My Father's Beta

Banging For Blood

Beth

I stared at my Dad sitting there on the couch, head in his hands, panic ebbing away at my mind while I try and wrap my head around it. What could this all mean? Jim has to be ok, he has to, I saw him and he was fine. I forced my words out anyway, I need to see him I need to know but somehow I think I knew from very early on that something wasn't right.

“Wh, where is he”?

Dad sighed. “Upstairs in one of the guest rooms, the pack Doctor is doing the best he can, but it’s really going to be up to Jim to heal himself, if he can - he lost a lot of blood so he might have enough to heal internally but, outside I don’t know”.

Lost a lot of blood! “What happened”?

“They got confused in the fight, when they saw Jim with me and instead of taking the time to think, they pounced, Jim pushed me out of the way, otherwise I think I’d be dead right about now”.

“I don’t understand, confused –“? I was cut off by a loud scream for somewhere up stairs and before I knew it I was running, running so hard and fast that my feet burned from the friction on the carpet. Stairs soon turned into flat hallway and I wasn’t left victim to the size of the house this time, I could smell his blood a mile away. I turned left from the stairs and ran across and up another smaller flight of stairs before coming into narrow hallway, finding a door left askew and hearing horrible gurgling groans.

I pushed open the door and almost fell to my knees, there was blood everywhere, sheets were covered in it. I clutched at the door frame to stay up, crying when I saw a crumpled heap in the middle of the bed, chunks of flesh were missing from Jim’s body, cuts and bruises and scrapes and so much blood everywhere. He was so broken, his chest was heaving, his breaths laboured and punctuated with deep groans of agony.

His beautiful face, smeared in blood, his eyes shut tight against whatever he was trying to fight off inside himself, he looked so scared somehow even though his face was still, maybe it’s the bond. Trying my best I walked over to him when a hand tugged me back, I turned around and growled, the man let me go, putting up his own hands showing me that he meant no harm.

“Miss, you should leave, it’s not a pretty sight –“ I don't want or need anyone telling me to leave my mate and if he tried to again I'd rip his arms off.

“What’s wrong him”? I demanded, always keeping a hand on Jim, I looked around behind me at the shrinking doctor demanding information.

“Severe bite wounds to his chest and legs, multiple lacerations and contusions, he’s got a pretty deep cut on his head, his vitals are weak. I’ve done what I can in the way of resetting any bones that were broken so that if he does manage to heal himself, he won’t have to work so hard, I’ve also packed the major wounds up with sterile dressings to try to stop the blood, I’ve cleaned the wounds too but it’s just a case of waiting now, to see if can pull himself through”.

“He’s mine, if there’s nothing else you can do then leave us alone”. 

“Of course”. I watched the doctor leave and close the door behind him and ran over to Jim’s bedside, his face was caked in blood, a deep gash on the right side of his head that had been packed with gauze to stammer the flow of crimson.

My breath rattled in my chest, trying to contain my sobs. I have to be strong for him. “Jim, Jim please, please be ok”.

“Beth”? His breath chocked around my name and I started to cryanyway. I scrambled, throwing my arms around Jim, hovering over him, eyes darting around looking an injury that that doctor might have missed.