Page 16 of Polar Destiny
"I'll do my best. I may be trained in medicine, but to help him he'll have to let me touchhim."
Finn looks into my eyes for a moment. Finding what he needs to see, he nods and releases my hand. He shifts and closes his eyes, talking to the others. When he opens them again, he gives me a nod, and wraps his huge paws around me. Hugged by a bear. If I wasn't so worried about Ràn I could even enjoy it. Alot.
Iknowthey are coming when Finn untangles his large form from me. He gives me a nod, then runs outside into the snow. Only one of the torches is still burning, giving off a tiny bit of light. Not enough to see further than the cave entrance. It takes a few agonising minutes until I can hear the sound of heavy pawsteps in thesnow.
Ràn is lying on Húnn's back, his pale naked body looking small and broken against the black fur of his brother. Finn and Torben are on either side, preventing Ràn from sliding to theground.
When they enter the cave, they shift. Torben carefully carries Ràn and lays him down next to the fire, while Finn reignites the torches. The more light fills the cavern, the more I can see Ràn's injuries. Deep gashes are covering his back, bruising is already forming around his shoulders, and his right arm is bent at a strange angle. His teeth are clenched in pain, his angular jaw forming sharplines.
I kneel by his side, gently laying a hand on his cheek. He flinches, but I leave it there. I need to see if I'll be able to treat him. When he doesn't protest further, I press two fingers against his throat, checking his pulse. It's alarmingly slow, and his skin is getting clammy. I need to do something,now.
"Ràn, what is hurting you themost?"
"Back. Shoulder," he grinds through clenchedteeth.
"Can you wiggle your toes for me?" He does it without question. Good. The first step is to stop thebleeding.
"Do you have anybandages?"
The guys shake theirheads.
"It's all in the house. And we don't have any clothes we could rip." Yes, thanks for remindingme.
"Then I'll do it," I say more confidently than I am. Without looking at the men, I take off my hoodie, then the thin sweater I'm wearing underneath. I hand them to Torben, ignoring the glances he shoots at mybra.
"Try and make some long strips out of them." He gives me a grim nod and I turn back to Ràn. He's staring at me, but his eyelids areflickering.
"We need to wash your wounds or they'll get infected," I tell him gently. "Finn, get us some snow. Húnn, I'm going to have to reduce his shoulder, and he might want something to biteon."
Without waiting for their responses, I do a quick examination of his body. I can't find anything more than the injuries I've already seen, but I've only seen his back. I need to examine his chest andabdomen.
Finn returns, and with his help, I carefully cover Ràn's back with snow. The cold will not only stem the bleeding, but it'll also help wash out any dirt from the wounds. With every touch, Ràn flinches and groans, but all I can do is to reassure him and tell him what I'mdoing.
Torben hands me the makeshift bandages, and I carefully but firmly wrap them around Ràn's back. "Help me turn him around," I ask the guys, and they get in position at his feet andhead.
"Ràn, I know you don't want them to touch you, but it's only going to be for a moment,ok?"
Waiting for them to signal they’re ready, I give the guys a nod and together we slowly roll him onto his back, making sure the bandages are staying in place. Ràn growls in pain. As soon as it's done, the others stepback.
There are a few scratches and bruises on Ràn's chest, but nothing as bad as the gashes on his back. I wish I had a stethoscope with me. But I don’t, so I lower my head against his chest until my right ear touches his skin. His breath is a little shallow, but regular. No wheezing. That’sgood.
"I'm going to feel around your chest and abdomen. I'll try and be as gentle as possible, but let me know if ithurts."
He gives me another grim nod and I begin running my hands over his collarbone, his ribs, his abs. For a moment, I'm imagining doing this in a different setting, wearing even less than my bra - but I brush that thought away as soon as it appears. Concentrate, Isla. And definitely don’t look down. Remember, he’s naked, and you don’t want to see him like that. Not now,anyway.
"Your belly is a little tender, but as long as it doesn't get worse, we've got more pressing things to look at.” I don’t tell him that he might be bleeding internally. He didn’t mention pain in his stomach, so if I’m lucky, I can get him to shift before the bleed gets any worse. But for that to happen, I need to deal with his otherinjuries.
“I need to have a look at your shoulder. It'll hurt. Do they need to hold you down or can you keepstill?"
"I'll manage." His voice is hoarse, and the pain in it makes me shiver. I wish I had some pain meds I could givehim.
I take a look at his arm, gently manipulating his hand and joints. When I bend his elbow, he cries out in pain, ripping his arm away, making him howl even more. I shoot him a stern look, and with a groan he stretches it back out tome.
"Your shoulder is dislocated, but I think I can get it back into place. Then we’ll see if anything is broken. Húnn, give him the wood yougot."
With the biting stick in place, I ask the guys to be ready to hold him down in case he struggles. I feel a little like a torturer when I sayit.
This isn't the first time I've set a dislocated shoulder, but it's the first time I'm doing it on a bear shifter that could charge me at any moment. Maybe not the best idea, but I'm the only one who can doit.
