Doctor Wolf’s Human Nurse (Fated To The Wolf #9)

23. Abby

23

Abby

A bby squirmed. “We have to move.”

“Why? I’m comfortable.”

“I’m in the wet spot.”

Sawyer laughed. “That’s the price you pay for being utterly and completely satisfied by yours truly.”

“Yours truly is going to get sprayed with cold water if you don’t get up and let me change these sheets.”

“You don’t have a cat. Why do you have a spray bottle full of water?”

“My hair gets frizzy.”

“Fine, be that way. Just know, though, if you spray me with water, I will hiss at you and might kick the litter out of my litterbox.”

“I might spray you just to see that.”

They rolled out of bed and went into the bathroom to clean up, and then they changed sheets.

Sawyer must have been tired, because he climbed into bed, wrapped his arms around her, pulled her close, and instantly went to sleep.

Abby lay awake for a while, enjoying the feeling of snuggling with him. She couldn’t believe that she actually had the guts to tell him that she loved him. The words just seemed to slip out.

He told me that he loved me, too.

A warmth spread through her as his words echoed in her brain.

This man – this incredible man – loves me. I would never believe it possible.

Soon, Morpheus overtook her, and she fell into a deep sleep.

Abby woke up early the next morning before her alarm went off. She stretched and yawned, feeling more rested than she had in a very long time. Sawyer had rolled over during the night and was sleeping with his back to her, rolled up in the sheet and blanket.

She watched him sleep for a minute.

This powerful, sexy, gorgeous man told me that he loved me.

It was still hard for her to believe. She knew that he wouldn’t have said it if he didn’t mean it. Abby was also aware that Sawyer had high principles and would never cheat on her or intentionally hurt her.

Slipping out of bed, she dressed in a large T-shirt and sweats and headed into the kitchen. She played her favorite podcast while she hit the start on the coffee pot and got out some bacon and eggs.

“Nothing like coffee, eggs, bacon, and murder for breakfast,” she muttered as Vanessa Williams talked about the most recent case on the Serial Killers podcast. “I still miss Greg Polcyn, though. I hated it when he stopped being a cohost on the podcast.”

She put a couple slices of bacon into the frying pan and jumped and squealed when a voice sounded behind her.

Sawyer laughed. “Talking to yourself?”

Pausing the podcast, Abby shook her fork at him. “Yes. Sometimes I argue with myself. It’s awful when I lose or when I don’t listen and have to repeat myself.”

“You’re a goof,” Sawyer said, brushing a kiss across her lips. “One of the many great things about you.”

“Thank you. You have a couple endearing qualities, yourself.”

Sawyer poured a cup of coffee and grinned. “Like what?”

“I can’t remember right now. Why don’t you grab some plates out of the cupboard there and set the table? The silverware is in that drawer,” she said, pointing. “Glasses for the orange juice are in that cabinet.” She paused and added, “Don’t worry, everything has been through the dishwasher at least twice so there’s no poison on them.”

“I still feel bad about that.”

“Why, did you do it?”

“No, but I’m the one who put you in her crosshairs.”

Abby shook her head. “No, sir. She did. She chose to do what she did overseas, and she chose to break in here to poison me, and she chose to try to kill a quarter of the population in this country.”

“I can’t argue with that.”

Grinning, Abby patted him on the back. “I know. You should get used to it. I’m usually right in an argument.”

“Arrogant, aren’t we?” he teased.

She put the plate of eggs, bacon, and toast on the table in front of him. “Nope. Confident.

“What are you planning on doing today?” she asked.

“We’re going to go on the mountain to see if we can’t find the other rogue shifters who were responsible for kidnapping the younglings and spraying the mist on people. I just hope we get them all. Dahlia and Rick gave us a couple of names, but I’m not sure that they told us about all of the shifters involved.”

“Good luck. I hope you get them.”

She sat down at the table and chewed a bite of egg thoughtfully. “I know that there is a lot of experimentation done with vaccines, treatments, and cures, and that there are laws put in place that protect people, especially vulnerable people, from being used as guinea pigs. While Rick and Dahlia were clearly on the wrong side of ethics and the law, I wonder if sometimes, reputable institutions skate on a thin line.”

“I’ve thought about that, too. I’m sure it does happen, but they have to be extremely careful. If the public found out about it, the company could be ruined. If the government discovers any type of unethical or unlawful activities, the company could be fined, the people in charge could face prison time, and the company dissolved.”

“Perhaps the scientists cut corners that others don’t know about and cover it up.”

“I’m sure it does happen. The best that we can do is hope that most people are ethical and truly care about others and do want to make a difference.”

Sawyer finished breakfast and put his dishes in the dishwasher. He kissed Abby on the cheek. “I’ll see you later.”

“Stay safe out there.”

“Absolutely. I’ve got Sean, Sebastian, and others to watch my back.”

Abby cleaned up and then drove to Conner’s place. Beth was expecting her.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Beth asked.

“Yes, I’m sure.”

There was one dose of the potion left that healed the shifters. Abby had asked if it would be able to turn a human into a shifter. Beth, Savvy, and Taryn thought that it could, but Beth said they couldn’t guarantee anything. Abby said she wanted to try.

Beth advised her to think it over for a few days and if she still wanted to try, then they would let her take the last dose.

Beth took Abby upstairs to the guest bedroom and handed her the bottle.

Taking a deep breath, Abby held it up in a salute, and then drank the contents. The liquid felt like fire as it ran down her throat into her stomach. After a minute, Abby thought her entire body had caught fire from the inside out. Her stomach cramped, and her heart felt as though an icy hand wrapped around it and squeezed.

