Mae POV
It is after five in the morning before we finally reunite all of the family members with their loved ones. My eyes are growing heavy, and my arm is aching in pain.
Kieran didn't leave my side the whole night. He worked beside me with a scowl on his face. Members of the pack tried to avoid his angry gaze, but it was clear he was making them uncomfortable. I tried several times to get him to leave, but each time he refused.
Setting the clipboard on the desk in front of me, I stretch my arms painfully at my sides. The charge nurse is standing beside me with a worried look on her face.
"We should clean your arm again before you head back to the pack house," she whispers low, thinking Kieran can't hear her.
I nod to her; I know she is right. I can feel the infection spreading down my arm. My skin is hot to the touch, and I am sure I am running a fever.
The charge nurse leads me into a side room, and I hope Kieran doesn't follow. But I am not that lucky. Kieran is hot on my heels.
I plead to the charge nurse with my eyes to ask him to go away, but she refuses to meet my gaze.
"I will be out in a minute," I tell Kieran, but he doesn't take the hint.
"I want to see your arm," he responds grumpily.
"I am sure it is fine," I lie.
"Then it won't be a problem for me to see it," Kieran smirks. He has caught me in my lie, and he knows it.
Letting out a frustrated groan, I hop onto the table and hold my arm out for the nurse. She gazes nervously at Kieran before she begins to unbandage my arm. I try not to wince as the gauze is pulled from my skin, but I can't help it. It hurts as it pulls on my damaged flesh.
"I'm sorry," the nurse whispers as she unwraps the last bit.
I don't have to look down at my arm to know how bad it is. The looks on the nurse's face and Kieran's tell me all that I need to know.
"I will be right back," the charge nurse says as she hurries from the room.
Kieran is still staring at my arm with wide eyes. "Fuck, Mae."
"I will be fine," I say hopefully.
"This is bad," Kieran says as he takes my arm gently in his hands. "You shouldn't have stayed up all night working."
"It's fine," I whimper as Kieran's fingers brush against the raw skin. "I wanted to help."
Finally, I look down at my arm and what I see makes me sick to my stomach. The skin is peeled back from my flesh, and I can see my bone in some places. The skin around the injury is red and inflamed. The infection is traveling, and the smell is horrific. It was not this bad when I came into the hospital. It is as if my flesh is rotting away.
My face gets hot, and my mouth begins to water. I know I am going to vomit, but I don't have time to warn Kieran. Vomit rises in my throat, and I clasp my hand over my mouth. I try to hop off the hospital table, but Kieran is standing in my way.
Vomit spews from my mouth, between my fingers, and all over the front of Kieran's shirt. Kieran holds his hands to the side, and his mouth falls open. With my good arm, I quickly push him out of the way and rush to the trash can in the corner of the room. I continue to empty the contents of my stomach until there is nothing left to come up.
The taste of bile is thick in my mouth, and it only makes me feel more nauseous. Kieran steps behind me and pulls my hair out of my face.
"I am sorry," I groan between heaves.
"It's okay," Kieran says, but I can hear the worry in his voice.
I release my hands from the side of the trash can and try to rinse my mouth out in the small sink in the room.
As I am trying to get the taste of bile out of my mouth, the door swings open, and the charge nurse rushes in with a doctor at her side. They both pause inside the door and try to understand what is going on.
"She puked," Kieran grumbles as he rips his shirt over his head and tosses it in the trash can.
"I can see that," the doctor replies.
"I'm okay," I say with a wave of my hand.
"You don't look okay," the doctor says candidly.
"Thanks," I mumble.
Kieran guides me back to the hospital table and lifts me onto it. The doctor clicks his tongue on the roof of his mouth as he inspects my arm. He finally takes a step back and sighs deeply.
"She should be dead," he says flatly.
"What do you mean?" Kieran snarls.
"I have never seen a human recover from a rogue attack." The doctor's bedside manner is clearly lacking.
"What do we do?" Kieran demands to know.
"There are two options that may work," the doctor begins. "We could do surgery to try and graft the skin back onto her arm."
"Or?" I ask, knowing how painful a skin graft can be.
The doctor looks between Kieran and me. "You could let the Alpha mark you."
"How would that help?" I wonder aloud.
"The completed mate bond has been known to help mates heal," the doctor shrugs his shoulders. "But first things first. We need to take care of this infection."
He pulls a massive syringe out of his pocket, and I groan loudly. I know exactly what this is, and it is going to hurt like hell.
"Luna. If you will, please roll over and pull down your pants," the doctor instructs me.
"Sure thing," I grumble.
I roll over onto my stomach and pull my pants down just enough. The doctor wipes the area clean before plunging the needle of the syringe into my butt with no warning.
"Ouch!" I squeal.
The doctor chuckles as I pull my pants back up. I flip back over, and Kieran looks more worried than before. I try to offer him a weak smile, but he doesn't return it.
The charge nurse takes my arm and begins to clean it again. It stings, and tears roll down my cheeks. Kieran takes my hand and holds it tightly. The tingles that accompany his touch make the pain go away.
"I expect to see you back here tomorrow. With a mark on your neck," the doctor tells me before leaving the room.
I look at Kieran, but he is staring at the ground. Kieran lifts me from the table, and I rest my head against his shoulder. I yawn loudly, and my eyes grow heavy.