The pack were silent the whole run home. No one knew what to say.
Should they have been surprised? It was Rogue after all.
Indianna came to a halt outside their pack house and whined quietly. She couldn't wait to shift back, she felt even emptier as a wolf. Indianna let out a deep breath when she felt cool air hitting her bare skin and she stood up, but as she stood she couldn't help the shout that escaped her lips.
Indianna's hand flew to her neck and she gasped in pain. She felt blood and something sharp.
"Indie!" Kal rushed over to Indianna who took deep breaths and groaned in pain. "What is it?"
"I'm fine!" Indianna panted and she yelled out again when she moved her head. "Shit!" She shouted.
"I thought your neck wasn't a problem," Harry said accusingly, crossing his arms over his chest and raising an eyebrow.
"I'll get Doc," Ace said.
"Harry," Indianna groaned and looked at all the blood on her hands. The pain in her neck grew.
*Get the Luna downstairs, now!* Doc's voice was loud and clear through the pack link.
"Come on," Kal said and wrapped his arm around Indianna. He helped her to the pack house.
Indianna hissed in pain when she moved her head and gripped onto Ace's arms. "I can't move my head," Indianna whispered. "Shit, it hurts."
"Ace, lead the way," Harry ordered. He came up behind Indianna and placed his hands on her head, keeping it still. "It looks like there's something coming out of the back of your neck."
Indianna groaned and they slowly made their way into the pack house, and downstairs to Doc.
"Bed please, Luna," Doc called when they walked in.
Kal and Harry helped Indianna to lie face down on the bed and she yelped in pain. "Looks like there's no need for that X-ray now, Doc," Indianna said as Doc examined her neck and frowned.
"I think you may be right," Doc murmured. "Your shift must have dislodged it, and caused it to break your skin."
"What is it?"
Doc furrowed his eyebrows and cleared more hair from the back of Indianna's neck. "It... it looks like-"
"A claw?" Kal said, screwing his face up in disgust.
"A claw?" Indianna repeated.
"Who's?" Kal wondered.
Indianna stiffened. "Rogue's."
A silence washed over the room.
"Let's get it out, shall we?" Doc said and walked over to one of the cabinets. He came back a few minutes later with his equipment set out on a trolley. After putting a pair of gloves on he wiped a cold liquid over Indianna's neck. She winced when it went into the open wound.
"Sorry," Doc apologised. "I'm just sterilising the area."
He then picked up a needle, making sure to keep it out of Indianna's eyesight. After drawing up the right amount into the syringe, he quickly injected it into the back of Indianna's neck.
"Did you just inject me?" Indianna asked with a wince.
"Local anaesthetic," Doc explained. "It will numb your neck. Sorry, I thought it best not to tell you."
"It's fine," Indianna mumbled.
"I'm going to have to make a small incision," Doc said, "to make sure I get the claw out cleanly."
Indianna grunted and clenched her hands into fists. "Just do it."
Kal placed his hand on Indianna's arm. "You okay?"
"Mhm," Indianna murmured and Doc made a small cut on the back of Indianna's neck. She didn't feel any pain. Doc then got a hold of the protruding claw and gently pulled it out. He dropped it into a metal tray and held a piece of gauze over the pack of Indianna's neck to stop the bleeding.
"It's out," Doc said. Harry looked at the claw in the tray and frowned. It was snapped in half, but it was clearly a werewolf's claw.
Werewolves were fast healers, so when Doc removed the gauze it was no longer bleeding.
"I think there's one more," Doc said and Indianna felt some tugging at her neck and there was another clang as another claw landed in the tray. "It's best we get that X-ray still, just to double check if there's anything else left." Doc put a dressing over Indianna's neck and then let her sit up. She turned her her cautiously from side to side. "The local anaesthetic should wear off in about an hour and then we'll see if you have any pain."
"Thank you, Doc," Indianna said. She looked at the tray and shuddered at the of the two broken claws. "When he stabbed his claws into my neck; this must've happened then."
"Are you okay?" Kal asked worriedly. "How long has this been bothering you?"
"Not long," Indianna said.
Harry raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. "I'll be going then if you're okay," he said and walked out.
"Man, we need to get Brooke back. He's even more moody without her," Kal said. "And then Alice will be back." Kal looked at the floor. He hadn't spoken much about Alice, he seemed his usual self, but Indianna had walked past his room before and heard him talking to Kimberly about it.
She was glad that he was talking to someone.
"I know we do," Indianna sighed. "It's on the long list of things we have to do, but we will do it."
"Indie." Kirstie knocked at the door. "How are you?"
"I'm okay," Indianna nodded.
"Come with me, mums cooked some dinner. We'd like you to join us? As a family? I'm sure after today you need some food."
Indianna couldn't help but smile slightly. She'd never been part of a family, not properly, but now she had a second chance. Thanks to Greyson.
"That's a good idea, you need to keep your calories up," Doc nodded and looked at Indianna's stomach. She was now 13 weeks and it was definitely starting to show.
Indianna pushed herself off the bed and went to the kitchen with Kirstie where Mark, Laura and Mac were seated. "Sit down, honey, you can tell us what happened," Laura said gently and pulled out the seat next to her. Soon they all had a plate full of food and Indianna told them the days events.
"So much death," Laura sighed. "When will it stop?"
Indianna looked down at her plate. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm failing you all. I'm failing everyone."
"No, dear," Mark said softly. "You're doing the best you can. You're doing the most you can in this situation. Neither Laura nor I would be doing anything different."
Indianna nodded, but Mark's words didn't soothe her. She was a Luna now. She had to do more than she was. She needed to be better.
*