Returning home was bitter sweet.  Returning home meant that the celebration and holiday were at an end, that all three of us would be returning to work and any realities that came with that.  But at the same time, we were returning as husbands and mates, their bites permanently scaring the tender skin between my neck and collarbone and never had something looked so beautiful.  My body produced a blend of my own scent and theirs; Eric would bury his face into the sensitive, drawn flesh whenever a chance arose to take in the aroma.

On the Monday, we lingered in each other's hold by the front door after breakfast, suddenly unwilling to part with current company, but all too soon Michael and I left for the hospital, leaving Eric behind.  We planned to arrive early, Michael wished to take a blood test so we could rest assured my body was clean after the brush with the drugs.  I also needed to obtain my new work schedule from my supervisor and update certain details, one being my address and another marital status.  The last...

"Are you sure about this?" Michael asked me again as we pulled into the staff car park.

I nodded.  "Yes," I told him.  "I want everyone to know that I am yours."

"You are," Michael said, gruffly, planting a tender kiss upon my lips.  "And I am yours.  Eric would agree the same."  I smiled warmly and returned the kiss, before removing my seatbelt and stepping out of the car. 

"Besides," I tell him, leaning over the car slightly as I watch him emerge from the drivers side.  "Alex Haze-Quinn has a nice sound to it, don't you think?"

He stepped quickly around the car to cage me with his arms against it, before dominating my mouth roughly.  Heat began to pool between my legs and I felt a little shaken by this side of him.  Not in a bad way, mind you, just that I feared I wouldn't be able to walk steadily into the hospital if we continued.  "It's perfect," he said, his eyes darkening as I panted breathlessly before him.  "Come on, my love.  Before I take you in the car park."  A shiver trickled down my spine as I wondered if I would stop him from doing so, should he decide to.

*****

Seeing at it is the height of summer, two things become apparent; unfortunately neither is glorious sunshine, but the weather is warm. No, the two things are dehydration and children. Despite the heat (despite the lack of blue skies), people do not drink enough liquids, coupled with 'lazy days' drinking alcohol means visits from people feeling 'unexplainable' nausea and dizziness. And the children have broken up from school and are less likely doing homework and more likely playing outside, but either way accompanying parents everywhere (the young ones at least), demanding sweets and crying when not getting attention. What has that to do with a cleaner in a hospital environment? Well it was simple. The toilets smelled really bad; the undiluted and badly aimed urine produced an eye watering aroma that had me wondering whether my colleagues either were doing their jobs poorly or just couldn't cope in the circumstances!

I prioritised cleaning the toilets in my area, was even thanked by a few nurses who had been trying to ignore their bursting bladders in an effort to avoid the unpleasant bathrooms. I scrubbed until the grooves upon the rubber gloves had become close to being smooth, before reporting the situation to my supervisor. She was apologetic; the higher ups had reduced her budget and the staff working beneath him were stretched thin about the hospital, overtime was a myth. The poor woman had the pressure of a thousand complaints bearing heavily down upon her shoulders and could do little to rectify them. What was worse, was that two of my colleagues were threatening to leave due to the worsened conditions.

It seemed mad that things had changed so much in just two weeks, but I shrugged, patted the despairing woman on the back and went to recharge; I went to find Michael so we could have lunch together.

The numbers of patients within geriatrics had risen. Every summer and every winter, there was often a spike in admittance here. In the winter, the poorer elderly might opt not to turn on their heating and suffer conditions during very cold periods. Or they might trip and fall on ice outside. And in the summer, a few forgot that they still had their heating on, causing their homes to turn into ovens during hot spells. If we were to experience an elusive heatwave, things would be much worse. I'm being very general here as just because a person was old, did not mean they were falling apart or were losing their faculties and many lived with family who could help them if and when they needed it. Michael squeezed by hand as he passed me, heading for a ward of patients in a fair hurry, so lunch might be considered cancelled. Well, these things could not always be helped.

