Red Rose Ramirez POV
The awful pressure increased. I tried to clench my body tightly closed. He pushed harder. I could feel my body weakening. My hole began to stretch open. His cock started to slip inside.
“No,” I moaned. There was a sharp biting pain as the pressure built then seemed to ease. I could feel him inside of me. I breathed heavily through the pain, thinking the worst must be over. I could feel his body shift behind me, then the pressure increased again. He was pushing his hips forward. I could feel his cock penetrating my body deeper. My inner passage stretched and strained to accommodate his bulk.
“Stop!” I screamed. “It hurts! It hurts!”He gave a small thrust forward before leaning over my body.
Grabbing my hair, he forced my head back. “Does it hurt? Good. I want it to hurt. I want you to feel pain. I want you to feel helpless.”
Hurt. Pain. Helpless. Elias thrust his cock deeper inside me. Punctuating each word. Hurt. Pain. Helpless.
“Why? I don’t understand. Why?” I cried.
“Because that is how I felt when your village cursed me for all eternity,” he ground out before pounding inside of me. I was being torn apart. The piercing pain was agony. My stomach twisted as he forced himself deeper and deeper. I could feel him pumping his hips. Thrusting in and out. Forcing my body to accept his unnatural demands. He must have stretched me beyond what I could endure because I could feel the sting of the soap right at my entrance. The sting of an open wound. Still, he continued to pound into me. My mouth was open as I keened and wailed. My cries of pain set the birds to screeching in return. His hands released my bottom cheeks. One hand spanned my middle, sheltering me from the sharp edge of the rock. The other reached between my legs. He began to caress me in time with the rhythm of his thrusts into my bottom. My body began to respond. To use the pain for my pleasure.
Everything was twisted and turned around. The feel of the warm water on my legs contrasted with the harsh bite of the ice against my nipples. The pain in my bottom with the tingling pleasure between my legs. The sound of his harsh breathing intermingled with my cries and moans.
“I’m going to fill your ass with my cum. You will be tainted with my scent from the inside out,” he ground out as he pinched the hooded nub between my legs.
It was too much. Stars burst behind my eyelids. A deep, dark rushing sound roared in my ears as my body stretched tautly then went limp with the release. Leaning forward, I was grateful for the cool feel of the rock against my heated cheeks. My body rocked to and fro several more times before Elias shouted pleasure. Grabbing my hips tightly, he thrust into the hilt, his hot seed releasing deep into my bottom.
After he pulled free, he lifted my limp body into his arms and kicked his feet from the stone ledge, sending us into the deeper, even warmer, waters. The floating sensation as our bodies bobbed up and down in the water only added to the strange, lightheaded feeling that had invaded my thoughts and limbs.
Through half-closed eyes, I looked down at my body. My breasts and stomach were an angry red from being pressed against the earth. The bare lips of my core seemed swollen while my bottom’s opening felt stretched and bruised. Tilting my head back, I searched Elias’s face. Sensing my regard, he turned his intense amber gaze on me. The tight set of his jaw had softened. His features gentled.
“My brothers in this curse may be right. You, my little Red Rose, may be something special after all.”
Returning to the camp wrapped only in my red cloak, I was surprised when Darius handed me a simple skirt, blouse, stockings, and slippers. At Elias’s questioning gaze, Darius said, “We ran into a few of the huntsmen while you were bathing Red Rose. They dropped off their usual offering of flour and leather goods.
Daniel noticed they had two sacks filled with women’s garb so he latched onto one of them. They fought him a bit, but once Daniel started to growl, they decided it wasn’t worth angering the wolves and released it.”I strained to listen while attempting to appear uninterested. There were huntsmen in the woods. Huntsmen who knew of the wolves. These huntsmen saw these men in their wolf state and gave them goods and food as some sort of offering. Would they help me? Shivering, I went and sat on a log used as a stool before the fire. Though the heat from the flames licked my skin, I couldn’t remove the cold that ran through my veins. Thoughts of how the dark force must have entered my body haunted me. It was the only explanation for the way my body responded to the touch of these men. Demons had to be lurking inside of me, and maybe I was becoming an animal myself. Would I too become one of the wolves? Was that why I saw men because I had already become a beast like them?
