Imperial Moon [Complete]

Chapter Nine - Convalesce

Kat came round to the beeping of a heart monitor. She lay in a starched, crisp bed, attached to several drips.

The room was bright white and clean, the stench of bleach stung her nose.

Cal's sleeping form was slumped in an armchair next to her, dark circles under his eyes. She watched his chest rise and fall, drinking in the sight of him.

She did a mental check on her body. Her hands were tightly bound and bandaged. Her back felt sore, but bearable. She felt strong. Impossibly strong.

She looked up at the drips, wondering what was in them.

"Quite the cocktail he had me put in you." a voice whispered from the door.

Kat looked up into the kind eyes of an elderly man. He moved slowly towards her, smiling.

"That one is to accelerate your healing, that one there is to help your body recover from the starvation, that one is to reverse the dehydration. And I'm sure you can tell that the last is a blood transfusion, you're on your third bag. Lucky Alpha Cal is the same blood type." At the last comment he nodded to Cal's sleeping form and Kat saw the bruises in the crook of his arm, needle puncture marks.

"The last lot took it out of him, but he insisted, said the bond would help." The man shuffled to the heart monitor.

"Your vitals look good, how do you feel?"

"I feel great, considering." Kat whispered back, eager to let her sleeping Alpha stay that way.

"I'm Katja," she smiled at the man warmly.

His old face crinkled as he smiled knowingly back at her, "I'm Doc."

"Doc?" Kat asked, bemused.

Doc laughed, a wheezing sound, "I'm sure that wasn't my name at birth but I've long forgotten what it is. I've served ImperialMoon for hundreds of years. I've seen Alphas come and go, they've all called me Doc." he shrugged, smiling again.

"Then you knew Cal's father?" Kat whispered.

Doc's eyes widened slightly, "He hasn't told you?"

Kat shook her head, confused.

"I'm afraid it's not my place to inform you." Doc shook his head at Cal's sleeping form, "He looks so young, when he sleeps. So like the innocent boy who's scraped knees I used to clean up."

Doc sighed as he turned to leave, "I'll check on you in an hour, Luna Katja."

"Oh. I'm not-"

Doc smiled, "Aren't you?"

He closed the door silently, yet Cal still shuffled in his seat, eyes opening lazily.

He rubbed his eyes and groaned, stretching in the chair, spine cracking.

He looked at the drips and frowned, checking his watch, then he looked at Kat.

"You're awake!" he jumped up and was sitting on her bed in an instant.

"Oh, ouch, sore." she complained.

"Shit! Sorry." he got back up, hovering awkwardly at her side, "I'm sorry Kat. I was so angry, I didn't stop and let you explain." he pulled his hand through his hair, frustrated.

She shook her head, "I should have told you the truth from the start."

"No, I can see why you didn't," he sighed, she felt his exhaustion, his sadness.

"Will you tell me what happened? To Alpha Theo? He was good friends with my father."

Kat sucked in a breath. Calming her nerves, she told him.