Fated Healing [Kindred of Arcadia 5] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) (8 page)

Arguments erupted all around them, all aimed at his mate. He saw Claybourne’s shoulders start to slump.

Anger flooded him. He opened his mouth and a thundering roar echoed through the small waiting

room. He pushed his way past the Arkadions to stand between Bran and Claybourne.

“Back the fuck off, wolf. Look around you. This is bigger than you, so stow your shit or I will

personally escort both of you the fuck out of here. You’re out here distracting my mate with bullshit when

he needs to be in there treating the sick, which now includes
your
mate, and trying to figure out what is

wrong. Open your fucking eyes Alpha, we don’t have the room! We’re getting more patients by the

hour…” He looked up at Claybourne and both had a moment of realization.

“We don’t have the room,” Claybourne whispered.

Caleb and Bran took deep breaths and released them, though both of their eyes were shifted to wolf.

“You’re right, Felix. Claybourne, I’m sorry, but she’s pregnant. Our wolves are riding us hard, because

they can barely sense her wolf anymore. There is no enemy here to fight and kill. We’re not doing so well

being helpless. We had to leave the boys at home,” Bran said and Caleb wrapped an arm around him.

“We need Ma,” Connor said brokenly. All the Arkadion boys dropped their heads.

“Or Rebecca, I bet she could help figure this out,” Felix said. Aleks growled.

“Until we know this isn’t contagious, she is staying home.” Aleks shook his head.

Felix stared at him. “She’s home, now, alone?” Felix asked. Aleks nodded. “She spent all day with Ma,

didn’t she? What if she gets sick but no one is there to help?” he asked. Aleks turned white, looked to his

brothers then glanced at the examination rooms where Pa sat with his Ma.

“Go! Go, Aleks, stay with Rebecca. We’ll take care of Ma and Pa. I’ll call you the second we have an

update I swear,” Benedict promised, pushing his brother toward the door.

“You’re second eldest. You’re in charge.” Aleks clapped him on the back then left at a run to head back

to the Arkadion ranch.

“What can we do, Doc?” Connor asked.

“We need help,” Claybourne said, shaking his head.

“I’m not afraid to admit I am out of my depth. This is a CDC type of situation. We need council help,”

Doc said.

“I’ll call my grandfather. We’ll have council support by morning,” Liam promised. He walked out with

Kent, passing Gabriel and Roman as they were walking in.

“What can we do to help?” the elegant prince asked.

“Are any of your coven members medically trained?” Claybourne asked. Gabriel nodded.

“A few. After a few hundred years you get bored. Some got trained as field medics so they could assist

in human wars,” Gabriel explained.

“Thank god! Can you get them down here? Only Felix and I know how to put in an IV or administer

drugs,” Claybourne said.

“Don’t forget me, Doc. I normally treat animals, but the method is the same.” Gavin spoke up.

“ “Good man!” Claybourne nodded.

“The school gym,” Felix blurted out.

Everyone turned to stare at him.

“The school, it’s a central location everyone knows. It’s large enough to hold a lot of people and

supplies. There’s a kitchen and plenty of showers. It would be perfect.” Felix listed all his reasons for

choosing the school.

Claybourne stared at him for a second before walking over and kissing him soundly on the lips.

“I love you,” he admitted. Felix’s eyes watered.

“I love you, too. And don’t think you’re not in trouble for admitting it when we can’t reclaim each

other,” Felix pouted. Claybourne swiped his bottom lip with his tongue.

“All right, gentleman, you heard my gorgeous mate. We’re transferring the sick to the school and

establishing it as the central location,” Claybourne said loudly.

“Gabriel, call in some of your coven members. So far this illness seems to only be affecting shifters, but

we may need some of your coven members who aren’t medically trained to help treat the sick. Arkadions,

you’re on moving detail with the exception of Connor. I need you to head to the school and start large

batches of chicken broth for the sick. Nearly everyone who has come down with this gets extremely

dehydrated.” The Arkadions nodded.

