Harley swallowed, shoving at his damp hair to keep it out of his face. “That female knows how dangerous you can be yet she doesn’t shy away from rushing to your aid. What does that tell you?”
Frustration rose in Moon. He was hot, irritable, and angry.
“She’s willing to die for you. I didn’t trust her at first and was wary of her motives but she has strong, true feelings for you, Moon. She regrets bailing on you at site four.”
“She never even attempted to contact me once we came to Homeland. Or Reservation.”
“You should speak to her.”
“I’m talking to you.”
“Okay.” Harley cast a hesitant look in his direction. “I think she loves you.”
“Love?” Moon rubbed his arms again, harder this time, trying to wipe away sweat and the uneasy feeling that made him a bit lightheaded.
His finger found something odd and he rubbed the spot while he mulled over Harley’s words. He had been obsessed with Joy when they’d been at site four. She was the female he’d wanted above all others.
Her leaving had depressed him and he’d sulked for a long time over her loss. Every time he even thought about her it was as if he’d eaten something bad and pain gnawed at his gut. Can that be love? He wasn’t sure since he had never experienced it.
“Love,” Harley repeated. “I can’t think of any other reason she’d face off against you when you were feral. Hell, you scared me and I’m not a weak little human.”
Moon frowned, distracted. His finger probed the spot again. The small lump moved against his bone, actually hurting.
“What is this?”
“There’s something under my skin.”
Harley looked down. “Is that where you were shot?”
“Yes.”
“It was a dart, not a bullet.”
“What did you say?” It was Ted, yelling from the other room.
“I found something in my arm.” Moon’s voice rose and he looked at Harley. “It’s small and it hurts when I press on it.”
“Get out here,” Ted ordered. “Let me see.”
Moon rose to his feet but swayed when he stood, the room spinning a little. Harley didn’t have that problem though as he grabbed him at his elbows to steady him.
“You okay?”
“I think the heat is getting to me.”
“Me too but I’m not wobbly. Let’s get out of here.”
Suddenly Fury was there to help, putting an arm around him. It humiliated Moon a little to need help walking but both males kept a firm grip on him as they led him out of the bathroom. Ted pointed to the bed on the far side of the exam room.
“Put him down there.” He glanced at Flame. “Get Paul. Tell him that playtime is over and our patient won’t try to kill him. I need the ultrasound machine. Your people haven’t been trained on them as well as he is.”
“I’m on it,” Flame announced, spun, and dashed down the hallway.
“What do you think it is?” Moon nearly collapsed onto the mattress. His body was wet and he’d gone from sweating to being cold. “Did part of the dart break off in my arm?”
“Where did you feel it?”
Moon showed the doctor by placing the human’s index finger over the area. “Right there.”
Paul drew everyone’s attention as he pushed a machine on wheels into the room. He smiled when Moon met his gaze. “There’s the guy I know.” Paul came closer. “I hear you’re with us again. I’m so glad. Really. Last time you tried to take a bite out of my arm.”
“I’m sorry.”
Paul halted and bent to plug in a cord. “No problem. It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye…or an arm, in my case.”
“Knock it off,” Ted snapped. “Joke around later. That’s the problem with you young people. You’re more concerned about bedside manner than treatment.”
“No one would ever accuse you of that,” Paul muttered as he turned on the machine and prepared it. “What are we looking for? Did he get injured? Does your chest hurt? I told them to make sure they didn’t tighten the straps too much and to make sure you could breathe without difficulty. We should run you through X-ray though if you think you might have fractured some ribs.”
Ted produced what looked like a marker and drew a circle on Moon’s upper arm. “Search this area right here.”
“That makes it easy.” Paul withdrew a bottle of ultrasound gel and hesitated. “Do you want me to warm this?”
“No. I’ve had enough heat to last me forever.” Moon never wanted to be that hot again.
Paul nodded and slathered the clear substance over a handheld instrument attached to the machine. He pushed it against Moon’s arm and watched the screen, which Moon couldn’t see. It slowly moved over his skin but then stopped. Paul pushed a little harder, adjusted the thing, and softly cursed.
“What the hell is that?”
“Damn it. I need a scalpel. We’ll excise whatever it is and examine it.”
“Did the tip break off in the bone?” Moon didn’t like the idea that part of the dart was still inside him.
“No, I’m sure it is not the dart tip. We didn’t check for foreign objects because the dart was intact,” Ted ground out in an angry voice. He appeared unusually concerned. “It’s an oblong object, very small. Definitely not anything that could be part of a dart.”
