Born to Be Badger (Honey Badger Chronicles #5)(29)

She’d been a goddamn test bunny!

“And here we are,” Shay said when he was done.

Tock now sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the wall while he spoke. When he finished speaking, she turned her head to look at him and quickly noticed that his color was better and he definitely looked healthier.

“Sorry I nearly killed you,” she said.

“It was an accident. Let’s just be grateful neither of us are wolves.”

“Why?”

“I think I’d belong to you forever. I’ve heard some lion males do that, too.”

“I think that’s done with a bite.” She blinked. “Wait . . . did I bite you, too?”

“No. But don’t you think that’s weird?”

“It is weird.”

The glass door opened and a She-lion walked in carrying charts.

“Oh, look!” she cheered. “You’re both up. I’m Dr. Chan, the specialist who repaired your artery damage, Mr. Malone.”

Slipping off the bed, Tock walked over to the doctor. She took Shay’s chart from the female’s hand and began to study the results of recent tests made while they were both still asleep. She was about to tell Shay his numbers were looking good when the She-lion snatched the chart back.

Hissing at the rudeness, Tock tried to get the chart back but the She-lion roared. Tock tensed, ready for a fight.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Shay yelled. “Do you two mind? I’m trying not to die here.”

“You’re not dying,” Tock told him before realizing that the doctor had said the same thing along with her. They looked at each other and, after mutually sneering, backed away.

Once at a safe distance, the doctor explained, “The rat—”

“Ratel. Or just honey badger.”

“—is right. Everything is looking good. I just want to examine your wound. Then you should be able to go home.” She glanced over at Tock. “I’m pretty sure you’re ready to go, too.”

“You’re sending me home? Do you even know what they shot me up with?”

“No. But I’m so sorry the original poison didn’t work.”

Tock hissed again, but Shay’s pleas stopped her from tearing the rude bitch’s face off.

“Ladies, please,” Shay begged. “I just want to go home.”

The She-lion nodded and walked over to a sink in the corner of the room. She sanitized her hands, put on nitrile gloves, and went to Shay’s side. She carefully removed the bandage over his wound and took care to closely examine the damage.

Tock really hoped there was nothing wrong. She hated that she’d accidentally hurt him while he was trying to help.

She also felt bad he’d had to deal with her family. She didn’t even ask her teammates to do that. No one should have to deal with either side of her family. They were all a little bit insane and Tock didn’t think it was fair that anyone else should have to put up with the crazy. She was born into it, but her teammates had enough to deal with on their own. She never wanted to add to their stress by adding her relatives.

She’d already told Mads and the others that if something happened and she was killed during something they were doing—but shouldn’t be doing—she wasn’t to tell anyone but her parents until she was buried.

“Trust me,” she told Mads and Max another day when they were only sixteen, “it will be better for all of us in the long run.”

“How will it be better for you?” Max had asked. “You’ll already be dead.”

“That doesn’t mean my grandmother can’t still get to me. And, oy . . . the guilt that woman will pour down on my head.”

“Okay, this looks great,” the rude doctor announced. “A nurse will come in to help with your discharge. Your brothers are here.”

“They are?”

“Been here all night. They’re wonderfully unpleasant.”

Shay nodded. “Yeah. They are.”

“What about me?” Tock asked.

“What about you?”

“Bitch, I will cut your—”

“Discharge,” Shay quickly cut in before Tock could finish her threat. “Can she be discharged, too?”

“I’ll send your doctor in to move that process along as quickly as possible. We’d like to get all of you out of here.”

“All of us?” Tock asked.

“All those badgers are here, too.”

“Still? They’re still here?”

A slow smile spread across the She-lion’s face, and Tock wanted to smash her head in!

“They are here,” she said, her smile getting wider. “Why don’t I go get them?”

Before Tock could stop her, the bitch walked out the door.

Tock ran across the room and jumped on Shay’s hospital bed.

“What are you doing?” he wanted to know.

“Getting out of here.”

“Tock, you have to be discharged.”

She heard him, but ignored his words and, instead, climbed on his shoulders.

“Hey!”

She ignored that too, reaching up and pushing at the tile above her head. She was having trouble pushing it out of the way, so she unleashed her claws and slammed them through the neighboring tile. Holding on with her claws, she lifted her legs and kicked in the tile next to it. She planted her feet on either side of the opening and retracted her claws. Using the strength of her legs, she stayed in position until she could bring her torso up and crouch inside the air duct.