Shaw (Alpha Geek #6) - Milly Taiden Page 0,28

hon,” Dakota said as she tugged her friend forward.

It was only then that Poppy realized they had driven to Dakota and Bennett’s home. The other three men would be the docs, as Dakota affectionately called them. They were Bennett’s best friends, and all three were doctors. She let Dakota lead her to a large bathroom where the shower was turned on.

“Get in there,” Dakota ordered, helping Poppy over the shower’s edge.

“Shaw,” she managed to croak out.

“The docs are going to do what they can to help him. You can’t be in the room all bloodied up.”

“Right, contamination. It needs to be a sterile environment to sew him back up.” Her voice was hollow as she spoke. It echoed through the bathroom in an odd way.

The spray of the water was hot, damn near scalding. It felt like she was being pelted by heated little needles, but she scrubbed at her skin and hair, trying as best she could to wash away all of the blood. The water at her feet ran burgundy, then red, then soft pink. It was only then that she turned to shower off, placing her forehead against the cold marble wall. Her heart was still racing, her mind still trying to latch on to any sort of sense.

There was none to be had.

“Here.” Dakota handed her a large, tan-colored towel and dropped a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt onto the counter. “You can wear these. Don’t bother bringing them back. They won’t fit me soon, thanks to my nugget.” She rubbed her stomach happily.

“I put both of you in danger.”

“Nope. None of that. I was munching down on some serious junk food when the attack happened. You don’t get to blame yourself or Shaw. It was your cousins who did this, and I was never in any danger.

Poppy wasn’t too sure Bennett would see it that way. She would have to apologize to him as soon as things calmed down. Dakota led her to the kitchen and forced her to sit down. Poppy argued.

“I should be in there with Shaw.”

Dakota shook her head. “If he was at the hospital, would they let you go in? No. They wouldn’t. It wouldn’t matter that you’re a damn good nurse. You were just attacked, and you witnessed a pretty gruesome mauling. Shock is a genuine thing. You’re going to sit your ass right there, and I’m going to feed you soup, tea, and a few other things to make sure you’re okay. And you’re not going to give me any trouble, or so help me, I will tie you to the chair and force-feed you with all of the love in my heart.”

“You’re going to be a good mom,” Poppy said as she accepted a steaming cup of tea from her friend.

Dakota beamed with pride. “It’s just because I’m so bossy.”

A couple of hours passed before Poppy was allowed into the room where Bennett and the docs had worked on Shaw’s broken body.

“His pulse isn’t strong, and we’ve done all that we can. He’s full of shifter blood and serum, so we just have to wait and see if it kills him or if it saves him,” Bennett explained to her as she made her way to the bed.

Shaw’s skin was pale, and his curls were a mess. They had done the best that they could to clean him up, but he didn’t look like himself. His torso was a mess of thick scars, black thread holding him together.

“Is there anything I can do for him?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

“Not really,” he whispered. “Dakota told me he’s your mate. We did everything we could, Poppy. Really. We’ve just got to wait now.” He squeezed her shoulder. “I’ll be back in a bit to take his vitals, but I know he’s in good hands with you.”

Once she was alone in the room with Shaw, Poppy dragged the small chair to his side. She plopped down in it, curling into herself. She laid her head on her bent knees, and she watched.

For a long time, minutes, hours, all she did was monitor his breathing. In. Out. Again, and again. The clinical beeping of the machines that were hooked up to him wavered between being annoying and downright musical. Eventually, the shock and exhaustion set in. Poppy felt her head fall back against the chair, and she tried to fight off sleep. It was no use. Her body needed the rest.

Her mind pitched into odd dreams where Shaw was