Guardian Wolf Ch. 07

"Do I know you?" Jessica asked in quiet sincerity. There was none of her normal sarcasm and derision that was often associated with this line of questioning. Jessica felt no need to be snarky with this woman; she was comfortable and at ease for once in her life.

"Dear I held you in my arms the day you were born and fed you in this very hospital. Lord knows that bitch of a mother of yours was not going to feed you herself....sorry. I don't care much for your mother," Cami replied, trying to keep her emotions in check.

"That makes two of us!" Jessica said with a dismissive chuckle. Well, there was at least someone else who disliked Anna as much as she.

Then Jessica took a harder look at this young woman. There is no way this woman could be the nurse that held her all those years before; she was not even thirty, thirty-five tops. The woman would still have been in high school when she was born.

"Bullshit!" Jessica snapped in irritation. She would not be part of some sick practical joke.

"There is no way you are older than thirty-five tops. There is no way you were the nurse that held and fed me when I was born," Jessica said in a defensive voice. Her emotional walls were very weak around this woman and she felt with only the slightest tug her fortifications would crumble.

Camille forced herself to maintain her soft and matronly demeanor. There was such distrust and malice in this young woman. Every moment she spent with this emotionally scarred girl, Camille hated her mother more and more. Gods! What have her parents done to this poor child? Marcus was indeed correct to suspect such emotional baggage, but right now the task of reformation seemed insurmountable. Camille knew it would take considerable effort from not only she and Marcus, but James, Rachel, Maggie, Robert, and a host of other players to show this girl that there really were people in this world who would love her and accept her. Her level of suspicion and distrust was astronomical at the moment. Camille sighed and calmed her emotions, forcing herself to focus on the task at hand. Jessica needed her at the moment to be an emotional anchor that she could lay hold upon. If anything else, Camille was determined to always be an emotional haven for Jessica Hamilton, regardless of the torrential storms that would come her way.

"Oh dear, I am far, far older than you may think. I'll explain it to you another time. But believe me; I held your tiny body in my arms as I fed you from that bottle. Would you please do me a favor? I promise I won't touch you or come near you until you are ready," Camille pleaded with Jessica for any foothold the girl may give her.

Jessica looked at the nurse like she had just grown horns out of her head. But then she shook her head and thought 'what the hell'. If anything else this was more entertaining that just sitting here bored out of her fucking skull. She hesitantly closed her eyes, shutting out the harsh internal light from the neon lamps.

"Okay Jessica, listen to me. I want you to listen to my voice and clear your mind of everything, just concentrate on the sound of my voice. I don't want you to think of Anna, I don't want you to think of Augustus, I only want you to concentrate on the sound of my voice and just listen. Allow your mind to float along on a cloud with no concern or worry. Your only concern is listening to my voice. Are you listening?" Camille said in a calm and soothing voice.

Jessica willed her body to relax as she listened to the nurse's melodic voice. Jessica had always imagined this is how a proper mother's voice should sound like; not the shrill, haughty voice her mother used 99% of the time. Anna's voice was like nails on a chalkboard compared to this angel in scrub's voice. Soon she felt herself floating as if on a cloud, without a care in the world. Her mind was completely void of any conscious thought as she concentrated on the nurse's voice alone.

"Are you still listening to my voice? Are you floating on that cloud yet?" Cami asked, allowing Jessica a few more moments.

Jessica was afraid to answer; afraid she would break the magical spell that had washed over her like a warm woolen blanket. All she could do was nod her head.

Camille took this as a signal and began to sing in a soft angelic voice a lullaby she had sang to Jessica as she comforted the tiny infant in her arms. It was an old lullaby that her mother used to sing to her and her sister Maggie. It was a favorite of hers and she often sang it to her children over the years. It was known as the 'Golden Slumber' lullaby:

Golden slumber kiss your eyes,
Smiles await you when you rise.
Sleep,
pretty baby,
Do not cry,
And I'll sing you a lullaby.

Care you know not,
Therefore sleep,
While I o'er you watch do keep.
Sleep,
pretty darling,
Do not cry,
And I will sing a lullaby.

