Chapter 169

Cara’s POV

Immediately, I could see the understanding on Richard’s face. He could see this as the forgiveness that it was, and emotion started to overtake him.

Mia turned on the bed to look at him. “Hi, Uncle Richard,” she said brightly.

So much emotion was caught in his throat that he seemed to struggle somewhat to reply. “Hi, Mia, my precious little niece.”

I still hadn’t fully forgiven Richard on my own, but he’d paid his penance, and deserved to be a part of this family again. Maybe he should have been restored to us a long time ago.

Regardless, he was here now, and the children would know their uncle. It seemed as happy an ending as could be.

Looking around, the joy and relief on my family’s face only exemplified my own. Yet, when I glanced to the door, I saw Grayson waiting there. He was out of the way, and not even really looking at me, and yet I could tell that it was for me he was waiting.

We needed to do those tests he was talking about.

Now that Mia seemed healthy again, and her treatment plan was all set up, I had no reason to delay looking after my own health any longer.

Mia’s future seemed the brightest it had ever been.

Now it was up to me to make sure I would be there to see it.

“I’ll be right back,” I whispered to Alaric, and squeezed his hand to comfort us both. He smiled back at me, bright and happy, and it almost made me feel guilty for not telling him the truth.

Shouldn’t he know that something was potentially very wrong with me?

I didn’t want to ruin his sunshine. So rarely did he allow happiness to show on his face. I’d have to be a monster to take that away, especially before I knew what was really wrong.

So I released his hand and then walked to the door.

“Ready?” Grayson asked when I met him there.

“Yes,” I said.

“Ready for what?” Ruby asked, approaching us.

“A few tests,” I said lightly, not wanting her to worry either.

But Rudy was not buying it. Maybe because she was a trained Healer herself, or perhaps because she had just sat with me at my own bedside, but seemingly wasn’t going to let me act my way out of this conversation.

“I’ll go with you,” she said. “More fun with company. Right, Grayson?”

Grayson looked at me. “Only if Miss Auburn permits it.”

Honestly, I missed Ruby, and I was a little afraid to do all these tests and hear the results on my own. I’d rather my best friend was there. This would give us a chance to catch up, anyway.

“Sure,” I said. “That’s fine with me.”

In the hallway, Grayson spoke with one of the nurses, who provided him with what he needed. We moved into a fresh room across the hallway. I sat on the end of a hospital bed with Ruby standing beside me. Grayson excused himself to track down the materials he would need.

“What’s this about?” Ruby asked me when we were alone.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I’ve been so tired lately. Sluggish. Lethargic at times. I thought it might be stress, but I keep getting lightheaded too. Grayson thinks there might be something more seriously wrong.”

“And you didn’t think to mention this to anyone else? You know, before it was happening?” Ruby asked.

I shrugged. “Mia needed to be the priority. She is far more important than me.”

“You are both important,” Ruby said.

Grayson returned then with a tray of vials and needles. There were also a few test strips of some kind.

Readying the needle, he came closer to me. “I just need a blood sample. Do you consent?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yes.”

“You’ll feel a prick…”

Once the blood was drawn, he carried it back to the little tray where he soaked up some of the blood with a dropper and then slowly and steadily pressed one tiny drop of blood onto each of the test strips.

Ruby must have realized what he was doing, because she cursed lightly as she moved closer. Even though I could see fine, I still had no idea what was going on. All of this made me want to take some Healer classes, just so I could feel like I could keep up with what was happening and what they were saying.

As the drops soaked into the test strips, one of them changed color.

Ruby paled. “Is that…?”

“I’m afraid so, yes,” Grayson said.

Ruby’s entire face fell.

“Can you retrieve another strip?” Grayson said. “We should retest to be sure.”

“Of course,” Ruby said and without looking at me, rushed out of the room.

It must have been bad for her to move like that, without even looking me in the eye or speaking to me at all. Yet I still had no idea just how bad.

Maybe I would never hear my wolf again?

The thought filled me with unhappiness. Gods, how I missed her.

Grayson was quiet for a moment, watching the test strip change colors. Without looking up, he asked me, “Perhaps you would like your family to join you here while I tell you the results. For moral support.”

“Why do I need moral support?” I asked, my stomach twisting uncomfortably.

He looked over at me, and in his older blue eyes, I could see a well of sorrow and pity. How often had he looked at patients like that over his fifty some years as a Healer? How often did he have to give bad news?

My heart sinking, I knew I had to be getting the worst kind of news for even a hardened and experienced doctor to look at me with such abject pity.

This wasn’t just about my wolf.

Whatever was going on was going to be so much worse.

Ruby returned with the second strip and the pair retested it with a drop of my blood. Ruby seemed to be holding her breath. She let out a sob as the test strip changed the same as the first. At once, she covered her mouth with both hands to stop the noise.

“Ruby,” Grayson said. “Perhaps you should get her family…”

“No,” I said quickly, stopping them. They both looked at me. “If this is bad news, I don’t want them to know yet. Everyone’s so happy for the first time in a long time. Mia’s well again. I’m not going to sour the mood with this.”

“This isn’t just souring the mood,” Ruby said. “They should know…”

“I will know first,” I said. “And if I decide to tell them, then I will.”

That was my right as the patient and I knew that much. Ruby and Grayson both looked unhappy with my decision, but they had to respect it.

“Besides,” I said, giving Ruby a small, scared smile. “I have my best friend with me. There’s nothing we can’t face together…”

Ruby returned my sad smile. “Of course. You’re right…”

She came to my side. Sitting beside me on the bed, she immediately pulled me into a tight hug.

Instead of offering comfort, this only made me feel more afraid.

Grayson washed his hands at the sink in the room and then approached us.

“I’m afraid I don’t have good news…”