riley pollard (aknightcomplex) wrote in the_dome, @ 2013-07-04 20:25:00 |
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Entry tags: | 04-04-2017, lia, lia and riley, riley |
The Big Bad Wolf & Other Stories
Who: Lia and Riley
When: Evening
Where: Lia’s home
Warnings: Some wolfy, kinda bloody stuffs
With Sophia safely tucked away at the neighbor’s for a sleepover with her friend, Lia was feeling a multitude of emotions, including an enormous amount of anticipation, and a smidgen of anxiety. She had invited Riley over, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out why. The power was still out, but she had firewood in the backyard, and candles, and she hoped that kept them warm enough because Lia had every intention of getting Riley naked as soon as he walked through the door. She knew their reunion might have been moving extremely fast, especially given the issues still festering between them, but Lia justified her decision by reminding herself that they were still married, and it had been six long years of celibacy for the both of them. Maybe physical intimacy was what they needed. Hell, Lia knew it was what she needed. And she needed it badly.
With the candles lit inside, Lia was expecting Riley at any moment. She had a fire going, but was low on firewood, so she wandered into the backyard, crossing the small lawn to where she kept her bundle of firewood under a blue tarp. She had gotten plenty when she first moved into the dome, but the weather had never gotten this chilly, so she rarely lit a fire at all unless Sophia begged for one.
As she lifted two pieces of firewood into her arms, Lia began to wonder if she would have enough time to change into something else before Riley arrived. She didn’t have any real sexy pajamas, or even lingerie - she had never imagined she would need them - but she had a cute white tank top and shorts, silky to the touch and rather revealing. Lia could only imagine Riley’s face if she answered the door wearing something like that.
She was headed back across the lawn with a small, contented smile on her face when she heard the howls in the distance. It prompted her to slow her steps, and she looked across a few of the yards, brows drawn together in confusion. Dogs, maybe? Only it didn’t sound like a dog. The growl behind her did, however, and Lia turned to see what looked to be a rather large wolf standing near the pile of firewood she had just walked away from. It’s teeth were bared, it’s dark eyes fixated on her and Lia breathed in slowly, her heart suddenly thudding painfully in her chest. Damn, what was she supposed to do? Run? Back up slowly? If she dropped the firewood and ran, she could probably get onto the back porch and into the house in less than fifteen steps. But Lia had never had to outrun a wolf before.
Still trying to figure out her options, Lia took an instinctive step backward, which seemed to trigger the wolf into action. The firewood left her arms the moment it lunged for her, and Lia found herself at the back door within seconds, her hands wrapping around the door handle to tug it open. She didn’t even realize the screams she heard were her own. At least not until she got the back door open and fell inside onto the floor. Then there was pain. Teeth biting hard into her shoulder, claws raking down her sides, tearing her clothes. The smell of the animal’s hot breath, combined with the scent of blood, made her nauseous, but there was nothing she could do but scream and try to punch the animal off of her before it mauled her to death.
Riley was whistling. The umbrella he was carrying -- seemed to always be carrying lately in case the weather turned suddenly sour -- twirled around and around in his hand as he walked. The air was damp, thick, and smelled like sweaty a boot camp barracks, but nothing was getting him down tonight. He'd been anticipating this evening for almost a week, though he'd only felt assured it would happen after Lia's text yesterday.
It seemed the old adage was true that good things come to those who wait. And they'd both waited for six years. It was time. The spark was there and Riley was looking forward to igniting it. To finally seeing her body, touching it, rather than simply dreaming of it. He had a secretive smile on his face but he attempted to think of other things. He didn't need to arrive at her door feeling lustful enough to rip her clothes off before the door even shut.
When he heard the howls, Riley was mid-thought and almost didn't notice. Though the part of him trained for combat picked up on it immediately. His backbone stiffened and he stopped twirling the umbrella to look around. He wished he had brought his rifle all of a sudden and almost considered going back for it. Something felt off. There weren't animals in the dome that made that sort of sound. That was canine but definitely not a house pet. Memories of dingos from back in Oz made his knuckles whiten around the umbrella handle. It wouldn't be much of a weapon but his hands had legally been considered weapons by the military.
