Tragically so.
Over the next hour, the horrors of war were all too evident, the risks to life and limb made manifest by the injuries that presented themselves as the Brothers came in from the field at a trickle.
It had been a rabid gunfight. At least, that was what they said to their mates, all of whom gathered to comfort them, anxious faces, horrified eyes, panicked hearts drawing the couples tightly together. The good news was that each and every one of them came home, the males, and the lone female, Payne, all returned safe and got treated.
Only to worry about Wrath.
The last to arrive was among the worst injured but for the king - to the point that at first, she didn't recognize who it was. The thatch of dark hair and the fact that John Matthew was carrying him informed her it was likely Qhuinn - but one certainly wouldn't know that going by his face.
He had been beaten severely.
As the male was delivered to the second operating room, she thought of the mangled mess of her leg and prayed that the healing ahead for him, for them all, was nothing like hers had been.
Dawn eventually arrived, but she knew this only because of what the clock on the wall read. Intermittent glimpses of the various dramas were provided when OR doors were opened and closed, and eventually, those treated were released into healing rooms, or permitted to ambulate themselves back to the main house - not that any of them left. They all settled as she did against the concrete walls of the corridor, sitting vigil not just for the king, but for their fellow fighters.
Doggen brought food and drink to those who could eat, and she helped pass trays laden with fruit juices and coffee and tea. She brought pillows to ease strained necks, and blankets to cut the draft on the hard floor, and tissues - not that anyone was crying.
The stoic nature of those males and their mates was a kind of power in and of itself. Yet she knew, in spite of their forbearance, that they were terrified.
Still other members of the household arrived: Layla, the Chosen. Saxton, the lawyer who worked with the king. Rehvenge, who always made her nervous even though he had never been anything but perfectly polite to her. The king's beloved retriever who wasn't allowed into the operating room, but was comforted by all and sundry. The black cat, Boo, who snaked around the stretched-out boots, and padded over laps, and was petted in passing.
Late morning.
Afternoon.
Late afternoon.
>
At five-oh-seven, Doc Jane and her partner, Manuel, finally appeared, removing their masks from their exhausted faces.
"Wrath is doing as well as can be expected," the female reported. "But given that he was treated in the field, we've got twenty-four hours of watching for infection ahead of us. "
"You can deal with that, though," the Brother Rhage spoke up. "Right?"
"We can treat the shit out of it," Manuel said with a nod. "He's going to pull through - that tough bastard won't have it any other way. "
There was an abrupt war cry from the Brotherhood, their respect and adoration and relief so very obvious. And as No'One breathed her own sigh of relief, she realized it was not for the king. It was because she did not want Tohr to sustain any more losses.
This was. . . good. Thanks be to the Scribe Virgin.
Chapter Forty-Three
At first, Layla could not comprehend what she was looking at. A face, yes, and one that she supposed she knew by shape. But its composite features were distorted to such an extent that she would not have been able to identify the male had she not known him so well.
"Qhuinn. . . ?" she whispered as she approached the hospital bed.
He had been stitched up, little lines of black thread snaking down his brow and across his cheek, his skin shiny from swelling, his hair as yet matted with dried blood, his breathing shallow.
Looking to the machines over the bed, she heard no alarms ringing, saw nothing flashing. That was good, yes?
She would feel better if he replied to her. "Qhuinn?"
On the bed, his hand turned over and released its tight crunch to reveal his broad, flat palm.
She put her own upon it and felt him squeeze. "So you are in there," she said roughly.
Another squeeze.