I couldn’t get Glenn, Elias, and the sinful acts that had occurred out of my mind. I should detest both of them and yet…I also couldn’t stop thinking of how the rest of their bodies had felt around me as we had slept last night. Their bodies all touched me, protecting me in their warmth. I had felt comforted even though I was merely their captive. Each man’s heavy breathing acted as a soft lullaby while I had the best sleep of my life.
The men seemed to be preoccupied with doing duties around the camp. Elias chopped and stacked wood near the fire. Daniel sharpened a dagger in long fluid strokes against a rock. Darius expertly created a spear out of wood, shaving the end to a sharp point. Glenn worked on butchering a deer that had been hunted down earlier.
Each one of them glanced at me from time to time, their amber eyes capturing me in their stare each time. I couldn’t tell if they were looks of lustful hunger, or looks of concern for my well-being. They were men of few words, yet they all seemed to communicate in their way. Donald approached me and placed a heavy fur on my shoulders. It smelled like them. Man. The scent overpowered my senses, and I closed my eyes and inhaled. Something about their spicy, earthy essence gave me an odd feeling of comfort. The warmth blanketing me was from far more than just the heavy furs. It was like the fur that lay heavy on my back provided me with the battle armor needed to fight this inner storm raging inside of me.
He then kneeled next to me and placed a piece of leather full of berries on my lap. “You need to eat,” he said. “The deer will be ready soon, but until it is, eat this.” He then inhaled deeply and a soft, growl-like sound emerged from his lips. He quickly stood and walked off, leaving me alone once again.
Staring down at the display of gathered forest delights, my stomach rumbled. I wanted to grab a handful of berries and shove them into my mouth before Donald changed his mind and kept the food for himself. But then I paused. Why was no one else eating the berries? Why just me?Poison?Was that their intention?I still didn’t know what their intention was and what they would do next. What had they done to the other sacrifices who never returned to the village? Would my fate be the same as theirs? And if so, what was that fate to be? To kill me by poison? Deadly forest berries? Or maybe it wasn’t the kind of poison that would kill but would simply act to cast me in a deep sleep so they could have their way with me with no resistance.
However, they didn’t seem to care if I resisted or not.
“Why aren’t you eating?” Donald asked from the other side of the fire.
The flames blazing in front of his frame gave off the impression that he was the devil himself. In leathers and fur with little coverage of his muscular frame, he could easily be mistaken for an ancient god, though I knew the animalistic nature that lurked beneath the chiseled flesh.
“I’m not hungry,” I lied.
“Eat them anyway.”
I shook my head, my mouth watering with how plump and inviting the berries appeared to be.
“Eat,” he demanded as he stormed over to me. His insistence convinced me even more that the berries could indeed be poison.“No,” I somehow dared to say even though I saw thunderous clouds approaching before I could seek shelter from the storm. I had just enough time to look at the other men as they stared on in curiosity before Donald gripped the back of my neck and squeezed. “Do not mistake me as a weak man because I offered food,” he warned as he forced my head down to stare at the fruit.
I placed my shaking fingertips on the berries and couldn’t drum up the courage to eat them. If I were to die, it would not be by my hand. No. They would have to kill me and face eternal damnation for the brutality. And if the berries were to pacify me or make me sleep through their violations rather than to have them face their acts, I would not submit. They would have to taste my salty tears as they pressed their lips to mine. I would not make this easy for any of them.
Donald’s grip on the nape of my neck slid to the base of my skull as he took hold of a handful of hair and tugged. With my head pulled back, Donald leaned down to my ear and said, “Are you going to eat the berries?”
