"How do you take your tea?" he asked.
Anne blinked. "It depends on what type of tea it is."
He nodded. "This is jasmine green tea, a house favorite."
"I'll take it as it is please."
A look of approval crossed his face as he handed her the cup and saucer. When she was holding her cup, he bowed. "I am Ryuu. I am the squire of the house. If there is anything you need to make your transition any easier, please do not hesitate to ask."
"Domo arigato gozaimasu." Anne said softly, taking a sip of tea. The fragrance alone had helped to soothe her nerves enormously.
Ryuu's eyes widened in surprise. "Do itashi mashite."
Meryn looked at Anne. "You speak Japanese?"
Anne looked down at the floor. "A bit."
"If you wish to learn more, I would be honored to teach you. Kendrick is also fluent and can answer questions for you," Ryuu offered.
Anne looked up and smiled at the man. He looked like he had just walked out of one of her cosplay fantasies.
She turned to Ryuu. "Who's Kendrick?"
"Heika is Keelan's older brother," Ryuu explained.
"Oh my gosh, does he know I'm Keelan's mate?"
Everyone nodded. That would make him her brother-in-law. "Can I meet him? I'd also like to check on Keelan."
Aiden looked at Rheia. "I think that is an excellent idea. Rheia, if you would take her upstairs to meet with Kendrick, that would be appreciated. Alpha Unit has to report to the Council later this afternoon. I had just gotten off the phone with them when you all arrived. They have called us in for yet another meeting," Aiden sighed.
"Tell Dad I said hi," Meryn requested. She stood on her tiptoes for a kiss.
"Of course." Aiden kissed her and then rubbed noses with her.
Ryuu held out his hand. Anne took one last sip of tea and handed him her cup. "Thank you for the tea, it really helped calm me down."
"I'll bring up some more tea along with Heika's snack. I have a feeling you'll be up there a while." He winked at her, and she could feel herself blushing.
Rheia took her hand. "Come on, I can show you his chart and how we currently have things laid out." Rheia gave her hand a squeeze.
Anne felt relieved. She stood with a sense of purpose. Nursing she knew; she was good at it, and if they needed doctors like Rheia, then they needed someone like her, too. This was normal to her. Things couldn't be that scary if they were human enough to need doctors and nurses.
She took a deep breath. "Let's go see our patient." Anne said, feeling better now that she was on familiar ground.
*****
Rheia knocked.
"Come in," a male voice called.
When Rheia opened the door and walked in, Anne followed. They immediately went to Keelan's bed.
She covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh, Keelan." Her heart was breaking. In her mind, she knew what a coma was; she was a nurse, after all. She knew what to expect. But this was Keelan, her closest friend since the death of her parents. She didn't want to see him hooked up to machines with IVs and other tubes running out of him. He should be sitting up and laughing, eyes sparkling as he teased her mercilessly.
Rheia wrapped and arm around her shoulders. "I know," she said simply.
Anne shook her head. "No, you don't understand. It's like whatever made Keelan Keelan is gone. I've seen coma patients before; this is different. I can't explain it."
"It's a shell," a male said from behind them.
When she turned, she felt her world tilt. "Keelan!" She turned to look at the man on the bed and then to the one behind her.
He shook his head. "I'm sorry; I know we look alike, so I understand your confusion. My name is Kendrick I..." He squinted at her. "Have we met before?"
Anne just stared. She had seen him before, every night for weeks. The longer, shaggy, auburn hair, the sexy stubbled chin. His defined jaw and angry expression only accentuated the power this man carried about him effortlessly. In her dreams, his eyes only softened when he spoke to her, and it was in his arms where she truly felt complete. He was also the only man to ever evoke any type of sexual response. Some of the dreams she'd had were downright pornographic, and she had enjoyed every second; in a wakeful reality however, he scared the living hell out of her.
She knew that if she loved him recklessly--the way she had in her dreams--and lost him, there would be no recovery. She would be destroyed. That was why she had been so relieved when she met Keelan. He made her feel comfortable, and he didn't threaten to steal her sanity with a dark look that promised the forbidden. Keelan ordered Chinese food and watched anime with her. He made her laugh with made-up fortunes from their fortune cookies. She didn't think twice about sleeping next to him on the sofa in her stained sweatpants. He was her best friend; he was safe.
She took a deep breath and told the biggest lie of her life. "No, sorry, I've never seen you before."
He blinked and his eyes narrowed. "Really?"
Double damn, he knew!
She turned her back to him and took Keelan's hand. "I would remember somebody like you."
"You would think," he replied flatly.
"Kendrick, can you tell us what type of magic you'll be using here?" Rheia asked. "I'd like to disconnect him from as many machines as possible. The more the body does for itself, the better."