Chapter Seven #2
The doctor stopped and looked towards the door. “Where?”
I couldn’t help it. I laughed. “No, he means I was attacked by the Alpha. Or the Alpha to be, anyway.” Luke froze.
“Are you kidding me?” I shook my head and yelped from the pain. Luke’s face darkened. “I’ll be right back.” He walked out of the room and I looked at Rick, who just raised a shoulder.
“I don’t have any clue.” He started to look antsy.
“What’s wrong?” I raised my eyebrow, and he blew out a breath.
“I’m just worried.” He looked at me and then back to the door.
It took a minute, but I clued in. “Go.”
He shook his head. “You’re hurt.”
“I’m fine. You got me here.” I patted his arm. “I can do the rest myself.”
He looked back at me. “But-”
“But nothing.” I shook my head slowly. “I know you’re worried about your family after helping me. Go.” I pushed him as hard as I could, but he turned to me and tried to hand me my bag. I looked up at him, confused.
“While you were busy with Vince and Brandon, I grabbed your bag, laptop, and phone.” He placed it on my bed beside me. “I figured you would want these with you.” He was looking at me in such a way I knew he really meant he knew I wouldn’t want Vince to get his paws on them.
I nodded. “Thank you.”
He nodded. “Dinner?”
I cracked a smile. “Is still on.”
He nodded, then turned. “Stay safe.”
I pulled my phone out. “You too.” I sent him a text in code. Telling him to take Shelly and Abby to the house, and gave him my back door code. He checked his phone as he walked out. Rick turned, caught my eye, and he gave a tiny nod before he waved. Then he was gone.
I laid down on my bed and waited for the doctor to return. Nix was still on edge. I could hear her deep in the woods, but at least I could call for my wolves if anything happened.
Luke walked back into the room and I felt my body tense.
He must have caught me, because he slowed down and raised his hands again.
He waved the phone in his hand. “I just went to get my phone. If you’re okay with it, I would really like to take pictures, so I can include it with my report to Rowan. ”
My eyes grew wider. “Rowan?”
He nodded. “The king. I trained to be a doctor in the royal pack. All doctors do.” He came closer. “Can I document this?”
I nodded. “Will you send this directly to him?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I took a little longer grabbing my phone because I already called him. He’s expecting the pictures.”
I sighed and then nodded. “Great. Just what I need.” I sighed. “Go ahead.”
He took pictures of my face from different angles.
And then checked my face. He clicked a button and then started talking.
“Patient, Amy Maclean, has a broken cheek. Possible broken occipital bone, both eyes have broken blood vessels. Nose is broken, in what looks to be three spots.” He hissed as he checked my lip.
“Split lip.” He pulled away. “Is there anything else?”
I nodded. I nodded to my side. “I’d love to help, but I have a rib sticking through my side.”
He cursed, put the phone down on the bed, and grabbed some scissors.
He slowly cut my shirt away from me. Then he started talking to himself again.
“Patient has her six and seventh ribs protruding through her skin.” He sniffed near the hole.
“She’s also bleeding into her lung.” He turned back to me.
“Why aren’t you healing? Do you know if you have ingested wolfsbane? ”
I heard a soft growl, but my head was pounding, so I just hushed Nix. “No wolfsbane.”
“Is that Amy?” I heard a faint voice, but my brain caught up to all the pain. The darkness took me before I could answer.
I woke to see Luke standing over me, and I screamed. I pushed back, surprising both of us. He dropped the scalpel that was in his hands, and the nurse, Goddess forgive her, dropped the tray she was carrying.
“Whoa there.” Luke raised his hands a little more. “You passed out from the pain.”
I settled against the bed. Wrong life. My hand drifted to my flat stomach. There is no pup here. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. “Sorry.” I shook my head to clear it, but pain exploded behind my eyes and I dry heaved.
“No apologies needed. You have been through a lot.” He turned and grabbed a new scalpel, then he stepped up to my bedside. The nurse rushed back in with a new tray and the old one was left on the ground.
“Don’t you need to grab all of that?”
The nurse nodded. “I’ll grab it after.” She dropped the tray on the bedside table.
“We have great healing, but werewolf or not, the royal doctor taught us to keep our sterile field.” Luke put the scalpel down on the tray, next to everything else. “Now. I have to cut the skin around your ribs.”
“Why?” My voice was riddled with suspicion, but Luke just smiled softly.
“You are healing, but not as fast as I would like. Your skin healed around the bone. I have to cut the skin from the bone, push it back into place, stitch the wounds with dissolvable stitches and then bind your ribs in place.”
I shuddered. Nix came running out of the forest. Just let us heal you. She screamed at me, and I felt guilty, but I sent her calming thoughts.
Not yet. I need to look shattered tomorrow. As soon as we leave, we can heal. She growled.
This is stupid. As soon as the doctor pushes our ribs in, I’m healing them. And the bleeding. She snarled, daring me to fight her, but I just chuckled.
Wait until I limp out of here and back to the office and heal.
She scoffed and then turned away from me. Stupid humans, and their stupid plans.
I looked up at Luke, and I nodded. “Do it.”
He hesitated. “I would really like to give you something to knock you out.”
I shook my head. “I’ll be fine.”
He swallowed and grimaced, but nodded. “Your funeral.” He looked to the nurse. “I need you to hold her on her side, and no matter what…do not let her move.”
The nurse looked at me and then back to the doctor. “I’ll do my best.” She looked back at me. “This is going to hurt, but please, don’t fight me. I’m not strong.”
I laughed and then nodded. “I’ll do my best.” Then the nurse grabbed me by my shoulder and hip and rolled me. The pain was blinding, and I screamed as she forced me into the position the doctor needed. Breathing became hard, and my vision flickered. “Sorry. I'm so sorry.” She whispered to me.
