Finding Home

Chapter Forty Five-Nathan

Despite Paige not having her wolf she healed remarkably quickly. What would have taken a human two months to heal was done in a fraction of the time. She was back up on her feet and was even training again with in a matter a weeks.

Paige had been reserved since the ritual failed. At first Nathan thought it was just her injuries taking all her energy but now he wasn't so sure. She had become more closed off, not just to him but everyone. It's like she retreated back into her shell of who she was in London.

A few weeks after her failed shift Nathan was having lunch with his officers. He was quiet thinking about how to reach her, to bring her back out. "What's going on with Paige?" Allen asked, pulling Nathan from his reverie.

"You've noticed it too?" Nathan asked.

"I think we all have," Patrick said. "She was different that week we were doing research but now..." He let the sentence trail off, unsure of where to go with it.

"I asked Micah about it this morning in training," Allen said. "He said it's a thing she does after she experiences a set back. She retreats into herself for a while before coming back out."

"I don't know, this feels... It feels like she's slipping away from me." Nathan had been spending as much time as he could with her. While she was in the infirmary he stayed with her, bringing the most important work he had to get done into the room. When she was released he would eat lunch with her and spend his evenings with her at her families house.

The first night it was awkward with her father there. Nathan had become comfortable with Paige's mother and sister but her father was another story. When they had told him what was going on while she was in the hospital he was excited, but when she failed to get her wolf again he'd become sullen. When Nathan came by the first time her father sat with them in the living room all evening. The second night Nathan didn't even see him. He didn't know if it was because Paige or her mother had talked to him or if he just couldn't face the shame he thought his daughter brought.

At first Nathan blamed her reservedness on the broken limbs. Healing takes a lot of energy but she was healed and in physical therapy now. She saw the fire in her eyes when they trained together but as soon as one of them tapped out she'd move away and close off again.

A knock at the door halted their conversation. It was Paige. "Hey guys," They all gave her smiles and soft 'hey's' in greeting. "Nathan you got a minute?" she asked.

"I have all the time in the world for you." He smiled at her and she returned it though it didn't reach her eyes. Allen and Patrick quietly got up and left the room, closing the door behind them. "What's up?"

"I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me tonight?"

"I was already planning on coming over."

"No, not dinner with my family," she said. "Just me and you. I thought I could come to your place and we could cook something."

"Okay." He smiled, enjoying the thought of more alone time with Paige. "I'd love too!"

She smiled at him. It was genuine and covered her face but he saw a bit of sadness behind it. They set a time and she left. Patrick and Allen came back in. "I gotta go clean the apartment," he said to them. "And you gotta make yourself scarce tonight. Paige and I are having dinner," he said to Patrick.

"So I guess she's done retreating." Patrick said. Nathan just smiled at him as he hurried out of his office. A glimmer of hope made it's way in again. Just a few moments ago he felt like he was losing her, but now they were having dinner.

Later that evening after he had thoroughly cleaned the bachelor pad he and Patrick lived in, he welcomed Paige in. She had a handful of groceries with her which she set down on the counter. He closed the door and followed her into the kitchen.