Paul turned his head and spotted Dana. “Get your ass over here and apply pressure to this.”
She hesitated. “Where are the gloves?”
“Second drawer to your right,” he snapped. “But they don’t carry any blood diseases, and they easily fight infection.”
After putting on gloves, she clamped her hand down over the cut. Paul tore open the patient’s sleeve to examine his arm. Dana glanced up and found the doctor frowning at her.
“That’s my sister,” Paul informed him. “Dana, meet Doc Harris and Midnight. The two along the wall are Snow and Book.”
“She can’t be in here,” Doc Harris protested.
“She’s cool, and she did a year of nursing school. She’s also done a shitload of home health care. She won’t faint over seeing some blood. The arm doesn’t seem broken but he’s going to need stitches.”
Midnight turned toward the door. “I’ll get the portable X-ray machine for his head.”
The doctor examined the patient’s skull, probing, probably checking for fractures or lacerations. “It’s okay, Midnight. This son of a bitch is too hardheaded. He probably just has another concussion, but we’ll run a CT scan just to be safe. Let’s deal with the issues we see right now first.”
Midnight yanked a bag of saline from a cupboard. She growled low, a scary sound. “Who did he fight this time?”
“Darkness. Suicidal bastard,” Snow muttered.
“I won’t ask if Darkness is okay then.” Doc Harris sighed. “I’m surprised he’s not the one who brought him in.”
“He will be along.”
“Great.” Midnight spun away after hanging the IV bag and killed the blaring alarm. “That’s just what we don’t need. He’ll be angry. Please tell him not to bother. You two can go.”
Snow and Book shot curious glances at Dana. She forced a smile but they didn’t speak directly to her before they quit the room.
Doc Harris changed positions with Paul. “Let me see his arm.”
“I’ll grab a suture kit.” Paul opened a drawer.
Midnight caught Dana’s gaze. “You’re Paul’s sister?”
“Yes.” She tried not to stare. The New Species woman was the first one she’d seen up close since she’d arrived. She was pretty, with long dark hair. “I’m visiting him and Becky this weekend. He wouldn’t come home so I came to him.”
“Welcome to Homeland.” She stepped closer. “Let me take over. This is Mourn.” She glanced at the patient, and then back at Dana. “He’s a troublemaker. He comes in here every few weeks. Don’t be alarmed.”
Dana released the cut on his calf and backed up, doing what she was told. She tossed away the used gloves and made sure blood hadn’t gotten on her skin above them. She turned and kept out of the way while they worked on the patient. Mourn needed six stitches on his forearm but his leg just needed to be cleaned and bandaged.
“Should I put restraints on him before he wakes? You know he’s going to just get up and walk out the same way he did last time.” Paul stared at the doctor.
“Yeah. I hate to do it but Snow had a point. He is suicidal.”
“Why?” Dana regretted asking as soon as three pairs of eyes swung her way. “Sorry,” she added. “It’s none of my business.”
“His mate died.” Midnight helped Paul use thick, padded restraints to secure the patient’s arms and legs to the hospital bed. They even wrapped a few across his chest and thighs to hold him in place. “You helped work on him. I’d be curious as well. He picks fights with other males, hoping one of them will kill him. We won’t end our own lives the way humans do. It’s a matter of pride.”
Dana stared at the patient, really taking a good look at his face. He was feline. The shape of his eyes was a dead giveaway. His black hair was cut short. He had the over-the-top manly features that all the New Species possessed. Their bone structure was denser than a normal human. He was handsome, despite the bandage on his forehead. Midnight cleaned off the blood and backed away from him.
It pulled at Dana’s heartstrings, hearing that he’d lost the woman he loved. She knew what the term mate implied, thanks to some of the things Paul had felt free to tell her. Some of the New Species were married, but they called their wives mates. They didn’t require a ceremony, but instead could just share a promise of commitment, sign legal documents and make it official.
“We’ve got this handled, Paul.” Doc Harris glanced her way. “You should take your sister back to your house.”
Her brother hesitated. “Are you sure? I could hang here for a few hours. I know the two of you wanted to go out to have lunch instead of eating in the office. I could have someone escort my sister home.”
“We’ll both stay,” Dana quickly added.
Paul frowned, glanced at Mourn and then her. His eyes narrowed. “You want to talk to him when he comes around, don’t you?”
There was no use denying the accusation so she just shrugged.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Doc Harris snapped. “He’s not fit for strangers. Your sister could chat with other Species if she is curious about them.”
“He’ll be rude,” Midnight predicted.
Paul dried his hands. “You told her that Mourn lost his mate, Midnight.” He hesitated, holding Dana’s gaze. She realized he’d stopped talking because he wasn’t sure if she wanted anything about her life revealed.
She turned to Midnight. “My husband died of cancer two years ago. We were childhood sweethearts and it was devastating.” She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. “You said Mourn is suicidal. I can relate to that.”
“Dana…”
“I used to feel that way,” she corrected, daring to look at her brother. She hated seeing his pained expression. “It helps to talk with others who have shared the same loss. I might be able to help him.”
“No.” Doc Harris came around the bed. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“I agree,” Paul stated.
Midnight seemed to stare right into Dana’s soul for long seconds. “Have you taken a new male into your life?”
