Mate Magic (4 page)

Chapter 5

Paul wanted to rush into the emergency room and demand to know what was wrong with his mate. No, shit…he needed to know what was going on with Bailey. He had to stop thinking of her that way. He walked into the ER and immediately saw Jake talking with his brother, Justin, who was security at the hospital and couldn’t imagine why he was fighting with Jake.

“
Justin.” He saw his brother look towards him and breathe a sigh of relief, “What’s going on?”

Justin
looked pointedly at Jake. “Shana specifically said to keep him here in the waiting room until the woman woke.”

Paul
’s heart kicked into overdrive once again. “What woman? What the hell is going on?” He knew he was yelling but couldn’t have prevented it even if he tried.

Everyone in the room froze until
Jake finally spoke. “I know you’re probably upset-“

Paul
didn’t allow him to complete his sentence, “Upset? You have no idea. I feel like I was hit by a truck twice tonight, and then I call for help to find people fighting, and still no one has told me what the fuck is going on.” After his speech his ribs ached and he felt like he’d run a mile. He was panting and covered in sweat holding his ribs which protested every breath he took.

Jake
had a grim look. “Shit, are you hurt Paul?” He turned to Blake. “What happened?”

Blake
had a deer in the headlights look and responded simply, “Paul is hurt but no one touched him, to my knowledge.”

Jake
looked at Paul who bore resemblance to Bailey in the wound department. “You shared your magic with her didn’t you?
God dammit!”

Paul
was stunned at his Alpha’s outburst. Was sharing magic forbidden? He had no clue. It was rare to have a shifter mate with another shifter. Mostly their mates were human. Paul lowered his head in shame, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know harm would come to her.”

Jake cursed again before saying, “No, you misunderstand.
You shared your magic, so you feel her pain as if it is your own because she carries a piece of you. Until the magic wears off at least.”

Paul
winced and clutched his ribs once again before considering his Alpha again. “I need to see her, make sure she is okay. She needs more medication for the pain.”

Jake
scrutinized Justin again before responding. “What say you? Your brother requests to see his mate, will you stand in the way?”

Justin
’s eyes became wide before he regarded the pained expression his bother wore. “Come brother, I’ll show you to her.”

Paul
, Blake and Jake followed Justin as he walked through the halls of the emergency room. They rounded a corner and Justin turned to Paul, “I wish you the best.” Paul pulled the curtain wide and went to his knees.

Bailey
was laying naked on the narrow gurney with blood dripping from a wound to her left flank; it appeared to be four long gashes. She was pale and her eyelids were tightly closed as if in pain. Paul couldn’t help the growl that bubbled from his chest. “Look away, dammit!”

Jake
and Blake both turned quietly to face the opposite direction but Justin, who was always very sensitive to others, walked over to Bailey’s side and rubbed the area in between her eyebrows and said, “She needs more medication for the pain.”

Shana
observed her patient. “I told you to tell me if you were in pain. Bailey, I need you to communicate with me. You don’t need to be in pain.” Shana brought a syringe to Bailey’s IV and gave her the injection.

Paul
stayed on his knees and watched Bailey open her eyes and gaze at Justin in confusion. “Blake? Why are you always around to piss me off?”

Justin
and Paul chuckled, “Alas my dear, I’m not Blake. My name is Justin. Paul, Blake and I are from the same litter. We’re triplets. But I’m the best thing to come from my mother’s womb.”

Bailey
gave him a small smile, which caused Paul to growl before closing her eyes in pain once again. “It’s nice to meet you Justin. Did you know Blake has the best name?”

Blake
laughed while Paul growled and Justin merely smiled.

Justin
placed his hand on Bailey’s forearm and Paul noticed his pinched expression as Shana and Bailey both looked at him adoringly. “Thank you Mr. Justin Nunn. That’s better. You have a gift.”

Paul
felt a moment of jealousy before he viewed his brother’s pained expression and knew he was easing his mate’s discomfort. As a small child Justin was always able to take someone’s pain into himself. Once during a soccer game Justin slide for the ball at the same time as the defender, breaking his arm. Justin rode to the hospital with them the whole way touching him to ease the discomfort.

Paul
whispered, “Thank you” to his brother before getting up from his position on the floor and coming to his mate’s side. “Bailey, are you okay?”

Bailey
opened her eyes and considered Paul. “Yes, I’m fine.”

Paul
scoffed and stared at her wound. He placed his mouth by her ear and said, “I can feel everything that’s happening. Every staple that goes into your sweet flesh is felt in mine. When they scrubbed your wound clean I felt it. I know something happened, but no one has said how this wound came to be on your lovely body.”

Bailey
glared at Paul. “I was attacked. Did you feel that too? If so, where were you?”

Paul
flinched. “I had no idea that what I was feeling was connected to you. How could I?”

Bailey
stared him down. “I was mauled by a bear, in your territory. Please tell me sheriff, how does that happen?”

Paul
was outraged. “I refuse to be blamed for this. I would have stayed with you and protected you but as you so aptly put it ‘you can protect yourself’. For Christ’s sake, I gave you my magic, to please you.” His face became stoic, “If you’d like to make a report, I’d be more than happy to accept it, but if you want to place blame-put it on the bear.”

Bailey
wasn’t used to someone calling her on her bitchiness and felt fragile and inadequate. “You’re right sheriff. I apologize.”

Paul
grimaced, “Why are you now calling me sheriff? You’ll call Justin and Blake by their given names but suddenly I’m sheriff? Never mind, Shana, will you please tend to me when you’re done with Ms. O’Shea.”

Shana
replied never taking her eyes off Bailey’s wound. “Of course Paul.”