I swallowed hard, which was difficult since my head was tilted back and my neck stretched. “I said I’m not hungry,”
I somehow said as my body shivered in anticipation of what would now come. I knew Donald wasn’t a weak man. He didn’t have to say so. I would never consider any of the five men around this campfire weak. They were creatures of the forest to be feared and appeased at all costs. Every single villager believed it to be so, and I was no different. But I couldn’t eat the berries. I just couldn’t.
“Very well,” Donald said, yanking my hair even harder as he stood to his full height once again. “If you won’t put the berries in your mouth, then we will put something else in instead.”Pulling me to stand with his fist rooted in my hair, he cast the fur he had just placed on my shoulders to the ground. The berries that had been on my lap had fallen to the dirt, and now I wished I had just simply eaten them. I had a feeling my foolish mistake would be one I wouldn’t soon forget. He tugged my head back again, exposing the front of my neck. Lowering his mouth to my throat, he licked a path to my ear where he whispered, “Take off your clothes immediately unless you want me to tear them off of you. It would be a shame to destroy the outfit you haven’t even had for a day yet.”Remembering how Elias had effortlessly ripped my gown from my body in the spring, I quickly complied.
I didn’t want to have to be naked before these men all the time, and if this outfit got ruined by Donald, the possibility of me having nothing to wear but maybe one of their heavy furs had my shaking hands fumbling with the material to remove it on my terms.
“Hurry,” Donald growled.
I whimpered when he yanked on my hair even harder. I desperately wished for one of the other men to step in and help calm Donald’s growing temper. What I wouldn’t do for one of them to have mercy on me right now. But I had also started to see that they all respected each other completely. Not one of them was about to contradict or go against another from their pack. They would watch, but never intervene. I had to admire the level of loyalty they had to each other even though I wished otherwise.
When I stepped out of the last remaining item—my skirt—and stood completely nude in front of Donald with the fire roaring behind me, I held my breath as I waited for what would come. My sex was still so very tender from Glenn, my anus even worse from Elias, and my nipples still had a dull ache from the freezing touch of the rock. I wasn’t sure my body could take much more.
“Down on your knees,” Donald directed.
His hand was still fisted in my hair, but I didn’t need him to tug me down to follow his command. At this point, I was prepared to do whatever the man asked of me. I was not a foolish woman, and I had quickly begun to realize that resisting these men only made it worse. When my knees made contact with the thatched ground of the cave, Donald pulled my hair and tilted my head back just enough that I had no choice but to look into his wolf-like eyes. They were like how all the others had been; Predator. Hunter. Dominator.
“I was going to give you until tomorrow before claiming what was mine. I was going to give you some time to recover from what you have already endured. But you clearly do consider my kindness as a sign of weakness, and for that you will be punished.”
“I don’t. I swear it,” I pleaded, though I knew deep down it would do no good.
“Your actions overpower your words, lass.”
“I don’t consider you weak at all. I was just afraid to eat the berries.”
“Afraid?”
“Yes,” I squeaked.
“Well, I am about to show you what you truly should be afraid of.”Finally releasing my hair, Donald untied a piece of leather that circled his waist. It was wide and thick and acted as his belt. The minute he did so, he looked over my shoulder at one of the men behind me. I knew they were all watching without even having to see for myself. I could feel their gazes searing into my skin. “Darius, do you mind assisting me in teaching our sacrifice what happens when she defies one of us?”
I remained naked on my knees, trying to breathe through the overpowering feeling of doom. Darius walked up to Donald, and Donald handed him the leather strap.“Use this on her while I fill her mouth with something far scarier than the simple berries I had offered in kindness.”Donald then adjusted his kilt out of the way and sat on the stump that I had once been sitting on. His thick cock stood ready for what I assumed would be my attention. He reminded me of a mighty king sitting on his throne as I, a mere servant, kneeled before him.
“Come kneel between my legs,” he ordered.