He picked up his pace, wanting to get to Lia's and shut the door behind him. To be sure she was safe. He was almost there when he heard screams. Riley saw red. He would never be sure how he found Lia, how he'd rounded the house, but he was on the large animal before his mind fully caught up. All the training in the world couldn't have prepared him for this. He let out a cry of fury, knocking into the animal with his full weight at a run. It rolled off Lia but was otherwise unphased. In fact, it didn't seem to care he was there as it went after her again but Riley put himself between them. If he could force it backward just enough, he could shut it outside.
Riley turned sideways to the wolf as it charged and threw all his force into a roundhouse kick to the wolf's head. He struck the beasts nose squarely with the heel of his boot. It snarled and toppled backward but was on its feet again in an instant. But Riley was faster. He slammed the door, bolted it, and turned to find Lia. "Lia! Are you okay?"
She was unaware, for a moment, that the wolf was no longer on top of her. Lia heard the commotion, and then there was Riley's voice, cutting through the sound of her heart thumping in her ears. Opening her eyes, Lia felt the pain flooding her body, and her shirt was soaked from the blood escaping the bite mark on her shoulder. She didn't want to move, so she lay there on the floor, gasping in a breath before remembering Sophia was next door. "Sophia," she said through gritted teeth as she struggled to sit up. The throbbing pain intensified at her movement, and Lia cried out before bringing her hand up to her shoulder instinctively. Her fingers became slick with blood, and Lia blinked, trying to refocus and find Riley. "I need... my phone. On the table..." She needed to call next door to make sure Sophia stayed inside.
Riley's body shook with anger. He could hear the wolf outside scratching at her door and growling. Where had it come from? Why had it attacked Lia? Someone needed to pay for this. But who? He didn't have time to think about it because she was hurt.
He grabbed her phone and a towel from the sink, handing her the phone. "We need to stop the bleeding." He was by her side, pushing at her clothes gently to find the cause in spite of her request for her phone. Seeing the bite made him even more furious. He was ten seconds away from opening the door and ripping the wolf apart with his bare hands. He took a deep breath and let it out in whoosh as he stood to get her phone from the table. Calm and focus, Pollard. Lia needs you.
"I need to take this off so I can wrap the wound as tightly as possible," he said, indicating her shirt, his voice deathly quiet. "Then we have to get you to the hospital."
Lia took the phone, though her hand was shaking so badly she couldn't quite punch in the proper number. Hissing loudly when Riley began to move her clothes, Lia nearly dropped the phone. The nausea rose again and she feared she might be sick right there on the floor. "Wait," she groaned, trying to reach out to keep his hands from taking her shirt off. She knew it needed to be done, but Lia handed him the phone, her hands still trembling. "Connie... the neighbor... she's in my phone. Text... just make sure Sophia's okay.. make sure they stay inside." Lia wasn't going to able to cooperate or focus on anything Riley wanted until he did what she asked. The ache in her shoulder and down her side was so acute that she felt like passing out, but Lia kept her eyes open, refusing to move until she knew her daughter would be all right.
Riley flipped on Lia's phone although it was the last thing he wanted to do right now. He could see in her eyes that she needed to know Sophia was safe before she'd let him help her so he would be as quick as he could about it. There was already a message in the queue from Connie checking in that everyone there was safe but had Lia heard the howling and commotion in her backyard? He didn't read it to Lia or even mention it. Simply hit "reply" and typed in, "Stay inside. Not safe outside." The phone beeped almost immediately with affirmation from Connie. It took less than a minute but the series of actions had felt like an eternity to Riley who was very aware of Lia's bleeding and pain.
"Sophia is okay. Connie locked her doors when she heard howls earlier," he told her truthfully. "Do you have a first aid kit? Bandages? We really have to stop the bleeding."