The sweet melody and lyrics hit her senses like a shot of 100 proofs Whiskey. Her body was flooded with a sense of complete warmth as she listened to this sweet woman sing to her. She was singing to her like a mother was singing to her child; for just a moment, Jessica believed that this woman really was her mother and allowed a sense of fulfillment to invade her consciousness. Jessica was feeling emotions she had never experienced before: love, compassion, companionship, understanding, an entire array of positive emotions she had never thought she could express pushed against her negative exterior, allowing a sliver of positive reinforcement to find root in her callous, unemotional soil.

Camille watched as a single, solitary tear fell from Jessica's left eye. This was proof positive that Jessica Hamilton truly had a spark of genuine humanity left inside her body; a spark her parents had been unable to extinguish through neglectful parenting and years of denying Jessica the loving parents she so desperately needed. Cami slowly approached the defenseless girl and wrapped her arms warmly around this broken child. Jessica buried her head into Camille's breast and began sobbing like a small child. Large, hot tears fell freely down Jessica Hamilton's cheeks for only the second time in living memory. She was experience a completion in her life that Jessica had never known before. Jessica grabbed onto this woman and held on for dear life as she bore her soul down the front of her nursing garb. Camille simply soothed her lovingly, stroking her hair, whispering comfort like any true mother would do for her children. After a few moments, Jessica's crying had diminished to occasional sniffles and hiccups as she emptied her remaining emotional reserves from her body.

Jessica tiredly looked up at this gorgeous woman who she now knew was indeed the woman who held her all those years ago. Somehow or other she was the genuine article of matronly perfection she had felt for that fleeting moment when she was an infant before being returned to the frigid arms of her 'mother'. With a red, puffy face and tear streaked eyes Jessica had to know the name of this incredible woman.

"Who are you?" Jessica asked. It was a simple and concise question posed as she searched the woman's eyes with sincerity.

"My name is Camille...Camille Wolfe," Cami said as she continued to stroke the girl's head. Maybe this wouldn't be such an impossible endeavor after all. She felt like she had made a real emotional connection with Jessica today.

Jessica felt like she had just been thrown into an icy river. Wolfe? Was this another sick, twisted joke that that bitch Rachel had dreamt up? Jessica shoved her protector off her body like a cancer and began shivering in confusion. Jessica's emotional walls were shattered due to this woman and she was hurt and confused.

Cami immediately recognized the change and wondered what she had said wrong. All she had told her was her name. That couldn't have caused such an emotional one eighty, could it?

"Are...are...you...you...re...related to Rachel Merchant Wolfe?" Jessica stuttered out the question, still shivering like she was freezing to death.

"Yes...she's my new niece," Cami replied carefully. She didn't see how Rachel was related to this, but Camille decided to proceed carefully.

That response was all it took for Jessica to retreat completely behind her emotional battlements once more. She felt betrayed and confused; she had felt emotions for this woman she had never felt for anyone before and she was conspiring with the enemy. Well fuck you and your whole family! Jessica's face grew stony and distant.

With cold and concise diction Jessica said, "Get out. Get the fuck out of my room!"

Camille was now completely in the dark. What had she done? The mere mention of her family name and her niece's name had caused Jessica to completely retreat upon herself, erasing all the progress she had achieved today with this emotionally fragile girl. Any signs of love and affection were quickly and utterly replaced with cold callousness and an icy demeanor.

"Why?" Cami asked, trying to determine the cause of Jessica's distress.

"Because your one of them. You're a Wolfe. That bitch Rachel is the reason I'm in this fucking hospital, wasting my time laying her. So fuck you and all your bullshit! You're not my mother, you are worse than that frigid bitch!" Jessica screamed and threw an empty water bottle at the thoroughly confused woman.

Not wanting to cause further distress to the young woman, Camille retreated with a hasty goodbye back to her nursing station. Again she sat confused and agitated within her own thoughts. But she knew she needed answers and her nephew and new niece seemed to be waist deep in them. She was going to find out what the fuck was going on and find out real soon.