I crawled the short distance to get there and did what he asked. As I did so, Donald kicked off the remaining clothing that had covered his bottom half. He then positioned himself in a way that the fire was beside us. I didn’t say anything, and I tried to avoid his eyes. My only hope now was to show the man complete obedience in hopes he changed his mind and didn’t feel he needed to teach me a lesson.
“Let’s give you something else to feast upon rather than those berries,” he said, scooting to the edge of the stump. “Come put my cock in your mouth.”
I glanced at the scattered berries on the ground and hopefully gathered them up as a sign of good faith. “Please,” I said. “I’ll eat the berries. I’m sorry.”
Fear of what was to come removed any earlier hesitation I had in eating what very well could be poison. Poison sounded so much better than what I had a feeling would come soon.
“Oh yes, lass. You will be eating those berries,” he said with a wicked grin as he took them from my dirty palm. “But now, you will have a much”—he looked down at his thick cock—“larger meal.”
XXX
Red Rose Ramirez POVHe reached out and took hold of my hair once again. The sting from the pull had me crying out, but that only made it easier for Donald to lower my face down upon his rod. My open mouth was instantly filled with his girth as he shoved my face down upon his lap. I gagged as the tip of his shaft went down my throat, and I panicked, thinking he would surely choke me to death. I tried to back off, but his hand on my head held me down. I pressed my palms down on his thighs to try to gain any type of leverage I could. I would suffocate by the size of this man pressing against the back of my throat.“Shhh, my sacrifice. Shhh. Calm down. There is no reason to fight this.”He pulled out enough that I was able to catch the breath I worried I would never be able to obtain again. Donald didn’t pull out all the way, however, only pushed back in once again. He did this a couple of times until I ultimately realized I would not truly die from lack of air or choke on his cock, and
“You’re hurt,” I said as we entered the cave and I saw a large bloody gash down Darius’ back. All the wolves had switched back to men, and in all their nude glory had walked back to the camp to gather their furs and leather clothes.“It’s nothing,” Darius said as he bent before me to grab his pants.The firmness of his ass bent right before me, caused my breath to catch in the back of my throat.“I think I should clean that up,” I offered. “You don’t want that wound to get infected.”“It won’t,” he said as he turned to face me. “As wolves, we heal quickly.”His cock was large and on full display. I knew he saw that my gaze fell upon his manhood because he said, “But if you want to pay attention to my body in other ways, I won’t argue. When I opened my mouth in surprise, followed by wide eyes, he was quick to give me a wink to show his jest.“Let her clean the wound,” Glenn said. “You know the slashes caused from the battles hurt like hell. Let her try to ease it for you.”Darius made
“So we did our duty and volunteered. The elders told us only that it would be dark magic to fight dark magic. At first it was magnificent. We all felt more powerful than we had ever before in our lives. We could see and hear for far distances. Run to the horizon and back without tiring. It was as if you were one with both the Earth and the beasts. That time when the dark force came, we were ready. It is hard to describe what happens when we fight them. It is as if the wolf in our beings takes completely over and the small part of our soul and conscience which is still human never fully comprehends.” Glenn stopped speaking and just stared into the fire.“When we returned to the village, the gates of the wall were barred to us,” continued Daniel. “It was then we learned we had been betrayed.”“Would no one help or speak to you?” I asked angrily.“Not at the village. Anyone we approached ran screaming from us. Anytime we tried to leave this realm, to leave the forest and the village beh
