Chapter Fifteen
As soon as he stormed through the doors of the hospital, someone handed him an extra set of clothes, which he took gratefully. He went to the bathroom, cleaned up as best he could, and put on the clothes. When he exited, James Lawton, the director of the hospital, was waiting for him.
“Where is she?” he asked.
"Right this way, Mr. Lennox," James fawned as he led him to the waiting room right outside the OR. "I'm personally taking care of everything. She's still on the table, and we have all our best staff working to make sure she's okay."
"Will she make it?"
James swallowed a gulp. “I’m afraid only the surgeon can answer that question. Can I get you a coffee? Tea? Anything at all.”
“No.”
He sat down on the uncomfortable bench and clasped his hands together, his eyes staring at the white wall.
“Mr. Lennox …”
“Go,” he said in a cold voice. “I’d like to be alone. I only want to see the surgeon when they’re done.”
“Of course, Mr. Lennox,” James said. “Please don’t hesitate to call me for anything at all.”
Matthew sat there, unmoving, for a long time. When he closed his eyes, all he could see was Catherine’s limp body on the ground, blood pouring out of her side. So, he kept his eyes open.
“Matthew!”
He whipped his head around. Jason and Sybil were running down the hallway, Ben not far behind.
"Oh, Matthew!" Sybil cried as she sat down beside him. She wrapped an arm around him and drew him into a hug.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
"I saw your dragon flying overhead," Ben said. "Then I called Jason to check if it was him or you. He called Meg, and she told us that Catherine had been arrested. Then we heard there was a commotion and came straight to town."
“What happened?” Jason asked, his expression serious.
Matthew took a deep breath and began to explain, at least the parts he understood.
"Lions? What the fuck is a pride of lions doing here in Blackstone? They weren't from Thunder Valley?" Jason said, mentioning the name of the nearest pride.
“No,” Matthew said. “Said they were from The Chesnovak Brotherhood Pride. Looked like city people.”
“What did they want with Catherine?” Ben asked, scratching his head. “Did it have anything to do with her arrest?”
“All he said was something about money.”
"Shit. Maybe you shouldn't have torched all of them," Jason said. "We could get more answers."
"I don't give a shit about answers," Matthew growled. "All I want is for Catherine to be okay."
“She will be,” Sybil reassured him. “You did the right thing, getting her back here as soon as you could.”
Nate and Kate came soon after, and, much to his surprise, so did Luke. His brother had a grave look on his face, even more so than usual, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he sat beside Matthew and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He looked up at Luke and gave him a grateful nod.
The hours ticked by. No word from the OR. Sybil and Ben were trying to talk to the nurses, but they couldn't say anything more than what they already knew. She was still in the OR. No, they didn't have any updates.
Sheriff Meacham also dropped by. He looked busted up, but the cuts on his face were already healing. "I'm sorry, Matthew," he said as he sat down on the opposite bench. "I should have believed her." He told them of what he had heard of the conversation between Catherine and the leader of the group of lions. It didn't tell them anything he didn't already know, except to confirm Catherine was innocent of everything. "I've already contacted the LAPD. Their D.A. will be dropping all charges, and there will be no extradition."
That at least brought some relief to Matthew, but he knew that pain in his chest wouldn’t go away until she was in the clear.
Finally, the OR doors opened. A doctor in surgical scrubs stepped out.
“Mr. Lennox? They told me you were the one who brought in Ms. Archer. I’m Dr. Parry.”
“Is she going to be okay?”
Dr. Parry’s face never faltered. “I’m afraid it’s still too early to tell. Good news is the bullet went through. However, it did graze her liver, though only the outer capsule. Still, she lost a lot of blood. You brought her in just in time.”
“Can we see her?” Sybil asked.
“I’m afraid not.”
Matthew stepped forward. “I need to see her.”
“There’s nothing to see, Mr. Lennox,” Dr. Parry said in a serious voice. “She just got out of surgery and can’t be disturbed. Medical personnel only.”
Mathew opened his mouth to protest, but Jason put a hand on his shoulder. “Maybe we should just let her rest. She’ll be better in the morning.”
Matthew wanted to believe that. "Thank you, doctor."
The doctor excused himself, telling them he was going to check on Catherine again once she was settled in the ICU.
"You should probably get some sleep. You've had a long day," Jason said. "You can stay with me, I'm closer."
“No,” Matthew said. “I’m staying here.”
“You’re a mess—”
“You need to rest—”
“You can’t do anything—”
“STOP.”
Five pairs of eyes turned to Luke. He stood up, his arms crossed over his massive chest. “He should stay if he wants to,” Luke gruffed. “I’ll be here.”
"You don't have to stay," Matthew said.
“You know I don’t sleep anyway,” Luke retorted. “If you don’t want these guys to force you to go home, then you’ll let me stay with you.”
“Fine,” Matthew relented.
Luke nodded. “Good. You all should go home.” He turned to Jason. “Matthew won’t be going to work tomorrow. You know what will happen if the CEO of Lennox doesn’t show up at the office.”
