Disclaimer: I do not own Wolfblood.
A/N: This chapter is a whole episode.
Episode eight - "Scarred"
Ten minutes later and Maddy was downstairs with her and Rhydian's parents. Jana and Aran hadn't yet returned from hunting; Maddy assumed that they had returned to Jana's house.
"You alright, pet?" Emma asked, smiling gently as she sat on the arm of the sofa that Maddy was sitting on. She put an arm around her daughter and squeezed her for a moment.
Maddy nodded. "I guess so."
"You know he'll be fine, don't you?"
"I know."
"It'll take him a while to heal, and he might be scarred and things like that, but he'll be fine in time."
"Scarred?" Maddy clarified, turning her head to look at her mum. "I didn't even think about that..."
"Well, it was bound to happen, love," gently, Emma pushed a piece of hair off of Maddy's face and looked at her softly, noticing the worry behind her eyes.
"I know, I just...I hadn't even thought of it. Will he be scarred forever?"
Smiling sadly, Emma nodded. "I think so. But it won't be bad, I don't think. Even though it's a dramatic wound, it was deep rather than large, so the scar will barely be noticeable."
Maddy nodded and looked away again, but she felt guilt settle in her stomach and twist uncomfortably. In a way, she felt like this was her fault. Like it was her fault Rhydian was injured; if she hadn't stood in front of her parents, Rhydian wouldn't have jumped to protect her and then ended up this wounded. If Rhydian hadn't have gotten involved with Maddy in the first place, none of this would have happened. If they hadn't returned to England, it wouldn't have happened…
"You okay?" Emma asked after a few minutes, noticing the way Maddy had become suddenly pale and her eyes were wide.
Maddy nodded all to quickly. "I'm fine."
"Are you sure—" Emma's sentence was cut off when all the wolfbloods heard a noise from upstairs.
All five of them stood up at once, listening intently. Maddy knew it was Rhydian straight away; it was his voice, and he was…screaming? Growling? None of them could make it out very well as it was all very fast, and they could hear him thrashing about in his bed.
"What's happening?" Gerwyn asked, concerned for his son.
"He's having a nightmare," Maddy realised, not looking at anyone. She could only listen for a few more moments before shaking her head and saying, "someone needs to go to him."
"You go," Ceri said as if it were instinct, looking at Maddy seriously. Maddy looked to her. "I think he's saying your name."
"What?" Maddy frowned, but before anyone could reply she'd already turned and ran up the stairs towards the bedroom.
As soon as she opened the door she saw him, face creased in pain, body thrashing slightly in the sheets and mouth letting out noises that were indescribable.
Maddy's heartbeat increased rapidly, eyes widening. And then without thinking anymore, she shut the door behind her and ran towards the bed, hastily lying next to him.
"Shhh," she soothed. She brought her arm up to his chest, careful to avoid the bandage, and gently pushed him down to the bed again. His skin was beaded with sweat; black veins crawling up his arms and neck. "Rhydian, it's okay,"
"Maddy!" He cried, still asleep. His eyes were shut and his neck was straining upwards.
"Rhydian," she brought her lips down to his ear and whispered, running her hands up and down his torso comfortingly. "Shhh, I'm here. I'm here."
Suddenly, he jolted awake, his eyes now wide open and his breathing heavy. His head snapped around to see his girlfriend.
"Maddy," he breathed, clearly relieved. Tears brimmed on his eyes. Maddy watched in horror, eyes flicking all over the place. "You're okay."
"I'm fine," she said, trying for a smile; but it came out as a frown. "What just happened?"
"I...I had a nightmare," he frowned, letting his head fall back down to the pillow.
"What was it about?"
For a moment, Rhydian ignored her question. "Mads, before I say anything, come closer."
"Why?"
"Just…please. I need you to." His voice was still pained, and he screwed his eyes shut as the pain of his wounds hit him again.
Without further questioning, Maddy shuffled forward and rested her head on the very top of his chest, almost his shoulder. She figured he needed her close so she put her hand on his chest over his heart and started tracing circles on his skin. She heard him inhale her scent, and then he spoke, sounding a little calmer now.
