The Pack's Doctor

Chapter 31: Charlie's Assistance.

Yara.

It makes me nervous that another pack is hunting for me. I mean, I know that I'm healing Warren's pack, but it's not that hard. They really just needed to rest enough to let their wolves heal and of course, they needed to not have Dr. Stevens making it harder for them to heal.

Could he be working with them? Could he have intentionally been weakening Warren's pack? But for what purpose? It had to be personal gain. There's no other reason to betray your own pack..unless he has a personal vendetta against Warren.

"Who are we talking about?" Warren asks me as I check over the Beta.

"Hmmm?" I ask him.

"Who would be working with them', intentionally weakening my pack for personal gain or a personal vendetta?" he asks me and I look up, seeing everyone in the room watching me. I must have been mumbling out loud again. I've really got to stop that.

"Oh, Dr. Stevens. Your pack would have been much stronger if he'd have done what he should have been doing to keep you all strong. I mean, all I'm doing really is helping your wolves to heal and forcing you to get some rest so you're stronger and your wolves are stronger.

I'm not some miracle worker. It's just common sense."

"I'm pretty sure all of us would disagree with you about being a miracle worker, Luna," one of the warriors says. I see Warren's eyes go unfocused while they talk to me.

"Truly, other than Beta Charlie and maybe finding Haynes' infection, I haven't done much."

"Luna, I don't even have a scar from where you stitched me up the other day."

"Well, that's just practice," I say, turning back to the Beta when Warren snarls, startling me.

"Warren!" I scold. I can't have him doing that in my surgery rooms.

"Sorry, Yara," he growls. "Dr. Stevens seems to be missing. No one has seen him since yesterday."

"So, he's run now that he can't hurt your pack anymore. Was it a personal vendetta, Warren?" I ask, finishing my stitches.

"I don't know what personal vendetta he'd be holding on to," Warren says.

"He wanted to be your Beta, Alpha, remember?" one of the warriors says to him.

"That was twelve years ago and he wasn't Beta material. He might have been a good doctor, which I think

he was at the time, but being a good doctor doesn't make you a good Beta. They're completely different skill sets," Warren says.

"I agree. I'd make a terrible Beta," I say, looking at the warriors. "You can shackle him now. It will keep him from healing, Warren, but then I can remove the sedation from him and let him wake up," I say.

He nods and the warriors put on gloves before putting silver handcuffs and shackles on the Beta to keep him on the bed.

"Anna, make sure you or any of the other nurses who come in here are careful. If he can burn you, he will."

"We won't need them. Once he tells us what we want to know, we'll get him out of here," Warren says, distractedly. "Do you really think all of this is about not becoming my Beta?" he asks his warriors.

"It's a powerful position, Alpha. Most of us haven't had time to think about it, but being a ranked member is something most wolves dream about when they're young," one of the warriors says.

"Did you dream about being a ranked member?" Warren asks me.

"No. From the moment my parents died in battle, I've dreamt of being a doctor, hoping that I could save another child like me from losing their parents," I say quietly.

"You've done that, Luna. Many of us have pups and many of us were worried that we'd leave our pups and our mates without anyone. It's part of why your dream is making all of us stronger. Most of us don't have to worry about that now."

Warren pulls me into his arms again. "Are you done here?" he asks.

"Yes, but I need to check the other two."

He nods. "Charlie's on his way back. I'm going to have him stay with you while I go get washed up." We step out of the room, leaving the Beta to wake up. I still don't even know his name. I guess it doesn't matter since I'll probably never see him again.

Savannah steps up quickly. "This one's next, Luna. I did what I could, but I'm not sure he's going to make it," she says.

I take the medical record she hands me, looking it over as I walk into the next room.

"Why do you have bruises on your neck, Luna?" Savannah asks me.

"That Beta apparently knows who I am and didn't like me working on him, I guess."

I see her glance at the others, but I don't look back. I'm sure they'll fill her in and this guy is nearly on his deathbed.

"Warren, how much do you want me to do to save him?" I ask him.

"Do what you can, but don't overextend yourself, Yara," he says and I nod. I'd like to interview him and if he doesn't touch you, he can live for now, but if you can't save him."

"Let me see what I can do," I say.

This guy has been bleeding out the entire time I've been working on the Beta. I get Savannah and Anna to come in and using their fingers, stop the bleeding while I begin to stitch this guy up. He's bleeding out from multiple areas.

"Are Katie and Eliza here?" I ask, needing more fingers. This guy, geez, if he still has a wolf, I'd be shocked.

"They're still working on the third warrior, Luna," Savannah says.

I turn, seeing that Charlie has replaced Warren while I was busy. I look him over, assessing him quickly. "Gregor?"

"Yes, Luna?" he purrs at me.

I shake my head at him. "Don't let Arric hear you do that. Are you still at full strength?"

"Yes, Luna," he says.

"Good, put some gloves on and come over here, I need more fingers."

"Uh...what?" Charlie asks and I see the other warriors in the room take a not-so-subtle step backwards,

as if I might try to get them to help me too. For warriors who don't mind shredding someone to pieces, they seem a bit squeamish about putting those pieces back together again.

"Put on gloves and get over here, Beta," I say a bit more forcefully.

His mouth opens and closes, but he doesn't say anything and he doesn't move.

"CHARLIE! GET OVER HERE!" He jumps at the command, but moves into action, putting on the gloves and walking over.

"Give me your left hand," I say and he holds it out. I take his pointer finger and move it to where I need him to stop the bleeding.

"Relax your hand," I tell him and he does. "Okay, see how the bleeding there has stopped?"

"Yes."

"Good. You have to watch that artery and make sure no blood seeps out.

If it does, move your finger until it stops again. Give me your right hand," I say and I do the same with that hand, plugging another bleeder on this guy.

"I can't believe this guy is still alive," I murmur, as I begin stitching him up. I watch as his blood pressure stabilizes, even if it is really low.

I work as quickly as I can, getting Charlie's fingers out of him first, then having him squirt water onto the areas where I need to see better until Anna is able to help me. Savannah had to the biggest arteries that were severed, so she's last to get released.

When I'm finally done, I stand, stretching and cracking my neck and back in the process.

I feel warm hands come around my waist and I jerk until I smell his teakwood scent.

"You're amazing," Warren says, kissing the side of my head. "I have food for you."

"What time is it?" I ask.

"Late afternoon. You've been at it for hours again."

"How's the last one?" I ask Savannah.

"Better than this guy," she says.

"Okay, let me check the last one quickly and then I'll get something to eat," I say.

The last one' ends up being a female warrior. When my large group walks into the room she looks at all of

us as if expecting her torture to start.

I check her vitals and see that she's got a compound fracture of her leg.

"Is this numbed?" I ask Eliza.

"Yes," the warrior answers me instead.

"Okay, I'll be back to fix this after I eat something," I tell her.

"Why? Aren't they just going to torture me for information?" she asks, looking from me to Warren.

"That depends on you," Warren says.

"What do you want to know?" she asks.

"We want to know what your Alpha wants with Yara," Warren says.

She looks at me. "So, it's true? You're the lady doctor whose healing this pack and making them stronger?"

I look at her, waiting for Warren to decide what he's willing to tell her.

She looks back at Warren. "I'll tell you anything you want to know, on one condition." "What's that?"

"You get my sister out of Alpha Thomas' pack."