In the examination room, the doctor and nurses bustle around, their movements swift and urgent as they prepare to tend to Logan. The doctor's voice cuts through the chaos as he barks orders, but I barely register the words. My entire focus is fixed on the silver-haired figure lying unconscious on the stretcher, his hand clasped in my left one.
It's only when the doctor comes to stand beside me and gently clasps both Logan's and my wrists, that I tear my gaze away from my beloved. "I need you to give us some space to do our work.", he says, his voice firm. With that, the professional pulls my hand away from Logan's, and I reluctantly allow him, my heart heavy with the sense of helplessness.
The moment our fingers disentangle, Logan's eyes snap open. His movements are swift as he draws a dagger from one of the concealed sheaths in his pants and lunges at the doctor, his upper body propelled forward as he presses the blade to the male's throat.
The doctor's breath hitches and a curse dies on his lips as a thin cut allows blood to seep out. "Logan!", I gasp out, rushing forth and grabbing his wrist, pulling him away from the professional, who staggers back and falls onto the floor with a thud. He stares up at us, his expression a mixture of shock and horror, as he clutches at the thin laceration on his neck, blood staining his fingertips.
"Hey, it's okay. You're okay!", I try to calm the hunter as he glares at the medical staff frozen nearby. They stare back at him in wide-eyed alarm. Logan's chest rises and falls rapidly before his face turns to me. His pupils, still dilated, meet mine, and there's a flicker of recognition. His expression softens. "Collen...", mumbling my name in a hoarse whisper, my love drops his forehead against my chest.
I wrap my good arm around him, holding him close as he leans heavily against me for comfort. His grip on the dagger loosens, and the weapon slips from his fingers, falling to the ground with a metallic clank. The tension drains from his body.
The doctor slowly rises, pressing his hand to his neck. "He isn't stable for us to treat him like this.", he states in a shaky voice. I glance at Logan, his hands clutching the sides of my attire, his breathing uneven. The doctor's fear is palpable, and I understand his apprehension. Despite being the same species as us, the medical staff lacks the training to defend themselves against someone like my beloved in his current state. One wrong move, and he could easily overpower them.
The doctor eyes the silver-haired male clinging to me warily. "We need to restrain him.", he declares, gesturing for assistance from the nurses nearby.
"No, wait! Please!", I implore, keeping a firm hold on Logan. "I'll keep him still, I promise."
The professional hesitates, but after a moment, he gives in, motioning for the nurse to continue with the preparations. With practiced efficiency, she cuts away the shredded remains of the hunter's shirt, revealing his pale, battered skin. I grimace at the sight, my heart twisting at the sight of the bruises, lacerations, and puncture wounds marring his beautiful body.
With a wince, the male surveys Logan's injuries, quickly instructing the nurse to bring diluted monkshood. As she hurries off, he turns to me, "I understand now why he's behaving like this. He's lost a significant amount of blood, and the vampire venom from those bites is affecting him. He's experiencing hallucinations, and from the looks of it, he's envisioning you in danger or in a state far worse than his own."
My heart wrenches and I swallow hard. Reaching up, I bury my left hand in his hair and try to offer him some form of comfort. As the nurse returns, my gaze flickers to the glass bottle she holds. The clear yellow liquid sloshes gently within– diluted monkshood.
With careful precision, the doctor drips the liquid onto the vampire bite marks. The diluted monkshood reacts with and sears away the vampire venom, eliciting a sharp hiss of pain from Logan. He lifts his head, his dilated pupils locking onto mine with a blend of anguish and desperation, "C-Collen!"
I feel his body tense against mine, but he doesn't struggle. His hands cling tightly to my clothes as he gasps out, "Please stop, i-it hurts!"
A knot forms in the pit of my stomach and I hold him closer, "Shh, it's okay. It will end. The pain will fade away."
Tension ripples through his muscles while the scent of his burning flesh swiftly blends with the metallic tang of blood. "P-Please don't hurt me, Collen. I'll be obedient..!", his voice comes out strained and my eyes widen as I hear him. Another drop of the monkshood sizzles against his skin, and Logan's cries intensify. "I'll behave!"
Anguish grips me like a vice and I wrap both arms around him despite the throbbing pain shooting through my dislocated shoulder. Tears prickle at the corners of my eyes as I watch him suffer, utterly powerless to help. My beloved writhes against me yet all I can do is whisper words of comfort into his ear as the treatment continues, praying that it will bring him relief.
_______________
Seated on a round stool beside Logan's bed, I watch him sleep peacefully under the effects of the medication as his chest rises and falls rhythmically with each breath. He's dressed in a hospital gown, his shredded shirt from earlier discarded.
The nurses have left, but the doctor remains to tend to me. He stands next to me, and as I begin to remove the double jackets I'm wearing, his eyebrows arch in confusion. "You're wearing two jackets?", he questions. He then glances briefly at Logan before with knitted brows, piecing things together. "It's his jacket, isn't it?"
I just silently nod, unsure how else to respond. The male, thankfully, doesn't comment any further. He simply shifts his focus to my dislocated shoulder, and without hesitation, takes hold of my right arm, forcefully shoving the joint forward. There's a loud pop as the ball joint returns to its place, causing me to bite back the hiss of pain.
The doctor prepares to apply the diluted monkshood to the puncture wound but suddenly halts, his demeanor suddenly changing. Puzzled by the delay, I glance back at him only to find his grave expression. With his eyes fixed on the bite mark, he speaks, his voice wavers in shock as he asks incredulously, "That bite mark... You were bitten by a pureblood??"
His gaze snaps me to, "How did you two survive an encounter with a pureblood??"
"It's...complicated.", I admit quietly, fidgeting with Logan's jacket resting on my lap. "We...managed to escape, somehow."
The doctor's astonishment is apparent as he processes this information. With urgency, he retrieves his phone from a pocket in his white coat, his fingers tapping rapidly on the screen. "I need to report this to headquarters!", he explains quickly, glancing up at me. "Hold still while I take photos for evidence."
I comply, holding steady as he takes several photos from different angles, capturing the evidence needed. After securing the images, he returns his focus to treating the bite. "A pureblood's venom is incredibly potent.", the male elaborates, his tone somber and professional. "It's far more dangerous than that of a frozenblood. In some cases, it can even induce the transition process in a hunter."
With precision, he applies the diluted monkshood to the puncture wounds. The moment the liquid makes contact with my skin, it sizzles against the venom, neutralizing its dangerous effects. A searing twinge of anguish shoots through me, causing me to cry out involuntarily.
It echoes through the room and instantly, Logan stirs in his sleep, his features contorting with discomfort. His hands clench and loosen repeatedly, as if reacting to a distressing dream. Half of my name escapes his lips before the silver-haired male inhales sharply.
Feeling a surge of concern and protectiveness, I reach out to cover his trembling hand with mine. Despite his unconscious state, his fingers curl around mine tightly. Though the pain lingers, my focus remains on my beloved. I don't even notice when the doctor quietly exits the room and closes the door behind him.