It felt like an eternity for Lia too, trying to stay conscious and wait for Riley to tell her what was happening. When he confirmed that Sophia was safe, Lia released a shaky breath as relief flooded her body. Thank god. Closing her eyes, Lia moved to lay back down, gritting her teeth as sharp whimpers of pain escaped her. If she stayed upright, she would probably end up passing out and knocking her head on the floor was probably the last thing she needed. Her clothes felt wet and sticky and now that the concern for Sophia had ebbed some, Lia was finally beginning to acknowledge just how bad this was. Squeezing her eyes against the onslaught of tears, Lia managed to nod at Riley's question, albeit belatedly. "Under... the kitchen sink." Then, despite herself, she began to cry, unable to hold it in any longer. Lia had always hated showing weakness, but considering her shoulder felt torn to shreds, she couldn't ignore the pain any longer.
Riley was under the sink and ripping open the first aid kit without care that he cracked it. He'd replace it later. He sifted through bandages, ointments, and medical tape looking… There it was. A pressure bandage. He focused on her again, pulling the safety scissors from the kit as well to remove her shirt but set everything aside when he saw she was lying down again, eyes closed.
"Open your eyes, Lia. You have to stay awake for me, okay?" He wanted to hold her, kiss her, make it right but that wasn't possible right now. Her tears pierced his heart and her pain made him ache but he kept calm, talking quietly to her. "It's going to hurt, but you have to sit up. You have to keep the wound raised above your heart. I can help, let me do the lifting, okay?" He positioned himself to take her weight as soon as she was ready to move.
Lia didn't want to move. She felt dizzy and sick and all of the sudden, tired. Protesting weakly against his demand to sit up, Lia wanted to just roll over and sleep for awhile. Sleep would at least make the pain go away for awhile. But she managed to open her eyes, ignoring the fact that they were blurry and unfocused. Lia groaned again, but allowed Riley to help her sit up. Jostling her arm didn't help anything, and Lia inhaled sharply, one leg instinctively kicking out as a fresh wave of agony hit her. And then she looked down at herself. She knew she had been bleeding. She smelled it when the wolf bit into her. Had felt it as it ran down her body, soaking through her clothes. But seeing it now, splattered and smeared on the floor, her crimson colored shirt stuck to her side, ripped open. Lia could see bits of her flesh torn from where the wolf's claws had scratched and that's all it took for her stomach to churn and everything to start go to black. "Can't," she murmured, leaning against him immediately to stop the room from spinning.
Riley knew the struggle she was going through and tried to be as gentle as he could while still working as quickly as possible. Once she was up though he could see the anguish that bit of movement had caused her. He hoped she wouldn't puke but that would be better than blacking out. "Stay with me, Lia. You're going to be okay. Just listen to my voice and keep your eyes open.” He patted her cheek and carefully dragged her to lean against the counter for support because he couldn't hold her and deal with her shoulder at the same time. He wished he had his medical kit from the war. The one with the little syringes of local painkiller. He was moving fast but time seemed sluggish. He was losing precious seconds with every kindness he gave her by not jostling her or moving her too much. It was against his training but he couldn't bring himself to manhandle her or cause her more pain.
Once she leaned against the counter he cut away her shirt with the medical scissors. He ripped open packages of absorbent pads which he applied immediately to her wound. He'd let the hospital do the disinfecting and whatever else needed to be done but he had to stop her bleeding. He wouldn't even allow himself to see if the blood was flowing or coming out in spurts. He couldn't think of her dying. He refused as he wound the pressure bandage around and around her shoulder, gritting his teeth because he knew it had to be agonizing.
Lia seemed to drift in and out of consciousness, and she was only aware of Riley's presence when she was able to open her eyes and focus, which wasn't often. She could feel some cooler air on her skin as her shirt was cut away, then there was an intense stinging when he pressed the pads against her wounds. It seemed tolerable enough, but that might have been because Lia felt like she was going numb. At least the tears had stopped, although she could still taste them on her lips. Exhausted now, Lia closed her eyes again, but the reprieve lasted only a few seconds. Because then Riley applied the pressure bandage to her shoulder, and her entire body jolted in distress. Lia screamed loudly, her free hand striking out like a snake to grab his collar, twisting the material in her fingers in a weak attempt to push him away. In some recess of her mind she knew it was necessary, that if he didn't stop the bleeding, she might not make it to the hospital, but agony didn't always produce rational thought or reaction. Panting loudly, Lia held onto Riley, although her fingers loosened their grip in his shirt as the pain began to dull again.