Frustration rose in Moon. He was hot, irritable, and angry.
“She’s willing to die for you. I didn’t trust her at first and was wary of her motives but she has strong, true feelings for you, Moon. She regrets bailing on you at site four.”
“She never even attempted to contact me once we came to Homeland. Or Reservation.”
“You should speak to her.”
“I’m talking to you.”
“Okay.” Harley cast a hesitant look in his direction. “I think she loves you.”
“Love?” Moon rubbed his arms again, harder this time, trying to wipe away sweat and the uneasy feeling that made him a bit lightheaded.
His finger found something odd and he rubbed the spot while he mulled over Harley’s words. He had been obsessed with Joy when they’d been at site four. She was the female he’d wanted above all others.
Her leaving had depressed him and he’d sulked for a long time over her loss. Every time he even thought about her it was as if he’d eaten something bad and pain gnawed at his gut. Can that be love? He wasn’t sure since he had never experienced it.
“Love,” Harley repeated. “I can’t think of any other reason she’d face off against you when you were feral. Hell, you scared me and I’m not a weak little human.”
Moon frowned, distracted. His finger probed the spot again. The small lump moved against his bone, actually hurting.
“What is this?”
“There’s something under my skin.”
Harley looked down. “Is that where you were shot?”
“Yes.”
“It was a dart, not a bullet.”
“What did you say?” It was Ted, yelling from the other room.
“I found something in my arm.” Moon’s voice rose and he looked at Harley. “It’s small and it hurts when I press on it.”
“Get out here,” Ted ordered. “Let me see.”
Moon rose to his feet but swayed when he stood, the room spinning a little. Harley didn’t have that problem though as he grabbed him at his elbows to steady him.
“You okay?”
“I think the heat is getting to me.”
“Me too but I’m not wobbly. Let’s get out of here.”
Suddenly Fury was there to help, putting an arm around him. It humiliated Moon a little to need help walking but both males kept a firm grip on him as they led him out of the bathroom. Ted pointed to the bed on the far side of the exam room.
“Put him down there.” He glanced at Flame. “Get Paul. Tell him that playtime is over and our patient won’t try to kill him. I need the ultrasound machine. Your people haven’t been trained on them as well as he is.”
“I’m on it,” Flame announced, spun, and dashed down the hallway.
“What do you think it is?” Moon nearly collapsed onto the mattress. His body was wet and he’d gone from sweating to being cold. “Did part of the dart break off in my arm?”
“Where did you feel it?”
Moon showed the doctor by placing the human’s index finger over the area. “Right there.”
Paul drew everyone’s attention as he pushed a machine on wheels into the room. He smiled when Moon met his gaze. “There’s the guy I know.” Paul came closer. “I hear you’re with us again. I’m so glad. Really. Last time you tried to take a bite out of my arm.”
“I’m sorry.”
Paul halted and bent to plug in a cord. “No problem. It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye…or an arm, in my case.”
“Knock it off,” Ted snapped. “Joke around later. That’s the problem with you young people. You’re more concerned about bedside manner than treatment.”
“No one would ever accuse you of that,” Paul muttered as he turned on the machine and prepared it. “What are we looking for? Did he get injured? Does your chest hurt? I told them to make sure they didn’t tighten the straps too much and to make sure you could breathe without difficulty. We should run you through X-ray though if you think you might have fractured some ribs.”
Ted produced what looked like a marker and drew a circle on Moon’s upper arm. “Search this area right here.”
“That makes it easy.” Paul withdrew a bottle of ultrasound gel and hesitated. “Do you want me to warm this?”
“No. I’ve had enough heat to last me forever.” Moon never wanted to be that hot again.
Paul nodded and slathered the clear substance over a handheld instrument attached to the machine. He pushed it against Moon’s arm and watched the screen, which Moon couldn’t see. It slowly moved over his skin but then stopped. Paul pushed a little harder, adjusted the thing, and softly cursed.
“What the hell is that?”
“Damn it. I need a scalpel. We’ll excise whatever it is and examine it.”
“Did the tip break off in the bone?” Moon didn’t like the idea that part of the dart was still inside him.
“No, I’m sure it is not the dart tip. We didn’t check for foreign objects because the dart was intact,” Ted ground out in an angry voice. He appeared unusually concerned. “It’s an oblong object, very small. Definitely not anything that could be part of a dart.”
