27. WILLOW

“You have to stay out here,” a nurse says, as I try to look through the door they just took Dean through.

“Is he going to be okay?” I ask and she gives me a sympathetic look that I’m sure she uses on everyone that asks her the same thing.

“You’ll be told as soon as he’s stable. I still need to ask you some questions about what happened though.”

I purse my lips. I haven’t been able to come up with a cover story to tell them and I don’t even know what actually happened. Before she can press me for information, she looks over my shoulder and suddenly straightens her posture as her eyes light up.

A hand clamps down on my shoulder and a low voice says, “she’s clearly in shock. Give the poor girl some time to process what’s happening rather than bother her with questions.”

When I look up, a man with sharp cheekbones and thick, dark lashes is smiling sweetly at the nurse but from this close I can see the malice in his eyes.

“Yes, of course. I’ll let you know as soon as we know your husband”s condition,” she quickly says to me before hurrying off in the opposite direction before I can even thank her.

“Husband?” The man’s voice is so close to my ear that I can feel his cool breath on my skin and smell the mint from the gum he’s chewing. I instantly recognise him from our phone call earlier.

Shrugging out of his grip I turn to face him. He's ridiculously tall, maybe even taller than Dean, dressed head to toe in black with chains hanging around his neck and thick, heavy looking rings on his slender fingers. His long dark hair is hooked behind one ear and I imagine that if he put on some ear prosthetics he’d look just like a fae prince. I’m sure just like the dark fantasy novels I’ve read he’s just as conniving as them as well. I shake the thought away, he helped me tonight I should be thanking him.

“Dean’s going to blow his load when he hears you”ve been telling everyone he’s your husband!” He smirks and I instantly know why he and Dean are friends.

“I’m assuming your Bones?” I ask, ignoring his comment.

He nods and gives me a sharp smile as he looks me over. His eyes narrow as they linger on the bruises still on my neck that I keep trying and failing to hide behind my hair. “You the sweet, little sex slave he’s been pining over?”

“The what?” I gasp, trying to keep my voice low and hoping no one heard what he just said.

Is that what Dean told him I was?

My cheeks heat at the realization that I kind of have been a sex slave but to my suprise that doesn’t actually make me feel bad.

I’m too worried about whether Dean’s going to make it through the night to care what he calls me to his friend.

“You’re not the girl he snatched up?”

“I—I am. I’m Willow,” I stammer, trying to sound confident in front of the second most intimidating man I’ve ever met. “It’s not like that though.”

“I know,” he says and there’s something in his look that I can’t quite place, like he’s thinking of someone else. “How is he?”

Shrugging my shoulders, I sigh, “I don’t know, they won’t tell me anything. I heard them say he needs a blood transfusion. That’s not good is it?”

“I wouldn’t worry, darling. Knowing him he’ll be absolutely fine. He doesn’t realize how lucky he has it.” Bones places his hand on the small of my back and leads me to an empty set of chairs down the hall far away from everyone else.

“What do you mean?” I ask as I sit down. My head starts to spin and I breathe slowly through my nose to center myself.

“Bullet wounds hurt like a bitch.” I frown at him, pissed off that he’s making jokes when his friend is in surgery. Then he gives me an odd look and says, “you don’t know?”

“Know what?” I stand up but the room spins and I fall back down into the chair.

“You don’t look so good,” he says as he looks at me like I’m about to throw up all over his expensive shoes. “Let me get you something. I need to find the Doc anyway.”

Bones is already walking away before I can answer and a couple of minutes later he returns with a hot chocolate and some snacks. I can only just about manage the drink and can’t bring myself to stomach any food so I leave them unopened on the seat next to me.

I watch as Bones speaks to a doctor down the end of the hall, they’re far enough away that I can only catch glimpses of their conversation.

“He can’t keep doing this, he’s really going to get himself killed,” the Doctor says and I can only assume he’s talking about Dean. I wonder if he’s the one that’s helped him with all his other injuries over the years.

He looks a few years older than Dean and Bones, just like both of them he’s also insanely attractive. He’s tall, with messy blonde hair and wide shoulders that are barely contained in his sterile white coat. Is that a requirement to be friends with them or something, needing model worthy good looks?

“I need you for a house call as soon as you can,” I hear Bones ask.

“You may pay me but that doesn’t mean I can drop everything whenever you need something. ” Bones mumbles his response too low for me to hear and the doctor”s shoulders drop ever so slightly. ”Anything I need to know ahead of time?”

The doctor”s eyes flick to me eavesdropping. Bones looks my way and hesitates before saying, “later.”

I look away suddenly embarrassed that I’ve been caught listening, frozen out of a conversation I wasn’t even invited into and instead focus on the doors that Dean left through.

A few minutes later, Bones’s voice startles me out of my thoughts. “I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

“You don’t know that.”

He sits next to me and crosses his ankle over his knee. “This is your first time here, if you’re planning on staying with him it probably won’t be your last.”

“Because of his job? Weren’t you with him tonight? How did it happen?”

Guilt flashes in Bones’s eyes for a second before he blinks it away and sets his jaw tight. He looks at me with curiosity and I do my best to hold his intense, dark gaze. “It’s partly because of his job. He’s been in and out of the hospital more times than I remember. Stitched up more times than Frankenstein’s monster yet somehow he’s still standing in one piece.”

“He doesn’t tell me much,” I say, hesitant to ask him for Dean’s secrets. I don’t think I’d want to hear them from anyone else anyway. “How did he even make it home tonight?” I ask instead.

Bones shakes his head, “probably stubbornness or he’s just an idiot. I’m guessing either he didn’t know he was bleeding out or he was determined to get home to you before he kicked it.”

Tears sting my eyes and I force them back, biting the inside of my cheek to ground myself. For some reason I don’t feel comfortable crying in front of this man. He reeks of charm but there’s something there that makes me wary. Like he’s spinning a constant web of beauty and deceit, ready to trap an unsuspecting victim in.

“You really care about him,” he says slowly. I look up at him ready to object but I can’t bring myself to do it, I do care about Dean, hell, at this point I’m pretty sure I love him.

“Is it that obvious?”

“I’ve known him for long enough to know he doesn’t let just anyone close to him. You’re the first person I’ve seen cry for him so that must mean something.”

I wipe my cheek and find a tear that managed to sneak its way out.

Bones’s phone buzzes in his pocket and as he checks it his knee bounces like he’s got somewhere else he needs to be.

“He’s got you now so I’m sure he’ll be fine,” he says abruptly. “I’ll come back tomorrow.”

“You’re leaving?” I ask as he stands up. “What am I supposed to do? What do I say if someone asks questions again?”

“Don’t worry. No one will bother you. I’ve made sure they’ll tell you straight away what’s happening. If you need anything ask for Doctor Vincent. The best thing you can do for Dean now is be here when he wakes up.”

Then with a small smile he leaves and I’m left to anxiously wait by myself.