“What about us?” Bran asked pointing to himself and Liam, who had walked back in with Kent.

“Work with Ms. Tully and check in with every single townsperson to make sure the sick are brought to

the school. I would like to try to get to some of the sick before they are unconscious so I can ask them

questions to try and determine where this illness came from and how it’s spreading,” Claybourne said.

“You got it, Doc. What about Kate?” Bran swallowed hard.

“I will look after her and Damian personally,” Felix assured him. Bran stared at him for a long moment.

“I’m going to hold you to that. Keep her safe.” Bran and Caleb left the clinic. Felix could hear them

shouting orders to the wolves who had accompanied them and had waited outside.

“Doc, I have the keys to the school. We can start the move whenever you’re ready,” Finn said, holding

up his eyes. Felix had forgotten that Finn taught at the school.

“Okay, let’s do this.” Claybourne rolled up his sleeves.

Chapter 5

By the next afternoon nearly all the pride members except Rian, Sebastian, Liam, and Kent were on cots

in the gym. In addition to the lions were a handful of wolves, more townspeople, and to everyone’s dismay,

children were starting to come in.

Liam came running up to Claybourne. Felix stood up from where he had been seated next to Kate and

walked over to his mate. Rian, seeing his Alpha, stood from Damian’s cot to get the latest news.

“They can’t get in! The damn perimeter has the town on a lock down, like a quarantine. Grandfather

didn’t even know it could do that. We have support, but they can’t get into town.” Liam kicked an empty

box, sending it across the gym.

“We’ll just have to do the best we can,” Claybourne said.

“I mean it, Aleks, move!” A familiar piping voice was heard from outside the gym doors.

Liam sighed, reached into his wallet to hand Rian a five dollar bill.

The door opened and Rebecca came in with Aleks directly behind her trying in vain to put a mask over

her face. She swatted his hands away.

“It’s obviously not airborne or everyone in here would be sick. Where do we stand, gentleman?” She

placed her hands on her hips which only accentuated her bulging belly.

“Rebecca, maybe you should have stayed at home. You need rest,” Claybourne started. She glared at

him so long that he just sighed before giving her the rundown.

“From the time the symptoms first appear to when the fever starts has varied, but on average it’s about

twenty-four hours. After that every patient becomes non-responsive and spikes a high fever. So far fluids

and antipyretics have been able to slow down the fever and keep patients from getting non-responsive if we

can catch it in time. Going door to door has helped. This thing is so innocuous at first, people have been

just assuming they are tired. By the time the twenty-four-hour mark came they were too far gone,”

Claybourne explained.

Felix stepped forward. “We ran out of room at the clinic and moved everyone here early this morning.

Liam called his grandfather for council help, but our perimeter is acting like a quarantine lockdown. They

can’t get in, I’m willing to bet we can’t get out,” he said sighing. Claybourne took his hand and turned to

Rebecca.

“The elderly and the young are being hit the hardest, just like when humans get ill. Right now we have

ten children here, they are doing worse than the adults, and there isn’t much I can do for the elderly like

Ms. Brayburn.” Claybourne ran his hands over his face.

“What do the tests results look like?” Rebecca asked.

Claybourne shook his head. “We’ve been trying to keep our heads above water, I haven’t had a chance

to get into the lab.” Claybourne looked out at the gym floor where over twenty-five patients waited for him

to figure this out.

“Then it’s a good thing I am here,” Rebecca said brightly.

“Absolutely not! You are not playing nursemaid to those people, Rebecca, you are pregnant.” Aleks

growled.

Rebecca glared at him. “This thing seems to be only affecting shifters so I’m safe. That being said, you

should know that I would never endanger our baby. For the record, I suck at being a nurse, more power to

you Felix, I hate it. But I am kick-ass in a lab. It’s why the US government banned me from studying any

field of science in college. I swear, one tiny nuclear explosion at a science fair and you’re labeled for life.

