Dragon Blood

Chapter 2

Rhia cleaned up as best she could without taking a shower. She changed into a pair of dark grey scrubs the nurse had found for her and was taken to the surgery waiting rooms.  For over an hour, she paced around the room with her parents and her brother's supervisor in a tense silence.

Richard and Madeline Kincaid sat together, Madeline breaking into occasional sobs. Maddox's lieutenant leaned against the wall, tapping rapidly on her phone. Nova, the large silver shepherd, kept shifting from standing, sitting, laying down, and occasionally whining. She could sense their distress and her handler wasn't there to calm her. She was smart. She could put two and two together.

Rhia felt confined in the room that was designed to be comfortable and welcoming. She usually took her grief and stress out on a rowing machine or a treadmill. Sitting still was killing her, more so than not knowing how Maddox was doing.

The door suddenly opened and Rhia whirled around. Her parents stood and the lieutenant stepped forward to join them. Two men stepped into the room, one wearing scrubs, and the other in black trousers and a white button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Rhia's eyes were drawn to the second man. He was taller than all of them, coming up to quite a few inches over six feet. His eyes were a deep, sapphire blue. When he turned to smile at all of them, a red light flickered around his irises. 

Vampire.

The scrubbed doctor looked at her parents. "Maddox is out of surgery." He said gently.

Madeline Kincaid let out a harsh cry of relief and threw herself into the surgeon's arms. Richard clenched and unclenched his hands, relieving his built-up tension. The lieutenant let out a mix of a laugh and a sob. After a minute, the doctor gently pushed Madeline back into her husband's arms.

"He's not entirely out of danger." He continued. "There is a tube in his throat helping him breath, and one in his chest to keep his lung from collapsing. The projectiles ruptured his spleen, and there are several lacerations on his liver. He lost a lot of blood."

"But you can give him more, right?" Madeline whimpered. "He's going to be okay, right?"

The vampire put a hand on the surgeon's shoulder and stepped forward. "Mr. and Mrs. Kincaid, please sit down." They did so hesitantly. Rhia sat next to them, watching her father go ridged as he saw the red reflection too. "My name is Doctor Nolan Wes, I'm the head of hematology here."

"Vampire blood doctor." Richard snorted. "Bit on the nose, don't you think."

"Jesus, dad." Rhia hissed. "Really? Now?"

Richard shot her a disgusted look, and was about to say something when Madeline cut over both of them. "What's wrong with my son?"

Nolan smiled gently, not giving any sign that he was bothered by Richard's comment. "Ordinarily, we run a panel of blood tests called a type and screen before a transfusion." He said slowly making sure they heard him clearly. "In the emergency room, ordinary is thrown out the window and we pump O-negative or their specific blood type if we know it, in this case we knew Maddox is B-negative. We still run the tests to make sure we have as much information as possible during the recovery period. Maddox's blood is missing some antigens, and that can cause problems in the next few weeks."

Rhia sat up straighter, but both her parents looked confused. "What does that mean?" Madeline sounded like she was going to burst into tears again.

"There is a chance that Maddox can reject the blood we gave him during surgery. Over the next few days, we're going to be watching him carefully for signs of a reaction. If that happens, the best treatment for him is a transfusion of blood missing the same antigens as he is. Blood relatives have the best chance of matching. While the surgical team is cleaning him up and transferring him to a room, I would like each of you to donate if you're willing. This way, we can run the tests and won't waste additional time if he does start to show signs of rejection."