Fortunately, Clover was also on a similar shift and waved me over to her. I was engulfed by her soft form immediately. "Congratulations, Alex!" A bright smile causing the creases at her eyes to deepen, though this in no way caused them to loose their sparkle. She tugged my hand and lead me to the break room in the building. "So, how is mated life so far?" She asked, clicking on the kettle and taking a seat at one of the tables.

I automatically blushed and she tapped my hand in rebuke. I laughed out loud before telling her some of what had happened over the last two weeks. "Actually, I am not only mated," I advised her. "But Eric and Michael secretly planned our wedding with my parents. You are now looking at a married man."

"You got married!" She squealed at the highest pitch I had ever heard her speak.

"Who got married?"  We both turned and saw a familiar woman Doctor. Doctor Taylor, I think her name was, from the private wing of the hospital. Clover had found out who exactly she was after we had last encountered her... in this break room as it happened. Clover's information network was unsurpassed.

"Alex here did," Clover informed the woman, slightly curtly. I knew that she really did not like Doctor Taylor. I believe her words were along the lines of 'What sort of actual Doctor comes in to the hospital looking like she just stepped out of a hair and beauty salon?' She wasn't wrong. As usual, the woman's hair was flawlessly styled, her make up unblemished and her manicured nails without chips nor cracks. If she wandered into Accident and Emergency, the female doctors there, who generally looked worn out and like vampires with withdrawal symptoms (though for coffee rather than blood) by the end of their shifts, would likely pounce on her and tear her hair out! How dare she look so put together when they would give their left arm to look half so vibrant? Okay... so they wouldn't have the energy to do that. But there might be harsh words spoken behind her back.

"Oh congratulations!" The woman said, sounding pleased for me, so I suddenly felt bad for my uncharitable thoughts.  "I'm getting married soon as well! It's so exciting isn't it?!" Her red lips curved upward and I found myself shyly sharing her smile.  "Was it a big wedding?"

"No, it was fairly intimate, mostly family," I replied, well Marcus and the pack were like a second family to me, so my claim wasn't wrong.  Every part of me felt as if was bathed in a pool of happiness as my memories of that afternoon flooded my mind.

"That sounds lovely," she said with a soft sigh and Clover patted my hand to let me know she felt the same.  "It sort of makes me want something similar, but my family insist on throwing me a huge wedding with all of the trimmings.  You know, the full, white dress, ten bridesmaids, page boys, a huge reception afterwards with a three course meal, that sort of thing!"  She didn't sound as if she wasn't looking forward to being the centre of the little universe that was to be her wedding at all. 

"I'm sure it will be a wonderful day," I told her and she beamed at me, warmly.  "Your fiancé is a lucky person."  I did not want to assume gender, but sometimes the English language will not allow otherwise.

"Oh, he definitely is," she agreed, unashamedly.  "Your wife too...oh!"  And before I could correct her, she had left the room with a click of her heels.  "Doctor Haze!  Doctor! Do you have a minute....!"

"She is a strange one," Clover said, shaking her head before making us two cups of coffee that we nearly had run out of time to drink.

"She is," I mused as I accepted the dark beverage.  "I thought she knew that I was with Michael.  We never hid it in front of her or anyone."

"Some people do not believe facts, even when they see them with their eyes," Clover said, sagely, "or hear them with their ears.  Be glad that she is spoken for, her interest in your husband should remain purely professional now."

"Hmmm," I agreed, lightly.

I didn't get to eat with Michael, but I did accept Clover's offer of creating us a small celebration cake.  I chose chocolate as I knew that Eric would appreciate this and asked for it to be more bitter than sweet as I knew Michael was not a big lover of sweet things.  I think that she was just glad that she could feed me things to fatten me up for once.  Not that I hadn't put on a little weight since being in my husbands' care, my ribs were no longer prominent for one thing and my stomach not quite as flat.  In fact, if I carried on being such a glutton for Eric's food, I might seriously have to consider joining his gym.  I am sure I would get a family discount.

With that thought in mind, I went back to scrubbing toilets again.