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“You have to tell him… He’ll be worried…”
Shane couldn’t concentrate on what was happening. His head hurt, his body hurt. He felt like he was moving, but he wasn’t sure where. People were talking but the sound was filtering through like he was under water.
He wanted to yell out for his Alpha, but a little voice in the back of his mind reminded him it was still a secret. He tried reaching for his bracelet but a shock of pain went down his right side and someone grabbed his wrist, pinning it back to the gurney.
“We’re almost to the hospital, Shane. Stay with us.” The words still took time to make sense.
“Yeah, ok” he said back too late.
~~~
Shane rubbed the woven texture of his bracelet with his thumb rhythmically. He’d managed to stop crying after the medical staff realized their mistake and gave it back to him.
Somebody wearing business casual had been by earlier to apologize again for it being cut off. Hospital procedure... In an urgent situation... They didn’t realize it was a piece from his mate.
Shane hadn’t either. But it’s the only thing that explained his extreme emotional reaction to realizing it was no longer on his wrist. It also made a weird sort of sense. He and Rozanov had been orbiting each other for close to a decade now.
Hadn’t he just been thinking about ways to spend more time together? Hadn’t he been planning to invite Rozanov to his cottage this summer. Potentially to spend his heat together.
Now he couldn’t even text him because they took his phone. Concussion protocol.
He looked up when the door opened and couldn’t stop the sappy grin he could feel spread across his face.
“Illlyaaa!” Shane was so happy to see him! He held out his hand still holding the bracelet, oh, the bracelet.
Shane’s eyes filled with tears again as he remembered that they’d cut off the one piece of jewelry his alpha had given him.
“Hey, hey. Shh. Shh” Ilya moved quickly and reached out grabbing Shane’s hand with both of his.
“Why tears?” Ilya said “No tears, sweetheart.” Ilya reached and wiped under Shane’s eye as Shane was able to choke out the story of how he was hurt and how they had to cut off the bracelet Ilya gave him and how it was ruined and his wish wouldn’t come true.
“Ahh. I see.” Ilya continued to wipe away tears from Shane’s face as Shane kept babbling.
“And I was going to ask you to come to my cottage this summer, but I let them destroy your gift and now you won’t want me and-”
“Hollander!” Ilya placed a hand over Shane’s mouth to stop the flow of words.
Ilya slowly removed his hand and reached into his jacket pocket pulling out a small tan box.
“This one is removable. If you want it?” Shane started nodding his head before Ilya could finish speaking.
Ilya opened the box to reveal a woven yellow gold ring with black inlay. Shane lifted his hand towards Ilya, gesturing for him to put it on. Ilya smiled softly as he slipped the ring onto Shane’s middle finger and bent down to kiss the back of his hand.