He'd been able to dodge her leg shooting out a moment ago but her hand caught his collar and he couldn't yank away without hurting her. So he paused before finishing off the bandage, clenching his jaw so hard that pain shot up through his temples. He barely felt it as he felt her fingers loosen and he pulled away to sit down beside her. He took her phone again and made the call to the hospital. The line was busy and he cussed loudly before trying again. While it rang he looked at her, his chest rising and falling with the aftermath of the adrenaline he'd been riding to get done what needed to be done. No one was answering the phone. He cussed again. Where were they? Didn't they know he needed help?
"Lia, look at me, okay? Show me those gorgeous eyes, okay, love?" Was he going to have to carry her there himself? He could do it, he knew that for sure but he also knew that if he picked her up she would pass out from the pain of it. He didn't want to chance that she'd lost enough blood that it could be dangerous for her not to be conscious. But what choice did he have? At least she'd be free of the pain for a little while and that could be a blessing. This was why soldiers weren't allowed to fraternize. Because he couldn't stop thinking about the fact he could lose her all over again when he needed to be clearheaded and focused on getting her to safety.
And there was the fact that the wolf might still be outside.
He was frozen with indecision suddenly. His mind went thousands of miles away to a small desert town and a child's stuffed kangaroo lying torn to pieces alongside the road. The sound of mortar shells exploding and blood everywhere. He was jarred back to the present by the sound of banging at her front door.
“Emergency. Let us in!” he heard.
Riley's voice sounded like an echo in her ear, and Lia laid her head back against the counter, eyes closing again. How could he ask her to keep her eyes open? They were too heavy and it felt better when she didn't have to focus on anything. Was it supposed to hurt this much? Lia had been bitten by a dog when she was nine, right in the palm of her hand. Her mom had taken her to get stitches. And the stitches had hurt more than the bite itself. But this? This was excruciating, although the pressure bandage had definitely dulled some of the sharper pain. She heard her mother's voice in her head, calling her silly. Silly. Because surely there were people who were mauled to death by dogs. Or wolves. She was lucky, wasn't she? Because she was still alive, at least.
Lia's train of thought was sporadic, and random, and she thought about Sophia. And then Riley, who she thought was still sitting beside her because she heard him cursing. It almost made her want to laugh. Almost. He didn't curse often, so whenever he had, it had always tickled Lia. Bad words seemed so foreign in his voice. God, she loved his voice. "Sorry," Lia mumbled suddenly, before the banging stopped on her door. "Sorry," she repeated before finally giving into the darkness that engulfed her.
Riley watched her face, his heart threatening to break when she spoke. He glanced between her and the door before getting to his feet. How had emergency known to come when he hadn't called. He was wary but he knew he couldn't help her by himself without risking another attack by the wolf if it was still out there. He rushed to the door and pulled it open, pulling the man outside in and closing the door quickly.
"Hurry, she's been attacked by a wolf. It might still be out there." His voice sounded high-pitched and strained. The man picked up on the urgency of the situation and quickly followed him back to Lia and all of the blood she'd lost. Riley was grateful he didn't have to prod the man into action because Lia looked as though she'd lost consciousness. Riley paced as the man took her vitals with deft fingers then checked that the bandage would hold until they made it to the hospital.
Standing, the man said, "Her neighbor called because she heard screaming around the same time she saw a stranger enter the back yard. You're the stranger, I take it?" He gave Riley a small smile of apology as it was plain to see Riley hadn't been the one to hurt Lia.
Riley nodded, his arms folded tightly across his chest. "I'm her husband. I own the cattle ranch. Is she going to be okay?"
"I'm not a doctor, I'm police, but I know enough to say she's still alive. But by the looks of things, we need to get her quickly to the hospital."
Riley nodded again and the two men began the process of getting Lia outside and into the waiting wagon, all the while keeping watch for the wolf but it seemed long gone. Though, in the distance, Riley heard a lone howl.
