Wounded Mate
*Hezzlie*
Everywhere I look, chaos meets my eyes. The healers are doing their best at making sure I know which patient to move to next, but there are so many wounded warriors, I’m not sure I will be able to get to all of them.
I work as quickly as I can, not lingering. Once a warrior is healed enough that I know they won’t die, I move on to the next.
Some of their wounds are heinous. Blood coats their fur, drips onto the floor as they’re moved into the infirmary. I don’t stay back there, though. The ones that are closest to dying have only hung on so long to get here, so I move toward the front entry and try to help each of the worst wounded as they come through the door.
An hour passes quickly. I look down at my clothes and see streaks of blood. My hands are dyed crimson and sticky. I can’t dwell on that, though. I have to keep going.
By the time the second hour has begun, I’m beginning to get tired. I have to ignore that, though, and draw more on the moonstones in my backpack. I can’t let myself pass out like I have before. If I go, it will make the job of the healers far harder than it has been with my help.
Natalie continues to direct traffic, moving the most wounded warriors toward me while sending the others back to the infirmary. I think this has to be just about everyone. After all, we were victorious. I think I must’ve seen two dozen patients so far when Natalie steps between me and the door and gasps, covering her face with her hands.
“Luna!” she shouts, not even turning her head in my direction. “Quick!”
The warrior I’m healing has just opened his eyes. I know he’s going to live now. Turning to the healer nearest me, I say, “Take him back,” and then I rush to where Natalie has stopped with her hands over her mouth. My head swims a bit, and I have to put my hand on her arm to steady myself. “What is it, Nat?”
She doesn’t answer me. I look down at the warrior on the stretcher. He’s in his human form. He’s a handsome young man, maybe a few years older than me, and he’s awake, despite the gash in his side that’s bleeding heavily.
“Heal him next,” Natalie says, finally turning to look at me. “Please.”
I look around the room and don’t see anyone else who is in worse shape. “Okay,” I tell her. “Take him into the parlor,” I tell the men carrying his liter, and they do as I said. Turning to face my friend, I look into her eyes and see nothing but panic. “Who is he?” I ask her.
Natalie’s eyes are filled with tears, and her bottom lip is trembling as she pulls her hands away, but she doesn’t speak.
“Nat? What’s his name? Who is that guy?” I shake her a little to bring her out of her stupor.
“I don’t know his name,” she says, confusing me even more than I already am. “But you have to save him.”
He is horribly wounded, but he’s certainly not the worst I’ve seen today. I have no doubt I can heal him. “Okay,” I say again. “But… why are you freaking out?” She’s seen even more wounded warriors than I have today and hasn't lost her cool at all until now.
“Because… he’s my mate,” she says before bursting into tears.
“Oh, Nat!” I wrap my arms around her, squeezing her tight. “He’s going to be okay. Trust me” I pull back to look at her, and she nods. I press my hand to her cheek for a moment, and then I rush into the parlor.
Dropping down next to Nat’s mate, I say, “Okay, what’s your name?”
“R-Russell,” he croaks out, his brown eyes heavy.
“Well, Russell, I’m Hezzlie,” I tell him. “And I’m going to make you all better.”
“Yes… Luna,” he manages to say.
I smile at him, trying to ease his mind, and then I lay my hands over the wound. He closes his eyes, and I can tell, like with so many others, I’ve instantly begun to ease his pain.
I keep my hands there for several minutes, and I notice Russell has lost consciousness, but that’s not unusual. Pretty much everyone I’ve healed has done the same. Not long after the wound begins to close, I hear footsteps behind me and hear Natalie behind me.
“How is he?” she whispers.
“Russell is going to be fine,” I tell her. I turn and smile at her, and she lets out a long breath.
“Do you think he knows, too?” she asks.
I shrug. “I would hope so. He’ll for sure know on the next full moon, right?”
She shrugs and then nods.
“He was a little distracted before,” I remind her.
“You’ve done a great job of closing the wound.” She pats me on the shoulder.
“Thank you.” I take a deep breath and move my hands again. It looks like the wound is fully closed, but since this man is so special to my friend, I decide to wait a few more moments to make sure he’s fully healed before I go looking for another patient. Since Russell was brought in, there hasn’t been anyone else who desperately needs my attention.
Once I’m sure that Russell is stable, I stand and move away, leaving Natalie to direct the staff where to take him.
With no one else coming in through the front, I move to the infirmary on unsteady legs, thinking I’ll help anyone else who needs my assistance–if I can hold on a bit longer.
As I push through the infirmary doors, I see James at the end of the hallway with his arms around Corey, and I can’t help but smile. I don’t act like I notice, though, because I don’t want James to feel self-conscious about it.
I’m about to walk into the first room where the healers are tending to the wounded when I feel myself get really lightheaded. I pause with my hand on the wall as my knees go weak, and I start to fall backward.
The last thing I feel is a pair of strong arms wrapping around me. “I’ve got you, baby.”
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