Contracted To The Beast novel Chapter 96

Chapter 96

“Doc…Doctor Page.”

I felt a hand shake my shoulder gently.

“Yes,” I woke up disoriented, raising my head to see Leo.

“Good morning,” he greeted.

“It’s morning already?” I turned to look at Zara. She was still sound asleep, her small chest rising and falling with each shallow breath.

“She’s alright. I’ve been watching her,” he said calmly. “You need to freshen up. You’ve been here since yesterday morning

“I just want to make sure she’s alright,” I said gently, my voice rough from lack of sleep.

“She will be alright.” I turned around in shock at the voice.

“Natalie,” I cried out in relief.

She opened her arms wide and beckoned me for a hug. “Come here.”

She wrapped both arms around me.

The moment my forehead touched her shoulder, every bit of strength I’d been clinging to disappeared.

A sob tore out of me before I could stop it.

“It’s okay,” Natalie whispered, rubbing slow circles across my back. “I’ve got you.”

I felt the weight of the past day crash down on me. The fear that had gripped my chest when Mom called. The sight of Zara lying so still in that hospital bed. The guilt that I had been too busy, too distracted, to notice how sick she was getting.

“I should’ve known,” I choked out. “I’m a doctor… she’s my daughter… I should’ve known something was wrong. I wish I had been able to observe the symptoms on time.”

“There’s no way you would have known,” she comforted me, her hand rubbing slow circles on my back. “Zara will be okay. I’ll be here with her.”

“There’s no way I can make you do that. You have work to go to,” I said, feeling extremely guilty. I pulled back slightly, wiping at my eyes with the back of my hand.

“So do you,” she said, crossing her arms. “I’m on leave and you’re not. You’ve been away from work for a while. It might be difficult for you to get another day off and it’s five minutes past seven already and you’re still in yesterday’s clothes.”

I checked the time. “Oh damn.”

I stared down at my tan-coloured pants. I had been really excited to wear this yesterday. It was part of the clothes I shopped for over the weekend. Now it felt wrinkled and heavy with worry and exhaustion.

“Thank you very much,” I said to her, extremely grateful.

“Don’t thank me,” she whispered in my ears as she pointed to Leo, who was staring intently at Zara. “Thank him. He called me.”

I felt my heart swell with gratitude. “I will.”

“Now run along,” she said with a lazy smile.

I gave Zara a kiss on both cheeks, lingering for a second longer than necessary, breathing in her familiar scent Then 1 walked out into the hallway with Leo in tow.

“Thank you very much,” I said to Leo as we got into the car.

“You’re welcome,” he said with a sad smile.

“How did you both get into the room?” I asked as he began driving. “They have an immediate family only policy.”

“I may have been… a little persuasive.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“Persuasive?”

“I explained that you hadn’t left your daughter’s side for almost twenty-four hours and that someone needed to make sure you didn’t collapse.”

He shrugged. “It worked,” he said casually. “They didn’t have a choice but to let me through.”

I stared at him with my mouth agape. “Wait, really?”

“Yeah,” he said with a straight face.

I giggled to myself. I really couldn’t believe it. I watched as he smiled too.

“I would pay to see that.”

He pulled over in the driveway of the condo.

“I’ll be very snappy, I promise,” I said to Leo.

“You don’t have to. Take your time,” he replied.

I unbuckled my seatbelt. “Aren’t you coming?”

“Nah. I’ll wait for you,” he said.

“Oh. I’ll be back soon.”

I got out of the car and jogged toward the elevator.

It was almost 8 a.m. and I needed to be in the office around 9.

The door of the elevator opened and I dashed into my apartment. I took off my shoes and clothes and headed straight into the shower.

The hot water hit my shoulders, and I closed my eyes.

For a few seconds, I simply stood there, letting it wash away the smell of antiseptic and hospital disinfectant that seemed to have soaked into my skin.

It didn’t wash away the exhaustion.

I really needed this. I already had a kink in my neck from the way I slept. My entire body was aching and begging for proper rest. I was up for a good portion of the night tending to Zara. I managed to get a bit of shut-eye around 6 a.m. this morning.

I came out of the shower. The water did little in soothing my aching muscles but I was grateful all the same.

I hurriedly did my skincare and blow-dried my hair, pulling it into a messy bun. I grabbed my Vipers polo, acid-washed jeans, and ballet flats.

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