On the Run

Chapter Nine

A moment later there was a knock on the door followed by a man’s cheery voice, “Knock, knock.”

I greeted him with a warm smile, thanking him for taking care of me. “We just want to keep you here for one more night to make sure that everything is on the up and up,” the doctor explained. “Your daughter can come see you now, but only until eight o’clock when visiting hours end.”

I thanked him again before he left the room and turned my attention back to Mason. “Do you mind going to get Amelia, now? I want to spend some time to talk with her alone,” I asked.

“Of course.”

Mason rose from his chair. It was obvious why he was the head of security. His size alone seemed menacing. I could see his muscles through the black t-shirt he donned underneath his open red flannel. He kissed my forehead tenderly before saying, “I’ll be right back with Amelia. I’ll take Joshua down to the cafeteria for dinner and I’ll ask the nurses bring you girls up something too.”

“You’re so sweet,” I praised. “Thank you so much for everything, Mason.”

“There’s no need to thank me, my love. You’re my mate, it’s my duty to care for you,” Mason said softly before retreating from the room.

I prayed to the Goddess that Mason didn’t have a hidden side like my now deceased former mate. Our relationship progressed remarkably fast, even for marked mates. If I really thought about it, I didn’t really know Mason all that well, but he had given me no reason so far to suspect he has any ulterior motives. Perhaps he was just as lonely and in need of love as I was. His true mate died in childbirth and in the years since. I was the first woman in the pack he had engaged in any type of intimacy. What about me was so special that he wanted to protect me and dare I say even love me?

Amelia calling out to me pulled me from my thoughts. “Mommy! Mommy, I found you!” she squealed with joy.

Amelia ran to me with her arms spread open, ready for me to catch her and lift her up into a tight squeeze. Her happiness quickly dissolved into tears. “Mommy, I lost you,” she cried out. "I miss you so much."

I held her to me tightly, kissing the top of her head. I told her, “It’s okay, baby. I’m here now. You won’t ever lose me again,” I reassured her.

I wiped her brushed her tears away with the sleeve of the hospital gown I was wearing. Mason nodded his head towards the door, silently telling me he would be giving us our privacy. “I know you’ve had a really hard time with Mommy being sick for so long, but we need to talk about something important,” I tried my best to explain to her.

“What Mommy?” she asked tilting her head to the side.

“Honey, daddy’s—” I choked up before I could even get the words out. “Daddy has gone to be with the Great Goddess. We won’t be able to see him anymore but he can hear us if we talk to him when we miss him, okay?”

Amelia began to cry again, “Daddy gone?”

I tried to hold in my tears as best I could but knowing my daughter wouldn’t be able to fully understand was more than I could bear. “Yes, daddy’s gone,” I tried to explain.

Amelia tilted her head to the side, pointing to her chin as if in deep thought, “Hm…we see Daddy later, okay.”

Choosing not to further upset her I decided to change the subject, “What kind of stuff have you been doing at Joshua?”

Her sadness quickly disappeared, and her eyes almost twinkled with glee. Amelia excitedly told me all about the games they played and the fun they had chasing each other. Running was Amelia’s favorite thing. She was always too full of energy. Running and chasing a friend around was the perfect way for her to burn off all that excess bouncy energy she had. “We swim too, just like a fishy fish,” Amelia continued.

Seeing her so happy made me feel like I was making the right decision for us both, especially knowing she got along so well with Mason’s son. Her blonde curls bobbed up and down as she bounced up and down next to me on the hospital bed. Perhaps we could live a happy life together as a blended family. I would be a nice stepparent, not like some of those awful stories you hear, I thought to myself.

Soon we were interrupted by a nurse bringing in a tray with two covered plates on it. “Hello girls, I’m Nurse Katie. I’ve got dinner here for you and the little one,” she greeted us kindly.

After placing the plates on the overbed bedside table she wheeled it over, positioning it over my lap. The nurse took the covers off the plates to reveal an unseasoned chicken breast, rice pilaf, steamed broccoli with a small salad on the side. Amelia’s plate looked just as unappetizing with macaroni and cheese, soggy chicken nuggets and warm apple sauce. I tried not to turn my nose up at the food I was given but my face must have given my thought away because the nurse immediately apologized, “I know the food looks pretty bland, I can bring you some condiments or some salt and pepper, if you need.”