A Lover Cursed

Coma

The rest of the hospital was relatively quiet,  and thank the Scribe Virgin for that. Calantha's surgery went on and on and on. Minutes and hours lost meaning, and by the time Havers closed Calantha's body it had been somewhere around fourteen hours since the Brotherhood had brought her in. While she wasn't out of the woods yet, he had managed to straighten bones and stop internal bleeding at least to the point where she had a chance to heal.

It wasn't till he got to the staff locker room shower when he started to feel the affects of the work coupled with his hunger and thirst. His feet, back, and throat ached with exhaustion as he peeled the blood-soaked clothes from his body. The warm water from the shower eased him somewhat, and he closed his eyes against seeing the blood rinse off his body and pool below him on the bathroom floor. But instead of seeing the inside of his eyelids, his mind went straight to the female whose life he had hopefully saved. He hoped he wasn't imagining that her face had been less swollen than it was when she came in. He hoped beyond all hope that the fact that her numbers were improving meant that she would regain consciousness.

He opened his eyes again, this time to find the soap that would clean his skin. For a moment it seemed almost sacrilegious that he would wash her blood off his body, that he would send it down the drain and to who-knows-where. There wouldn't be any physical evidence on his body of the battle he just fought in the OR and that didn't seem right.

A knock outside the showers interuptted him.

"You almost done?" Nash's voice called out. "The Brotherhood wants an update. There's a whole bunch of them still here."

"Yes." He answered. "I'll be there in a moment." And then the shower was the work of a moment. He had questions that needed answers, so he washed, dried, and dressed in a pair of fresh scrubs.

Once out of the showers, Havers joined Nash in the hallway.

"Do you have the x-rays?" Havers asked. Nash handed them over as they walked towards the VIP waiting room.

"I'll go check on the patient while you're in talking to the Brotherhood." Nash said. "I thought we'd start on some steroids to help speed her healing."

"In a moment. I want you with me on this."

Nash hesitated. "Um, you want me to come talk to the Brotherhood with you? You always insist on handling that yourself."

"Its time they met you." Havers said, not looking over at Nash. Could he tell that this was the beginning of passing the torch? Havers had been waiting for an opportunity to introduce Nash to the Brotherhood in a clinical setting to start sewing seeds of trust between them. The ache in Havers' body was more than just physical. He was burnt out, emotionally and mentally.

"Uh... okay." Nash's hands went up to his head to nervously adjust his hair.

When they reached the waiting room, Havers led the way. The room was large, but the hulking bodies of warriors and their mates made the room feel small. There were some he recognized, some he didn't as well. But as soon as he entered, Tohrment and the dark-haired small female next to him stood.

Rather than addressing the whole room, Havers made eye contact with Torhment.

"Torhment, if you'll please come with me. Doctor Nash and I will give you an update in private, and I have several questions for you."

"We're all eager to hear how Calantha is doing, doctor." the female next to Torhment said in a surprisingly strong voice. She was holding onto Torhment's arm, almost as if holding the warrior up.

"But of course. Calantha is not out of the woods as of yet. Though we are hopeful that her surgery was successful, she is currently in the ICU and on life support. But I am afraid I must insist that we discuss the details of her condition and care in private with her ghardian."