Beside me, Kyle slept with his head resting on my bed while he held my hand.
He looked tired. I wanted to reach out and soothe the tired lines in his face. My heart filled with my love for him when I remembered he had stayed with me the entire time I could remember.
It was the only thing I wanted to take with me from this experience—the way he'd cared for me. I wanted to forget about the pain I had experienced.
It's over,I reminded myself.
My throat felt raw and I wanted a sip of water. Slowly I tried to extract my hand from Kyle's to reach for the cup beside me, but Kyle stirred.
"Hi," I said softly as he lifted his head while trying to focus. Even with messed bed hair, he looked gorgeous.
"You're awake," he said, pulling his chair closer to the hospital bed. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired and thirsty."
He reached for the cup beside me, and I took a sip of water from the straw.
The water soothed my dry and sore throat. I lay back down. It was the first time I realized I wasn't in my clothes anymore; instead, I was in a hospital gown. In my other hand was an IV drip.
"What happened?" I asked softly, lifting my hand with the drip in it.
"You nearly died."
The look in his eyes was haunting. His hand gripped mine tighter, like he was reminding himself that he was here with me.
"I don't understand," I mumbled, trying to remember, but I came up blank. It was rare for a female werewolf to die while she experienced the change. Granted it was excruciating but it wasn't enough to push the body beyond its limits.
"Curtis thinks it's the Keeper part of you that was too much for you to handle."
"What happened?" I asked, feeling the prickle of fear despite the fact it was over.
"Your heart just stopped," he explained. Seeing the suffering in his eyes, I gripped his hand tighter. "I started CPR on you. Curtis arrived in minutes and he managed to restart your heart."
Feeling damaged by his words, I lifted my hand and touched my chest.
"I should've insisted you go to medical from the start," he said, keeping the full weight of blame on his shoulders. I frowned.
"There was no way you could have known."
"Curtis told me that you would be more likely to experience a more intense change than just an average female werewolf."
"You saved me," I reminded him, but he shook his head.
"I'm supposed to take care of you and look what happened. I nearly lost you."
The guilt in his eyes made my heart squeeze.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Kyle
For the rest of my life I would never forget that panic and pain I had felt when she had stopped breathing.
Even now, sitting beside her and knowing she was okay did nothing to erase the memory of those few moments when I had thought I had lost her forever.
Just after I climbed into the bed beside her and wrapped her in my arms to keep her warm, her shaking had eased. The first sign had been no movement of her chest. I moved as quickly as I could to check her pulse and there was nothing.
No life.
