Chapter 16: Your Gratefulness is Awkward

Evan lay swathed in bandages, though his coloring had returned from chalk white to his normal tan. He waved at me as I walked in, holding a container of homemade chocolate chip cookies. His eyes lit up as I set it on the nightstand beside him.

"For me?"

"Don't eat them all at once. They'll give you a stomachache."

We both laughed. Shifters had iron stomachs, and Evan could eat triple the number of cookies and still want more. I reached over to squeeze his hand gently.

"How are you?"

He rolled his eyes.

"They're coddling me now. The bandages itch, but Nurse Ratchett won't take them off."

I laughed.

"I'm sure she has good reason."

Evan shrugged. Hollows still rested below his eyes, and there were grooves in the corner of his mouth that weren't there before. Those would fade in time, but they were a testament to how close he'd come to dying.

"I want to thank you," he began.

I held up a hand.

"No need. I would have done it for anyone."

He chuckled.