Basically, I Hate You

FORTY-THREE

It wasn't hard to find Dr. Carson once we'd reached the steps of the cottage-style pack hospital because Wren had just snatched one of its doors clean off the hinges. The broken door was now propped up against the entry wall. It still shocked me to see displays of just how strong werewolves were. I didn't feel like I possessed that kind of strength but one reminiscent thought of my fight with Emily reminded me that I did.

"Doc!" Lochland shouted as we breached the entry.

I knew that Wren wasn't poisoned so I was hoping that the aftermath of this attack wouldn't be nearly as bad as Rhett's, who'd just come pouring in behind us. Since Wren was still missing I'd half-hoped that Rhett had gone in search of him, but I knew that he wasn't nearly as familiar with the land as I was since most of the time he'd been at Blood Moon he was sedated. Not to mention, I couldn't blame him for not wanting to be alone after Wren had just solidified us all as pack enemies one through three.

And we know who's number one on the shit list...Moi...

"OH MY! ALPHA! What happened?! Get him on the stretcher!" She gestured towards the first bed nearest to us. I half ran-half allowed myself to be dragged- as Lochland who was supporting most of Kohl's weight hurried to get him on the stretcher. I could see the trail of blood we were leaving on the floor as I looked down but I wasn't sure where it could be coming from. Tension flooded overwhelmingly from Rhett's rigid form against the wall, adding to my anxiety. But, I decided to help Kohl first, then talk with Rhett about babysitting Wren.

Kohl's muscular body slammed onto the bed with a loud grunt as I failed to do my part to lower him gracefully. I winced when we made eye contact and I saw that all the blood we'd been tracking was due to the deep red blood pouring out of his mouth. I couldn't lie and say it wasn't hard to watch him coughing, sputtering and struggling to breathe with all the blood in his mouth.

"Was he stabbed?" Dr. Carson asked me. I wasn't sure how she knew I was to blame but I knew my face was burning bright red from the shame of once again being linked to an attack she had to clean up.

"Um-No. NO! He wasn't stabbed." Dr. Carson's blank stare told me she was waiting for more information. Only I could fuck up simply telling her how to help Kohl.

"My brother, Wren, pummeled him. Hard." Shock was evident on her face for a split-second before she schooled her expression.

"Based on the sound of his coughing and the slightly deoxygenated appearance of the blood, it's likely that he has a punctured lung."

I wondered what aspect of this was most shocking to her as I was still wading through the shock of the situation myself. She started nodding to herself and hastily writing things down on a clipboard. Once she was finished she fit her stethoscope in her ears and bent down to listen to his chest. I could hear the wheezing Kohl was doing with my naked ear, so I could only imagine how grisly it sounded through the scope.

"Okay, I'm going to get him to X-Ray now but if my suspicions are correct he has at least one broken rib and the bone's splinters have pierced his lung. If I am right this will be surgical." Before continuing she made eye contact with Lochland. "He'll need at least five days to recover. The pack will have to run without him for that time."

It felt like I'd had the wind knocked out of me. Surgery? I'd caused him to need surgery?! The guilt that was overtaking my mind was absolutely earth-shattering. I'd been so angry with Kohl and with the circumstances of our meeting that I'd convinced myself I felt nothing when it came to him. But if that was true, why did I feel so damned worried?

I'd consistently failed as a mate and then gotten angry when he failed me. So was it really that surprising that he didn't end his fling with Bimbo Barbie?