“Panic,” Jason said. “‘Matthew Lennox will be there, bright and early.”
“Sybbie,” Luke said. “Try to see if you can contact Hank and Riva. They should know what’s happening.”
“Already on it.”
Luke nodded to Nate and Ben. “The mines. You guys are in charge. Keep things going and everyone calm.”
"Of course," Ben agreed, and Nate nodded.
“I’ll come back in the morning with some fresh clothes for you,” Kate volunteered. She wrinkled her nose at Matthew. “And deodorant. Don’t want Catherine smelling you after what you’ve been through today.”
Matthew smiled. “Thank you, Kate.”
They all said their goodbyes, and, soon, Luke and Matthew were alone.
“Thank you, Luke,” Matt said, as they sat down.
Luke took the bench opposite him. “It’s gonna be a long night. If you want to close your eyes, go ahead. I’ll wake you up if anything happens.”
***
Matthew didn’t think he was that tired, but as soon as his head hit the pillow one of the nurses had brought him, he fell into a deep sleep. He had never shifted between his human and dragon form so many times in one day, and it had taken its toll on his body. A couple of times, he heard the footsteps of passing nurses, but someone, Luke most likely, put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and he went back to sleep.
The smell of fresh coffee perked up his senses. He opened his eyes and quickly closed them again as the fluorescent light overhead nearly blinded him. Sitting up on the bench, he rubbed a palm down his face.
“You look like shit,” Kate said as she plopped down next to him. Sybil sat on the other side and gave him a reassuring hug. “Here.” She dumped a bag on his lap. It was warm and smelled like fried dough.
Surprisingly, he didn't feel like shit after a full night's sleep. His mind was clear. But he was definitely hungry. He reached into the bag, grabbed a donut, and ate it, and then another and another, until he finished the entire bag. Kate handed him another bag, though this one had fresh clothes and, as she had promised, deodorant. A nurse led him into an empty room, where he used the bathroom to take a quick shower and change.
When he got back from the bathroom after washing up, Kate, Luke, and Sybil were already on their feet, and Dr. Parry was there.
“Mr. Lennox,” Dr. Parry said. “The nurses told me you stayed all night. There was no need for that.”
“How is she?” he asked, urgency in his voice.
“She’s stable. That’s about all I can tell you.”
“Isn’t there anything else you can do?” he asked, his hands fisted at his sides.
“At this stage, it’s a little too early to be discussing further treatments. She’s not out of the woods quite yet, but we can talk about—”
“Excuse me, doctor,” a voice from behind them said. “I don’t think you should be discussing a patient’s treatment with non-family members.”
Matthew froze. The voice was familiar and, at the same time, not. The accent was posh and refined, the tone biting. He swung around, and his heart stopped.
Standing in front of them was a cool, blond beauty, dressed in a white wool coat, stiletto heels, and hair done in a sophisticated updo. As he focused on her face, blue eyes stared right back, piercing straight through him.
His eyes and brain were battling with his dragon. Not our mate. Matthew didn’t know how long they all stared at her with stunned looks on their faces.
“C-C-Catherine?” Sybil managed to choke out.
She shook her head. “No, I’m Christina. Catherine is my twin sister.” She turned to Dr. Parry. “I’m here to take her home.”
“Home?” Matthew said, trying to control his anger.
Christina ignored him. “I’m her next of kin, so I’ll be in charge of her care. Is there anywhere we can speak in private, doctor? Away from these strangers.”
“I … uh …” Dr. Perry looked at Matthew with hesitation in his eyes.
"I could show you my passport," she added. "But that would only confirm what's obvious."
Dr. Parry shook his head. “I’m sure it’s fine. We can, uh, go to one of the meeting rooms.”
“Wait, you can’t just leave us out of this!” Matthew growled. His dragon was furious and wanted to turn its anger on this … impostor.
“Matthew saved her,” Sybil pointed out.
Christina whipped around and pinned Matthew with her gaze. “I know who you are and that your name is all over this hospital,” she sneered. “But, legally, you have no connection to her. So please just leave, and I’ll take care of my sister. You’ve done enough.”
Dr. Parry gave him an apologetic look. “Right this way, Ms. Archer.”
"It's Stavros," she corrected and allowed Dr. Parry to lead her away.
“Holy shit,” Kate said. “Catherine has a twin?”
“Apparently,” Sybil said. “Did you know, Matthew? Of course not. So, who the heck is she, really?”
Matthew’s jaw hardened. “I don’t know. But it doesn’t matter. Catherine is not leaving.” At least, not until he had a chance to see her. “I have to talk Catherine somehow.”
They went to James Lawton’s office to see if he could do anything.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Lennox," he said in an apologetic voice. "You know I'd do anything I can for you, but this is a legal matter, and, as a family member, she does have rights. Perhaps you could consult your lawyer?"
