The Night Beat

“Well, it’s hard to say, but he’s a fighter, so I think he has a good chance.” I took a look at her nametag -- Nurse Nancy, P.W., which meant Practicing Witch or Warlock, depending. Good, they made the best medical personnel, and I wanted Ralph to have the best.
    “What about his mind and his physical prowess? Will he be back to normal, do you think?”
    Apparently this was some sort of hospital code, because Nurse Nancy gave me a conspiratorial wink and patted my shoulder. “Oh, I’m sure he’ll be chasing you around the park in no time. Werewolves come out of anesthesia quite frisky, dear, don’t you worry. You’ll have your mate back good as new, if we have anything to say about it.”
    I felt my cheeks get hot. “Uh, not quite what I meant.”
    She giggled. “Oh, don’t be embarrassed. It’s one of the most natural things, for any species, alive or undead. And most spouses are worried about it, even though they don’t want to say so out loud. You’re not asking anything wrong or anything every other being whose loved one was injured doesn’t ask. Will I get my honey back and will he or she be the same honey? It’s an understandable concern.”
    “You know, I have to ask -- why do you think Ralph and I are…mated?”
    She shrugged. “Well, I know I don’t really know you two well at all, but you’re a werewolf, too.”
    “Yes.”
    “And, as I understand it, werewolves are attracted to strength and virility.”
    “True.” I had no idea where Nurse Nancy was going with this.
    “Well .” She gave me another conspiratorial wink. “Not to insinuate that we’ve had our way with your boy here, but, ah, well, trust me when I say that he’s an impressive specimen. Quite a big boy, best in show, sort of thing.”
    “I guess. I mean, he’s bigger than me in wolf form, but that’s to be expected.”
    Nurse Nancy coughed. “I didn’t mean just in body structure, dear. You have quite a virile young wolf here, if I’m any judge.”
    It took a while, but what she was euphemistically insinuating finally became clear. My cheeks got hotter. I’d never exactly lifted Ralph’s tail to take a look, but it made sense that the medical staff had. Nice to know Nurse Nancy was impressed.
    She was also still prattling on about Ralph’s attributes. “Quite strong, too. Even unconscious he was still fighting -- it took six of us to have a prayer of holding him down until the drugs took effect.”
    “He’s dedicated, yeah.”
    “Well, understandable. At least if what he was saying was any indication of what happened.”
    “He’d been talking? That’s good, right?”
    “Hopefully, yes. He was saying ‘get away from her’ over and over again.” She cocked her head at me. “You look a little worse for wear. You’re the ‘her’, I imagine?”
    “Yeah.” I was the her. And even unconscious Ralph was trying to protect me. I couldn’t help it, the howling started in earnest.
    “There, there.” Nurse Nancy was patting my head. Normally someone being this wolfy-cutesy would make me want to bite them, but it was definitely her thing, because it had the desired effect. I buried my face in her stomach and sobbed. “It’ll be alright, dear, it’ll be fine. He’s got you to come back for, and he will, I promise.”
    “Are we on sanctified ground?”
    Nurse Nancy pulled away from me and raised my chin with her hand. She looked confused. “Not that I know of, dear. Not desecrated, but only certain areas are sanctified. Do you want an angel or a saint? I don’t know that a blessing will help your young wolf, here, but it certainly couldn’t hurt.”
    “No. He’ll get better from your and the others’ work, I’m sure. I just wanted to check that it was a normal promise.”
    Nurse Nancy shook her head. “As normal as we can be, which is not at all and completely, at the same time.” She patted my shoulder again. “Now, you relax. Visiting hours are almost up, but under the circumstances, I’ll let you stay. However, I can’t bring another bed in here, so if you need to have a lie-down, there’s a waiting area just around the corner, with couches, throw pillows and blankets.”
    With that she trotted out of the room and left me and my guilt alone with Ralph. I held his paw again and leaned my head on the bed. And thought -- about everything but mostly about Jack.
    But it was weird -- my heart hurt, but not like I thought it should. Like Amanda had said, I’d been crazy about Jack,