The Dragon's Discovery (Lochguard Highland Dragons 6)

Layla stood. "We don't know how that'll affect him, though, given his current state."

Finn grunted. "It's a risk we're going to have to take. It's been a week, and if his beast was canny enough to break the restraints and his bones, they'll be healed or nearly so. This may be our only chance to save him from the DDA's special dragon operations team."

A million thoughts whirred through Kiyana's head. However, Dr. Sid spoke before she could make her mouth work. "I'll talk with Rafe and Nikki. My guess is that if it's been done before, it'll have been in the army during wartime when there was no other choice. Alistair's clever to have thought of that. And…wait a second." Sid looked at something, probably on a tablet in front of her, and then back at the screen. "That could account for why we couldn't break the code used for the formulas, if it's referencing human blood as part of the antidote. Let me and the other doctors take a look, but don't do anything until you hear from me again. I know I'm not your clan's doctor, but Lochguard is Gregor's family, and I want to save Alistair."

Gregor was Sid's mate and a former Lochguard doctor. Kiyana finally made her mouth work. "Do you really think it could help?"

"I don't know," Sid stated firmly. "I'll ring back as soon as I do."

The screen went blank, and Kiyana tried her best to ignore the pounding of her heart.

Leave it to Alistair to think outside the box and maybe find a way to save himself.

And the rest of Finn's statement, about him being brought to Lochguard, sunk it. She turned toward Lochguard's leader. "Can I see him?"

"Sorry, lass, but no. We can't risk his dragon waking or fighting the drugs to claim you. I need you to stay here and wait for any incoming video calls since this is one of two secure stations. Any number of people may contact us now, and if they do, you ring my mobile." Finn motioned toward the door. "Come on, Layla. We need to go."

The pair left, and Kiyana clenched her fingers. She wanted to do something, anything, to help. And yet, she knew she wasn't a physician or medical researcher and would only get in the way.

Arabella's voice reached her ears, along with a squeaky roar. "We're here to keep you company."

Little Freya rushed over in her tiny dragon form and jumped up. Used to the move, Kiyana caught her with ease and then sat down so Freya could settle in her lap. As she stroked the baby dragon's back, she looked at Arabella. She fell back on humor to help deal with the enormity of the situation. "You just want a place without a big enough window for Freya to jump out of."

Arabella glanced around Finn's office and smiled. "That's true enough, but that's not the reason. I know what it's like to worry about your male and if something will or won't happen to him. Finn may never have suffered any of the drugs manufactured by the Dragon Knights, but he's been in dangerous situations before. And it took me a while to realize how much having someone else around made the wait a little better."

Kiyana focused on Freya, watching as she turned her head up for a chin scratch. As she complied, she murmured, "Thank you."

And even though they sat in silence, with only the occasional squeak from Freya, Arabella was right. It helped make the wait about their future a little more bearable. Not much, but enough to keep her strong and from breaking down.

~~~

Layla MacFie had long ago learned to focus on what she could do to solve a situation instead of focusing on the person she worked on.

So as monitors beeped and Alistair's heart stopped working at one point, she did what she needed to revive him and get back to work on relieving the pressure around his brain from the swelling.

Asking for instruments, using them, asking for the nurse's help to clean the area, and using the knowledge she'd amassed in medical school and from her experience working on Lochguard to try and save one of her clan members—those were the only things that mattered.

Hours went by as she worked, adrenaline fueling her. When she finished, she murmured her usual, "There you go," and went to clean up. The words were more for her benefit than the patient's, but somehow helped her walk away to tackle the next stages of work.

Namely, talking with friends and family about the surgery and what the outcomes could be.

As she washed up, she ran through what she'd say. Since Lochguard was a close-knit community, reporting on her patients was harder than if she were working in a big, public hospital. She had to be more careful about her word choices, especially so as to not trigger anyone's inner dragon.

Once she changed and quickly downed a coffee, she went into the private waiting room. Finn was there, as was Alistair's mother and brothers. Meg Boyd stood. "Well? How is he?"

"The surgery went well, although it's too early to tell if there's any permanent brain damage." Meg opened her mouth, but Layla beat her to it. "As soon as I know anything, you'll know, too, Meg."

"When can I see him?" the older dragonwoman demanded.

Layla replied calmly, "In the morning. He's being monitored overnight."

Because if he survived the night, Alistair would live. In that aspect, d

ragon-shifters were fortunate. They healed quickly but also died quickly. There was no lingering gray area.

She looked at Finn. "Is there anything from Stonefire I need to look over?"

Finn placed a hand on her shoulder and turned her around. "Not yet. So go take a wee nap, Layla. You've been on your feet for more than twelve hours today. Go home."