Chapter 396

Nina

I wasn’t sure exactly how long Lori and I sat in the hospital room, staring at our friend’s sleeping body. Each minute seemed to melt into the next, and both of us felt helpless. I did what I could to comfort Lori, but it was no easy task.

Finally, the clock struck ten PM, and I knew that we couldn’t stay any longer.

“We should go, Lori,” I said gently, rubbing her back in circles. “You need to rest.”

Lori nodded stiffly and stood. We both got up and gathered what little we had.

“I wanna say goodbye to her,” Lori said, wiping her tears from her cheeks. “Just in case.”

I nodded. “Of course.” I stepped forward and gripped Jessica’s hand, crouching down to plant a gentle kiss on her bruised forehead. “We’ll be back, Jess,” I whispered. “Don’t go anywhere, okay?”

Of course there was no answer, but I told myself that she could hear me anyway. After a moment, I blinked back my tears and straightened, then headed out into the hallway to give Lori some space.

Lori stayed behind for a few minutes, but I didn’t mind. I waited patiently, and when she was finished, she stepped out of the room with a new bundle of tissues in her hand and more tears streaking her face.

“You sure I can stay with you?” Lori asked as we headed out to the car.

I nodded. “It’s not even a question. I don’t want you to be alone. Not now.”

The car was mostly silent as we drove first to Lori and Jessica’s place, where I helped Lori gather some things to spend the next few days with me. When we were finished, we tossed her bag into the car and then we were on our way to my house.

By the time the pine trees thinned out on either side, the moon was high in the sky. It was nearly full, and I could feel my wolf pulling at me. She always liked to run during the full moon, and so did I. But something told me that that wouldn’t be happening this time around.

We pulled into the driveway, and the car was silent as I pulled the keys out of the ignition. Lori was frozen to her seat.

“You okay?” I murmured, reaching over to grab her hand.

She shook her head stiffly. “No. I want to go back.”

I sighed. “I know you do,” I said gently. “But you need to rest. We can go back in the morning.”

Lori said nothing. I climbed out of the truck and walked around to open her door. She managed to get out on her own, but I could see the beginnings of her body crumbling. Her knees were shaking and her eyes were wide, as though she had just seen a ghost.

“Come on, Lori,” I said gently, wrapping my arm around her shoulders and guiding her toward the porch. “Let’s get you inside.”

Lori stumbled along, her steps unsteady, as if the weight of the world was pressing down on her. Once inside, I led her to the living room, where she sank onto the couch, burying her face in her hands.

I knelt down beside her, offering what little comfort I could. “It’s going to be okay, Lori,” I said softly, my voice filled with as much reassurance as I could manage. “Jessica is a fighter. She’ll pull through.”

Lori looked up at me, her eyes filled with pain and doubt. “Do you really believe that, Nina?” she asked, her voice trembling. “The doctor said that she might not wake up. What if…”

I interrupted her, refusing to let her give in to despair. “We can’t lose hope, Lori,” I said a little more firmly now. “Jessica would want us to stay strong for her.”

Lori nodded slowly, but I could see the uncertainty still lingering in her eyes. She wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, smudging her mascara.

“I just can’t stand the idea of her not being here,” she said with a sniff. “I don’t know what I would do without her.”

“Me neither,” I said with a sigh. I sank down onto the couch beside her, and we were silent for a moment, each lost in our own thoughts. I kept thinking back to when we first met, back when it was still our freshman year, and I couldn’t help but chuckle ever so slightly.

“What?” Lori asked, shooting me a sideways glance.

I shook my head. “Nothing. I was just thinking about that time in freshman year; when Jessica had that awful boyfriend, Steven.”

“Oh, the one who told her to stop wearing pink because he said it was embarrassing?”

I nodded as I recalled the memory, and I couldn’t deny the smile that was spreading across his face. “Remember how she responded?” I asked.

Lori was silent for a few moments before her own smile began to twitch at the corners of her lips. “Yeah… Yeah, I remember. She told him that the scraggly stuff on his face that he called a ‘beard’ was even more embarrassing.”

“And then she dumped him on the spot and dyed the hoodie that he had loaned her bright pink before she gave it back.”

Without even meaning to, both Lori and I burst out into laughter. It lifted the heaviness in my chest, a reprieve from the choking feeling that hadn’t gone away all day. Even though we fell back into silence after that, I felt just the tiniest bit better that we had managed to laugh; and I knew that Jessica would be happy, too.

But as we sat there, the worry about our dear friend returned, pressing down on us like a lead weight. The fact of the matter was, our best friend was on the verge of death in the hospital, and no amount of laughter could change that.

“Nina?” Lori’s voice broke me out of my reverie.

“Hm?”

“Do you… Do you think you could use your healing abilities on Jessica?”

I hesitated, turning slowly to look Lori in the eyes. There was a desperation in her gaze that made me soften. Truthfully, I had considered it earlier; but with the pregnancy being on the rocks, I wasn’t so sure if it was a good idea.

“I don’t know, Lori,” I said quietly. “I… I’m not sure if it’s safe for the baby.”

Lori’s eyes flickered down to my stomach. She looked distraught, but nodded understandingly. “Alright,” she said, sinking down further on the couch and laying on her side, a dejected look in her eyes. “I get it.”

I sat there in silence for a little while longer, watching her. She began to sniffle again and reached for the bundle of tissues in her pocket to dab at the tears that had begun to return. Seeing her like this, seeing my usually strong friend looking so deflated, made my resolve waver.

I placed my hand over my belly, considering for a moment. What was the worst that could happen, right? Maybe I could give it a shot, and if I started to notice anything was off, I could stop.

“Okay,” I said before I could have the chance to change my mind again. “I’ll try. We’ll go. Tonight.”

A flicker of relief crossed Lori's face, and she sat up abruptly, reaching out to grab my hand. “Nina, are you sure?”

I squeezed her hand, silently vowing to do whatever it took to help Jessica recover. It wouldn’t be easy, and there were risks involved, but I couldn’t just stand by and watch my best friends suffer like this.

“Yes,” I said, nodding despite the lump that was forming in my throat. “We’ll go at midnight, when the hospital is quiet.”