Chapter Twenty-Eight
JACKSON WAS not a good patient.
Leo had forced him into the ambulance, forced him to get X-rays, and forced him to stay in the hospital room until he’d been checked by a doctor. Jackson wasn’t particularly happy about any of this, but Leo was too scared to disobey medical procedure.
“Leo,” Jackson whined.
“No. I nearly lost you. I could have lost you. No.”
They were not going home until Jackson was discharged.
It had been a hell of a day.
Leo had known something was up as soon as he pulled into his parking space outside the brewery. There were lights flickering inside, and Leo knew the last builders would have left hours ago.
When Jackson didn’t answer either of Leo’s texts or his call, he called the police.
And the fire department, and an ambulance, for good measure.
He’d never forget the terror of seeing flames through the windows on the mezzanine, knowing it would be minutes more before the fire engines turned up. Then he saw people running for the exit, and for a split second, he’d thought he was going to have to confront them himself.
And he’d do it for Jackson, because according to every instinct he had, Jackson was in the building and hurting.
This was the bond Jackson had tried to get him to feel. Leo had never felt so in tune with Jackson before, so close to his every emotion. So he knew Jackson was filled with panic and pain.
Instead Detective Park had arrived with her team, and Leo didn’t wait for any instructions. He ran for his soul mate.
Jackson reached over from the hospital bed and cupped Leo’s cheek in his hand, brushing his thumb over Leo’s lips.
“I love you so much,” he croaked.
“I love you too. Please don’t hate me for making you stay here.”
Jackson pouted. He was pretty high on painkillers, the strong stuff that could actually relieve some of his pain. “I don’t hate you.”
A doctor pushed through the door, clutching Jackson’s notes.
“Mr. Lewis?” she asked.
“Yes.”
She was a sweet Latina woman in her midthirties who had a no-nonsense attitude and an expertise in werewolf medicine. When Leo thought about it, he figured the two skills were probably developed together.
“Okay. You have a concussion and two fractured ribs. It looks like a couple of your teeth have been knocked loose, but they should be okay. Make an appointment with your dentist to follow up in a couple of weeks, and if anything feels like it’s going to fall out, get an emergency appointment. It’s probably a good idea to stick to soft foods for the next few days too.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She turned to Leo. “You’re his partner?”
“Soul mate,” Leo corrected.
She nodded. “He’s going to need a lot of TLC, but he’ll be fine. No permanent damage.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll leave you with a prescription, Mr. Lewis.”
“Can I go home?”
She glanced at the clock. It was after 10:00 p.m.; it had taken time to get through all of the exams and X-rays.
“I’d prefer to keep you in overnight for observation, but if you’ve got someone at home to keep an eye on you, that should be okay.”
“I heal quick,” Jackson said with a winning grin. It would have been more effective if his face wasn’t already starting to swell and bruise, with crusted blood stuck to his lips from a cut that kept reopening.
The doctor laughed. “I know. You’ll be fine in a few days.” She turned to Leo. “Keep an eye on him. Don’t let him sleep for at least another four hours. Make sure he takes the medication, even if he doesn’t want to. Any change in behavior, speech, or his ability to focus, bring him back right away. Understand?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Leo echoed softly.
“I’ll get your discharge papers ready.”
She shut the door behind herself, and Jackson sighed. “I really want to go home. I hate hospitals.” He considered his words for a moment. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Leo said. “I would too if I were in your position.”
Leo’s phone buzzed, and he quickly pulled it from his pocket. They were still waiting to hear from Detective Park, but Detective Hodgeson had already said that they were making a series of arrests of people involved in the Human Protection League. The fire had been contained in the brewery, and the fire department was making sure there was no structural damage. They’d call the insurance assessors in the morning, but Leo was hopeful that there wouldn’t be too much of a delay in the grand reopening of the Lone Wolf Brewery and Bar.
“We made the news,” Leo said with a short laugh as he skimmed through his messages.
“Hmm?”
“Local news is already reporting on the fire and the arrests.” Leo shook his head. “This is crazy.”
“They’re the fucking crazy ones.” Jackson sounded tired. Leo put his phone down and looked at him properly. He was clearly exhausted, not just physically beat-up but emotionally drained.
So much had changed in the past few weeks. Leo’s gradual move into the condo had been easy, and it felt like a natural step in their relationship. Most importantly to Leo, Jackson seemed happy. Leo knew he’d taken a few trips to shift and run outside of the city, and when Leo had pressed him about it, Jackson had said it was good. He liked being closer to his family, and he liked being able to throw himself into his work. All of a sudden everything had clicked into place.
“Hey, Jackson?”
“Yeah?”
Leo felt his heart thump as Jackson tipped his head to the side and fixed his gorgeous eyes on Leo’s.
“I felt it.”
Jackson just blinked at him.
“The bond,” he clarified. “At least, I think I did.”
“You did?” Jackson said, struggling to sit up. Leo put a hand to his shoulder and pushed him back down.
“M-hmm. Right here.” Leo pressed his knuckles to his belly. “When I pulled up outside the brewery. It felt like… like you were screaming at me. But I felt it instead of hearing it.”
Jackson huffed a laugh. “Yeah. That sounds right.”
Leo let Jackson grab his hand and bring it up to his split lips.
“I just can’t believe it took a life-or-death situation for me to find it.”
“It’s always been there,” Jackson murmured, brushing kisses over Leo’s wrist. “I promise.”
Leo leaned in to kiss his bruised lips, just gently. “I know.”
“My soul mate,” Jackson said.
“My soul mate,” Leo agreed.