Lia was dreaming, although in some odd way she still felt conscious to what was happening around her. It was if she knew something wasn't quite right, but couldn't figure out what it was. But Riley was talking to her, only they were back home, laying together in his hayloft on top of a blanket. He was shirtless, his body covering hers. And Lia was topless as well, but laughing at something he was saying, one arm bent and resting comfortably over her head. The other hand was pushing itself through his hair, over and over. At least until he kissed her and Lia could feel his body sliding deep into hers and then... it was perfect. How odd for her to dream about the past when she was in so much pain. Riley would tease her for having a sex dream while she was unconscious and covered in sweat and blood.
Her dream began to fade, and when she finally managed to open her eyes, Lia found herself in a sterile smelling room, laying in a somewhat comfortable hospital bed rather than the hard floor of her house. She couldn't smell blood anymore, and the pain was a very faint throb in her shoulder. The sound of footsteps outside the door, of low, murmured voices assaulted her, and Lia tried to tell whoever was there to quiet down as the loud noises were giving her a headache, only her throat was so dry nothing but a small sound escaped it.
How long had she been out? When had she been moved to the hospital? Where was Riley? Sophia? Panic began to rise inside of her, and she struggled to sit up to try and gather her bearings.
After all of the hubbub had died down and the doctors and nurses had Lia stabilized, Riley had been left numb. He stared at his wife and she was so deathly pale but they said she had an excellent chance because he'd stopped the bleeding in time. She'd lost quite a bit of blood but not enough to die and he thanked God over and over that he'd gone to her house, not back for his rifle. He sat beside her bed in an uncomfortable wooden chair with worn padding, just watching her as her chest rose and fell, the machines beeped. Nurses wandered in and out giving him looks of sympathy and soft words of encouragement that she would pull through just fine. Riley heard almost none of it until he was so exhausted he closed his eyes, resting his cheek on the bed beside her good arm.
He slept fitfully, his dreams a mess of gore and memories from the war and from earlier in the evening. He tried to save her over and over in his dreams from so many different scenarios and each time he failed he'd wake with a start, sure he'd see her wide, dead eyes staring at him in reality as they had been in his dreams. He woke once to the pleasant sensation of her fingers moving through his hair and he lay there a long while hoping she'd speak but she didn't and he drifted off again only to startle awake at the sudden movement of her attempt to sit up. He sat up slowly and took her hand.
"Shh, you're safe," he said quietly.
Lia's eyes widened and she jerked away when Riley's hand took hers. But then recognition hit, and she was staring at Riley, who was talking to her, and holding her hand. She could see bits of blood spattered over his clothes, but he didn't seem to be hurt. God, she wanted to reach for him, pull him close to her and keep him there for as long as they would let her. Swallowing hard, Lia tried to relax and she exhaled slowly before resting back against the pillows again. "Is Sophia still okay?" she whispered, her voice hoarse and dry.
He nodded at her question. "Sophia is okay. Connie still has her. The officer that helped me get you here checked on her after he left and let me know she was safely asleep." He hadn't known what to tell the babysitter so he hadn't sent along a message, merely asked the officer to check in with whatever excuse he could figure on without causing the woman to panic. His eyes belied his exhaustion but he hoped not the despair he'd felt most of the night. If the officer hadn't shown up, Riley wasn't exactly sure what would have happened. He'd frozen, checked out. She could've died because of it and he was ashamed of himself. He reached for a cup of melting ice chips he'd asked the nurses to keep filled in case she woke up. He figured her throat would be dry when she finally came to. His had been. He held the cup toward her good arm. "This should help your throat."
Knowing that Sophia was still all right helped Lia relax some, and she took the ice chips Riley offered, somehow managing to refrain from reminiscing about Sophia's birth. He hadn't been there and she didn't want to stir up anymore painful reminders of their past. "I don't know what happened," she murmured, finding Riley's gaze with her own. "I don't know where it came from. It was... how did a wolf get inside Delphi?" It was more a metaphorical question because she didn't really expect Riley to know. Forgetting about the ice chips for a moment, Lia reached for his hand and squeezed tightly as she could manage in her condition. "You saved my life." He had been the one to get the animal outside. He had tended to her injury. It was startling, but Lia knew she would be dead if it weren't for him.