Matthew got on the phone with Sorkin, but he didn’t have any good news for them either. “Legally, we have no standing. If Ms. Archer’s sister wants to take her to another medical facility for treatment, then she has every right to. We could argue that it would be better for her health to stay here, but I need a courtroom and a judge.”
“Do what you can,” Matthew said, trying not to sound desperate.
They ended up losing the whole morning running around, trying to find a way to get more information about Catherine's condition or ways to see her. But Christina must have gotten to the administration, as every nurse and doctor they tried to talk to immediately shut up, citing privacy laws. They didn't even know if she was conscious, though a kind nurse had reassured them she was alive and stable.
“Who the fuck is this woman?” Kate huffed, kicking a nearby garbage can.
"Maybe we can sneak into Catherine's room?" Sybil asked.
It took a lot of legwork (and bribery), but they found out her room number. When they reached it, there was a very large, imposing figure in a suit standing guard in front of the door. The man’s face was drawn into an intimidating, cold scowl and anyone passing by the room avoided looking at him or even getting near him.
“Wolf,” Luke growled.
Kate and Sybil stopped in their tracks and looked at Matthew.
“What the fuck is a wolf doing there, standing guard?” Kate asked.
It seemed like there were more layers that hid Catherine's true identity than Matthew thought. "I don't know."
“Wait.” Sybil grabbed her phone and tapped on the screen. She showed them the grainy photo on her phone—an older, dark-haired man with an arrogant expression on his face. “Stavros. As in, Aristotle Stavros.”
"What? The Greek billionaire?" Kate said. "And Alpha of the Lykos Pack?"
"Uh-huh." She scrolled further on the screen. "Hmmm … there's not much about him. But then he's known to be very secretive. A recluse. No one's seen or heard from him in years."
“Is Catherine a wolf shifter?” Sybil asked.
“No way,” Kate said. “We all would have known. She can’t hide that.”
“I don’t care,” Matthew interjected. “I just want this over with. We have to find a way into that room.” Preferably one that didn’t involve him turning that wolf bodyguard into ashes, but he wasn’t picky at this point.
“Alrighty then,” Kate said, cracking her knuckles. “Let’s go find that biotch, and Luke, when she comes around the corner, you grab her—”
“We are not getting rid of her,” Sybil said.
Kate snorted. “We’re only going to keep her away until Matthew’s convinced Catherine that they’re mates and she agrees to marry him and pop out a dozen baby dragons.”
“Why Kate, I never knew you were a romantic,” Sybil said in a sarcastic tone.
“Pfffft.” She picked at an imaginary piece of lint on her jacket. “I just don’t want a grumpy dragon moping around that castle.”
"Hold on. Kate's got the right idea." Matthew said. "We just have to distract her for a couple of hours and then get rid—I mean incapacitate—the wolf guard."
“I may have an idea,” Sybil said. “We’ll need some help, but I bet we could pull it off.”
"A plan?" Kate said. "Like when we were kids, and we tried to steal the Verona Mills mascot?"
"Something like that," Sybil said with a twinkle in her eye. "Christina can't stay in the hospital forever. With Catherine's condition, she probably needs to stay for a while, plus they probably have some plan to transport her. We have to find out where Christina is staying and how she got here. Then, we keep her away, and take down the guard."
“With what?” Luke asked.
“This is a hospital,” Kate said. “Don’t worry, I know how to get into the storage room and get the right drugs to knock him out.”
"Why would you know how to do that?" Matthew asked.
"Oh Matthew," she said, patting him on the shoulder. "You could only dream of the things I know how to do."
***
They’d been running around the hospital so much that Lawton offered his office as a sort of meeting point. Sybil called around, and it didn't take long to get more information about Christina. A private jet registered to Stavros Shipping landed at the Verona Mills airport this morning. There was also a "C. Stavros" staying at the Ritz Ski Resort about thirty miles out of town, near one of the more popular skiing slopes in the area.
“I just saw Christina leave,” Kate said, as she rushed back into the room. She’d been following Christina around the hospital. “I bet she’s on the way to her hotel, but we know she’ll be back at some point. Now, I have several ideas on how we can keep her away.”
A lightbulb lit up in Matthew’s head. “I know how. Jason.”
“Jason?”
He nodded. “He’s already pretending to be me at the office,” he said. “He can keep the charade going. He can stake out the Ritz, and if he sees her leaving, warn us and intercept her. Pretend that he wants to talk or something.”
“Brilliant,” Sybil said. “Call Jason and let him know the plan. Once we know she’s secure, we’ll figure out how to get into that room.”
“This is a crazy plan,” Luke said.
“No, it’s brilliant,” Kate said. “Come with me, Luke. You’ll be my lookout while I raid the supply room for whatever drugs I can get my hands on. Worst case scenario, I’ll dump an entire bottle of Ex-Lax into a cup of coffee and flirt with him a bit to get him to drink it.” The two of them walked away, leaving Sybil and Matthew alone.
“This is going to work,” Sybil assured him.
Matthew said nothing but nodded. He sure hoped so.