Runt (Completed & Editing)

Bum bum

I walked into the study, afraid of what I might see. The strong smell of blood and antiseptic assaulted my nose and I forced myself not to gag. I continued in, finding Shane laying on the leather couch with a man in a lab coat sitting next to him. I remained silent, not knowing how to react. Shane was deathly pale and there was an IV pole with a bag of blood feeding through a tube into his arm. I cringed but continued to his side. I felt like the walls of the study were closing in around me. I didn’t know what to do or what to say.

My breathing became more forced as I looked down at my mate. Was this how he felt when I was laying unconscious in a hospital bed? It hurt my heart to think of all the pain that I put him through during that time. I fell to my knees on the floor next to him, and started to cry. I felt like my heart was slowly being ripped out of my chest. I reached for his hand and was shocked at how cold it was. I started to cry harder, he’s never cold. Ever. I pressed my fingers against his wrist feeling for a pulse. It was very faint, but it was there.

Bum bum. Bum bum. Bum bum. Bum bum. The steady beat of life, quietly pounding in the background. Gently reminding me that he was alive, but just barely so.

I tried to choke back the tears, but failed miserably as they continued to flow freely down my face. I sat there for what seems like forever. I cried, and held Shane’s cold hand, afraid to leave him for even a moment. As exhaustion was setting in I felt someone put a jacket over my shoulders. I looked up to see the doctor with a sad look on his face. I shrugged the jacket on, suddenly aware that I was still completely naked from having shifted after the fight. I mumbled a thank you to the doctor, and looked back at Shane. His blank expression hadn’t changed, and he was still extremely white.

“I gave him an antidote for the wolfsbane, but I’m not sure how his body will react to it.” the doctor said quietly, “He also was caught in the fight and sustained several deep cuts and has a broken bone or two.” I choked on the sob that escaped my throat, but the doctor continued. “I will have to wait until the swelling goes down to set the bone so it can heal correctly. He lost a lot of blood before I got here, so that will hopefully make the antidote work faster, though I’m not sure.”

He placed a gentle hand on my shoulder, “I’m sorry. I am so so sorry, but all I can do now is make sure that he has everything he needs and hope for a miracle.” I looked up at the doctor, truly seeing him for the first time. He was an older man, with short white hair and deep brown eyes. I felt like he looked familiar, his angled jaw reminding me of someone that I knew, but I wasn’t sure who. He was tall and had an air of confidence. He spoke again, telling me that he had to leave, the tone of his voice soothing me in a fatherly way. I nodded and watched as the mysterious doctor walked away. I turned back to Shane, focusing my attention and helping him though I knew that there was nothing I could do. I sat by his side all night until I slowly fell asleep on the floor, my hand still tangled in his.