to her feet. “I will check on you later. If you need anything, let me know.”

“Thanks, Bethany,” Amelia said as she ate her cookie.

After Bethany left the waiting room, they fell into a comfortable silence. Amelia reluctantly ate each cookie William gave her. The last thing she wanted to do was eat, but she knew she had no choice.

The minutes ticked by as they waited for word about Will from Dr. Reese and Dr. Clark. One by one, family members trickled in to stay with Amelia and William. They knew there was nothing they could do other than offer their moral support.

Olivia had checked in with Amelia through their mind link to see how things were going. After a brief conversation, they decided it was best for Olivia and Tyson to stay at the house with Everly and Isla. Nick and Emma would join them soon to assist in comforting Darla, Everly, and Isla and help Lucy in the kitchen. Lucy took it upon herself to cook for anyone who wanted it that evening. That meant they would be busy, and everyone would be eating well.

“Lia? Will?” Dr. Clark questioned as she stepped into the waiting room door. “Would you like to go to my office and speak or do it here with everyone?”

Amelia looked at Will, questioning if they should stay so everyone could hear. Will gave her a loving smile and nodded. Everyone gathered around them was family, and they would be told soon anyway.

“Please say it here,” Amelia sighed.

Dr. Clark nodded and said, “We are keeping Willa sedated. She is not unconscious, but she is very groggy. We have also given her multiple vials of fresh blood to consume, which has seemed to help. However, from what we have seen today, we are not comfortable with her leaving the hospital until we can figure out why this is happening and how to ease the cravings she has. The problem is we have no idea who to call or who can help. The one person who might know what is happening is someone I know you do not want to call.”

“I will take that to mean my brother,” William sighed. He looked at Amelia, kissed her forehead, and said, “We have already discussed this. Call my brother. If he does not behave himself, I will deal with him.”