Hayley POV
I blink my eyes open and squint. The fluorescent lights above my bed are uncomfortably bright and not helping my pounding headache. It takes me a second to remember what happened and realize where I am. Groaning out loud, I cover my eyes with my arm. I am supposed to be staying below the radar, not ending up all over hospital and police reports.
"Welcome back Hayley. Headache?" my nurse says brightly, picking up a cup of water from the sideboard in the room and handing me a little plastic container with a couple of painkillers in it. I tip the tablets into my mouth before taking a few sips of water. I scoot back up the bed into a sitting position, pulling the thin blue blanket up with me.
"How are you feeling? You’ve been out for a few hours," she asks gently, coming to my side to take my pulse, and wheeling over the blood pressure monitor.
"Fine," I answer, "I feel like a bit of a fraud for taking up a hospital bed, to be honest."
"You were in shock and nearly hypothermic when they brought you in. You must be exhausted. We'll keep you here overnight just to be on the safe side. Anyone, you need me to call for you?" I pause for a second before shaking my head. I moved here to keep my mess away from my family, it doesn't make any sense to drag them here now.
"No, I've just moved to town and I'll be home again before my parents can even get here," I answer. She pats my arm reassuringly after finishing all her checks, before quietly leaving me alone in the room.
My thoughts immediately turn to Cooper and my gut clenches as I wonder how he is doing. I should have asked the nurse when I had the chance. There isn't another hospital within a two-hour drive so he must be here too. I picked Grey Ridge to relocate to precisely because it was small and remote and completely different to the city that I had lived in for the last eight years, but long distances to get medical care is one of the trade-offs for having clean country air.
An ache blooms in my chest as I wonder whether the man survived. Maybe it's common to feel emotionally connected to someone after a traumatic event, but this seems a bit dramatic. I'm normally pretty level-headed but I feel panic rising every time I replay the scene in my mind. I can remember his beautiful deep brown eyes looking up at me from under thick black lashes as the emergency services took over and I was pulled away. He was so brave, willing to sacrifice himself for that child without hesitation. Maybe when I get my life back on track, I'll be fortunate enough to meet a good man like that, instead of the idiots I have managed to pick in the past.
A soft knock on the door distracts me from my thoughts and a familiar pair of light blue eyes peer around the door. It's my handsome helper from the scene of the accident.
"Is it ok if I come in?" He asks, pushing the door open a bit wider.
"Sure, come on in," I say, and he smiles brightly, shutting the door gently behind him and crossing the room in two long strides. It didn't register at the river with all that was going on, but I now realise that this man is quite good-looking. I’m normally a tall, dark and handsome kind of gal but nobody could fail to see how attractive he was, with his dark blonde jaw-length hair, tanned skin, and strong jawline. He is tall and well built, and I recall how he easily carried me in his arms. Looking at his biceps bulging out from under the sleeves of his t-shirt as he moves, that makes a bit more sense now. I suddenly feel a bit exposed and self-conscious in my thin hospital gown and stinking of dirty river water. I'm grateful that he doesn't stand too close.
"How are you feeling?" he asks me. His face is friendly, but his tone is serious as though he's genuinely concerned for my wellbeing.
"Oh, I'm fine! They're just keeping me overnight as a precaution." I dismiss his concerns with a wave of my hand, and he frowns a bit, as though he is not convinced that I am telling the truth.
"How is your friend?" I ask, keen to divert the attention away from myself. I'm almost afraid to hear the answer. I glance up from under my eyelashes when he hasn't spoken and find his piercing eyes are studying me intently. I am never one to shy away from eye contact but even I find this intense, it's as if he is trying to read the depths of my mind. The urge to look away is strong, but I hold out and cock an eyebrow at him, keen to know one way or the other. I get the impression that he is deciding what to tell me. Maybe he's worried about breaking bad news to me. I feel nauseous at the thought.
"Cooper's alive," he tells me, "But he is pretty banged up obviously. He had surgery for some internal injuries, he has some broken bones and lots of stitches, but by some miracle, they're pretty sure it's nothing that won't heal."
