Chapter 3

Quincy stood guard at the door, waiting for a nurse to pass by. As he waited, he thought about the request the Luna had made of him and wondered if she would be able to do it. She was so young, small, and almost fragile. Would she be able to kill the men that did this? He would give her the opportunity to get justice for her mate. If she couldn't do it, then he would. He knew that until the Alpha was better, it would be his job to assist her in running the pack. He hated the idea of being gone with this search party, but he also hated the idea of not being involved in finding the ones responsible. It felt like a catch-22 situation. He couldn't be in both places at once, but he would have to manage to help her from a distance.

He linked Paul as he waited and told him what had happened before he arrived. "I'm sorry that I snapped at you. I was just too worried to discuss it," he told his packmate. "No worries man. I'm glad we got him here as quickly as we did. What's the plan to finding the ones that did this?" Quincy wasn't ready to discuss that yet. He wanted to talk to Alpha Liu first. "The Luna and I have discussed some options, but right now I don't have enough details. When I do, I will let you know as much as I can." Paul was a good warrior and he wondered if he should ask him to help more while he was gone. Ivan was out of commission for a while. Leo would be available, maybe he and Paul could take turns keeping an eye on her.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he almost forgot to stop the nurse. "Uh Carla, could you come to speak to the Luna? She wants an update on the other patients." Carla stopped in the hallway as he spoke, "Of course. Let me take this to one of the rooms and I will be right back. She motioned with one hand, and he saw she was holding some toiletries. "Sure. Maybe you could bring some of those back for me too?" Carla nodded and went on her way. A little while longer, and she reappeared with a handful of items for him. "Here, I found a fresh shirt for you and there are some things for you to get cleaned up. I will wait with the Luna for you to get cleaned up. Then I can tell you both about the others."

Quincy nodded and went into the bathroom attached to the room. He pulled off his filthy shirt and washed his hair, face, and arms in the sink. Then he used the paper towels to dry off as much as he could before pulling the clean black tee shirt over his head. He was surprised that it fit him. She had even managed to find him a small travel stick of deodorant. He swiped it on and gave himself one last look in the mirror. "Much better," he said to himself before exiting the bathroom. Carla stood next to the bed checking on Daryl. "Okay, so tell me about the others. How's the baby? Did anyone check on Leo? What about Ivan, will he be okay?" Quincy was eager for answers. Emma cocked a brow at him and he stopped rambling.

Carla leaned against the bed and sighed. “Ava, the baby is surprisingly fine. She's going to be kept overnight for observation and if everything goes well, she will be released to her parents in the morning. Leo was seen by Dr. Adams and Trish, our counselor. He is fine physically but worried just like the rest of you. Trish will be a great resource for all of you as we go through the process of helping those injured tonight. I would encourage both of you to take the time to see her at least once. Dr. Adams is doing some tests and waiting for Dr. Nash to get here. I can't really tell you anything else about his condition right now. but I think it would be good for him to see you both. It is important for patients to know they have a good support system, especially as they recover."

When she was done, she waited for them to ask questions. He didn't really have anything else to say, so he went back to his position at the door. He listened in on Emma and Carla's conversation. "Do you know how much longer it's going to be?" Carla gave the Luna a reassuring look, "I know he will get here as fast as he can. His pack isn't that far away so I would say any minute now." Emma brushed the hair from Daryl's forehead. "what exactly are they doing surgery for?" Carla looked at the clipboard hanging at the foot of the bed. "Well, they're concerned that he may have some internal injuries. They will take him back for some imaging in a few minutes. Then the doctors will review them. I can tell you that the swelling in his stomach is not a good sign. They will also cast his ankle while he is back there."

Quincy wondered if Carla was being completely honest with Emma, but he didn't have any reason not to trust her. Carla left the room, and a tall dark man with square glasses entered the hallway. He stopped in front of Quincy. "Hi, I'm Dr. Nash. I'm here to help with your Alpha and friend. Is Dr. Adams in this room?" Quincy shook his head, "No, I think he's two doors down. Let me get him for you." Quincy linked Dr. Adams. "Dr. Nash is here. I will let him into the Alpha's room once you get here." Then he linked Emma, "Luna, Dr. Nash is here. I've notified Dr. Adams, but I want to make sure he is who he says he is before I let him in the room." Emma responded right away, "That's smart. Until we have more information we should be cautious who we let into the pack."

Dr. Adams came down the hall and shook Dr. Nash's hand. "Thank you for coming so quickly. Let me take you to our Alpha. He is the more critical of the two." Quincy stepped away from the door to allow them to enter. Not long after they went in, they were pushing his bed out of the room. Emma stood there watching her mate leave in a hospital bed, and Quincy thought he had never seen anyone look so lost. Usually, she was lively and happy. Tonight he had seen her shattered, worried, and lost. It tugged at him, making him want to fix everything just so she would be herself.