"Don't let go, Mads." He whispered.
"I won't."
More minutes of silence passed as heartbeats returned to normal and muscles un-tensed.
"It was just a nightmare," he said finally. "A really bad one. I think it's because I stopped smelling you, and my brain thought you were…gone."
"I'm not. I'm here."
"I know," he said, nuzzling his face in to her hair. "But it felt so real, Mads..."
Maddy wasn't sure what to say to make him feel better, but as she shuffled closer and put her head in the crook of his neck, he seemed to relax under her touch. She could hear his breathing gradually becoming slower.
"This sounds pathetic," Rhydian started hesitantly, "but I think for now I need you here when I sleep. Just for now."
Nodding, Maddy rubbed comforting circles on his arm. "That's okay."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. It's understandable, Rhydian."
She couldn't see him but she knew he was smiling softly. A moment later her eyes fell to the bandage wrapped around his waist and her forehead wrinkled when she remembered what her mum had said to her. 'He'll be scarred forever...'
Feeling the painful guilt twist in her stomach once more, she screwed her eyes shut to try and take her mind off it. But it didn't work.
All it did was take her thoughts back to earlier that day; Rhydian leaping towards her in her peripheral vision, and then the black wolf biting in to his stomach. Then she thought about his limp body on the floor and how his shirt had been soaked with blood, surrounding the air with a metallic smell that had given Maddy a headache as she worried for her boyfriend's life.
It was all her fault. If it wasn't for her, Rhydian wouldn't have been injured in the first place. Now it was extremely likely that he'd be scarred forever, and although his wounds would heal and be painless soon enough, there would always be scars there to remind them of the pain that had happened. And Maddy felt entirely responsible.
Without even realising it, tears were falling out of her eyes and she looked back to the wound.
Rhydian soon felt tears on his skin and he frowned, attempting to look down at her.
"Mads?" He questioned, heartbeat increasing. He moved away from her as much as he could so he was able to see her face, and he wiped away the tears with his thumb. "What's wrong?" He was frowning intensely at her.
"I'm sorry," she said, her voice half whisper, half sob. "I'm so sorry."
"Sorry for what?" Rhydian asked, alarmed.
"This is all my fault. It's my fault you're like this. You're going to be scarred forever, Rhydian, and it's all my fault."
"Hey, hey, shh," he soothed, his voice soft as he let his head fall back down to the pillow. She lay on her side next to him now and his head was turned to face her, a frown still etched on to his forehead. "It's not your fault. It's not your fault at all."
"But you're going to be scarred," her lip was trembling, "forever."
"We don't know that yet," he said softly, reaching out to take her hand. "We don't know anything yet. We can't freak out until we know for sure. And anyway, I'm not bothered that I'm going to be scarred. As long as you're safe, that's the main thing."
"But what if..."
"Everyone has scars, Mads," he watched as she shuffled closer and pressed her face in to his chest, kissing his skin. "I have one on my forehead and no one's ever questioned that, have they?"
Frowning, Maddy looked up to the scar on his forehead. "I guess not." She said quietly, and then she pushed herself up so she could leave a kiss on the scar she didn't even notice anymore. She let her lips linger there, and Rhydian closed his eyes. "Where did you get that scar from, anyway?"
His face seemed to cloud over a tiny, barely-noticeable amount. "It's a long story."
Maddy didn't have the energy to push him.
"It'll be alright, Mads," he whispered a few moments later, his breath now tickling her face. "I'm alive, you're alive, and that's all that matters, right?"
Nodding, she left a final kiss on his forehead before laying back down again with her head on his chest. "I'll be scarred on me shoulder too. We can be scarred together."
Rhydian chuckled before asking, "how is your shoulder?"
"It's alright," she shrugged. "Hurting a bit now though."
"Wish I could kiss it better."
Maddy smiled for the first time in quite a while. "Trust me, I do too."
He let out a cheeky grin and then rested his head on top of hers, feeling her cuddle closer.
"Stay for a while?" He asked a few minutes later.
Without saying anything, Maddy just nodded and closed her eyes, feeling the heat of his body warm her up. She would stay as long as he needed her to.