Relief was evident all over his features when he heard she remembered what had happened. He didn't want to have to explain it to her and watch her react in horror or try to keep it from her and drive a wedge between them. He'd had time to think about the wolf while the doctors had tended to her wound and had an answer. "I'm guessing a trader brought it in somehow. Maybe it was a pet. I don't know. But I do know that as soon as you're okay to go home and be with Sophia, I'm hunting the thing down." He looked away from her for a moment but turned his attention back to her when she took his hand. He gave hers a squeeze and smiled slightly at her. If she only knew that he'd almost lost it and she might have died anyway. She'd have every right to yell at him, be angry, and he knew it. He said nothing, merely nodded slowly, pulling her hand to his lips to kiss it gently. He rested his lips against her skin then and watched her in silence.
Lia couldn't imagine what kind of crazy person had a wolf as a pet. The thing had nearly killed her. What if Sophia had been home? That thought alone had Lia paling, but she reminded herself that her daughter was safe and sleeping. She couldn't torture herself with what ifs. She was in pain, but she would be all right. Lia gripped Riley's hand suddenly, her eyes widening. "No, you're not. You're not hunting anything, Riley." Her throat still hurt, so she paused, swallowing quickly before continuing. "Promise me you won't."
"I can't promise you that, Lia. That animal is feral and possibly carrying rabies. It needs to be put down. Nobody else should be in danger. What if it comes back when you're home with Sophia?" He shook his head and looked away from her again. "No, I can't promise you." He sighed and stood up, running his hand up the back of his hair in an angry gesture. He paced restlessly for a moment and took a few deep breaths before turning back to her. "Will you and Sophia come and stay at the ranch for the time being?" He put a hand out in case she was thinking of protesting. "Just until I'm sure the wolf is gone. Not permanently. I have rooms in the boarder wing. I'd feel a lot better knowing you're close where I can protect you."
She couldn't think of that thing returning while Sophia was home. It was too frightening a thought. Lia slowly pushed herself up, wincing softly until she was sitting. Her eyes stayed on Riley, and she grabbed the blanket in her lap, knuckles turning white from the strength of her grip. "No, Riley! No. Someone else can hunt it. It's not your job, okay? You tell the police about it, and let them deal with it." Lia was exhausted, and still feeling a little nauseous, but she lifted her chin stubbornly anyway, her chest tight. She wasn't above trying to manipulate the situation, bribing him if she had to in order to keep him safe. "If you promise me you won't try to hunt that wolf... we'll move into the ranch until its caught. But only if you promise, Riley."
Riley gave her a pained expression, his eyebrows knit together and his jaw clenched. The muscles of his face twitched as he gritted his teeth, thinking. He shook his head. Didn't she understand that playing that card, refusing to let him take care of business, was probably the most frustrating thing she could do to him? He needed to protect his family. To make sure that beast didn't hurt them or anyone else ever again. And if he could, he wanted to find the fool who had brought it into the dome in the first place and make sure he knew just what had been at stake when he'd done it. "Don't do that, Lia. Don't bargain with your life or Sophia's. That thing needs to be ended and I know how to do it. I'm trained to do it." Hypothetically. Tracking and taking out people who were armed with bombs was far more dangerous than tracking a large wolf.
“I’ll do what I have to do,” Lia shot back. Her heart was hammering in her chest again, and she had to try to relax, not wanting to put any undue stress back on her body. She knew Riley was upset, could practically smell the frustration on him, as odd as that way, but Lia wasn’t about to back down. Lifting a hand to her temple, she breathed in and tried to calm herself. Getting into a shouting match with Riley right now was not going to help anything. “The thing that attacked me is dangerous, Riley. You’re not going to risk your life needlessly just because you feel like you’re trained to do it. Other people are trained to do it also, and you need to let them handle it. If I have to bargain my life to keep you from making a mistake, I’ll do it.”