************

That is the condition that James and Rachel found Camille in. The moment she saw the two suspects, she pounced upon them like a junkyard dog on a T-bone steak. They were immediately and harshly in the middle of the fucking spot light. Three minutes into their interrogation both Rachel and James agreed they would rather be interrogated by the German SS right now. A week in a Viet Cong P.O.W. camp was also looking rather tempting at the moment. Camille Wolfe was a scary sight to behold when she was this pissed.

"What the fuck did you do to that poor girl?" Cami practically snarled at the two teenagers.

Like two clueless teenagers their response was the expected, "Huh?"

"Jessica Hamilton. I was making real progress with her and then I go and mention my name. Just my name and the girl is shivering with fear! And then she reveals that Rachel is to blame for her being in this hospital. Care to explain that piece of information?" Cami asked both teenagers, daring them to lie to her.

Rachel decided to put on her big girl panties once and for all and stepped up to the hangman's noose, "It's my fault Aunt Camille. I was so enraged with jealousy and fear that Jessica would attempt to take James away from me, I let my emotions dictate my actions," Rachel admitted sheepishly.

"Start from the beginning girl and don't leave anything out! If there is even a chance of helping that girl you better be fucking 100% honest with me. Now talk!" Cami barked. It was not a request.

James started to say something but Rachel stopped him with a hand.

It's my fault Jessica is in this situation; she is my responsibility. I will face the consequences.

Are you sure? I'm here if you need me sweetheart.

I know. Let's just pray your aunt Camille doesn't tear me a new asshole before you have had a chance to use the first one.

James had to stifle a chuckle at this last thought. Even while facing certain death at the hands of his mother's irate sister, his mate still had her sense of humor.

Rachel spent the next thirty minutes relating everything. From their initial confrontation and Jessica's reaction to James, to their public fucking and discovery, to Rachel's less than stellar confrontation with Jessica in the bathroom, to the subsequent triage and first aid. Rachel left nothing out and sugar coated nothing to Cami's growing surprise and shock. It wasn't just the public sex and everything; truth be told she was very open to exhibitionism\voyeurism and had indulged in it with Bill (and with Robert and Maggie) on many occasions. It was Rachel's reaction to Jessica's confrontation that startled her most of all. After hearing the confession from James's tiny mate, Cami was finding it difficult to fault the girl. If someone was trying to blackmail her just to gain access to her Bill she would tear out that person's eyeballs and joyfully relocate them up the nearest posterior orifice (a.k.a. asshole) so they could personally see where their brilliant idea was truly coming from. Because that was the only way a shit for brains could appreciate the repercussions of their decision.

In her eyes Rachel's reaction was completely warranted, if a bit unexpected. She didn't think this tiny girl recently mated to her nephew had it in her. Her description of the events had Cami reevaluating her new niece with greater respect. It shouldn't have surprised her though; the bond between mates was stronger than any known substance in the universe. Nothing and no one should dare to come between mates; it is the equivalent to committing suicide. But the question remained on how to best handle the situation now that she knew who Jessica Hamilton was and what she was destined to become. They had to do their best to aid Marcus in effectively wooing the damaged girl.

James decided to stand up for his mate and discussed his part in contacting Augustus Hamilton and his less than polite conversation (including racial epitaphs and personal insults against his father) and his 'concern' for his daughter. This only made his aunt madder at the sheer unadulterated indifference Jessica's parents showed their daughter. By the end of their confession, Cami was surprised to find she was still grinding her teeth in hatred at Jessica's parents. She didn't care what human laws she had to break or if she violated every article of the Geneva Convention; those parents would pay dearly for what they had done to their only daughter. She doubted they would serve any role as Jessica's parents for much longer. Killing them off was becoming a greater realistic enticement with every passing moment.

It wasn't until after James and Rachel finished talking and quietly listened to Cami grind her molars into oblivion for a few minutes did Camille noticed the bag from PF Chang's, the flowers, and the balloons.

"What are those for?" Camille asked in open surprise.

"They are peace offerings and a chance to start over. I seriously fucked up my initial confrontation and decided to give it a second go minus my childish emotions. I know that the food here is less than stellar and I know that Jessica would probably eat her own foot before ingesting hospital food. I figure an appeal to her stomach is as good an in as any. We HAVE to try to make friends with her; for the good of the pack and Marcus...we have to try," Rachel said.