Angelika "Red Rose" Ramirez POVBefore I could finish, Ben took a threatening step toward me. Grabbing me by the lower legs, he flung me over his shoulder and began to storm off deeper into the forest.“You refuse to obey my command immediately. I will now add to the severity of your punishment.”I could only whimper. A curtain of red curls obstructed my view as I tried to swallow the dizzying nausea caused by his shoulder pressing deeply into my stomach. He did not carry me far as he placed me upright, my feet sank into the soft earth.Looking around, I could see we were in some sort of a grotto. The bright green leaves on the trees seemed to glow as sunlight shone through them. There was a small spring, its bank covered with purple and white flowers. The ground near the spring was soft with moss and leaves.“Take off those things.”Wanting to show I was being obedient, I quickly undid the clasp at my throat and placed the crimson cloak over a nearby log.“Everything, Red Rose.”My h
I looked around Glenn’s broad frame at the other men, and added, “Please forgive me. Believe me when I say that I meant no harm to any of you. I just didn’t think it all the way through before I acted.” Glenn gave a small smile. “Good.” He pulled away and looked at all the men and then back at me. “We have the smoked deer that we have been working on almost ready. Our friends, the huntsmen, left us some boar meat stew that Vanessa made for us. Let us go about our chores today, and then we can all have an early feast in celebration of yesterday’s victory and Daniel’s successful fight today.” I wouldn’t exactly say that I was a good cook, but I knew the basics of a kitchen. My baking skills were in need of improving, and I struggled sometimes at being creative with what meager food items I often had. But I knew enough about cooking to know that something was off about the stew the minute Elias removed the lid of the pot. The slightly pungent odor had all the men sniffing at the pot i
I watched them all sleep. Each one of them. Glenn, Elias, Donald, Darius, and Daniel. My wolves. Yes, they were mine. I couldn’t allow this injustice to continue. Something had to be done. They deserved so much more than sleeping on the floor in a dank cave, cast out from society. Trying to reach the village yesterday was foolish and warranted me a punishment I wouldn’t soon forget, but if I had to do it all over again, I would. Maybe the men had accepted their fates, but I could not. However, after truly considering it, I understood there wasn’t anything the villagers could do.But what about the forest witch? The men had said it themselves; she was powerful enough to break the curse. And though the men felt a duty to protect the village from the dark force and didn’t want to curse any others to become wolves, I truly believed that something could be done. There had to be another way to fight off the dark force. If the forest witch was so powerful, then why couldn’t she destroy the
“I don’t want you to be. If this is to be our last night, then I want to carry the marks on my body as a remembrance.” The men growled in unison. “On your knees,” commanded Rod. I obeyed. “Suck my cock.” Wrapping my hand around his thick member, I licked my lips before opening my mouth wide. The moment the wide head slid along my tongue, I moaned at the familiar musky taste of him. As I concentrated on relaxing my throat so he could slide in deep like he’d taught me, I could feel Ben slide beneath me, positioning his legs between my open knees. “Is this tiny pussy ready for me?” he asked huskily. I could only groan in response as Donald’s cock pushed against the back of my throat. Daniel guided his cock to my entrance before gripping my hips. “You know how I like it, little Red Rose.” Knowing he enjoyed entering me in one painful thrust, my body tensed in anticipation. Using his grip on my hips, he forced my body down onto his cock. Forced me to take him to the hilt. I couldn
ONE YEAR LATER. Elias strode up to the fire, his arms laden with several baskets as he ate bananas. “What? More?” asked an astonished Darius. “This is getting out of hand. We need to find a way to communicate to them to stop,” grumbled Glenn. “Why?” Donald asked as he rummaged through the baskets, delighted when he found a strawberry pie that was still warm. “We haven’t eaten this well in hundreds of years!” “Red Rose, looks like Vanessa mended your cloak,” said Elias as he tossed me my favorite red riding hood. As I opened the folds to inspect my friend’s handiwork, a small bundle fell out. Lifting the brown paper packaging, I eagerly untied the string. Inside was a beautiful baby blanket of soft wool and several baby booties and sweaters. “Who told?” growled Darius. “How could they have known?” wondered Glenn. With a slight shrug, I said, “I may have told Vanessa when she stopped by to visit with a few of the huntsmen and she may have told the villagers.” Since transforming
