Forever Yours

NINE

Isaac shifted uncomfortably as he sat on the gurney, making its wheels squeak. The extended room of Maria's cabin acted as a small surgery with drawers of medical appliances and shelves of medications. Isaac's large frame felt too small for the room, like a giant inside a dollhouse. Maria continued muttering to herself as she collected an array of supplies and medications, her low ponytail a cascade of black curls down the back of her coat. Eventually she returned with a bright smile on her olive-toned face, her arms abundant with the supplies. Once she'd dropped them onto a stainless-steel cart by the gurney, she moved over to a bright screen and slid the images of Isaac's X-rays onto it. It didn't take a genius to see the clean snaps of his ribs; three on his right side and two on his left. The sight of it made his ribs ache painfully and he groaned while clutching a hand to them, the broken bones grinding against each other as he did so.

'As you can see, you've done a good job on them,' said Maria amusedly, pulling a pair of latex gloves onto her hands. She began rummaging through the supplies, eventually picking out a jar of tablets. 'These will help your bones fuse back together, something which your body can no longer do without aid because of your... condition.' Isaac reached for the medication only for her to yank them out of his grasp. 'These are very strong, Alpha. I don't care if it feels like your insides are being torn from your body, you must not take more than the prescribed schedule.'

Isaac nodded silently as Maria placed the bottle in his hand. 'I'm going to need more of the daily painkillers too.'

Her brown eyes narrowed. 'Already? How many have you been taking?'

'At least six a day.'

She sighed tiredly and began soaking a piece of gauze with disinfectant. 'I thought I told you to come and see me when the symptoms grow worse.'

'I'm here now, aren't I?' grunted Isaac.

Maria responded to his sarcasm by pressing the soaked gauze against the grazed and broken skin of his chest. Isaac clamped his teeth shut, holding back a cry of agony as the disinfectant stung against his raw skin. He gave a warning growl to Maria who only grinned triumphantly in response.

'You should be thanking me. With your compromised immune system all sorts of infections could've spawned.' After mopping up the other grazes she tossed the bloody gauze into a small bin, her eyes trawling over his body for anything she may have missed. 'That's all I can do for you I'm afraid. It's up to your body to do the rest.'

Isaac fidgeted nervously. 'How long will it take?'

Maria shrugged and plugged her ears with a stethoscope. 'Shouldn't be more than a few days. Now let's check your vitals while I've got you here.'

Isaac gave a growl of annoyance but allowed Maria to continue with her observations. Panic began setting in as he thought of the time it would take for his injuries to heal. Roxy wasn't stupid and would notice he'd hurt himself the second she saw him. She was out somewhere with Kayla for now, picking flowers apparently, so he wouldn't have to deal with her wrath just yet. He groaned at the thought of the lecture which would be in store for him. It looks like you're going to die soon anyway.

After Maria had taken Isaac's vitals with a few vials of his blood, she began jotting the results into a notebook she'd especially allocated to him. He frowned at the wad of leaflets slotted between the pages and at how many pages had been written on. It seemed Maria had been doing some research, like a scientist excited with their new lab rat. If the pack doctor really could somehow cure him then she'd be the most famous doctor in werewolf history. He let out a grunt of annoyance with the thought of him being her ticket to fame.

'I'm guessing we're keeping this from Roxy, again?' asked Maria as Isaac began pulling his shirt back on, wincing against the pain as he did so.

He slid off the gurney and narrowed his eyes at her. 'Not a word.'