Page 60 of Wicked Deeds

“Okay, so it’s not too bad,” she said, with a quick smile as I came in. “It’s a long cut, about six inches but actually not too deep. But the bleeding is still…active, so we’re going to take her up to an OR, let a surgeon look at the vascular structures, then stitch her up. Anyone who needs to know she’s going into surgery?”

“No. She’s from the UK. No relatives here that I know of.”

“Well, she’s awake enough to consent, so that’s not an issue. It shouldn’t take too long. I think she’s possibly nicked a small artery and I’ve given that a boost to help it heal. The surgeon will clean it up if they need to. If the artery’s fine, it’s a straightforward job to close the wound. They’ll use a nerve block not a general. She’ll probably be able to go home in a few hours. You can wait in the VIP waiting room, if you want. Or you can go and we’ll keep you updated.”

“She’s staying with me and Damon. I’ll wait.” I wasn’t leaving Gwen alone in a hospital where she knew no one.

“I thought you’d say that. So let’s get you settled in.”

She walked me out of the ER and up a floor to a waiting room, scanning me in with a palm scan. She pointed at a screen on the wall. “If anyone else is going to join you, you can page me there and I’ll make sure reception gives them access.”

“Is Gwen really going to be okay?” The memory of the long bloody gash on her forearm was fresh. Too much blood.

“Yes. She was lucky. Didn’t sever anything muscular, as far as I can tell. Her hand and fingers are all moving fine, so if there’s any nerve involvement, it’s minimal. Once the surgeon is done, I’ll give her another boost but I’m not expecting there to be any complications. She’ll be sore for a few days, but that’s what the good drugs are for.”

“Are there any issues because she’s tanai?”

“I don’t think so. Gwen said she’s never had an allergic reaction to anything. So, fingers crossed, it’s all smooth sailing.Sitting here and waiting is the hard part. Info about access to the public link is all on the screen there so you can hook up if you need to.”

I didn’t. The signal on my datapad was fine without the hospital’s link, but I couldn’t focus. I updated Damon and left a message for Aubrey. Then sat and tried to be patient. Meredith’s estimate was right on the money. It only took a few hours before a nurse came to take me to Gwen’s recovery room. I tried to be quiet as I entered the room. Gwen seemed small on the big hospital bed, her eyes closed, her chest rising and falling. Asleep, probably. Meredith stood next to the bed, focused on Gwen, one hand hovering over her chest. Checking her energy field.

I did the same. Gwen’s was a pearly blue, with a hint of the smokiness I associated with Callum and Cerridwen. Her Fae heritage, presumably. But it seemed pale. Too translucent. And she was too still, though the rise and fall of her chest was regular.

“I thought you said it would be a nerve block?” I asked softly.

“It was. But she’s been through a lot. She’s sleeping. Which is the best thing. There’s no nerve or muscle damage and she’s all patched up.”

Gwen’s arm was now stained with iodine, but the gaping cut had turned into a neatly stitched wound covered by a surgical shield. She was still hooked up to a drip and a few other things; monitors were beeping softly in the background.

“The drip is hydration and some antibiotics,” Meredith said. “We’ll send her home with painkillers, but the nerve block will last about twelve hours. Hopefully more like a day. We’ll keep her a bit longer for observation, then you can go.” She nodded at a chair on the far side of the room. “You can wait in here. There’ll be nurses in and out and I’ll update you in an hour or so.”

Right. She had other patients to see.

“Thank you,” I said and started to move around the bed toward the visitor’s chair when all the monitors started beeping wildly.

I froze as Meredith headed toward the bank of screens.

“What’s going on?”

“I’m not sure,” she said as Gwen started gasping for air. “Looks like an allergic reaction. Could be the sedatives or the antibiotic.”

She hit a button on the wall and laid one hand on Gwen, sending a jolt of magic into her.

A few seconds later, a nurse came running through the door carrying a thick plastic syringe with a bright orange cap on one end.

“What’s that?” I asked, trying not to panic.

“EpiPen,” Meredith said as the nurse handed it to her. “It will take down the reaction if that’s what it is.”

She put the EpiPen against Gwen’s thigh under the surgical gown and hit it home. Gwen squeaked in pain and them slumped back against the bed.

After a few seconds, the machines started to calm down.

“Maggie, go wait outside,” Meredith ordered.

I stood out in the hallway, trying not to panic, and wishing the recovery room wasn’t so well soundproofed. I got brief bursts of noise when various hospital personnel ran in or out of the room but no one stopped to update me. I leaned against the wall, beating off incipient panic as the sounds of machines beeping and rushing feet triggered too many memories of too many hospital visits. Gwen would be okay. She was young. Strong. Stronger than most humans, with her half-Fae blood.

I won in the end, maintaining some semblance of calm. When they let me back in, Gwen was lying with her eyes closed, several blankets piled over her.

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