Page 14 of The Dragons' Healing Mate

“Well, don’t worry about that. Pretend he’s not there.” Nina pulled on her shirt hem, straightening as she turned up the wattage on that smile of hers. “You’re here for the patients. Healing them like the gift to dragon-kind you are. Ready?”

A laugh broke free, and I grinned back. “Have I told you how grateful I am for you? Because this would be way too much without your help.”

She waved off the compliment, heading toward the door. “Oh, none of that. I’m happy to help. You’re one of us. You need something, just ask.”

I beamed at her. It was impossible not to feel warmed by her presence. “I will. Okay, I think I’m ready. Go ahead and open up, Nina.”

She gave me a mock salute and headed to the front entrance to unlock it.

Before long, the clinic was bustling with people. For the most part, it was standard stuff: a sprained wrist, a woman with a fever, a few cuts and scrapes here and there. It all felt so normal; it didn’t take me long to get back into the swing of things, using the system I’d put in place to keep everything organized and easy to follow up on.

As the day progressed, an older dragon came in, presenting with a pretty nasty gash on their leg after taking a spill outside when they were gathering vegetables for the kitchen. I inspected the wound, careful not to aggravate the torn skin. The dragon hissed, flinching as I determined how deep it was.

“All right, I don’t think you need stitches, but we’ll need to clean it out and bandage it, which will need changing every day to make sure it’s not getting infected. I can follow up with you in forty-eight hours.”

The older dragon, Simon, bobbed his head along with my instructions, clutching a hat he’d been wearing while working. Innearly a whisper, he asked, “Is it true, you’re going to be our full-time healer?”

“I’m here for the foreseeable future,” I told him, trying not to grimace.

Part of me had been eager to dive into healing, and doing what I did best had felt so good today—a natural, welcome routine. Helping an entire horde was alengthyproject, though, and while I was excited for it, that lingering nervousness about being thesolehealer here hadn’t quit since this morning.

“It’s so nice to have someone who really listens.” I looked up at Simon, smiling as genuine relief took hold. “I can tell you’re not like Jenkins, and that’s enough for me. The fact that you’re so competent, well, I wouldn’t be surprised if you have the entire horde in love with you by day’s end.”

I blushed, patting Simon’s hand. “You’re too kind. I’m just doing my job. Still, I’m very glad to hear that I’ve been helpful. It means the world to me.”

Simon nodded again, and I helped him down from the exam table so he could rest. “Of course, Ms. Rowan. I’ll let you get back to it. So I should come in later to have it checked?”

“Yes, I’ll have another peek to make sure it’s healing properly.” I walked him to the door and looked outside to my empty waiting room. It appeared that I’d finally caught up. We said goodbye, and I had Nina schedule a time for Simon to come see me again. Once I was all done with my paperwork, I decided it was a good time to check on Allison.

“I’m going to check on the new arrivals, Nina. Send for me if someone shows up and can’t wait, okay?”

“Sure thing!” She saluted again, full of all that oddly welcome energy after such a busy day, and I left with a wave.

“Hey, Mama, how are you and the little munchkin?” I asked, padding into Allison’s room, keeping my voice low in case the baby was sleeping.

The woman was in bed, looking a damn sight better than the last time I had seen her. Ma had clearly fed her and ensured she’d gotten a hot bath, her hair was clean, and there was a relaxed smile on her face as she rocked her baby.

“We’re doing good. He’s feeding and sleeping tons, so I think all is well.”

“That’s averygood sign,” I confirmed, gazing at the sleeping newborn. “Do you have any concerns?”

Allison shook her head. “No. Ma has been amazing, helping me figure out the early stuff—like latching and sleeping. I didn’t realize it would be so often—for both.”

I grinned, a chuckle escaping me. “Oh yeah, it’s what most new babies do. Ma isbasicallythe mother of the entire horde, so if anyone here has a wealth of information, it’s her.”

Allison smiled at her baby boy, and my chest squeezed, so glad they were both okay. She smoothed her hand over her son’s face, and the little guy cooed in his sleep, making the most adorable sounds.

Still, when she looked back up at me, Allison’s brow crinkled as she chewed on her lip.

“Are your matesreallyokay with giving us sanctuary?” she asked in a small voice. “I mean… I know what Colin did. And while I appreciate it, I also know that wasn’t the, umm,bestway to go about getting help.”

My heart ached for her. No mother should have to worry about the safety of their child, but it was obvious in the tight grip that Allison had on her baby that she was terrified.

“Colin made a rash decision.” I looked over at him, dozing in a chair next to the bed. Clearly, he’d been up overnight helping Allison as much as he could. “But the Alphas and I will help however we can. We all know there’s a baby involved, and that’s a big deal.”

“I’m just”—Allison glanced over at Colin—“We left a bad situation, and I’m worried it’s going to follow us.”

“You think your father will cause problems?” I asked gently, taking a seat next to her on the bed.