The Dragon's Pursuit (Lochguard Highland Dragons 7)

Maybe she'd asked too much and should've waited an extra fifteen minutes for the Protectors to be roused. If Chase were hurt, she wouldn't be able to focus, and her sister and her mate could run.

However, she couldn't have waited around with Yasmin so close, no matter what. Her rational brain was on the blink right now.

Besides, there were a few tricks they could use to help their cause. And as Layla debated trying to teach him how to restrain Phillip with drugs instead of force, Chase asked softly, "Will you be okay, Layla?"

On the surface, of course she'd be fine. Medicine was a muscle she'd honed over time and could use under any circumstance without a thought.

However, after so many years had passed without a word, she was about to see her sister once more. Not only that, Layla could lose her again shortly after through either her running away or if there was some sort of complication during the birth.

She shouldn't be fine.

However, not wanting to crack her inner divide again, she blew out a breath and murmured, "I'll bloody well have to be."

Chase turned more toward her and reached out a hand to gently touch her shoulder. "I have faith in you, but we're still going to talk about this afterward."

Chase and his always wanting to talk about her, her feelings, and her past.

And yet, she couldn't help but smile a fraction. He pried because he cared. It'd been so long since someone had watched her so closely or dared to suggest she wasn't invincible. She knew most of the clan bloody well thought she was.

The more time she spent with Chase, the more she wondered if they would fit together in the end.

A small stone cottage with an old thatch roof that desperately needed replacing came into view. Hefting her doctor bag higher to better climb the incline, she reached the door in no time.

The urge to barge inside was strong, but she merely raised a hand and knocked. Nothing happened, so Layla raised her voice. "If you're in there, Yas, let me in. I can help."

After an indiscernible murmur, the door swung inward. The thin, wild-eyed form of Phillip Lamont greeted her. She barely noted how much older he looked than when she'd last seen him before he growled, "Logan wasn't supposed to tell you about us."

Used to dragonmen threatening her with growls and shouting, Layla merely raised her brows. "He didn't tell me. He told Chase, and I just happened to be standing there at the time. Now, let me in so I can help my sister."

Yasmin's soft voice drifted to her ears, weaker than she remembered it being. "Let them in, Phillip."

After narrowing his eyes, Phillip stepped aside and allowed her and Chase to enter.

Layla immediately noticed her sister lying on an old wooden bed frame, the mattress lumpy and not as clean as she would've liked.

Yasmin's face was pale under the tan color of her skin, her cheekbones too stark, and a protruding belly rose beneath the blanket. Her once black hair had threads of silver, and her face was lined with smile lines around her mouth and eyes.

However, the shadows under her sister's eyes immediately kicked her into action. Layla rushed to the bed and put her hand on her sister's brow. At the burning touch, she forgot about everything else but her newest patient. "Chase, bring the IV stand and bag here. Find the kit I told you about, the one with the needle to connect to the tubing."

Phillip stood on the other side of the bed. "What are you doing to her?"

"Helping her. She's had a fever for at least a day and is probably dehydrated. I want to give her fluids first before doing anything else." She finally looked at Yasmin again. "You haven't developed any allergies since you left, have you?"

Yasmin shook her head. "No, I don't think so."

In an ideal world, Layla would have Yasmin's medical history at her fingertips and could scan her yearly exams for any new information.

But she didn't have any of that. So after she inserted the needle and connected the IV drip, she murmured, "I'm going to examine you. Answer my questions as I go, aye? And don't hold anything back."

Yasmin nodded slightly as Layla placed her stethoscope on Yasmin's abdomen. Inwardly relieved at the wee one's quick, steady heartbeat, she then proceeded to touch and examine the rest of her sister's body, only pausing to tell Chase to turn around when she had to remove her sister's nightgown.

Once Yasmin was tucked back under the covers, Layla looked first at Yasmin, then at Phillip, and back again as she said in her best firm doctor voice, "Yasmin is at risk and needs the more modern equipment of my surgery. I can try to do what I can here, but without a steady source of electricity beyond that old generator outside, it will be extremely limited. And before you protest or threaten to run away, know this." She quickly retrieved a prefilled syringe, pushed out any air, and placed the needle near a vein on her sister's arm. "I can render Yas unconscious with one push if need be."

Phillip growled. "I don't like your threat."

She never flinched from the flashing eyes, full of anger and a wee bit of fear. "And I don't want my sister or your bairn to die."

They stared at each other for a few beats before Chase's voice filled the small space. "I know you two left under the old clan leader, but trust me, Finn Stewart is different. He'll welcome you back and do what he can to protect you. And whilst you probably don't know me, I'm unrelated to any of you and have the most objective stance. And so let me repeat—Finn will help you. So if that's your reason for hesitating, then ignore it."