EverChange

chapter 20

He stared at the ceiling, then over at the cuffs that kept his restrained to the bed. He had an eye on the IV that was providing him with fluid for the past few hours. It wasn't draining properly, which meant something was either blocking the line, or he needed a new needle.

Not like these assholes would give him proper medical care. He just hoped when this was over he wasn't septic, or worse, gangrene.

"Ah, you're awake." a voice spoke. "So glad your fever broke."

"Fuck off," he ground out, exhausted and in no way feeling well. His back was radiating pain, and the bullet wounds in his shoulder and hip were agonizing. They took out the bullets, but they weren't using the right painkillers. Anesthesia was fine, they put him under all right, but when he woke up there was no one around to check on him. The binds alone were enough to make him edgy.

"I just wanted to say congratulations," she flipped through the click board, reading reports and scribbling down notes. "And thank you for the contribution to our organization."

He wondered how well his stitches were, they hurt like fucking hell. He was glad neither of his sisters were in this hell hole.

"Would you like to know anything while you're down here?" she said, sounding rather chipper.

Linden turned his head, fire coursing down his spine and radiating through his shoulder blades and tale bone. "Why the fuck am I here."

"You are an anomaly among humans." she said, edging closer and lowering her clip board as she spoke with him. She was petite, bright eyed and looked like she was excited to be here. Brown hair, trimmed in a neat bowl cut, with red square rimmed glasses. Fair skin and dressed in a white doctor's coat over a dark brown pencil skirt and light blue blouse. "You're really an astonishing specimen!"

He spat in her face.

"I'm a person, you dumb slut." he growled.

She frowned, wiping the saliva off his face. With a flick of her wrist she motioned a pair of orderlies into the room. One pulled a syringe from the pockets of his scrubs, the other checked the bag of IV fluid.

"I was merely being friendly." she said, voice now tight. "I'll be glad when rude little boys like you are sold in parts."

Linden's eyes widened. He screamed, and thrashed hard on the hospital bed. The railing buckled, and the cuff tore from the massive tiger paw that was now on the bed. The claws flexed and in a moment the bedding was filling the air. He twisted, and the cuffs came off like balloon ribbons. His front left arm was free, and his right leg.

The needle was jammed in his arm instead of the IV line, and the orderly was sent flying. The shift was incomplete as his raised heart rate worked against him. His still bound limbs were numb as the anesthesia worked it's way through his veins.

He huffed, and flopped back onto the bed, the stripes and fur fading into his light brown skin.

"What the fuck is going on in here?" the head doctor called. She walked in with black pumps and her blonde hair done up in a high ponytail. She took one look at the shapeshifter, breathing unevenly on the bed, then the orderly who was sprawled across the room to the other one who was bleeding from a cut in his brow.

Her eyes went to the younger scientist, who had a death grip on her clip board. Her lilac colored eyes flashed and she struck the petite brunette in the head with a firm palm.

"You go and work up the subjects, and they end up in the goddamn morgue, Ivy," she spat, "You work under me, and if I find out I lose another specimen, because of your fuck ups, I will make sure you end up shoveling animal waste at some make-up production factory in Cambodia."