Abby fell onto the bed and curled up into a ball, moaning. Savvy and Taryn put their hands on her and spoke the same spell they had over the shifters. The world started spinning around in circles and Abby was very dizzy. Everything was blurry.

The next day, she was in no condition to get up. She felt as though someone had punched her in the stomach while someone else was ripping out her spine. Her head hurt like someone had slammed a sledgehammer into it and then put a hatchet right between her eyes.

Abby moaned when she was alone, but tried hard not to make any sounds when the witches were around. She knew they were worried about her and this was her own choice. They had warned her about the potential risks, but she chose to drink the potion, anyway.

She spent the entire day in and out of consciousness. A few times, she was aware of Beth or Taryn putting a straw into her mouth, urging her to drink water so she wouldn’t be dehydrated.

Beth called Sawyer on the third day. “Abby’s not going to make it into work today. She’s not been feeling well.”

“Is she okay? I can come.” The worry in his voice came through clearly on the phone.

“No. She’ll be okay. She’s asleep most of the time. You know that Taryn and I are taking good care of her.”

“Please call me and let me know if there’s anything I can do.”

“I will – promise.”

Beth hung up the phone and muttered, “I just hope she will be okay,” as she left the room.

Her body felt so heavy that sometimes, she had to crawl to the bathroom. Her body felt like her bones were disconnecting and reconnecting in a hundred different ways. Her tendons stretched and tore. Fire raced back and forth inside Abby’s veins. Sweat poured off of her so much that Beth changed the sheets on the bed a couple times a day.

What did I do? I wanted to be a shifter so badly. I’m going to die and miss out on a lifetime with Sawyer. This is going to tear him apart.

Finally, that night, the pain eased up a little. She felt like she could breathe without daggers stabbing her lungs. Abby was able to walk by herself to the bathroom and sat up in bed, gratefully eating the soup Beth brought her.

“How do you feel?” Beth asked.

“Better. Different.”

Beth crossed her fingers. “Hopefully, it worked. Rest tonight and then if you’re feeling up to it tomorrow, you can try shifting.”

“What animal do you think I will turn into? I didn’t think of that. What if I shift and I’m a frog or a cockroach?”

“Then I would advise you to not shift. My guess is, though, that your soul, your energy, dictated what your animal form will be.”

Abby fell asleep early, enjoying the first night’s sleep she’d had in a couple days that didn’t involve excruciating pain. It was interrupted, though, by disturbing dreams. Every time she shifted, it was into something different – and none of the forms were good. She saw herself shifting into a mosquito, roach, toad, slug, and tick. During one of the dreams, Abby shifted and couldn’t metamorphosize back into her human form.

She woke up terrified. “Those are just my fears. Dreams manifest what we are thinking and feeling. I’m not going to be a mosquito or a tick.”

Abby wiped her face. She could still taste the tinny flavor of blood.

Beth knocked on the door and brought in a tray of scrambled eggs and toast. “I thought this would be easy enough on your tum-tum for your first day back on food.”

“Thank you. I can’t thank you enough for how well you’ve taken care of me. You, Taryn, and Savvy have practically waited on me hand and foot.”

“It’s our pleasure. We are curious to see whether the potion will work on full-blood humans.”

Abby laughed. “Oh, I get it. I’m just a science experiment.”

“Something along those lines.

“Eat your breakfast, and we’ll be back up in a little bit to see if it worked.”

Abby crossed her fingers. “Here’s hoping.”

A half-hour later, three witches crowded into the bedroom.

Abby carefully stood up, terrified and excited at the same time. “How does this work?”

“Focus your body on shifting. Picture the animal you want to be,” Taryn suggested.

Nodding, Abby closed her eyes. In her mind, she pictured a beautiful black wolf. She gasped as she felt her body change. It was almost like a tickling sensation. After a couple of minutes, it stopped.

Taryn, Beth, and Savvy clapped. “Open your eyes,” Savvy exclaimed.

Slowly, Abby opened her eyes and looked into the mirror attached to the back of the door. A large, pure black wolf looked back at her.

Abby concentrated on her human form. The same tickling sensation filled her and then she was on her hands and feet. She jumped up and clapped.

“You did it. You turned me into a shifter.”

Grinning, the witches hugged Abby.

“How do you feel?” Taryn asked.

“Wow. I can’t even tell you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. How can I ever repay you guys?”

“Just be our friend,” Savvy said.

“Always.”

Abby helped clean up the room she had been staying in and hugged the three women tightly. “We’ll go out to eat dinner to celebrate. I’m buying.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Beth said.

Abby rushed home and called Xyla.

“What is going on? I’ve been worried sick about you. All Beth would tell me was that you weren’t feeling well and she was taking care of you.”

“Can you come over? I’ll tell you everything.”

Xyla rushed over.

“Sit down on the couch. I want to show you something.”

Abby undressed and focused her mind on a picture of a wolf. She felt her body changing and then she was a wolf. She could see better and hear better. Abby smelled Xyla’s scent.

Xyla’s eyes opened wide and her mouth dropped. “Oh, my lord. When did this happen?”

Quickly shifting back, Abby dressed and told her everything.

“Why?”

Xyla’s question was clearly curious and not judgmental.

“I’ve always wanted to be a shifter. There was one dose of the potion left, and I decided to try it. Tada.”

“Wow.” Xyla was speechless.

“Now, I just have to tell Sawyer.”