Page 39 of Pooch Planet

The doctor smiled and Benji thought he might faint from relief.

“He’s doing great. The infusion cleared the poison from his blood before any of his organs decayed. There’s one section of his liver near the wound, very small, that was being eaten away, but we excised it before there was any more damage done.”

Benji slapped a hand to his mouth. “Oh no. That seems bad.”

Doctor Ramon shook his head. “No, it’s not a problem, I promise. He might not want to take up binge-drinking as a hobby, but other than that, he’ll live a perfectly normal life.”

Benji let out a huge sigh. “Thank all the heavens. Can I see him yet?”

The doctor rolled his eyes. “Please, yes. He’s driving me crazy, won’t rest until he can see you.”

Benji grinned. His perfect and wonderful mate was okay.

He followed the doctor through the main area of the large medical tent until they reached the curtained off section where Antoine was. The moment he spotted Antoine lying on the bed they’d moved him to, with tubes stuck in his side and protruding from the back of his hand, tears sprung to his eyes again. Antoine turned his head toward Benji and offered him a weak smile.

“Sweetheart, I’m so happy to see you. Are you warm enough?”

Benji sputtered out a laugh. He had to assume Antoine was on some pretty awesome painkillers. He drew closer, then laid a hand on Antoine’s shoulder. He didn’t dare touch him where the tubes were. Benji leaned over and placed a soft kiss on Antoine’s forehead, inhaling his scent that was so much healthier now.

“I’m very warm and happy to see you too. The doctor said you’re going to be totally fine.”

Antoine stared at him through heavy-lidded eyes. “Did he explain everything to you?”

“Sort of. But you can fill me in later. You’re supposed to be resting right now.”

Antoine reached across his body with the hand not being poked by a needle and clasped Benji’s fingers. “I love you.”

Benji smiled, his relief a living thing. “I love you so much, my Alpha.”

Benji glanced around the room, his lips pressed together. There wasn’t even a chair. The bed was the only piece of furniture. Everything else in the room was some sort of device or gadget that Benji didn’t understand.

He regarded Antoine again. “I’m staying with you.”

Antoine frowned. “No, Benji. You need your rest. I won’t have you over-taxing yourself on my account.”

“I won’t. I promise. I can shift then curl up at the end of the bed by your feet. That way, I won’t get in the way of all those tubes.”

Antoine seemed to consider Benji’s idea. “I don’t know…” He frowned again. “Won’t you get cold? I know how much you like being extra warm.”

Benji grinned. “Not a problem. I like being under the covers too, so I’ll just dig beneath the blankets and snuggle up to you. Your ankle will be the perfect place for me to rest my jaw.”

Antoine arched his eyebrows. “If you say so. I suppose that would be all right.”

Benji started to remove the wool robe he’d donned earlier, but Antoine raised his palm in a stopping gesture.

“Wait. Make sure that thing is draped across the end of the bed before you shift.” He narrowed his eyes. “I don’t want anyone getting an eyeful.”

“Of course,” Benji said innocently. “I wouldn’t dream of letting anyone see me naked.” From now on.

Benji figured since Antoine was still recovering, he didn’t need to get unnecessarily upset over Benji’s earlier nude display.

* * * *

Antoine winced as he sat up in bed, the sounds of activity in the camp rousing him. He adjusted the pillows behind him for support, then noticed how hot his feet were. Smiling, his spirit eased as he realized the source of the heat. His sweet Benji had stayed with him throughout the night. However, his foot had gone numb. He wiggled his toes, but tried to keep the movement slight so he didn’t disturb his sleeping mate.

Benji’s head popped up beneath the blanket, the sight like a wiggling lump. He then traveled up the length of the bed. His snout poked out from the top of the covers then the rest of him emerged. He sniff, sniff, sniffed around Antoine’s face and neck, his skinny tail curled and wagging. Then, he scrambled free of the blankets, shook himself from head to toe before jumping around the bed like a deer.

Antoine broke into a wide smile, laughing at Benji’s antics. He’d never had the opportunity to observe him so closely in his shifted form. Benji was beyond adorable.