Maybe even longer.
A few days later, Rhydian was a little less drowsy, having been able to bring his pain medication down just a little. He could lie on his side now – his left side, as that was the least painful – which made it easier for him to sleep.
At one point in the past few days, they'd changed the bandage around his stomach, and Maddy had had to look away. For four days, he'd been stuck in bed, and Maddy never thought she'd miss seeing him walking.
Rhydian still struggled to sleep without her near, though. It wasn't as prominent as before, but the anxiety and the occasional nightmares were still there, meaning Maddy had to squish next to him in his bed. But, to be honest, she wasn't really complaining. It meant she got to be near Rhydian.
But they definitely needed a bigger bed.
But now, the Monday after their encounter with the Wildblood, Maddy woke up to a sleeping Rhydian laying beside her. In a few hours she had to return to school for the first time since the fight, and she was feeling a little anxious about leaving Rhydian by himself. Although she knew he would be fine, there was still that little bit of anxiety in the back of her mind. Her parents had let her take the rest of last week off, but now it was time to go back.
Still, she rolled over in bed after looking at the clock – 7.15am.
Her face broke out in to a soft, loving smile when she saw Rhydian.
He was still fast asleep, the side of his face pressed in to the pillow as he lay on his side. His arm was sitting on the pillow beside his head, his mouth having fallen open ever so slightly and his chest bare. He looked so peaceful, so carefree, that Maddy just had to watch him for another few moments before she got up.
He hadn't had chance to shave in a few days – since the day of the fight, in fact – so there was light stubble around his chin and jaw line. His forehead was slightly wrinkled, and if she listened to his heartbeat, she could hear that it was slow, regular and peaceful. She found herself feeling peaceful just looking at him.
Gently, Maddy reached out and brushed the stubble on his jaw with her fingers. She heard him inhale, and then he smiled lightly before pushing his face further in to the pillow.
She smiled fondly, leaning forward to softly brush her cheek with his. Bringing her hand away from his face, she traced her fingers down his bare shoulder, stopping at the top of his arm.
He shuffled slightly again, and Maddy watched the muscles in his shoulders and arms move. She smiled even more.
"Rhydian," she whispered in to his ear.
Rhydian made a noise that was half hum, half moan, and buried his face fully in to the pillow.
"Rhydian, I'm getting up now," she said, knowing he was at least half awake. "You stay in bed. I just wanted to let you know that I'm getting up, so you don't freak out when you realise I'm not here."
"No," he mumbled. As she went to get out of bed, he put his arm out and attempted to pull her back. His eyes were still closed. "Stay."
Maddy smiled, brushing his cheek with her fingers again. "Be careful," she said as he pulled her closer. "Don't hurt yourself. And I can't stay. I have to go to school."
"Hmmphhhmm," he muttered his words in to his pillow so it just came out as a blur, and Maddy chuckled lightly.
She leaned forward to kiss his cheek. "I'll come say goodbye when I'm going. You stay in bed, okay?"
"What time is it?" He asked, his head finally coming out of the pillow and eyes flickering open.
"Nearly 7.20," she replied and watched as he grimaced.
Maddy felt his warm hand on her back under her top, his fingers spread out against her skin.
"I'll come up again in a bit," she whispered, kissing him on the nose this time. Then she felt his lips on her neck and cheek. "Love you," he muttered.
"Love you too." She smiled. One last time, she ran her hands through his hair and then got out of bed, feeling the cold air of the bedroom hit her immediately.
Maddy sat with Shannon at lunchtime, on the edge of the dinner hall at a table for four. Their school bags took up the empty seats and, as Shannon took a bite in to her apple, she frowned at her best friend.
"What?" Maddy asked, confused.
"Nothing," Shannon responded, and her tone was already teasing, "it's just weird not seeing you attached at the hip with your other half. Like you're missing something. Are you feeling okay?" Faking concern, she leaned over and placed her hand on Maddy's forehead, only to have it playfully pushed away again.
Maddy rolled her eyes, stabbing her pasta with a fork. "Shut up. I can be without Rhydian for a day, thank you very much."
