1. Vivianna #2
When I made it back to the wounded man, his breathing was worse than before.
I laid the blanket next to him and rolled him over on his back, so he wasn’t lying on the filthy ground.
Now that I was able to see what was wrong with him, I bit my lip to keep from letting out a groan of pity.
Huge gashes marred the right side of his chest. I could only hope that his lungs didn’t get nicked with how deep the wounds were.
Unable to see clearly within the dark alley, I looked up and found a streetlight just a few feet away. I could manage that short of a distance, even with his dead weight. I grabbed the edges of the blanket and began dragging him. He just needed to hang on a little longer.
Finally, under the light, I pulled some gloves out of my bag and slipped them on, beginning my investigation of the wreckage that was his pec muscle.
It looked like a tiger had taken a few swipes at him, but most of the scratches didn’t look like they went deep enough to puncture his lungs.
Thank God for small miracles. I pulled out some syringes and a vial of anesthetic—I was going to need to stitch this up, and it would hurt like hell.
I numbed the area around the wounds and injected a vial of pain meds into the vein in his arm.
Hopefully, this would keep him knocked out and still enough for me to treat him.
The man seemed to relax a little more once the pain meds were injected, allowing me to flush out the wounds and ready the area to be stitched up.
Blood had finally stopped oozing out of the gashes, giving me hope that he hadn’t lost too much blood.
I worked as quickly as possible, not knowing how long the pain meds would last since I didn’t know his weight.
Finished with the stitches, I pulled out some sealed bandages to keep the wounds clean.
It’s not like doing this procedure in a dirty alley was sterile by any means, but I needed to make sure the chances for infection were minimal.
I tried to sit the man up so I could wrap the bandages around him, but I found that task to be far more difficult than I thought.
He was very bulky, and with no one to help me, his dead weight was too much.
Out of nowhere, a voice behind me called out, “Who are you and what the fuck do you think you’re doing to my friend?”
I glanced over my shoulder to find a tall, powerfully built man standing at the entrance of the alley.
He was quivering with what I could only guess was anger.
Did he think I was the one who hurt his friend?
Was this the Alpha dude he’d talked about?
Who names their kid ‘Alpha’ anyway? Guess it helps that he’s sexy as hell and attractive enough to pull off almost any name.
Distracted, I accidentally leaned on the wounded man, causing him to let out a groan. Focus, Viv, you have a pissed off friend that’s built like a linebacker and looking for an excuse to act. No need to make him think you’re hurting his friend instead of helping.
“What I think I’m doing is trying to save this man’s life. I’m a doctor at St. Thomas Hospital. He’s lost a lot of blood, and I couldn’t just leave him to bleed out and die,” I bit out. “Now if you'll excuse me, I need to wrap his wounds to keep them from getting infected.”
The man took a few steps closer, frowning. “Did he ask for your help?”
“Not in so many words. All he managed to tell was me that I couldn’t take him to a hospital and someone was coming to get him. Alpha, I think he said his name was. I’m assuming that’s you,” I said, trying once again to wrap the wounds.
What the hell have I gotten myself into? I’m stitching up a total stranger in an alley, for Christ’s sake. A stranger who is still completely naked and whose friend looks ready to eat me alive.
Trying to ignore the grumpy man as he walked around me, I was surprised when he carefully lifted the man’s shoulders so I could bandage him.
I swiftly wrapped his chest tight while trying to keep the skin from pulling at the stitches.
When I was finished, I motioned for the man to set him down and pulled out my stethoscope to check his heartbeat.
It sounded stronger, but it was still slower than I would have liked.
I wasn’t too worried; it was most likely from the blood loss.
I wished I could give him a unit of blood, but I didn’t have anything other than saline.
“Will he be alright?” Alpha asked, sounding calmer.
“I think so, but without knowing if there’s any internal bleeding, we’ll just have to wait.” I took a deep breath, knowing I’d done all I could.
I sat back from the wounded man and saw the other man’s face shadowed in worry.
I took a moment while he was concentrating on his friend to get a good look at him.
He was wearing fitted designer jeans with a simple red T-shirt that fit tightly against his chest. I couldn’t see his whole face since it was covered by shadow, but I could make out a strong jawline covered in a dense, short beard.
As if he felt me staring at him, he turned his face in my direction, and I was met with bright green eyes.
I felt power in his gaze and had to look down quickly.
For some reason that didn’t make sense, I felt fear when meeting his gaze.
The sudden feeling of being in the presence of a predator made me shiver.
Of course this guy would be a predator. Why am I even shocked at this revelation?
His friend just got sliced up for God knows what reason.
They could be drug lords, and the deal went south, for all I know.
They’re definitely not strangers to the gym, and I have no doubt this guy Alpha could handle himself in a fight.
Feeling awkward as he watched me, I cleared my throat and tried to come up with something to say.
“Thanks. For your help, I mean,” I said, starting to pack up my stuff.
God! Could you sound more like an idiot? This is why you have no friends, Viv.
“Of course. Thank you for saving him,” he said with a hint of relief in his voice.
I looked up into those strange green eyes, again feeling the compelling need to look away.
My irritation bloomed at having such a response to this guy, and it forced me to hold his gaze.
I was no pushover, and I didn’t owe this guy anything, least of all groveling on the ground.
“You never answered me before. Are you Alpha, the guy he was waiting for? Or are you the one who did this and now you plan to finish the job? I’m not going to let you jack up all the hard work I did putting him back together again. ”
His eyes widened slightly, but still, he held my gaze.
“Yes, I’m Alpha and a close friend. I’m indebted to you for your skill and quick action.
Seeing him in that state… I don’t know if I would’ve made it in time to help.
” He bowed his head to me, breaking our connection.
For some reason, I felt like that was something he didn’t often do.
“I, Rikkart Hunt, thank you for saving my friend’s life when you were under no obligation to do so. ”
Wait, so is ‘Alpha’ a nickname? Why is nothing tonight making any sense? First, Dad calls out of the blue, then I find this guy bleeding out in a back alley. Why do I always find myself in situations that make me seem even stranger than I am?
“I appreciate the thanks, but him being out of the woods is still to be determined,” I told Alpha bluntly, not wanting to diminish the danger his friend was still in. “If he has internal bleeding and doesn’t go to a hospital, then I can’t guarantee anything.”
“I understand. I promise to take him to our physician if he doesn’t improve. I’ll also get him properly checked out as soon as we’re back home,” he assured, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“Good. Now that you’re here and I’ve done all I can, I’ll be on my way,” I said, nodding to him as I stood up, slinging my med kit over my shoulder.
“Oh yeah,” I said, looking over my shoulder. “You can keep the blanket. He needs it more than I do.” I could feel his gaze on my back as I walked out of the alley.
I looked down at my watch as I started walking back to my house. “Fuck! It’s midnight! So much for going to the hospital and straightening everything out. I guess I’ll just show up for my shift that starts in a measly four hours.”
Slowly, I made my way up the steps. I was exhausted and sore from the tension I’d been holding in my shoulders.
The adrenaline that had been fueling me seemed to be wearing off, leaving me a tired, hollow shell of a human.
I flopped down on my bed, not even caring that I still had that guy’s blood on my clothes.
Sleep was all that mattered. I rolled over, pulled the covers with me, and buried my head under my pillows.