Chapter 68 Sleep Well
1012words
I waited for the longest and most difficult six minutes of my life to play out. Doctor Raymond worked seamlessly, never missing a beat as he slammed those silver paddles against my father's chest. I pushed myself further into the corner of my parents' bedroom. I couldn't help the helpless feeling that overwhelmed me. I wished I could do something to help Doctor Raymond and save my father. I knew better than to interfere amid the chaos; distracting the pack doctor could very well cost my father his life.
So instead, I mind-linked my mate, knowing his voice would keep my wolf and me calm. "J-Jaxon," I whimpered. At that very moment, his panic mixed with my own. "Adeline! Are you hurt? I can feel your wolf stirring," he yelled. The mate bond between Jaxon and me was progressing faster than I had realized. "My dad flatlined. I'm watching Doctor Raymond try to stabilize him. What if he can't?" I replied, anguish flooding my heart at the thought that my father might be gone forever.
"I'm leaving the pack house now, Adeline. Your father is a fighter. Don't give up on him yet. He's in the hands of the best pack doctor in the country. If there's anything Doctor Raymond can do—he will," Alpha Jaxon said. I wanted to believe he was right, but as I watched the man in the white coat struggle and listened to the constant beeping from the machine, I feared the worst. "Please hurry," I begged and ended the mind link.
After a few more minutes, a sudden gasp left my father's chest. He heaved in distress, his lungs desperate to fill themselves with air. Doctor Raymond relaxed his shoulders, threw the defibrillator into his brown bag, and began scribbling in his notebook. "Sepsis," he whispered to himself.
Doctor Raymond began assembling what looked like an oxygen mask. "You need to relax, Mr. Taylor. This is a dangerous infection," he finally told him. Once he secured the green straps of the mask around my father's frail face, he turned to me and said, "Luna, your father has sepsis. I've linked my nurse to bring me some medication. If you wish to stay, I won't argue, but I think you should go tell your family what's going on. I can imagine they're worried right now. Once I think he's stable enough, I'll come down myself."
There was no way the entire house didn't hear the monotone sound of the flatline, thanks to our wolf hearing. I could imagine how frantic my mother was. I nodded and told the pack doctor, "Thank you for everything. If anything happens, please mind link me," then opened the door to my parents' bedroom. Once I stepped into the familiar hallway I knew too well, I let my body lean against the door, my legs struggling to hold my weight. I could hear the whispers of my mother, Leah, and Bailey downstairs. I was thankful when I heard Bailey's voice. I had wondered where Bailey was when I arrived at my parents' house; my father was like a second father to her. This wouldn't be any easier on her than it was on the rest of us.
Nearly losing my father just now was a heartbreak that nearly made me collapse as childhood memories of him and me played in my mind. My father had always been my number one fan, supporting me through my wins and struggles in life. He had always told me to be strong and keep my head held high, and I knew that strength was what he expected of me now.
I decided to stop in my bedroom to wash my face quickly, hoping it would freshen me up and give me the strength I needed to face the crowd downstairs. I pressed against the door, but my wolf had suddenly become uneasy, screaming at me to get out of my bedroom. I turned my head toward my parents' door, thinking something had happened to my father again. Silence. That's all I could hear. I chalked it up to my wolf struggling and wanting to be back beside my father to support him.
I continued into my bedroom and made my way to my washroom, noticing that my bedroom had gone untouched; everything was exactly how I had left it. I turned the faucet and let the water warm up for a moment, then closed my eyes to splash it against my face. Turning off the silver faucet, I reached for a face towel and patted my face, taking a moment to look at the girl in the mirror. She was struggling to hold on by a thread; her hair was a mess, and she had dark circles under her eyes caused by stress. Her eyes were dull, the life seeming sucked out of them.
I placed the face towel back on the bar bolted to the wall and turned back to my bedroom, striding toward the hallway door. A scent I had smelled before rippled through my mind, my wolf begging to shift. The coldness of a wet rag was suddenly stuffed into my mouth from behind while a large body held me in place.
I struggled to fight off the body behind me, even trying to shift into my wolf form, but I couldn't. When I tried to scream, the wet rag was pushed further into my mouth, causing me to gag. Black dots began to fill my vision as I fought the urge to let go and surrender to the darkness slowly seeping into my mind. I tried to elbow the figure behind me with all my might, hoping the blow would give me enough space to run, but he didn't budge. The stench of the cloth became too much to handle and weakened all of my wolf senses, making me unable to shift; my wolf slowly letting go.
Complete blackness finally overtook my mind, a cold and bitter phenomenon dragging me into the depths of slumber, leaving me with nothing but emptiness inside.
