The Blood Moon Luna

Recovery -Nikki

The darkness is interrupted. I can't open my eyes yet, but I can see light behind my eyelids. I can’t move any part of my body. I am in pain; my head is throbbing. I am alive. I can hear voices, one sounds like Alpha, another like Frankie, and Mom sounds like she is crying. I am paralyzed; that must be why Mom is crying.

OH GODDESS NO! Please, no, don’t let me be paralyzed. If, by some chance, Frankie ends up being my mate at the next blood moon, he will surely reject me! I have to wake up! I can feel tears streaming down my face as this terrible nightmare rolls through my head. I slowly manage to get my eyes to open, just a little, because the lights are so bright. I can see my mom talking to Dr. Lynn.

“Mom?” I managed to croak out.

“Oh, thank the Goddess, you’re awake!” Mom said as she rushed over and placed a kiss on my forehead. I shift my eyes slightly to the side because I can feel a strong presence on the side opposite Mom. OH MY GODDESS, it’s Frankie! I am mortified; he can’t see me like this.

Dr. Lynn came over to my bedside, and I could see that Alpha Kieran and Luna Fran were here too. “Doc, am I paralyzed? I can’t move at all,” I inquired.

“Well, I don’t think you are paralyzed, Nikki. As for why you can’t move, you are still strapped to the stretcher we brought you in from the mine with. I am just waiting for the results of your MRI, and if everything is clear, we can remove the restraints and the board from behind you,” Dr. Lynn said encouragingly.

I looked around at everyone in the room and then asked the doctor to come a little closer. When she leaned in, her ear hovering just above my mouth, I whispered, “Is there a way that I can pee soon? I kind of feel the urge.” Dr. Lynn stood, and I could see she was mind-linking someone. Then, she asked everyone to clear the room momentarily, and Nurse Mindy walked in.

“Nikki, until we get the all-clear from the MRI, I am sorry to say that the best we can do is use a catheter to empty your bladder. Nurse Mindy can do it, but I will monitor your vitals and be here in case you need anything,” Dr. Lynn explained.

“Well, not exactly my first choice, but okay,” I replied.

About 20 minutes after my bladder was empty, Dr. Lynn came back into the room and said that the MRI looked great and they would be removing the backboard, restraints, and neck brace. That was certainly a relief. I was starting to be able to see out of the eye I was punched in, thanks to medication and some ice.

“Now, I want you to take it slow and let us raise your bed. Your body is probably pretty achy and maybe even a bit stiff. Once you are discharged, you will probably need help for a day or two,” Dr. Lynn said.

“I am sure Charity, Silvie, and Jonas can take turns staying to help when Mom has to work,” I chirped, happy at the thought of being able to move my body again.

Alpha and Luna walked in with a bouquet, and Luna Fran said, “I will come by to see if you need anything as well.”

“Thank you, Luna,” I said, bowing my head and tilting it to the side. Then, to my surprise, Sylvie, Charity, Jonas, Frankie, Tatum, and Marcus each walked into the room holding a get-well balloon. I have never really been in the same social group as Frankie and his friends, but it was a heartwarming gesture. “Wow, thanks, everyone. Who knew a knot on my noggin would gather this kind of attention?” I blushed.

“Well, we should all get going. It has been a long night, and you need rest so you can be discharged in the morning,” Luna Fran said, smiling softly at me. She then looked at my mom and said, “If you need anything, Stella, please don’t hesitate to call. Day or night, I will come if you need me to.”

“Thank you, Luna Fran. I appreciate your kindness,” Mom said.

“Yes, thank you all for taking such good care of me and for showing me so much kindness,” I said as everyone was leaving.

The next day, when he came to visit, Jonas said, “Nikki, darling, you look a mess!”

“Thanks, Jonas, you do a lot for my self-esteem,” I replied.

“What if you get another surprise visit from Alpha Heir Frankie and the boys?” Jonas teased.

I threw a pillow at Jonas’s head and replied, “Frankie and everyone were just being nice last night. It isn’t like we're in the same friend group, or that he’s attracted to me. He was probably just following Luna's lead in being kind to me after the incident.”

“Well, he or any of his boys could be nice to me anytime they want to, especially Tatum. BOY IS FINE!” Jonas said with some sass.

“Jonas, I thought you had a thing for Charity?” I questioned.

“Oh, I do. Girlfriend has it going on. You forget, Nikki darling, I am Bi. I would love to be the center of a Tatum/Charity sandwich. Mmmm, oh, the things we could do,” Jonas continued in his sassy tone.

“Jonas, you need to chill; Charity and Silvie will be here any minute. Charity would meet you innuendo for innuendo, but you’ll make poor Silvie run away in horror,” I said, hoping he would tone it down and not embarrass Silvie.

“Fine. So what are we going to all be doing today?” Jonas said while starting to sound bored.

“Movie day sounds like a winner in my book,” I stated.

“Oh my gosh, yes! I'm thinking of a musical marathon. Nothing says fun sick day like singing your guts out with a good video,” Jonas replied happily.

“Okay, fine. Can you please get the door? Charity and Silvie should be there,” I conceded.

Jonas walked over and opened the door. “Come in, come in! It’s musical movie day for us girls!” Jonas said.

Silvie rolled her eyes and said, “Jonas, you do realize you’re a boy?”

“Yeah, dude, you have a p***s,” Charity chimed in.

“Well, today I am one of the girls,” Jonas said, fluttering his eyelashes.

“Okay, but first, we have to tell you what we saw on our way past the training grounds. There is a new training schedule, and guess who our trainers are?” Charity said, flashing a cheesy smile at me.

I looked directly at her and said, “As long as Frankie isn’t one of them, I will be okay. The last thing I want is for him to see me all sweaty and gross.”

“Well, sorry to disappoint you, girly, but Frankie and Beta Bill are leading 15 to 17-year-olds,” Charity replied.

“WHY?! This is going to be a long five and a half months. Kill me now, please, because I am just going to die of embarrassment,” I groaned.

Silvie looked at me and said, “Might as well get used to it because it won’t change. Think of it this way: you’ll see him shirtless, and you can think about his sweaty chest.” Then she wiggled her eyebrows.

“Okay, ladies, enough with the b***h session, it’s movie time!” Jonas said while starting a DVD.

“Hey Nikki, do you have any popcorn and soda?” Charity asked while walking into the kitchen.

“Yeah, and Mom got some Red Vines and Junior Mints, too,” I told her.

We all settled in for an afternoon of movies and junk food. Considering everything I had been through last night, I wasn't feeling bad, but it was nice to just hang out with my friends.