Chapter 43

My head ached as I slowly opened my eyes, squinting against the blinding white light that enveloped the hospital room. The soft beeping sound coming from beside me only added to my disorientation.

Where was I, and what had happened?

Blinking multiple times, I struggled to come to my senses. As my vision cleared, I noticed that my father was standing right at my bedside. His tired eyes and strained expression made him look like he had aged ten years overnight.

Beside him was Lucas, who looked just as worried, but his handsome presence still managed to bring me a sense of comfort.

Why is my first thought awake about how attractive he is? God, did I hit my head or something?

"Hello," I managed to say in a croaky voice, leaving me to clear my throat.

"You've been unconscious all night, and the first thing you say is 'Hello'?" Lucas reprimanded me, but I could see the smile that was threatening to take form on his lips.

"Uh..." I stuttered, unsure of what else to say. "Hi?"

"Shana," my father said, capturing my attention.

My eyes slid over to him with a gulp.

"How are you feeling? Are you okay?"

"My heart hurts," I admitted, placing a hand over my forehead. "And I'm starving."

"Okay, I'll go get the doctor and see if we can get some breakfast for you from the cafeteria." My father didn't even let me thank him before he rushed out of the room like he was on a mission.

"How is he holding up?" I asked Lucas once he was gone.

Lucas stared at me, concern etched deeply into his face. "How is he holding up? What about you?"

I could see that Lucas was trying to appear strong for my father, but now that he was gone, he let his guard down, showing me his true emotions.

"I'm awake... now." I glanced around the room. "How long was I out for?"

"All night." Lucas watched me carefully. "I stayed up in case you woke up."

"You must be tired."

"I'll survive."

I sighed, worrying my bottom lip. Guilt started to eat away at me. "I'm sorr—"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," Lucas said firmly. "Don't you dare apologize for this. This isn't your fault."

"Jessica—"

"I know what she did. James and I found you."

When I frowned at his revelation, he said, "Don't you remember anything? We broke down to the training room to get to you."

I shook my head, bringing my arms over my body in a form of comfort. "I was in so much pain, I can't really remember much..."

Just then, my father walked back into the room with a doctor following closely behind him.

"Hello, Shana," the doctor said. "It's nice to see that you're finally awake. How are you feeling today?"

"I have an ache in my head," I confessed. "My body also feels extremely sore."

He nodded as if he expected me to say that. "Well, I must say, for someone that's wolfless, you have healed exceptionally. All your vitals look like they're back to normal, and overall, you should be okay. Of course, you might experience some minor discomfort, such as body aches or pains. We can provide you with some medication to help soothe those issues."

"So, I'm free to go home?" I asked.

The doctor nodded. "Yes, you're free to go home. Let me just fill out the rest of your paperwork and get you that prescription, and I'll let you go."

The doctor walked out of the room, leaving my father, Lucas, and me alone. Both of them had relief on their faces.

"Shana," my father started. "I must say, I'm very upset that you never came to me about Jessica before. All these weeks, you've been ruthlessly bullied by this girl, and I had no idea."

"You had so many other things going on, Dad," I said. "I didn't want to bother you with my problems."

"Your health and safety aren't a problem to me. It's a priority." My father looked at Lucas. "I hope the school punishes her for this accordingly."

Lucas nodded in agreement. "I promise to make sure they do. Not just Jessica, but everyone who was involved in hurting Shana. They crossed a line."

My father gave Lucas a tight-lipped smile before looking down at his watch. "I wish I could sit with you longer and make sure you're really okay, but I have to head to work."

"It's fine," Lucas gave my father a clap on the back. "I'll take good care of Shana and make sure she takes her medication and gets home safely."

"Thank you, Lucas." My father looked at him and then back at me. "Shana, you're lucky you have Lucas. It's difficult to find true friends that really care for you. Lucas has been here all night, making sure you're being taken care of. Lucas, I just want to thank you again. I don't know how I could repay you."

And then my father left abruptly, leaving Lucas and me alone again. My father never was good with his words, and the way he stormed off made me think he got flustered.

"Did you bribe him with something to say all those nice things about you?" I asked Lucas, raising a brow in question.

He shook his head with a laugh. "No, but we spent a lot of time talking while you were unconscious all night."

"Oh, no." My eyes widened and worry hit me. "What did you guys talk about?"

Lucas began to laugh. "Wouldn't you like to know? Well sorry, Shana, but I'll never tell."

"I hate you," I groaned as he continued to laugh at me.

"Don't lie. Now get up so we can get the hell out of here."

Thankfully, it was Saturday, meaning that Lucas and I weren't missing any school today. Although, I wouldn't have minded spending some time away from school, considering Jessica was there, and I never wanted to be near her again.

I tried to shift my thoughts elsewhere, on things that were more positive.

"Can we go train?" I asked Lucas as he drove me home.

Lucas whipped his head over in my direction, shock taking over his features. "Shana, are you out of your mind?"

"No... I feel completely fine."

"Shana, you just had a traumatic day yesterday. You may feel fine right now, but your body needs rest. I don't want you to overwork yourself."

"But training always makes me feel better."

"Your recent progress is already significant," Lucas continued. His encouragement was bleeding through, but I could see that deep down, he was still worried for me. "One day off won't hurt you."

"So, does that mean we aren't going to spend any time together this weekend?" I asked.

"No, of course not." Lucas looked at me. "I'd love to hang out with you."

"What should we do if we can't train?"

Lucas laughed. "Not everything has to revolve around training." He thought for a moment, "Do you have a dress for Winter Formal?"

I shook my head. "No, I haven't had any time to do that yet considering... everything."

"Okay then." Lucas looked at me again. "What if we went shopping for clothes for Winter Formal?"