"Thank fuck!" I let out the breath that I didn't realise I was holding, and he smirks at my colourful language. I drop my head back against the pillows and feel tears welling up in my eyes. I wipe them away quickly, embarrassed at my emotional response. If anyone should be upset, it should be the man in front of me and not a complete stranger like me.
"Sorry, sorry, I'm just so relieved. I did everything I could but... I guess I just didn't see how he could make it." I draw in a ragged breath, and shake my head, trying to remove those negative thoughts from my brain and pull myself together. He stares at me again as if trying to work out a puzzle, and then just nods again and smiles.
"I just wanted to stop by and thank you. If you hadn't done what you did, he would have drowned. If you need anything at all, anything, please just let me know. We are forever in your debt, Hayley." he adds, leaning slightly forward and gripping the rail of my hospital bed, the sincerity clear in his eyes.
We. Who are we? Does that mean Cooper has a girlfriend or a wife?
I mentally chastise myself for having such strange thoughts about a man I don't even know. Whether he is in a relationship or not is none of my business.
He reaches out and presses a piece of paper into my palm with his name and phone number written on it, before folding my fingers tightly around it.
"I am just glad I was there to help… Ethan." I glance down and read the name on the paper before looking back up at him. He nods again, before turning and striding out of the door without looking back.
Odd.
I can't decide if he was just expressing his gratitude or if he was hitting on me. Surely a man as good-looking as that isn't shy around the ladies? If he was hitting on me, I am pretty sure I would know all about it. Or am I just that out of practice?
Cooper POVBeep, beep, beep. The slow steady noise beside my head drags me from my sleep and into what feels like the worst hangover ever. I open my eyes slowly and it takes me a couple of seconds to get my bearings and realize that I am in a hospital bed. I try to sit up but a sharp stabbing pain in my stomach makes me lie back flat on the bed. I wince at my splitting headache and the agony I feel as I try to move my arms and legs. I hurt everywhere. I growl to myself, not liking this feeling of weakness one little bit, and lower my head back to the pillow. As a wolf shifter and an Alpha at that, I pride myself on being strong and nearly indestructible. I guess a speeding van is the exception."You're going to be a terrible patient, aren't you?" My sister Leila is standing in the doorway with her hand on her hips, chuckling to herself. I ignore her and close my eyes tight against the pain. She lifts the chart at the end of the bed and scans down over it,
Hayley POVThe next morning, a nurse arrives just after breakfast and hands me two clear plastic bags. They stink. She raises the first one and holds it out for me to take."Your hoodie and runners from the scene of the accident, Ethan dropped them off last night, along with your keys and phone which were still in the pocket. And he drove your car back here from the park rather than leave it there overnight." She holds up the other bag, "These ... are the mucky, wet shorts and top you came in. I've brought you these to put on instead, so you have something dry to wear home." I wrinkle my nose before reluctantly taking them. I hope I don't smell as bad as that."Oh god, yuck," I say as I look at the wet dirty clothes through the plastic."Yep." She responds, obviously keen to get rid of the offending items before she hands me some green scrubs."Thanks for these. Wait, he drove my car here!? I was just going to get a taxi home." I stare at her in sh
Cooper POVI fume all the way back to my house and there is silence for the entire 30-minute drive. I try to stay calm and fight the urge to kick Ethan and Leila out of the car and race straight back to the hospital. Even though I know Ethan is just enjoying winding me up, it doesn't stop me from wanting to tear his head off for daring to touch what is mine. My beat-up old blue pick-up is parked at the side of my small log cabin as we pull in and beside it is my dad's shiny brand new one. A loud sigh escapes my lips as I swivel and glare at my sister in the back seat, who at least has the good grace to look ashamed of herself."You told them?" I ask her in disbelief, "I haven't even met her yet and you told them? What are we, 17 years old?""I was just so excited!" she says sheepishly, "and I only told Dad. Not Mum. I'm not stupid. She would have been down in the hospital trying to fit her for a wedding dress already if she knew." I wish she were joking but that