As
Paul walked out of the exam room and into another, Shana felt compelled to say, “Don’t you think you’re being a tad tough on him? His instincts are to protect and aid; you played off every single one-unfairly.”

Bailey
knew she was being unfair, but seeing him in the pain that she’d inadvertently caused, made her ill. She didn’t mean to be a bitch but she felt tied down and no longer free, which was absurd. “I’ll apologize later.”

“That’s it?
He gives you his magic, which, he has never done before, and you tell him it’s his fault because he didn’t protect you. You must be more like your mother than I thought.”

Appalled
Bailey grabbed Shana’s hand and took the staple gun. “I’ll finish up here, see to Paul.”

Shana
rubbed her pregnant belly and said, “Our pack’s not like yours. We respect people’s individual choice. You seem to want your freedom, but when something goes wrong, you’re quick to blame others. I’m not sure you are the quality Jake thought you were.” Shana left rubbing her lower back and muttering to herself.

*****

Paul pulled himself from his infuriating mate’s bedside and decided that he was no longer going to be hurt by her, her family or her Pack. Yeah right, as if he could prevent it.

He walked into the room next to
Bailey’s and gently removed his shirt. He didn’t have the grizzly marks that were on Bailey’s skin but he certainly felt them.

About ten minutes later
Shana entered his room with Jake her Alpha mate. Paul bowed his head in respect and was surprised to hear Shana say. “Stop that nonsense. We need to get x-rays, Jake can take you.”

Jake
smiled as Paul blanched. “I can find my own way. It seems like your mate needs your comfort.”

Paul
stood and caught his breath. He walked himself to where he knew the x-ray department was, got his films and went back into his room to await the results. He was just getting comfortable when he heard a familiar booming voice.

“Good Evening, sheriff, I’m
Dr. Hopkins and I believe we’ve met.”

Paul
smiled, “Evening Dr. Hopkins. How’ve you been?”

“Better than you I’d say.”
Dr. Hopkins placed Paul’s x-rays on the lighted box. “Your x-rays look great. No sign of a break but let me see something.” The doctor put some pressure on the left side of Paul’s torso. At Paul’s scream of pain he said, “Interesting.”

Jake
walked into the room and eyed the doctor. “He shared his magic with Bailey. I told you he was having the same symptoms as her, just without the physical findings.”

Dr.
Hopkins smiled. “Yes, yes. I was just making sure. As a doctor I’m afraid we know very little about shifters mated to each other.”

“We’re not mated.
I only shared my magic with her, which I wasn’t even sure I could do. She was standing there trying to change and couldn’t so I touched her and bam-insta shift. I’m going to go; now that I know my ribs aren’t broken I’ll leave.”

Dr.
Hopkins stopped him. “I think we should bind you ribs for comfort if that’s okay with you. Are you going to sit with Ms. O’Shea?”

Paul
recoiled at the sound of the doctor’s disappointment. “Ms. O’Shea made it clear she doesn’t want me around.” Looking at Jake, “Have you heard of any aggressive bears around lately?”

Jake
shook his head and gave Paul a, we’ll-talk-about-it-later look. Paul was uncomfortable while the doctor bound his ribs. Damn they hurt, he couldn’t imagine poor Bailey having to get staples and then get her ribs bound. He was deep in thought when he noticed another presence in the room.

“What are you doing here,
Shana? I thought you were treating Bailey.”

Shana
got a disgusted look on her face. “Jake I need to talk to you.” Watching the startled reactions of Dr. Hopkins and Paul, she added, “Privately.”

“What’s wrong?
Is something wrong with Bailey?” Paul jumped up and tried to run from the room but Jake caught him by the shoulder and spun him around.

“Complete your treatment and stop worrying.”
Jake was using his Alpha voice so Paul knew he was at his limit for shit taking for the day. Paul nodded to show that he would comply.

Shana
took Jake’s hand and pulled him into a vacant exam room. “Bailey was rude to Paul.”

Jake
snickered, “That’s why you needed to talk to me? Paul can take care of himself.”

Shana
blanched at his tone which seemed to keep getting angrier. “Yes, but she blamed him for her accident and I told her it wasn’t nice.”

Jake
’s lips thinned, “What did you say? You only come to me when I need to fix a problem.”

Shana
became indignant. “There is no problem. I told her we didn’t accept bitches like her mother into our pack and if she was going to act like her mother she should find another Pack.” Jake was looking at her with wide eyes, “What? It’s true. I don’t want a troublemaker in our pack.”

Jake
smiled. “That is my decision. How did little Bailey take the news that she was acting like her mother?”

Shana
’s feet shuffled and she looked uncomfortable, “She took the staple gun from me and kicked me out.”

“
Shana, it is none of your business how Bailey treats Paul; so please butt out. I think you should apologize. Just like she used Paul’s weakness against him, you used her weakness against her. You know she hates her mother.”

Shana grinned as she rubbed her pregnant belly. “I know. Hopefully she backs off Paul. I’ll see you at home, I’m tired.”

Jake
walked back to Paul’s room only to find it empty.

*****

Paul was wondering what Bailey was doing until he heard the clicking of the staple gun and saw her trying to twist around. “Uh, are you supposed to be doing that?”

Bailey
was startled and she accidentally squeezed the staple in the wrong part of her skin. She took a deep calming breath a replied, “What business is it of yours?”

Okay, she was still pissed at him.
“Where’s Shana? And Justin?”

“I’ve relieved them of their duties.
Just as I’m about to do to you.”

Paul
let a small sigh escape as he approached her. “Here, I’ll take over; you won’t be able to reach that far. How do your ribs feel?”