"There is never a mistake in protecting your family. However you have to do it," he said, his mouth barely moving. He wasn't looking at her, trying to compose himself because this was obviously distressing her and that was the last thing he wanted to do. She was tying his hands though. Forcibly controlling him and after the night he'd had, he was almost at a breaking point. He squared his shoulders and walked out the door of her room. He walked all the way down the hall to the vending machine at the end and then back again, standing just outside the door before going back inside again. He was less agitated when he faced her again. "I'll have my staff prepare the bedrooms for you," he said simply and sat back down in the chair beside her bed.
Lia knew that it was ingrained in Riley's nature to do the honorable thing. To protect and put his loved ones first. She understood it. But she couldn't bring herself to allow it this time. Not when she didn't know what those animals out there were capable of. She had ended up in the hospital because of one, and she would have died if Riley hadn't gotten to her house when he did. What happened if he went out to hunt this thing down, and no one was there to help him if he needed it? When Riley walked out of her room, Lia stared after him, feeling her chest tighten again. But... she could hear him. Hear his footsteps as if he were still beside her bed, pacing back and forth. The sound resonated in her ears and somehow Lia knew it when he was returning.
Pressing a hand against her ear, Lia closed her eyes and then opened them again when Riley entered the room again. She said nothing until he sat, and resting her head back against her pillow, Lia frowned. "I'm not doing this to upset you. But... you don't understand what it was like for me when you left to serve. Knowing you were out there, every day, a gun in your hands, putting yourself in danger. Knowing you could die. Now that I have you again... no, I can't do that anymore. Let someone else do it, Riley, and just... just be with me this time. Please, just understand that I need that."
She was so wrong to ask him not to go because he had a duty. Part of being in a community like Delphi was being willing to do your part. His part wasn't just to raise cattle. That he could do with his eyes shut. He had a responsibility to everyone, not just to her. And he had a need to finish that fight the wolf started because he had almost dropped the ball so entirely. Maybe that was the worst part of Lia asking him to sit on his hands. She didn't know that he may have saved her from the wolf but he almost hadn't saved her from himself. He had a need to prove to himself that it wouldn't happen again.
If he was honest with himself though, she was right. He didn't need to be running off and leaving her behind yet again to wonder if he'd ever come back. Their new found happiness and the state of their marriage hung on the fine line between whether he chose her or he chose duty and he knew it. He wasn't going to jeopardize his relationship for a fight right now. He'd made the decision before coming back into the room.
"Okay. I won't go," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. Not yet, at least. If the officials put out a call for help, he wasn't sure he could do nothing but he would worry about that if the time came to make that decision. "Just rest, yeah? I'm not going anywhere." He couldn't look at her though so he stared at her bandaged shoulder, trying to force down the rising anger at being so impotent in this situation.
Lia was selfish, and she knew it. She had always been selfish. Having Sophia had helped her recognize that particular flaw, and learn to put someone else's needs ahead of her own. But right now, looking at Riley, all of that was completely forgotten. She knew he felt a sense of duty, to find that thing and take it down before it hurt someone else. But where would that end? What if more strange things began to happen in Delphi? What if he felt the need to grab his gun and go out to protect everyone else? It was an honorable thing, yes, but Lia knew she wouldn't be able to handle the possibility of losing him again.
She studied his face for a moment, a tired look of resignation crossing her features. They had always been in tune with one another's emotions, but right now, it felt as if she could read every nuance of his expression, could sense his frustration at the situation. "But you want to go," Lia whispered. "You can't help that, can you?"
His anger wasn't directed toward her so he breathed it out, working to let it go in the moment so he could talk with her. He'd deal with it later. Instead his eyes flickered over her face. In a lot of ways he had been that wolf in the years since he'd thought he'd lost her. Alone. Furious. At a loss without his mate. Ready to fight. Now he had her back, he needed to release that part of himself. Heal it so that they could fit together again. He didn't know what that looked like and it warred inside his mind.
"No, I can't help it. It's hard-wired into me to retaliate with force when people I love are threatened. I'd give it up any day though to keep you and Sophia in my life. And I'll be honest, it'll be a struggle, but you are what I want more."