"What does Marcus have to do with this?" Cami said, baiting them.

"Um...you see Aunt Cami...we...uh...how do I say this...um...we think that Jessica is supposed to be...Marcus's...his...mate," James stuttered actually wincing when the last word left his mouth. He fully expected his aunt to hit him at the revelation.

Instead Camille laughed out loud as she watched her nephew trying to tip toe through a potential mine field. James and Rachel looked at Cami like she had just lost her mind.

"I know already. You see Marcus was already her to bring me lunch. When I suggested he go say hello to Jessica I found him standing in her doorway looking especially possessive of the girl. The question is how did you find out and do your parents know?" Cami asked.

James and Rachel visibly relaxed. James proceeded to explain his suspicions and his conversation with his father when he called to get contact information for Mr. Hamilton. He noticed immediately that Cami's eyes narrowed slightly at the mention that her sister and brother in law knew before her.

"So Maggie and Robert know already? Interesting. Well you guys go play nice with Jessica, you hear? She is still a patient and is still recovering from her injury. Please refrain from causing her further injury please. I need to go have a word with my snake in the grass twin and her louse of an Alpha mate. If you will excuse me," Cami said effectively dismissing the teenagers.

"Oh shit! Mom and Dad are going to catch hell from Cami. It's probably a good thing they are leaving the country tomorrow morning; Mom and Dad will need that long for Camille to settle down. I hope Mom has the forethought to wear earplugs before she attempts to talk with her sister. I suspect that Dad will stay as far away from that conversation as possible; probably holed up in his office for a few hours before he figures it is safe to come home. My aunt Cami scares the shit out of most people, even our Alpha. Don't fuck with a pissed off female; especially if that female is your sister in law," James chuckled as they walked towards room 208.

************

Jessica was just finishing her thought of forgiving Rachel when she first caught the smell of PF Chang's. Such opportune timing couldn't be coincidence, could it? Jessica waited with baited breath as she sensed the aroma of sweet and sour chicken growing closer. The stronger it got, the louder her stomach growled. She was a little surprised to see two balloons and a vase of a dozen roses precede the delicious smell of Chinese food. She was even more surprised and a bit scared to see who was bearing the roses and balloons: Rachel! Jessica made a hasty retreat, pulling the covers up to her eyeballs, mentally willing the she-devil to disappear. Instead Rachel took a seat and brought it right up the side of Jessica's bed. Gods! This must be a delusional nightmare!

She had little time to be frightened of the woman who had caused her so much pain before her stomach announced the arrival of the food. Jessica watched James enter the room but refrained from watching his sculpted body, still very aware of Rachel sitting next to her. Without a word James removed the offending tray of hospital food and placed it safely out of reach on the dresser across the room. He quickly and professionally laid out a meal of sweet and sour chicken, white rice and some of her favorite spring rolls on the mobile tray server. He left and returned moments later with a Styrofoam cup filled with ice and a can of diet coke. James quietly wheeled the tray up to her and placed a pair of cutlery and some napkins next to the food that was calling so invitingly to her stomach. Despite her misgivings of the validity of what she was seeing, her stomach growled happily in appreciation. She did not make a move towards the food until James went around to Rachel with their food.

Little was said as Jessica watched James and Rachel eat considerable quantities of Chinese food; more than she could eat in a couple of days. She wanted to ask just where Rachel was putting all the food she was eating. She almost made a snide remark about how big her ass was going to get if she continued to eat like a pig, but wisely decided to stifle the remark in her throat. Seeing that Rachel and James were effectively paying her little attention as they ate heartily, Jessica gave up and attacked her own portions with relish. The food was very delicious and she soon was making quite a pig herself of the meal that was so artfully placed before her. This beat the holy living shit out of hospital cuisine. The only sound heard over the next few minutes was the enjoyment of American Chinese fast food. Only after the last grain of rice and the last spring roll had been consumed and a very unladylike belch came from the bed next to them, causing Jessica to blush all the way to her ears, did James and Rachel breach the tranquil silence.