"I can't shift till I feel strong enough to and the wounds heal enough so that when my skin stretches and moves they won't reopen." I sighed as Demi looked at me with sympathy. "I'm okay right now though. Walking hurts sometimes, but with the meds the vet gave I'm alright if I remember to take them."

"It'll be time to take another in an hour, but you have to get food in your system first. What are you thinking this morning?" Demi smiled brightly at me, but you could tell she didn't sleep last night. Apparently I whimpered in pain while I was asleep and it kept her up because she couldn't do anything for me.

"Do we have anything here?" I looked up at her, but winced when I tilted my head back too much as it hurt my spine. It swelled around my spinal column, so now my whole back hurts.

"We don't, but I can go get something real quick." She went and got her keys before I could say a word.

"You don't have to do anything for me Dems. I'll be alright." I smiled at her, but she didn't fall for my bullshit.

"What do you want from the bakery up the street?" Demi raised a brow as she twirled her keys around her finger.

"Can I go with you? They allow pets." I gave her my best puppy eyes.

"You can barely go up and down steps Harlow. How in the hell do you expect to get in a car?" Demi put her hands on her hips as she looked down at me. The dominance was radiating off of her. She could make a grown man cower with the look I'm getting.

"We can take the sports car? It's low to the ground." I begged.

"Yes, the sports car without a backseat when the vet told me to make sure you don't sit. Only lie down or stand up straight. Minimal movement of your spine." Demi shot down my plea.

"We can tilt the seat back?" I whined before walking over to her, lied down, and then rested my head on her foot.

"No Harlow. I am not risking your safety, because if someone cuts me off and I have to slam on the breaks it will fuck your back up. I'm going to call Tate in to watch you while I go get food. I'm going to get a little bit of everything to get us through a few days of breakfast." She gave me a small smile before fishing her phone out of her sweatshirt pocket and texting Tate I assume.

I stood up and then pouted as I walked over to the couch.

"I love you baby girl." Demi spoke in a bright tone.

All I did was mutter random sounds.

"Do you need help up on the couch?" Demi asked me as her footsteps approached behind me.

"No, I don't need your help." I snapped at her. I get bitchy when I'm in pain. I also get bitchy when someone tells me I can't do something due to something being wrong with me.

"Excuse me?" She snapped back, but unlike her, I cower to her.

"N-no thank you. I don't n-need h-elp." I stuttered out as I put one paw on the couch before pushing up. As soon as my back twisted a slight amount I winced and fell to the floor.

"Just put your two front paws on the couch and I'll pick up your back ones." Demi kissed in between my ears before doing as she planned. "I'll be back in about thirty minutes. Anything specific you want?" She raised a brow at me as she was half out the front door.

"Cinnamon rolls?" I spoke in more of a question than an answer, knowing she is the one with the final say.

"Yeah, I'll be back soon. I love you." Demi blew a cheesy kiss which made me chuckle.

"I love you too." I gave her a small, but loving, smile.

My smile involuntarily dropped when the door closed behind Demi.

"Whiiiiiped." Tate teased as he plopped onto the couch beside me.

"Fuck off T. Just wait till you find your match. Then I'm going to make fun of you just to make up for all of your bullshit." I snapped at Tate.

"My match won't be anywhere near as cool with it as Demi is with you." Tate mumbled as he picked up the remote off of the table.

"You don't know that. Fall in love with them first just to know what it is like, and then when the time is right drop the bomb and rip the bandaid off." I shrugged as I watched him flip through the channels.

"My match will leave. I wouldn't blame her either if I'm being honest." He sighed as he ran his fingers through his short, jet black hair.

"Who says it will be a girl?" I raised a brow at him.

"Says me?" Tate spoke with more of a question than an answer.

"Open your range up, because you don't know who your match is. Mine was a girl, well, a woman. How do you know your's will be a girl?" I shifted my head slightly so I could properly look at him.

"I don't know, but I am straight. The thought of me having sex with a guy is not something I can stomach." He scrunched his nose up at the thought.

"If your match is a guy, that will be the absolute last thought, because you'll want to fuck them as soon as you see them, and then you'll cool your jets. Until you are calmed down all you will think about is them going down on you." I teased him.

"Oh fuck off Low." Tate swatted at me.

"Fucking hell Tate!" I snapped at him before accidentally letting a whine slip.

"Oh fuck I'm sorry! I forgot! Where did I hit you?" Tate panicked as he checked me for bleeding.

"The middle of my back." I winced when he put his fingers where he hit me.

"Fucking hell I reopened it. I am so sorry Low." Tate nearly cried from the thought of knowing he caused damage to me. It will eat at him for days now.

"It's fine T. Just go get a towel and some bandages. We'll wrap my torso up so it's not too much pressure, but also enough and it'll be constant." I tried to keep my voice normal, but damn did it hurt. It felt like running your knee along concrete for a solid mile.

"O-okay." Tate rushed out as he jumped over the back of the couch and ran around the house fetching the items as if I were bleeding out. The blood loss is minimal honestly. It's pouring blood like a leaking sink faucet, so not too bad.

"What the fuck happened?" Demi asked as soon as she walked into the front door.

"Tate and I were teasing each other and he forgot that I'm not healed, because I still act like my normal self in his defense, so when he swatted at me he accidentally hit the wound and slightly reopened it, but it's fine and no bleeding as of this moment." I quickly covered for Tate.

"I thought I told you to watch her. Not fuck with her." Demi snapped at Tate as she dropped the food on the kitchen counter.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." Tate put his hands up and slowly backed away.

"Demi, he didn't mean to. We forget these things because we tease each other non stop. Just because I'm down doesn't mean I'm out." I weakly walked in between the two of them.

"You're lucky she is standing up for you." Demi growled at Tate.

"Oh come on Demi. If I had known you'd be like this I would've told you I fell off the couch the wrong way. He is my brother and didn't mean to hurt me. Get that in your head!" I snapped at Demi as her eyes started to darken with anger.

"He fucking reopened your wound!" Demi threw her hands up.

"Accidentally! You are acting like he took a fucking knife to my back and did it!" I growled at Demi. I growled at Demi. I just growled at Demi. She is going to break up with me now. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to growl." I quickly spoke, but she put her hand up, gesturing for me to stop.

"I'm going for a drive." With that Demi walked out the front door and slammed it behind her, causing me to whine and paw at the door.

"Come back." I whined at the door and then looked behind me to see if Tate could open it for me, but he had retreated to his mini house in the backyard. "Fuck!" I yelled and tears instantly started to well up in my eyes and I laid down against the door. "Come back. Please come back." I whimpered to no one. "Come back."