Thalia grinned and nodded, biting her bottom lip. Donald opened the door for them. “Allow me.” Darius gave him a look that said everything about how he felt, that his best friend was finally on board for his happiness. “Thank you.” He received a small chin dip in response. As the group filed in, another couple was leaving, big smiles on their faces, too. Darius watched them go. Elias stepped around to practically attack the County Clerk. “Hey! We’re back!” The man’s eyebrows shot up as his eyes darted around the approaching faces. He lit up with recognition. “Ah yes! How could I forget?” A big smile spread. “I was wondering if we’d see you again,” the female employee said. She served as witness and recorded the events as well. She flushed as Elias remarked on her new hairstyle. Then he turned around and grabbed his wife. “Look baby. We left an impression. They remember us.” Daniel snorted and entwined his fingers with Alessandra’s. “Could have been us who left t
Daniel smiled. “I knew what you were going through. Remember?” Darius nodded. “That’s what’s been on my mind. I’m sorry we weren’t there to help you.” Daniel shrugged and glanced around his friend’s faces. “There was no choice.” “Yeah. Now I understand.” Darius took a sip of Guinness. “I want to go see her.” “Well, let’s at least finish our beers first.” Elias clinked his bottle of Bass Ale against Darius’s pint. “Remember just days ago how you were complaining we never spend any time together?” Darius laughed and a huge weight lifted. “You’ve got a gift, Elias.” “Thank God I’ve got one,” Elias said, dryly. So they stayed for another two hours, like the old days. Daniel yanked out his phone and called his driver. “Nigel, buddy. We’re hammered. Come get us.” They climbed out of the dark booth and headed for the door. Elias and Daniel led the way, Donald behind. “Hey, D. I idolize you, just so you know.” Donald cocked an eyebrow sideways. “Is that right?”
Three very different guffaws trailed off as the others left the room, talking amongst themselves about how strange that had been for them. The last one she heard was Elias. “So, Donald, you’re saving it for a special woman, huh?” and Donald’s reply: “Fuck off.” Darius loosened his embrace but kept her close. She looked up at him as he gazed down at her. “You said you love me.” She flushed. “I was having a moment.” “A moment?” “Yeah.” A small frown pierced his brow and he lifted her off the ground, kissing her deeply. Every cell in her responded to him, and then he moaned against her lips, “I love you, too.” Soundless tears trailed her cheeks before she even realized how much emotion had been waiting under the surface. All her life she’d wanted to meet the guy and here he was. Finally. He kissed some away, picked her up and carried her to the couch. “We have to talk business now.” She nodded and picked up the blanket to wrap around her waist so she could hike up
He dropped the hand and turned back to his friends and packmates. They were speechless, too, their moment of entertainment usurped by the bold pronouncement. They’d seen it coming, but that he’d said it aloud, outright and so soon, shocked them all. Maybe even him a little, too. There would be no stupid debate. Not anymore. He’d heard enough arguments from Donald. What good were they? Not only had he dreamed of saving her life before it actually happened, thereby telling him she was a part of his destiny, but today his wolf had taken control for two reasons: how he felt about her, and also because there was another wolf inside the ‘den’ when she arrived—Donald. The beast inside Darius’s soul who knows what is best for him more often than he knows, took her immediately to mark her as his. She’d gotten her instinct right about his bite. His wolf needed to ensure there was never any question as to whose mate she was. That she’d accepted him so readily affirmed she felt the same. Who has