Cooper POVI lift my head from my front paws and stand to shake off some dead leaves clinging to my fur. I am shocked to find that I have slept till dawn. Hiding in my mate’s back garden isn't the ideal way to ensure a good night's sleep, but it did the trick as my wolf was comforted by her scent. I stretch out my limbs, still marveling at how much better I feel when I hear the latch on the back door click, and the door swings open.My heart jumps into my mouth as Hayley steps out and turns to lock the door behind her. She has her head tilted to the side while she slips on her headphones, and waves of toffee-colored hair cascade over her tanned shoulders, shimmering with natural blonde highlights from lots of time spent outdoors. I admire her slim, toned legs that seem to go on forever, and the tiny running shorts she has on. I never really considered myself a leg man, but I am now.Jesus. Staying away is going to be tough.She finally turn
Hayley POV When I arrive back at work on Tuesday morning, it's immediately clear that news of my dramatic weekend has reached everyone in the office. There are a big bunch of flowers and a hamper of muffins waiting for me at reception. Everybody keeps hugging me which seems a bit over the top since I only started here six weeks ago and have largely kept to myself. Angela the receptionist has tears in her eyes as she goes in for a second squeeze and it dawns on me that they aren't happy that I am ok, but that Cooper is. He appears to be equally loved by all my colleagues and they genuinely appear to be shaken up by the whole thing. It makes me wonder who he is that everyone is affected by him getting hurt this much. She hands me a stack of messages to get through. "Everyone wants to talk to you after that article in the paper yesterday. We've had reporters calling non-stop." She obviously expects me to be thrilled about being the local celebrity for a few days but it's the last thing
Cooper POVThese have been the longest two weeks of my life. It has been absolute hell, but today I have a spring in my step because I can finally go and meet my beautiful Hayley. My nights have been filled with dreams of her. During the day, my thoughts return to her over and over, wondering where she is and what she is doing.I am getting no work done and my short temper is driving everyone around me crazy. Ethan has bumped into her a few times over the last couple of weeks, by accident on purpose, and some of the mated males from the pack have been keeping an eye on her house in the evenings. While knowing she is okay has kept me sane, it has not been even close to enough to satisfy my wolf and I am exhausted from fighting his urge to just go to her. My mother's insistence that she saw 'a spark' between Hayley and Marcus when she accosted her in her office has done little to help.I pick up the local paper from last week that I have kept by my side, staring a
Hayley POVWow. Just wow.I stay out on the porch for a good five minutes trying to work out what on earth just happened. When I heard the truck coming into the drive, I just assumed it was a delivery driver from the hardware store with my next load of supplies, but when I realised who it was, I felt butterflies in my stomach like a teenager with their first crush in high school.I had seen his picture printed beside mine in the local paper and had been drooling over it all week. I'm ashamed to admit this was on top of turning the thank you card that he sent me over and over in my hands as if it was my very first valentine's day card. Is it possible to fancy someone's handwriting? Was it possible that the card smelled like him?Yes, I sniffed it.Even I am embarrassed at my behaviour on that one. I was acting like a crazy woman, getting obsessed with a man I didn't even know. But then there he was, looking even better in person, and I knew instantl
Cooper POVAs I push through the door of Greg's accountancy office, all heads turned to look at me, and you could hear a pin drop. Even though I pride myself on being approachable and friendly to all pack members, wolves operate in hierarchical structures and most pack members are naturally submissive to the pack leaders. For those who rarely have reason to interact with me, this instinct to submit is hard to overcome and they feel on edge as soon as I enter the building. I smile politely and nod at everyone I pass, greeting anyone I recognize by name to try and put them at ease as I make my way through the open plan area to Hayley's office.I knock gently on the door, and then as the door is already ajar, push it open slowly without waiting for a response. Hayley is sitting behind her desk, which is covered in a sea of papers piled haphazardly, with brightly colored pens and post-it notes strewn everywhere. Her shoes are kicked off under the desk and her bare feet are