Chapter 199

Almara’s Pov

“You’re going to be okay,” I tell the poor wolf being hurried off to the operating room, though I have no idea how he’s going to fair. This time, I’m not standing in the way or out of the way of the gurney- I’m the one pushing the wheels faster than they’re built for across the tiled floor.

The solider groans in response. “Don’t,” I order him. “Save your energy, you’re going to have to fight if you want to stay alive,” I tell him. This is what we were instructed to tell the patients that come in here.

If we can convince them all they have to do is exactly what they were just doing on the battlefield to save their life, their chances of survival double. Except this time, it’s not physical combat they’re doing, it’s a mental and emotional war they’re up against. Mind over matter.

The solider closes his eyes and lets his body relax, despite the shakes and bumps of the flimsy cart that’s wheeling him. We burst through the doors leading to the operating room, I’ve stopped counting how many times the hospital door opens. I’ve lost count if I’m being honest.

Besides, all that matters is who’s right in front of you- another lesson learned, not in class, but in a much harder way.

My first patient came in when a gaping hole in his throat, he needed immediate surgery and undivided attention. What he got was a response of shock which delayed my reaction time. The hospital doors kept swinging open and that’s all I could think about, even as the doctor barked orders at me until eventually, he ended up pushing me out of the way and doing it all himself.

The soldier died. I blamed myself, but the doctor assured me that there was nothing that could’ve been done anyway. My first timers shock, an unfortunate reaction that plagues all first-time nurses, is not to be blamed.

Still, it was I that moment something in me snapped. I decided to tune out the sound of the hospital doors and pretty much anything else except whoever it is that was right down in front of me.

As more patients have been flooding in, I’ve even grown numb to the open wounds I see. Unfortunately, the one suffering the injury isn’t numb to it at all, not as they writhe with pain and howl with discomfort.

I used to hear their screams in my sleep, now when I go to bed I’m able to focus on just that too. Nothing, but a sweet unconscious escape.

We barge through the operating doors and park the gurney next to the operating table where me, the other nurse, Julie, and the doctor heave the heavy limp body onto the metallic slab and rip open his combat shirt.

His dog tags tangle from his neck, I can see his name is Jayme Pierce. “Listen to me Jayme, you’re going to pull through this. This wound is nothing, you got it? Nothing.” I tell him with far more authority than I have the right to.

Meanwhile, the wound that I deemed nothing continues to bleed fresh blood now dripping onto the floor. “The puncture missed his heart,” the doctor says.

“You hear that, Jayme? It didn’t get your heart, you’re going to be fine,” I repeat to him this time with a bit more relief as I begin to finally believe my words. Jayme groans in response.

“Apply pressure,” The doctor orders and Julie grabs a sterile towel and presses down on the wound in an upward angle. I raise Jayme’s arms above his head to lessen the flow of blood. “This is going to sting,” The doctor says snapping his latex gloves over his hands.

I know what’s coming and it’s my least favorite part. I activate Lily just a bit as I know I need all the strength I can get. I keep him pinned down as the doctor pours a cleansing liquid over the wound.

Just then Jayme’s eyes shoot open, bloodshot and crazed. He howls and twists his body, causing the wound to leak even more. Just as quickly as he reacted, he settled- probably due to the loss of blood. He pales and his eyes begin to roll back.

“We’re losing him,” I say very matter of fact.

“What’s his blood type?” The doctor asks.

“O positive,” Julie says reading the dog tag.

“Get him hooked up to an IV, now!” Julie and I move at once, having done this a hundred times before.

I perform CPR on him while Julie ensures the IV is dripping new blood into his system. “C’mon,” I tell Jayme. “You can do this,” I beg. The wound has stopped bleeding, but only because his heart has severely slowed.

The monitor goes flat. “No!” I cry out and continue with the CPR. Julie steps away from Jayme, she never likes touching someone once they’re dead. “Stay with me!” I call out and press on his chest faster, harder.

“Almara,” I hear someone say from behind, though I keep my focus on who’s right in front of me, even through blurred eyes.

“Almara call it,” The doctor says. I let out a cry of anguish. I hate this part about the job.

“He was fine!” I protest, but it’s pointless. “He was fine,” I repeat in a broken whisper.

“He was too late coming to us,” the doctor says and I don’t know why but a surge of anger races through me. It’s never our fault, it’s never something we can blame.

“Go get some water, there’s other patients.” I storm away, wiping my eyes, when I bring my hands away from my face only then do I notice the dried blood caked around my fingers and crevices of my palms.

I head to the lavatory to wash my hands, but something catches my attention. The TV protruding out of the corner of the wall show casts the same news anchor that I would play at my house. An image of Grace flashes in my mind and I quickly shut it down, I can’t think of her while in a place like this. I’ll never be able to focus.

I watch the TV and the news anchor, though the same woman, somehow looks older. She’s gripping the mic in her hands like her life depends on it. “It is confirmed,” she says as her eyes widen with fear, “the unidentified beasts fighting alongside the vampires are indeed familiars,”

I hear myself gasp. I’ve only heard of these types of creatures as urban legends. If they’re real and partnered with the vampires then this is worse than I thought.

Familiars only attach themselves to people or groups they believe to be the strongest, which means if the familiars are paired with the vampires they must know something about them that we don’t. Something that makes them more equipped for battle.

This must mean that not only do the vampires have the familiars which already improves their fighting ability, but they must also have something that drew these familiars to them in the first place.

Familiars are more than powerful creatures, they’re incredibly loyal and fight to the death. Just then the hospital doors swing open and three more soldiers are brought in.