“No.”
She hesitated. “Where are the gloves?”
“Second drawer to your right,” he snapped. “But they don’t carry any blood diseases, and they easily fight infection.”
After putting on gloves, she clamped her hand down over the cut. Paul tore open the patient’s sleeve to examine his arm. Dana glanced up and found the doctor frowning at her.
“That’s my sister,” Paul informed him. “Dana, meet Doc Harris and Midnight. The two along the wall are Snow and Book.”
“She can’t be in here,” Doc Harris protested.
“She’s cool, and she did a year of nursing school. She’s also done a shitload of home health care. She won’t faint over seeing some blood. The arm doesn’t seem broken but he’s going to need stitches.”
Midnight turned toward the door. “I’ll get the portable X-ray machine for his head.”
The doctor examined the patient’s skull, probing, probably checking for fractures or lacerations. “It’s okay, Midnight. This son of a bitch is too hardheaded. He probably just has another concussion, but we’ll run a CT scan just to be safe. Let’s deal with the issues we see right now first.”
Midnight yanked a bag of saline from a cupboard. She growled low, a scary sound. “Who did he fight this time?”
“Darkness. Suicidal bastard,” Snow muttered.
“I won’t ask if Darkness is okay then.” Doc Harris sighed. “I’m surprised he’s not the one who brought him in.”
“He will be along.”
“Great.” Midnight spun away after hanging the IV bag and killed the blaring alarm. “That’s just what we don’t need. He’ll be angry. Please tell him not to bother. You two can go.”
Snow and Book shot curious glances at Dana. She forced a smile but they didn’t speak directly to her before they quit the room.
Doc Harris changed positions with Paul. “Let me see his arm.”
“I’ll grab a suture kit.” Paul opened a drawer.
Midnight caught Dana’s gaze. “You’re Paul’s sister?”
“Yes.” She tried not to stare. The New Species woman was the first one she’d seen up close since she’d arrived. She was pretty, with long dark hair. “I’m visiting him and Becky this weekend. He wouldn’t come home so I came to him.”
“Welcome to Homeland.” She stepped closer. “Let me take over. This is Mourn.” She glanced at the patient, and then back at Dana. “He’s a troublemaker. He comes in here every few weeks. Don’t be alarmed.”
Dana released the cut on his calf and backed up, doing what she was told. She tossed away the used gloves and made sure blood hadn’t gotten on her skin above them. She turned and kept out of the way while they worked on the patient. Mourn needed six stitches on his forearm but his leg just needed to be cleaned and bandaged.
“Should I put restraints on him before he wakes? You know he’s going to just get up and walk out the same way he did last time.” Paul stared at the doctor.
“Yeah. I hate to do it but Snow had a point. He is suicidal.”
“Why?” Dana regretted asking as soon as three pairs of eyes swung her way. “Sorry,” she added. “It’s none of my business.”
“His mate died.” Midnight helped Paul use thick, padded restraints to secure the patient’s arms and legs to the hospital bed. They even wrapped a few across his chest and thighs to hold him in place. “You helped work on him. I’d be curious as well. He picks fights with other males, hoping one of them will kill him. We won’t end our own lives the way humans do. It’s a matter of pride.”
Dana stared at the patient, really taking a good look at his face. He was feline. The shape of his eyes was a dead giveaway. His black hair was cut short. He had the over-the-top manly features that all the New Species possessed. Their bone structure was denser than a normal human. He was handsome, despite the bandage on his forehead. Midnight cleaned off the blood and backed away from him.
It pulled at Dana’s heartstrings, hearing that he’d lost the woman he loved. She knew what the term mate implied, thanks to some of the things Paul had felt free to tell her. Some of the New Species were married, but they called their wives mates. They didn’t require a ceremony, but instead could just share a promise of commitment, sign legal documents and make it official.
“We’ve got this handled, Paul.” Doc Harris glanced her way. “You should take your sister back to your house.”
Her brother hesitated. “Are you sure? I could hang here for a few hours. I know the two of you wanted to go out to have lunch instead of eating in the office. I could have someone escort my sister home.”
“We’ll both stay,” Dana quickly added.
Paul frowned, glanced at Mourn and then her. His eyes narrowed. “You want to talk to him when he comes around, don’t you?”
There was no use denying the accusation so she just shrugged.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Doc Harris snapped. “He’s not fit for strangers. Your sister could chat with other Species if she is curious about them.”
“He’ll be rude,” Midnight predicted.
Paul dried his hands. “You told her that Mourn lost his mate, Midnight.” He hesitated, holding Dana’s gaze. She realized he’d stopped talking because he wasn’t sure if she wanted anything about her life revealed.
She turned to Midnight. “My husband died of cancer two years ago. We were childhood sweethearts and it was devastating.” She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. “You said Mourn is suicidal. I can relate to that.”
“Dana…”
“I used to feel that way,” she corrected, daring to look at her brother. She hated seeing his pained expression. “It helps to talk with others who have shared the same loss. I might be able to help him.”
“No.” Doc Harris came around the bed. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“I agree,” Paul stated.
Midnight seemed to stare right into Dana’s soul for long seconds. “Have you taken a new male into your life?”
“No.”
