#Chapter 369 – Dr. Hank
Ella
I stumble through the doors of the clinic with immense difficulty, Cora leaning heavily and moaning on my one side, Rafe’s carrier bouncing against my other.
People’s eyes go wide when they see us, but they quickly scatter out of our way to make room, shouting for nurses and doctors to come and help. I hold my breath, my eyes fastened on the clinic’s familiar front counter as I pray to heaven and back that Hank is here, that he’s on duty tonight.
I exhale a that huge breath in a sob of relief when I see him come, wide-eyed, around the corner, trying to figure out what the big fuss is about. Hank gasps when he sees us, dropping his clipboard and dashing into the waiting room to get to our side.
To my immense relief, Hank recovers quickly from his surprise and is, quite suddenly, the calm and efficient surgeon I’ve come to know and trust.
“What’s wrong,” he snaps as he gets his shoulder under Cora’s other arm. Where is she hurt?”
“Her lower back,” I say, my words coming slowly as I try to get my frantic mind in order. “She was stabbed – we were attacked, Hank – I’m so sorry – ”
“Enough,” he says harshly, dismissing my apology with a glare as he helps me basically carry Cora into the back, to where we can help her. “A stab wound?! Why the fuck didn’t you get her to a hospital, Ella!”
“It’s not bad,” Cora mumbles, and Hank’s head snaps up, as if he didn’t really realize that she’s conscious enough to talk.
“Tell me.” he says, guiding us all into the first room. Then, as Cora talks to him in some kind of medical jargon I don’t understand, Hank and I help her up onto an examination table where she lays on her belly. Hank hisses when he sees the amount of blood soaking her shirt and her pants.
I take a step back, holding on to Rafe’s carrier tightly in both of my hands, finally taking a moment to glance down at my son. He’s fussing unhappily, wanting to be held and comforted, but I’m so, so grateful to see that he’s essentially unharmed. My whole heart breaks as I watch him cry – but I resist, knowing that – that Hank might need me to help that Rafe just has to wait –
I turn my eyes back to Cora then, watching as Hank pulls on latex gloves and then begins to peel back her clothing so that he can see the wound. I see him take a deep breath at first and then slowly breathe it out as he quickly begins to work.
My eyes flick to Cora as nurses come into the room, ready to spring into action. Hank gives them quick demands before glancing to me.
“She was right,” Hank calmly informs me. “It’s not it’s not fatal, Ella,” he says, turning back to his work. “I mean, it’s critical – we have to do some work but it’s a relatively shallow stab, and the knife missed her major organs – ”
“Hank,” I say, breathless with worry as I glance between my sister – her eyes closed as she lays on the table, faintly breathing – and the doctor I know can save her life. The doctor whose heart she broke so little time ago. “Hank,” I continue, shaking my head, “she’s – she’s pregnant.”
Hank goes perfectly still and pale as he takes in my words, and I can almost see the thoughts passing through his head Cora, pregnant Roger she left him for she’s human humans can’t get pregnant by a wolf –
His eyes dart back to her as I see him come to the logical conclusion, the same one Cora did –
But I’m at his side at an instant, my hand on his arm. “Hank,” I say again, drawing his attention back to me as I shake my head, “Roger father.” Roger is the
He frowns at me, confused – “That’s impossible, Ella —“
Slowly I shake my head, willing him to believe me. “We have no explanation,” I say, holding his gaze. “But Roger sensed it the baby, it’s his blood – ” –
Hank takes another deep breath and roughly scrapes his palm down over his face, putting the thoughts together. Then he turns away from me, barking something out to the nurses about getting an ultrasound machine in here right away.
He turns back to me. “Do you know how far along she is?” he asks, stern, and I see him tucking his emotions about the news away, hiding behind his professional identity alone.
“No,” I say, shaking my head, “um, not long? Maybe – maybe a week after her missed period?” I shrug, confused, “I don’t know?”
He nods, satisfied. “With a wolf pregnancy…” but then he turns to me again, confused, “wait, is it even a wolf pregnancy?”
I just shrug and shake my head – honestly, we don’t know. Hank sighs and stares at her, at my sister who I think maybe has slipped into a daze as the nurses continue to prep her.
“If it was a wolf pregnancy,” Hank says, folding his arms, “then it would be long enough, now, to detect a heartbeat. But if the baby is…human? I don’t know, Ella.” Then he turns to me. “Either way,” he says, “the knife wouldn’t have itself harmed the child. But her blood loss…”
He sighs again, shaking his head. “I’ll do everything I can.”
“Thank you,” I breathe, taking one hand from Rafe’s carrier to quickly wrap an arm around Hank’s shoulders, giving him a little squeeze. Then, knowing Hank’s not a very huggy kind of guy, I step away, moving to a chair against the wall so that he can get to work.
Hank nods to me, understanding, and then ignores me for a long time. I watch everything as Hank and his nurses work quickly but methodically to do what they can for Cora. I only take my eyes away to lift poor Rafe out of his carrier, to begin to feed him a little, hoping that the warmth of me and the comfort of nourishment will calm him down. And, frankly, because the familiarity of the routine will calm me as well.
When he’s finished, Rafe burps a little and then falls calmly asleep in my arms, which I’m grateful for. Because as much as I love my baby, I can’t…I can’t truly attend to him with all of the love I want to give while I’m so worried about my sister.
At some point, a very kind nurse comes to me and asks me if I need anything. Remembering Henry’s instructions not to use his phone to tell the boys where we are – and suddenly very, very struck with worry about Henry, and feeling terribly guilty that I haven’t remembered him until now – I ask her for a phone – any phone.
Grateful to be able to help, the nurse slips her own phone out of her back pocket and hands it to me. Quickly, I type Sinclair’s number into the message box and send a quick text.
It’s Ella. Cora’s hurt, but she’ll be okay. Rafe is okay. We’re at the Clinic – I couldn’t help her. They bound my wolf and my gift when we tried to leave. Hank is working. Come when you can – go to your father first. I have no idea if he is okay. Love you.
“Thank you,” I say, handing the phone back to the nurse, smiling at her as much as I can. “Do you need me to tell you if there’s a reply?” she asks, still eager to do something, anything.
“There won’t be,” I murmur, turning my eyes back to my sister. The nurse nods and goes away. She comes back a little later with some wet wipes and a blanket, and I just blink at the wipes for a second before laughing as I realize –
As I realize that I’m covered in blood. I laugh a little at the absurdity of it before thanking her and taking a moment to wipe off the blood that I can from my face and arms. Then, I warp the blanket around my baby and myself, settling back in my chair to wait.
Because that’s all I can do now. Wait. While Hank does what he can to save my sister’s life, as well as her child’s.