Luke took another breath, and then he put a hand on my side. “Take a deep breath and exhale.” He waited for me to do it. “Good, focus on your breathing. I want to say that this will help, but I won’t lie to you.” I nodded once and closed my eyes to focus on my breathing.
That worked for maybe a minute before he sliced into me.
The pain turned from a burning hot pain to being the center of the universe.
My vision was gone, my breathing was ragged intakes that my body forced me to take.
The burning hot pain was like a million insect bites.
The burning of silver. I white hot poker being pressed into my side.
He leaned in. “It’s okay to scream. Just don’t move.”
I shook my head. “If I start I won’t stop.”
I could feel his eyes on me, but I couldn’t actually tell. But then he just blew out another soft breath. “That’s fine. Scream. I don’t mind, and neither does Jenn here.”
“No Miss Amy, I don’t care.” She was a sweet girl, even if she was older than me.
“See. Just scream.”
“Why?” I stuttered out through clench teeth.
“Because you are holding your breath, some long enough to turn purple. And this way, I know you’re breathing.
And honestly, your jaw is clenched so hard that I’m worried you might break it.
Let it out. We won’t judge you.” I shook my head again.
He sighed. “I haven’t even freed one bone.
You are tensing up and it’s about to get a lot worse. ”
I cracked open my eye, and it burned, but I could see. I looked at him and he was very serious. “If I start…” I tried again.
“Then you scream, and we listen.”
I shook my head. “I’ll cry.” I shuddered. “If I scream, I’ll cry.”
He shook his head. He nodded to the nurse, who covered my face with a sterile cloth. “No one will even know.”
His next slice was deeper, and the pain was back. This time, I didn’t hold back. I drew in a breath and screamed. I screamed the pain out; I screamed my anger out. I swore to the goddess, to my father, to my mother. I swore to my ancestors. I swore so much the nurse giggled.
The tears fell. I don’t know why these tears mattered…
but they did and there was no way I could hold them in.
It wasn’t the pain that was causing them.I don't know if it was a release that I needed, or a purging of all the bullshit I've endured the last few years.
But somehow, all of my rage was bleeding out with these tears.
The pure anger I had cooped up for my dad, for Rowan.
For myself.
Everything poured out of me, and by the time Luke pulled away, I was cracked open, bleeding but focused. I knew everything I had to do.
“We’re done.”
I furrowed my brows. “My ribs?”
Luke laughed. “Already in place. Stitches too. We just have to wrap your chest and you should be ready to head home.” He turned to the nurse. “I’m going to wash up and grab a wrap. Can you wipe her down?” He turned to me. “I’ll be back with an extra shirt for you.”
“Thank you.” He helped me up, and the nurse used the buttons on the bed to sit me up.
“You are welcome.” He looked pointedly at my bag. “You received quite a few phone calls and notifications while you were out cold or screaming. You have a few minutes to answer while Jenn cleans up our mess and gets the stuff to clean you up.”
I nodded my thanks. Jenn leaned in. “You did amazing.” I smiled and just leaned against the bed, trying to catch my breath. I waited for a second before I pulled my phone out of my bag. There were a few calls, but Rowan’s name surprised me. I don’t know why.
It’s been a long time since he’s called. Nix stalked out of the trees. I could tell she was pissed at me, but at least she wasn’t screaming at me anymore.
Megan walked out behind her. It’s also because this is the first interaction since you read the letters.
I can’t even think about the letters right now. I rubbed my eyes. I did not want to make this call, but I needed him to send his permission anyway. I stared at the screen for another minute before I sighed. A ding from my laptop gave me another reason to stall. I pulled it out and opened it.
Thoth: I’ve been thinking a lot and I really think we need to meet in person.
My stomach clenched at the thought. I would really want that…but I don’t have time.
Thoth: Hello?
Thoth: For fuck’s sake Amy…why aren’t you answering now?
My father’s messages were next.
Deadmanwalking: Hey I just wanted to let you know I got permission from the King. We just need an excuse to get you out of there with the information.
Deadmanwalking: Where the fuck are you? Rowan got a call from a doctor in the pack and said he thought he heard you as the patient. Are you hurt? What happened?
Deadmanwalking: Talk to me, baby girl, before I call you.
I winced at the desperation in his words. I heard a distant ringing. Someone was calling the clinic. I felt my phone vibrate again and I closed my laptop without answering. They could wait. My mom’s name was on my screen, so I answered the call.
“Amy! What the fuck is going on? Why have you been ignoring my calls?” She was holding back.
I swallowed past a lump in my throat. “Brandon attacked me.”
She quickly inhaled. “I’m coming.”
“Mom.” I heard her call out.
“Toya! Brandon attacked Amy. I’m running to the pack.”
“What!” Toya, Wendy and Carly all screamed, and I winced. Oh fuck.
“Mom!” I called again.
“What!” She screamed as I heard her start running.
“You can’t.” She grunted. “Don’t ignore me. You can’t show up. First, because you are across the country.” I pushed, reminding her that people were listening. “Second, because the surgery is already done.”
“Surgery!” She shrieked.
“And last, because I have to do everything tonight. I have a dinner planned.”
She panted. “Are you dumb?” I chuckled. “No, I seriously want to know. I didn’t think I raised someone as stupid as you to think that when my daughter is hurt, I wouldn’t come back.”
I shook my head like she could see me. “I’m not dumb. I am a grown woman who knows what she is doing. I refuse to leave this pack with my mother, like I am being chased out of here. I will walk out of here with a straight back and a kiss my ass attitude.”