Are the samples at the clinic?” Rebecca asked. Felix fought the urge to cross himself. One, he wasn’t

Catholic and two, it would hurt her feelings. Claybourne recovered first.

“Yes, Rebecca, Felix has been labeling them, name, age, animal, date, and time admitted.” He dug into

his pants and handed her the keys. Aleks stared at his wife.

“Thanks Doc, I won’t let you down.” She turned and started walking out.

“What do you mean they banned you? Why didn’t I know about this? Rebecca? Becca, baby?” Aleks

followed behind Rebecca and they disappeared behind the gym double doors.

“I love Rebecca, but can I say how glad I am that she’s on our side?” Felix asked, shaking his head. The

entire group nodded.

“At least the tests are getting done. That should help immensely.” Claybourne smiled down at his mate.

“Let’s start asking questions while they’re awake for lunch. Maybe we can figure out what is causing

this,” Felix said.

“Good idea,” Claybourne said.

He and Felix walked around and spoke to the patients who were awake enough to answer questions.

Felix watched the gentle way that Claybourne would speak to and handle the patients, especially the

children, and wondered if he would want one of his own one day. Felix shook his head and walked to the

next cot. Felix made faces at the man who grinned up at them. It was Rex, the one who made him feel

welcome his first night at the pride house by flirting with him outrageously. Claybourne asked him

questions while Felix kept him entertained.

“Thank you, Rex. Try to get some more broth down, Believe it or not, it will make you feel better,”

Claybourne insisted.

Rex smiled weakly. “How about your hot mate gives me a sponge bath?” he whispered, his lips dry.

Claybourne chuckled.

“You’re lucky you’re sick,” his mate said. Rex grinned.

“Why do you think I said it?” Rex blew kisses at Felix who blew them back.

“Doc! Hurry!” A voice yelled out and Claybourne and Felix ran over to where Ms. Tully sat with Ms.

Brayburn. The older woman had gone into convulsions again.

“Let’s move her!” Claybourne yelled.

They wheeled Brayburn into the adjoining smaller gym set up for the sickest of patients. He wheeled her

to one of the stations and began to administer more Tylenol. The machines continued to beep wildly around

them. When her breathing became labored, Claybourne intubated her to get air into her lungs. When the

convulsions stopped her heartbeat was barely there and the respirator was breathing for her.

“Ms. Tully, I can try giving her an injection of epinephrine. It will induce a fight or flight reaction,

which I am hoping will trigger a shift. I have been hesitant due to her age, but considering how much she

has deteriorated…” Claybourne left the statement hanging.

Ms. Tully nodded. “Do it. We both know that she probably won’t make if we do nothing. If there is a

slight probability it may work, we have to try,” she concluded. Claybourne immediately turned to the small

table and pulled out a syringe. He injected the drug, stood back and waited. He watched the monitors. As

the seconds turned into minutes his frown got deeper.

“There should have been some reaction. I gave her a high enough dosage to affect her animal, much

higher than a human dosage. There’s no reaction. Nothing.” He sounded bewildered.

Ms. Tully patted his arm. “You’ve done everything you can,” she said, wiping her eyes.

Claybourne checked on Brayburn’s vitals. He turned and without saying another word walked out of the

room. Felix followed him to the men’s bathroom. His mate stood bent over the sink, his hands braced on

either side. When he looked up to Felix, his eyes were full to overflowing with tears.

“I can’t save her. I have no idea what is causing this. We don’t have the personnel we need. That poor

woman, and god only knows how many more, are going to die because of me.”

Felix had his arms wrapped around his mate within seconds. “You are not God, Claybourne. None of

this is your fault. You are doing everything you can to keep these people alive while we investigate what’s

causing this. There’s nothing more you can do,” Felix said, holding his mate tightly. Claybourne turned and

pulled Felix in his arms, burying his face in his neck. Felix squeezed tighter.

“You’re right. I have always complained that I’m simply a bone setter, not a real doctor, practicing here