"It was an animal," Lia reminded him quietly. "I could understand it if it had been a person, but... predators are predators. I'm going to be all right. Sophia is safe. If it becomes a larger problem, there are people equipped to deal with that problem. You're not protecting me by putting your life at risk." Lia swallowed hard, ignoring the dry, scratchy feeling still evident in her throat. Then she reached out, wanting Riley's hand. I love you too much to lose you again. It was what she wanted to say. What she nearly said when she parted her lips. But then she heard a loud crash, as if someone had dropped a metal tray outside somewhere, and Lia grimaced at the echo in her ears, bringing her hand up to cover one again. Her injured shoulder was wrapped up and moving her arm at all brought a fresh wave of discomfort. It was loud. Louder than it should have been and it seemed to ring in her ears.
"Yes, it was an animal. You're right. Predators are predators regardless of the species. That thing focused on you. It didn't even care if I was there. Didn't even scratch me, Lia. It wanted you. That is something I need to know won't happen again and if I did it, I'd know. But I already said I wasn't going." Which was beginning to turn into a lie in his head the more they talked about it. He needed to be careful. Be honest with her or he'd for sure lose her and probably for good. He wouldn't even blame her.
He took her hand when she reached out and threaded his fingers through hers. He watched her react to the sound of a metal tray clattering somewhere in the distance as though it had happened right beside her and he frowned. "Your nerves must be shot, love. Rest, okay? I'm here until you ask me to leave." That he certainly promised. He wouldn't let her wake up and find him gone for any reason.
It didn't occur to her at all that the wolf hadn't attacked Riley. Lia had been in so much pain that she hadn't realized he was even there until he had locked her door and spoken to her. It was strange, and she thought he had to be wrong about his observations. Animals didn't target specific people, did they? But Lia was too tired to start questioning in. Instead she nodded and released a slow, soft breath as her eyelids felt heavier. All she could do was hope he meant what he said when he told her he wouldn't try to hunt it down. On some level... on some level she worried that he was simply appeasing her. That maybe he would do what he felt like he needed to do anyway and try to work through the consequences later. Lia hoped she was wrong. She needed to believe she meant more to him than duty.
"I'll rest," she murmured, her eyes still on his face, although exhaustion was starting to take over her mind and body. Lia tightened her hold around his fingers. "Stay with me."
Riley needed to change the subject because thinking about the wolf made him antsy. He needed to think about something else. Focus on Lia and making sure she was okay here in the hospital. That she got the rest and treatment that she needed. He was grateful she wasn't as stubborn as he was in some respects. They'd had to restrain him when he'd been in the hospital because he hadn't wanted to stay put long enough to heal. That wasn't something he wanted to think about either so he sighed softly and changed the subject.
"I'm not going anywhere. Last thing I need is you meeting a handsome doctor and forgetting all about me." He braved a smile for her and kissed the inside of her wrist. "Just rest and have some really good dreams."
Lia somehow managed a smile, even as her eyes closed. "Who wants a handsome doctor when they've got a gorgeous cowboy?" She was thankful that they weren't arguing about the wolf any longer. Both were intensely stubborn when they felt they were right, and Lia knew it had to be rough for Riley to adhere to her wishes and drop it. If she weren't in the hospital, she was pretty certain they would still be discussing it. Probably even bickering.
Content with his hand in hers, Lia finally drifted off to much needed sleep.
If she'd mentioned the probable bickering, Lia would've been right. It was only because she was in the hospital that they weren't still discussing the wolf. Yet, if she weren't in the hospital, there'd have been nothing to discuss. Riley wouldn't have felt he needed to go after it if it hadn't hurt her. Or Sophia. Thank God Sophia hadn't been anywhere nearby to be in danger or see what the beast had done to her mother. He hoped Connie would be willing to keep Sophia for the time being until Lia could come home.
"That's right," he said with a slightly wider smile, glad she still thought of him as a cowboy. He gently stroked the back of her hand as she fell to sleep and stayed put as he'd promised, watching her sleep.