Chapter 24
TESSAâS POV
A wave of relief and hope washed over me the person I could rely on was back. He didnât abandon me.
âGabe?!â I repeated, his name a strangled cry erupting from my Eps.
I know I said I had no more tears to cry but as soon as he spoke to me, I felt hot, fresh tears stream down my face as I clung to him for dear life. How I missed his scent of pine and earth. I just realized how much he meant to me over the years we had known each other.
After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, I pulled away and wiped my tears-stained cheeks, my voice thick with emotion. âGabe⦠I failedâ¦.he diedâ¦I couldnât save himâ.
Gabe was silent urging me to continue and for a breathless 4 minutes, I narrated everything that happened that day.
Gabe ruffled my hair as though I were a child and nodded after listening. I rested my head on his shoulder again. He said nothing and stroked my hair. He didnât offer empty platitudes or false reassurances, he simply let me relax in his arms.
I pulled away again and sniffled. He was staring intently at me.
âTessa..â he began, his voice clear and still. âNever blame yourself for a patientâs death. You played your part, you gave him a chance to live and the rest wasnât in your hands, sometimes the best medics canât win against cruel fate.â
His words were true but I still felt that strange pang of guilt. His words had however offered a sliver of comfort in the darkness that engulfed me.
âBut I shouldâve been there. I shouldnât have left himâ I choked out. âI left the med bay unattended-â
âHey!â he said placing a hand on my lips to silence me.â Donât blame yourself, Tessa. It wasnât in your controlâ He advised.
His words resonated with an air of truth that I couldnât deny however I simply couldnât deny the fact that perhaps, maybe nothing would have happened to him if I had been there.
âCâmon get upâ I heard Will say standing up.
I looked up at him and forced myself up â I stumbled and almost fell due to the formed cramps in my legs.
Running a hand through my hair, I ran my hand through my scatt red hair.
âBy the way, Gabe. I was beginning to think you wouldnât come said peering at him.
He let out a small smile.
âAnd miss seeing your face for so long? Of course not, Tessaâ He assured.
I gave a small hmm and stretched my aching body
âIâm guessing you didnât come empty-handed. Where are your things?â I asked looking at his empty hands.
He equally raised his hands to look at them as though he wasnât aware that he was empty-handed.
âOh, I actually came with nothing but a satchel. I came straight from Nightshade pack. I wanted to make sure you were alrightâ He said.
I felt
my heart give out to this man who could have ignored my lying body years ago but rather, he took me in, cared for me, and treated me like his younger sister and sometimes, I felt like his daughter by the way he treated me like a child.
âThank you, Gabe. For staying with meâ I said with a childish expression on my face,
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Iâm not leaving your side again. Weâll face this together, alright? He said
Gratitude welled up within me at those words, a warm counterpoint to the chilling grip of despair. Gabeâs unwavering support was a lifeline I desperately needed to cling to.
âWhere are the children?â he asked curiously looking about him.
âOh, theyâre in the care of a nanny and theyâll probably be until itâs time for them to be tucked into bedâ I replied.
He smiled and nodded.
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âWhy donât you go check on the patients in the med bay? I donât think youâd want to leave them alone againâ He noted.
I placed a hand on my forehead.
âYouâre right. I shouldnât leave the patients alone. What about you?â I asked.
Gabe pretended to think before answering.
âIâm fine. I want to get my stuff from someone I left it with and find out something before I find my way to you.â
I nodded stillly and walked off, with Gabe staring at me I always knew when Gabe was staring at me and 90% of the time, it was because he was thinking of crucial matters and the remaining 10% was because he had zoned off, and just happened to be staring at me and this time, I knew that it wasnât the latter.
As 1
I got to the med bay, I hesitated at the door, I knew Gia wouldnât judge me but thenâ¦.the new medics may start spreading rumors. Would they accept me or⦠I quelled the thought and pushed the door open revealing a freckle-faced young lady and a middle-aged male wolf, Gia was speaking to them when I walked in.
Gia first noticed me.
âMedic Tessa, youâre back!â she exclaimed. If only I felt the hope she was feeling and knew what kept her happy and calmâ¦
The other two medics greeted simultaneously.
âIâm Evaâ The lady introduced herself.
âIâm Zed,â The man said with so much vigor and willingness to work. Something I was grateful for.
The next 2 hours were spent with the three of them with me telling them the rules and duties they would have to know if they were to work with me. It was standard rules and protocols but I just added a bit of my own rules, the most important being to keep Will out at all costs.
This brought me back to the question, what was Will doing in the med bay shortly before Thomas passed away? Thomas⦠I felt bile rise in my throat again as I stared at the ward where he once lay.
Will had a lot of explaining to do, I didnât have enough evidence against him but I knew he wasnât there to drink coffee when I caught him. He seemed pretty nervous and in a hurry to leave my presence.
