Free Web NovelChapter 16: Chapter 16 Hospital Night
Christina’s POV
"What’s wrong?" Hudson’s deep voice cut through my panic.
I looked up into those ice-blue eyes, my breath catching. Even kneeling on the dirty hallway floor picking up my scattered belongings, he managed to look like he’d stepped out of a luxury fashion ad.
"I think—" My voice cracked. "I think Louisa’s been in an accident. We were on the phone and there was this crash and now she’s not answering and—"
Akira was pacing anxiously inside me, her distress matching my own. Louisa wasn’t just my almost mother-in-law,she was the closest thing to a real mother I’d ever had.
"Breathe," Hudson commanded softly, his hands still steady on my shoulders. "Where do you need to go?"
"I don’t know. The Frostpelt territory? A hospital? I should call—" I fumbled with my phone, but my hands were shaking too much to be useful.
Hudson stood in one fluid motion, pulling me up with him. "I’ll drive you."
"That’s not necessary," I protested weakly. "I can get an Uber or—" freewebnoveℓ.com
"It’s after midnight," he cut in, his tone brooking no argument. "You’ll be waiting twenty minutes minimum. My car is faster."
Before I could form a coherent objection, he was guiding me toward the elevator, his hand at the small of my back. The warmth of his palm seeped through my thin blouse, steadying me when I felt like I might fall apart.
"I can handle this myself," I mumbled.
Hudson didn’t bother responding. Instead, he pulled out his phone and made a brief call as the elevator descended.
"Dominic. South entrance. Now."
The elevator doors opened to the lobby, and Hudson steered me through the building’s grand foyer. True to his word, a sleek black Aston Martin was already idling at the curb, a tall man standing beside it.
The man handed Hudson the keys without a word. Dominic, I guessed. Then he disappeared into the night. Hudson opened the passenger door.
"Get in."
I slid into the buttery leather seat, too numb with worry to argue. The night air had cleared my head.
But Hudson was already sliding into the driver’s seat beside me, the car purring to life beneath his hands. We pulled away from the curb with a smooth acceleration that pressed me back against the seat.
Shit. I still didn’t know where we were going.
"I need to figure out which hospital she’s at," I said, fumbling for my phone. "I should call Niall or Clive or—"
"Mrs. Louisa Granger was admitted to Eldergrove Private Hospital approximately ten minutes ago," Hudson said, his eyes never leaving the road. "She was conscious upon arrival but is currently receiving treatment for multiple injuries."
I stared at him. "How the hell do you know that?"
He glanced at me briefly. "My beta. You mentioned a crash and the name Granger. It wasn’t difficult to check emergency admissions at nearby hospitals."
I sank back into my seat, my stomach knotting. Emergency treatment. Multiple injuries. The words echoed in my head like a death knell.
Hudson must have sensed my distress or maybe my chemosignals were broadcasting it loudly enough for any werewolf to pick up. He reached toward the dashboard, tapping the screen to start a playlist of soft instrumental music. The gentle notes filled the car’s interior, mingling with his subtle woodsy scent.
"She’ll be all right," he said softly.
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. We drove in silence for several minutes, the city lights blurring past the windows.
"She’s important to you," Hudson finally said. Not a question.
"Yes." I swallowed hard. "More than my own mother, honestly."
The admission slipped out before I could stop it, but once spoken, it felt right. Cathartic, even. My shoulders relaxed fractionally.
"My mother used to make me wear Beatrice’s hand-me-downs," I found myself saying. "I was seven, drowning in a sparkly unicorn sweater two sizes too big. Looked like I’d been mugged by a discount rack."
Hudson’s lips twitched slightly.
"Louisa hated it," I continued, lost in memory. "She’d pick me up for dinner, take one look at whatever fashion catastrophe I was wearing, and drag me to Nordstrom like it was a child fashion emergency. Then she’d march over to our house and scream at my mother so loudly the next pack over could probably hear."
I ran my fingers through my tangled hair, remembering. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
"When Niall and I got engaged, whenever I got sick, which was maybe once a year, she’d sit beside my hospital bed and spoon-feed me soup. She’d boss around the nurses like she owned the place." I gave a watery laugh. "She never saw me as just her son’s mate. I was her kid."
I dropped my gaze, wiping away tears I hadn’t realized were falling. Had I been selfish, breaking things off with Niall? Should I have just swallowed my pride and married him? Become a wealthy but miserable Luna with perfect hair and zero opinions?
Before I could spiral further, Hudson turned into the hospital entrance, pulling smoothly into a parking space.
"We’re here."
I was out of the car before he’d fully stopped, the night air slapping me in the face as I hurried toward the emergency entrance. Hudson fell into step beside me, his long stride easily matching my frantic pace.
At the reception desk, I blurted out, "Louisa Granger—where is she?"
The nurse looked me over, taking in my wild hair and red-rimmed eyes, and her expression softened. "Eighth floor, trauma ward."
The elevator ride to the eighth floor felt endless. When the doors finally opened, I spotted Niall immediately, pacing back and forth like he was preparing to fight the vending machine.
My stomach dropped. Akira whined anxiously.
"How is she?" I asked, bracing myself for the worst.
Niall looked up, his handsome face twisted with worry. When he spotted me, his expression hardened.
"She just went into surgery," he said, running a hand through his usually perfect hair. "Broken arm, injured knee. Internal bleeding they need to address. She’s not in danger, but..." He trailed off.
Relief flooded through me, followed immediately by crushing guilt. Louisa had been on the phone with me when she was hit. I wasn’t behind the wheel, but I might as well have been.
Niall apparently thought the same thing.
"This is your fault," he snarled, stepping toward me. "She was upset because you didn’t show up for dinner. She insisted on calling you. She went outside to make the call. If it weren’t for you, she wouldn’t have been hit!"
My ears burned with anger as Akira growled deep in my chest. I crossed my arms.
"You should have told her I wasn’t coming and canceled dinner. Then she wouldn’t have needed to call me at all," I shot back.
His jaw clenched. His fists did too.
For a second, I thought we were about to put the ’emergency’ in ’emergency room’.
Fresh and unwanted experience had taught me that Niall wasn’t always a pacifist when things didn’t go his way.
I stepped back, on guard.
