Chapter 233
The beeping of machines. That’s all I could hear for ages. Then the murmurs of voices in rooms all
around me got louder before the pulsing of my own heartbeat and the hoarseness of my breath
joined. A clinical smell came through my nostrils. It was so sterile and inhuman and totally
insufferable. I opened my eyes. At first it was fuzzy and blurry and I could only make out a bright
white light above me. Slowly my vision focussed and the clean white ceiling, walls, floors and sheets
came into view.
All I wanted was to get out of there. To get somewhere real.
I sat up. There were tubes and wires attached to me, imprisoning me to the buzzing and beeping
machines but I began ripping them out. My ears were instantly pierced by a blaring alarm and I
wasn’t even free yet. With little control over my body, my fingers fumbled. I felt like I was physically
still asleep but my mind was screaming, trapped inside this useless body.
The panic of being so helpless began to set in and my thoughts moved instantly to the person I
knew would always help me.
“Leo!” I started screaming. “Leo!”
He’ll come. He’ll get me out of this godforsaken place.
A few seconds later, a woman dressed plain blue clothes scrubs ran in and began trying to calm me.
“Luna, you’re in the hospital. You’re perfectly safe,” she said taking my hand and trying to stop me
from ripping out the tubes. “The pack hospital.”
“The pack? Where’s Leo?!” I asked her frantically as tears began to stream. “I need him.”
She nodded seconds before the door slammed open and my mate walked in. He seemed to sigh in
relief upon seeing me before he came over and took my hand away from the arm with the tubes.
“Ells, no. You need to leave those alone.”
“I feel so trapped,” I said. “Why is everything so white!?”
“I will have those walls painted whatever colour you like but for now please just lie down and leave
those wires alone. They are there to help you.”
I nodded and did as he said.
He picked up a blanket from the bottom of the bed and lay it over me before taking my hand and
sitting beside me.
“What’s going on?” I asked. “Why am I here? The last thing I remember is falling asleep in the
jungle.”
“You were in a coma,” he said. “This thing is a life support machine. It’s been keeping you alive.”
“A coma?” I asked. “For how long?”
I dreaded his answer.
“Only two and a half weeks,” he replied.
Could be worse.
“The kids,” I whispered. “When do I get to see them?”
“As soon as you are strong enough,” he replied taking my hand. “You’re in no state to see eight
excited children right now but I will send them your love.”
I nodded.
“What happened?” I asked. “What did I miss?”
“Well…” he began. “You’ve been through a lot. At one point we didn’t know you’d live. And part of
you didn’t. You were pregnant, Ella.”
“Pregnant?” I questioned in disbelief. “Were?”
“You miscarried and after that, you improved,” he added.
“No,” I said. “No. I had his child inside of me?”
My heart rate began to raise again along with the beeping of a machine beside me.
“But you don’t anymore. The trauma caused you to miscarriage,” he explained.
I felt an unexplainable deep sense of loss. It was almost as bad as when Leo and I lost a baby. But
Andrea wasn’t my mate and I despised him with everything I had so why was I upset to have
miscarried his child?
“Oh, Leo,” I whispered beginning to sob.
He leant down squeezed my hand tighter and wiped my eyes with his thumb.
“You’re going to be okay,” he reassured.
“And what of Andrea?” I asked.
“We haven’t heard from him,” Leo said. “There’s been no sign of him since we left South America.”
Another tear slipped down my cheek.
“So it’s not over?” I asked.
He shook his head, “Not yet.”
I squeezed his hand and and forced a smile.
“Bring the kids here as soon as they say I’m well enough. And Luca and Max and my Mom and your
Mom and-”
“Alright alright,” he said with a laugh. “All in good time. Just get some rest, okay?”
“As if I haven’t been lying here for two and a half weeks,” I said.
He smiled and kissed my hand.
“It’s good to have you back.”