Chapter 3 - Doctor's Report

Lance POV

As soon as the werewolves leave and I’m sure the coast is clear, I spin around and scoop up the injured wolf in my arms and then race to my car as fast as I can while cradling the injured wolf to not injure it more.  Along the way, I tell my friends through the mind-link that I have to go without providing them any details.  I then block the link and speed back home and to the hospital.

This is the first time in years that I’m going back home on my own, and I’m not being forced to go back by my father for something ‘important’.  After I turned 18, I left and seldom came back. 

As I dart in and out of traffic, I let the doctor know I’m coming.  When I round the corner and the hospital comes into view, the doctors and nurses are already waiting outside. 

I come to a screeching halt right in front of the staff.  But before I can open my door, the staff rushes to the passenger’s side and gently pulls the injured wolf out. 

I bolt out of the vehicle.  A surge of anxiety rushes through me.  “She is barely alive.  I don’t know what happened, but some werewolves were definitely searching for her.  Don’t let anyone know she is here.”

My possessiveness kicks in, but I don’t know why.  I usually don’t care if werewolves kill each other, much less, wanting to save one. 

As I round the front of the car, I grunt, “Be careful.  She is losing blood everywhere.  I’m surprised she is still alive.  I should have gone to a closer hospital, but I don’t trust any other one besides ours.”

They carefully place her on the stretcher. 

One of the doctors turns towards me.  “We will do our best to save her, Prince.  Don’t worry.”

I nod, knowing they are the best.  If anyone can save her, they can. 

As he goes to turn away from me, I quickly grab his arm.  “Oh.  She has a weird smell too.  I can’t place it.  If they were hunting her down, they may have done something to her before or during the fight.”

He nods.  “We plan on doing a full work up on her, Prince.  Leave it to us now.  Okay.  Please, go sit in the waiting room, and we will let you know how she is when we figure things out.”

He stands in front of me while the others push the stretcher and the injured wolf into the hospital. 

My heart aches looking at the wolf as the white sheet under her slowly turns red and the smell of blood hangs in the air. 

I bob my head up and down, wishing I had healing powers and could fix her myself. 

Slowly, in a slight daze, I make my way into the hospital and sit down in the waiting room, but I don’t sit long before I’m up and pacing back and forth. 

I glance over at the door that the medical staff took the wolf through.  My stomach twists. 

How badly is she hurt?  I should have taken some time to do a more thorough examine, but she didn’t have the time.  If I had waited too long to get her here, she would have died. 

My body tenses at the thought. 

Why did those werewolves want her?  What did she do to them? 

I pivot and head back in the other direction while my mind fills with various reasons.  Each of them is worse than the previous one.     

I glance down at my watch.  Only five minutes have passed. 

Can’t time move faster?  Why is it going so slow?

After what seems like forever, the same doctor as before walks out.  “Prince, you can see her now.  She is stable, but she isn’t out of the woods yet.  She is still in critical condition.”

I swallow the lump in my throat and follow him into the exam room.  The mysterious wolf is still in her wolf form, and they have cleaned up all the blood from her fur. 

She almost looks dazzling as her blonde hair shimmers under the lights.  I’ve never seen a blonde wolf before.  Are they as rare as white ones?

A faint smell of blood hangs in the air, but it is masked with the various disinfectants and other chemicals the hospital uses.  My nose twitches, but I ignore it. 

I walk over to the bed and ask, “So, what is wrong with her?  And how could she stay alive for so long in that condition?”

The doctor steps over to the other side of the bed.  “She has alpha blood.  Pretty strong alpha blood, too.  It is what saved her from all the injuries and the poison.”

My head jolts up.  “What?  Poison?”

He nods and looks down at the injured wolf.  “Yes.  It is one that isn’t used too often, but when you said she had an odd smell, we ran tests for all poisons.  Many give off faint odors.  If she didn’t have the strong alpha blood, the dose would have been fatal.  I’m sure it impacted her ability to fight.  Given how strong her alpha blood is, she would have normally defeated all those attackers with ease, but the poison hindered her.”

He pauses and looks up at me.  “Someone was trying to kill her, but why?”

A rage ignites within me.  I want to know that too. 

He sighs.  “We are going to have to wait until she changes back to her human form and regains consciousness to figure out who she is.  We don’t have thorough enough records for us to use her wolf form to positively identify her.  I’m hoping she can help us when she wakes up.  Before you ask, we don’t know when she will wake up.  Between the injuries which are healing slowly because of the poison and the poison itself, she could be out for quite some time.  In the meantime, we will do whatever we can to heal her as fast as we can, but it will take time.”

His words weigh down on me, especially the part about not knowing when she will wake up. 

He looks back down at the wolf.  “We have documented everything, including all her injuries.  This appears to be an attempt on her life.  I can only speculate why, but we are doing this by the book in case your father and the council decide to hold someone accountable for what has happened.  I can only assume she is someone very important, since she has alpha blood.  She will be safe here.  Her file has been flagged and security has been alerted.  No one but you and your father are to come near her.”

I pat the top of the wolf’s head.  “Thanks.  I want her moved to a private room as soon as you can.  She can use my family’s room.  We have no need for it right now.”

The doctor nods.  “We will get her moved up there right away.  Also, your father wants to talk to you.  I had to notify him of the situation right away.  He said to send you over there as soon as I fill you in on her condition.”

My stomach instantly sinks.  What does he want? 

I stare down at the dazzling wolf.  Every part of me wants to stay by her side for some strange reason, but I can’t ignore my father’s command, and that is exactly what it is.  A command. 

I slowly exhale.  “Okay.  I’ll go in a few minutes.  Is there anything else you discovered when you were examining her?  Anything I should be made aware of?”

The doctor pauses and stares at me. 

A tension builds in the room and sets me on edge. 

After a few moments, the doctor presses his lips together and shakes his head.  “We are still running more tests.  I’m sure there will be more to tell you after all the test results come back, but I would hate to make an assumption and it be wrong.  Shouldn’t you go see what your father, the king, wants?”