Tabitha's POV
I was already seriously ill, and the bullet put me in a more severe condition. My high fever lasted the whole night.
I felt like I was drowning in the vast ocean, struggling to stay afloat, mumbling to myself in a blur.
"Mom, I'm so cold. Please don't leave me.
"Don't leave me behind, my pup! Take me with you.
"It hurts like hell to live in this world.
"Ouch..."
My wolf instinctively wanted to take over so as to alleviate my pain, but we were too weak that we could barely muster that strength.
Sometimes, when I was conscious, I caught Jasper looking at me with red eyes, worry written all over his face.
"Tabitha, I'll keep you safe, I swear," he whispered, his voice filled with determination.
After being in a coma for a whole day, I finally came around.
My wrist had been bandaged, white gauze wrapping tight around it. Yet it couldn't prevent pain from the slightest movements.
It wasn't a nightmare. Derek did shoot me.
"Tabitha, you woke up," exclaimed Jasper, with palpable excitement in his voice.
I looked up to meet his gaze. "Jasper, where are we?"
"On the high seas. Tabitha, we already left Seattle. Don't worry, that jerk can't find us now."
There was a hint of innocence in his tone, which gave me a sense of comfort.
"Really? We already left?" I murmured, finding it hard to believe that I finally ran away from that monster.
Jasper shoved a pillow between my waist and the headboard. "I'll go get you some food. You can lean back and enjoy the sea view for a bit. We'll reach our destination in two days."
"OK." I nodded and watched him walk out.
After a while, Klein pushed the door open and stepped in. "You came around."
I turned to him, saying, "Klein, thank you for coming to my rescue."
Without him, we wouldn't have made it out of Seattle.
"Don't mention it. It was no biggie," he replied.
"Once we arrived on the island, we could start the kidney transplant," I suggested.
"No rush. You're still very weak. Besides, it's an old problem. I can wait," Klein reassured me.
I shook my head and insisted, "I promised you that already. You're influential, and I'm sure you've got loads of stuff to take care of in your home country. Delay means risks. I injured my wrist, that's all. It's no big deal. A kidney transplant won't kill me. I can live with one kidney."
Klein shook his head, replying, "I don't want anything to happen to you. So just focus on resting."
I nodded and turned to gaze out at the sea, my mood gradually calming down.
Even though I'd completely severed ties with Derek, I gained my freedom. Totally worth it, wasn't it?
And I'd have my dad by my side after Jasper performed surgery on him.
The Moon Goddess hadn't been so kind to me, but at least, she didn't drive me to despair.
I'd lost my hand, but since I was still alive, there was hope.
I no longer dwelled on Derek, just drowning in the joy of seeing Dad again.
Not long ago, I lost Holly, and John was the only family I left. No one valued him more than I did.
Now all I could think about was how he was doing and how I was gonna explain everything that went down while he was in a coma.
He loved fishing so much. So it'd be for him to just settle down on that island and enjoy his life.
Derek's POV
I'd been staying by Elena's side at the werewolf hospital.
Seeing her out of the woods, I breathed a sigh of relief. When I was about to go home to change my clothes, a nurse stopped me.
She said, "Alpha Derek, here are Ms. Hartley's medical reports. They've been left here for several days. If you see her, please give them to her."
I guessed she found out Tabitha and I knew each other because we came visit Holly a lot in the past few weeks.
But medical reports? Was Tabitha ill?
Confused, I glanced down at a stack of reports in my hand.
Then I grabbed the nurse's arm and asked, "What are these for?"
"Kidney matching test between Ms. Hartley and Mr. Hartley. Didn't she tell you? Speaking of which, Mr. Hartley's kidney failure is pretty advanced, and he needs a transplant ASAP."
I was stunned. Tabitha had actually done a kidney matching test behind my back? Why would she do it?
Holding the reports, I knitted my brows.
My wolf Leo let out a low growl deep within me. Guessed the news unsettled him, too.