I smiled at the two new medics, Ria had taken the stained sheets to the laundry room so I was alone with the two medics.
So, feel free to ask me questions,â I said trying to make them feel comfortable with me. Eva raised her hand to indicate that she had a question and I felt my heart sk ip a weird beat â I was actually worried about what she wanted to ask, would she start questioning me on my return to the pack after so long? Would she ask about my children.?
âMedic Tessaâ Her shrill voice sounded, interrupting my thoughts. âHow did you learn medicine? Iâm amazed by your vast knowledge.â
That was unexpected, no one had asked me that before.
âThe person who taught me is my savior and the closest thing to a family after my children. You know what, heâs in the pack
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Chapter 24
can maybe gain some things from him.â I said.
for now, you can
Eva smiled, her eyes brightening up..
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âReally?! That would beâ¦â She trailed off, her eyes shimmering in excitement. I smiled forgetting my sorrows for a second.
âMedic Tessa?â Zed said making me snap my head to look at him wondering what he wanted to ask.
âAbout sentinelâs Thomas death..â He began. I bit my lip hard wondering if he was going to blame it on my inexperience.
âI know how it feels to lose someone who you tried to save, we had a lot of deaths before you came to save you from it. I heard you cried when he died, Iâm truly amazed by how you are, thatâs the sign of a true medic who canât bear to lose someone. Iâm your number one fanâ He said jokingly to which Eva and I laughed.
âButâ¦â His voice turned serious? How do we effectively deal with deaths? I have a feeling that weâll be seeing a lot
I licked my lips.
âLetâs hope and work hard so we donât lose anyone anymore,â I said.
I stood up, looking at them
âYou two are in charge. I need to go find someone,â I said leaving before they could get a word in.
I was leaving to find him-Will. I couldnât sit around and not do anything but where was the old geezer? My steps led me into the vast training area which was empty because the village had been put on temporary lockdown the previous day due to a sp i ke in cases.
Then, I saw him. Will, his tall broad form leaning against a gnarled oak tree. I felt a sudden surge of anger as I approached
him
I stormed towards him, my voice heavily laced with accusation and pain.
âYou!â I spat out
stopping mere inches away from him. âWhat did you do?â
He looked down at me, his face expressionless. âWhat do you mean?â He asked nonchalantly. He was calm â too calm.
âYou were the last⦠I wanted to counter when I heard a voice behind me.
âMedic Tessa and Medic Will,â The sentinel said bowing. The Alpha has requested your presence immediatelyâ.
I shot a look at Will, my words caught in my throat.
I calmed myself down and followed the sentinel along with Will as he led us to the meeting hall where Adrian, Giselle, and the elders were already present.
I curtsied and found a place to stand opposite Will
âGlad you could join us,â Adrian said addressing Will and me but his gaze was fixed on only me.
âWe have reason to believe that Sentinel Thomas was poisoned and didnât die of the plague so we will be conducting an investigation to bring the killerâ¦if there is one to justice,â Adrian said
I shot a side look at Will who seemed unbothered.
Then, Giselle, ever the opportunist stood up and wasted no time in pointing her finger at me. âIt wouldnât have happened if âTessa had been there,â she said, her voice dripping with indignation. âShe shouldnât have left them unattendedâ¦â
I was silent wondering what Adrian would say side with his Luna and speak ill of me?
However, Adrian shot a withering look to Giselle who was silenced immediately.
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âEnough. Giselle. Your words are unhelpful and disrespectful. Tessa has done everything in her power to save the lives of people and I will not tolerate any further accusations against her He growled.
Giselle sat back down, her eyes burning with a fire that I was all too familiar with.
One of the elders turned to me, a curious look in his eyes.
âMedic Tessa, perhaps you would like to explain what type of position might have been used against the deceased?â He
asked
I had no answer, I had never seen anything like it and I felt uncomfortable with everyone staring at me, waiting for me to
answer.
The doors were pushed open and someone walked in with determination and resolve in every step â Gabe.
Everyone turned to look at Gabe unsure of his identity.
âApologies for the interruption. Alphaâ Gabe said bowing to Adrian who was peering at him with curiosity.
âI believe I may be able to shed some light on the matter.â Gabe said, moving closer to me.
I saw Adrianâs eyes darken at Gabeâs close proximity to me was that jealousy?.
Adrian frowned deeply, looking at Gabe. Gabe had his hand in mine and Iâm not sure how Adrian translated it but it was certainly not a friendly gaze that he was giving Gabe.
âWho are you and what is your relationship with Medic Tessa?â Adrianâs gruff voice boomed.
Gabe let go of my hand and bowed again.
âMe? My name is Gabe Heartwood and Iâm Tessaâs mentorâ He said, his voice loud and clear for all to hear.