Thalia had been climbing out of her skin. Underneath everything she’d done was the nagging desire to check up on him. She hadn’t mentioned the robbery to Jonas. The air of secrecy among Darius and his friends combined with her aiding the hero of the day in his odd escape, made her keep her mouth very, very shut. How would she explain to police what had happened, if they ever questioned her? The fewer people who knew about what happened the better. And Jonas wasn’t exactly the quiet type. Nor were his friends. They lived big, and a story like this? Too hot to keep mum about. She was loath to admit that she didn’t just want to check up on his well being, she wanted to be around him again. She missed the connection she’d experienced when they were alone in the ally. She’d replayed those intimate moments with him over and over despite her desperate desire to let it go. She hesitated with her fist in the air and ready to knock. Her heart slammed in her chest. She didn’t even know if
Fuck it. She leaned in and softly kissed him. His lips parted in surprise as she pulled away. She whispered in his ear, just for him, “Thank you for saving my life.” “Thank you for trusting me.” She arose and headed for Elias who was by the door. She didn’t need him to tell her, “I’ll take you home.” She nodded and it struck her that he seemed like a statue. She glanced back to Daniel, then grazed a glance over Donald’s solemn countenance. They suddenly seemed… inhuman. “It was nice to meet you.” They nodded and murmured the same. Rihanna and Alessandra looked the most uncomfortable. Don’t make me go home. Let me stay here and take care of him. Let me tell him I’m here for him. I’m here. I’m here… Makati City sparkled outside the limo’s window as they drove west to her small apartment, flashes of blurred color zipping by. She couldn’t see any of it. Her mind was on him. “You’re awfully quiet,” Elias said after they’d been silent for a long time. She glanced ov
Donald sighed and said with more control, “We don’t do the stuff.” Drugs have a different reaction on werewolves than humans. But he couldn’t explain that. At her confusion, Daniel interjected with authority, “It’s not ego. We don’t take pain meds. Just accept it.” Darius watched Thalia glance around his packmates’ faces. He couldn’t blame her for not understanding. How would he feel if he were on the other side of this? She tightened her jaw and shrugged with defeat. “Fine. If you’ve done this before, I’m sure you have twelve inch long tweezers?” “I’ve got better than that.” Donald returned a moment later with a kit that made Thalia pause, full of surgical tools, gauze, Aloe Vera gel, and wood clamps to bite down on. They even had teeth marks in them. “I’m not even going to ask,” she muttered, choosing a very slender metal piece that looked to be an advanced type of tweezer. “You ready?” “Over my dead body you’re doing the removal,” Donald growled. Darius grabb
Fear-charged shouts came from the woman and the boy, begging to know if he was okay. The woman yelled to the man behind the register, “Call the police!” “I’m calling an ambulance!” He shouted back. “No!” the wounded man groaned, speaking only to Thalia as if he needed her to understand. “Don’t let him,” he whispered, leaning down to her ear. She pressed her hand over his, adding more pressure to stop the bleeding. “We have to get you to a hospital.” “No,” he whispered, closing blue eyes against the pain. He bent at the knees, and she caught him. Years of working with patients had prepared her for his collapsed. “I’m a nurse. I know what I’m talking about.” “Then get me out of here,” he whispered in her ear, again so low nobody else could have heard. She stared into the future and the immediate past, making a decision. He’d saved her life. She owed him. He seemed desperate not to go. Praying she was doing the right thing, she called out to the others, “Don’t call
The buzzer from Room 321 had been quiet for a long time. Too long. With her eyes on the room, Thalia rose from the desk and headed to check on Dorothy. Janet called over, “Is that old bitty at it again?” “Why don’t you crawl back under the house,” Thalia shot back. Lacking a witty enough response, Janet just sneered. As she walked into the room, Thalia’s heart exploded. Paler than a sheet of paper, Dorothy stared lifeless into the distance. Thalia pulled back the hospital gown and started pounding on Dorothy’s frail chest, screaming loud enough the entire third floor could hear, “JANET! GET A DOCTOR! CODE BLUE! CODE BLUE!” Her eyes darted to the monitor. It was off, the plug lying on the floor. “Come on Dorothy! Don’t you die on me!” Thalia leaned down to blow into quiet lungs as Janet ran in with a defibrillator machine. Bitch or no bitch, when shit hit the fan, Janet was ready. She charged the machine while Thalia pounded an artificial heartbeat into Doris’s chest, pe