"Mhmm," Shannon smirked. "Of course you can."
"You're ridiculous."
"And you're crazy about him!"
"So? I had months without him! And besides, you can't really talk. You're crazy about Tom!"
Shannon pulled her lips together and then looked down at her lap.
"Who's blushing now?" Maddy grinned, watching as Shannon grinned back at her.
"Shut up. Eat your pasta."
Still smiling, Maddy put a forkful of pasta in her mouth and shook her head playfully.
A few minutes later, Shannon took a sip of her drink. As she put it back down on the table, she took a breath to speak.
"How's Rhydian doing today?"
Maddy shrugged. "He's okay. Still finding it hard to get out of bed, but he's not as drowsy anymore."
"How's he sleeping now?"
"Still not so good," Maddy looked down at her plate, pushing a piece of soggy broccoli around. "If I'm not there, he has nightmares."
Shannon frowned. "Sounds bad."
"It is," she agreed. "But we're getting there."
Maddy spent the rest of the day trying to distract herself, and when she returned home, Rhydian was still in bed. He was awake, and not too groggy, making Maddy grin as soon as she saw him.
"You're awake," she said happily, walking in and sitting by him on the bed.
"I've been awake all day," Rhydian replied, smiling at his girlfriend. "How was school?" He reached out and took her hand, and Maddy leaned in to kiss him quickly on the lips.
"Boring. Suffocating."
Rhydian chuckled. "So pretty standard, then."
"Yep." She laughed, kissing him once more. "Okay, I'm gonna get changed. Then I'll be back. Wanna watch something on Netflix?"
Rhydian nodded, but he seemed slightly unsure. "Yeah."
Maddy frowned, stopping by the door. "What?"
"Nothing."
"What is it!?"
"Nothing," Rhydian said, "it's just…," he shook his head and sighed, not sure how to say it. "I've just been thinking today. About…well, I'm gonna be able to walk soon, right? And before we know it I'll be better. And…the original plan before all this happened was that we'd live here on our own. But now that your parents are here too, it just…I don't know, it just feels a bit weird. Like I'm not sure what they'd be comfortable with…"
She frowned again. "You lived with us just fine in Canada."
"Yeah, but it wasn't the same as here. Here, it's a lot more intense. We don't have to hunt, or really go outside at all if we don't want to, and I feel like I'm invading their home. Their real home. You know? Here, I could stay somewhere else. I don't have to be here.… It's just things like, if they weren't here, we'd be getting you a bigger bed for us to sleep in. But now that they're here, it just seems a bit…"
"Weird?"
Rhydian nodded. "Yeah."
"I see what you mean," she said. "Mam gets really protective. It gets so annoying. I don't know if I want to live here if they're going to be like that..."
"I didn't mean you had to leave," Rhydian said. "I meant more along the lines of me living somewhere else. If that'd make things easier."
Maddy almost laughed. "Don't be stupid. I'm not being without you again. I'm used to having you around now; I don't want to live separately."
Rhydian grinned. "Same here."
"We'll talk to them about it. When you're feeling better. How's that?"
He nodded. "Sounds good."
"Cool. I'll be back in a minute, then."
"Love you."
"You too, Rhydian."
Rhydian smiled at her back as she walked away.
And when she came back, he managed to sit up a little, and Maddy managed to squish up next to him so they could watch a movie on her laptop.
A/N: This is the second to last chapter. D: I don't want it to end! You guys have been amazing this whole time and I love you all so much for sticking by me and this story. It's not over yet of course!
On that note, I have some news. I'm thinking of making a spin-off series for this story, so like, not a sequel necessarily (although I may write one eventually). But I was planning on it being a one-shot series of the adventures Maddy and Rhydian get up to, taking place after this story has finished. So, it'll still be in the TAG world I have created, but there won't be a big intense plot line this time. Does that make sense? What do you guys think about that? Let me know, because I'm not 100% sure if I'm doing it yet, so I need feedback! :)
Thanks for reading and for all your lovely reviews on the last chapter! Do leave a review on this one and let me know what you think :)
Love :* xxx