New Species 12 Darkness (28 page)

Darkness realized he should try to comfort the female but he couldn’t. He turned his head, staring at what once had been a home. The entire back side of the house was exposed to show the burning interior. The roof had collapsed inward where it hadn’t been blown outward. Kat had done that to save her friend. He wanted to kill Missy. Pure rage hit but he didn’t strike out at the blonde. Kat had to love her to sacrifice her own life.

Moisture filled his eyes, making his vision blurry. He leaned down, getting close to Kat’s face. He detected her breathing against his lips. It was shallow but she lived. He just didn’t know for how long. She would die. Sirens stopped nearby. His brain began to function and a new target for his rage surfaced. He leaned up and turned his head, grabbing hold of Missy’s shoulder. He shook her once.

“Where is Mason?”

She lifted a shaking finger at the destroyed house. “We were in my office. He was near the door. He smelled the gas and walked toward the hallway. He shot at us when Kat threw us through the window. It blew up.”

He could see she was in shock. He was torn between going to hunt for Mason, if anything remained, and staying by Kat. His legs decided it for him when they refused to work. He just stayed on the ground next to her. He didn’t want her to die alone. Not Kat. He bent, pressing his face close to hers.

“I’m here, Kat. Don’t leave me.”

“Over here!” Trey yelled. “This way.”

“Please open your eyes,” Darkness urged, watching, hoping she’d do it. “You’re a tough female. Don’t let that bastard win. He wins if you die.”

Something heavy crashed next to them and Darkness jerked his head up, snarling at the threat. A human female in a dark blue uniform was on her knees on the other side of Kat, a medical kit gripped in her hand. Her eyes widened and she paled.

He glanced down, realizing what kind of uniform it was. “Help her. You’re a medic.”

She nodded, seeming to snap out of the fear he’d instilled. “What’s her name? Do you know?”

“Kat. She’s mine. Don’t let her die.”

Trey gripped his shoulder. “Darkness, back up. There are more of them. They need access to her and you’re in the way.”

He looked up at the male. “I can’t.”

“You have to.” Trey bent, staring into his eyes. “Let them help her.”

“My legs won’t work.”

Trey glanced down him. “You broke something?”

“I can’t move. I can’t leave her.”

Pity flashed in the male’s blue eyes and he bent, wrapped an arm around Darkness. He hoisted him up, grunting a little in the process. “Fuck, you’re heavy. Lock your knees.”

Darkness did as he said, found himself standing again. Trey kept hold of him and forced him back. Three more humans crouched around Kat, shoving debris away from her to get access. Two more humans helped Missy move about five feet away, asking her to lie flat so they could examine her.

Book showed up. The male had dark smudges under his nose and around his mouth, as if he’d breathed in a lot of smoke. He carried a dog in one arm and a kitten in the other. They were alive but seemed too petrified to move around. They just lay on the male’s forearms, clutched against his chest.

“You went in there after them?” Trey shook his head. “Crazy fucking Species.”

Book frowned. “Missy was hysterical and worried about them.”

“I can’t believe they survived.” Trey eased his hold around Darkness’ waist. “You good now?”

He remained standing. “Where is that helicopter?”

“It’s waiting.” Trey released him. “You didn’t hear it
? Darren set it down at the end of the street. He didn’t want the blades to affect the fires here.”

“We need to get Kat to Homeland.”

Trey hesitated. “They’ll want to transport her to the hospital.”

“Homeland,” Darkness snarled.

Trey walked away and crouched next to the paramedics, softly talking to them. He couldn’t hear the words. A bunch of humans were yelling and he turned his head, staring at the ones he hadn’t noticed until then. Firemen were putting water on the house and police were moving debris, looking under it for other victims.

Trey returned to his side, looking grim. “She’s critical. They can’t find any breath sounds from her left lung. It’s the side she landed on. She might have possible crush injuries. Internal bleeding.” He paused. “Her vitals are bad.”

Darkness kept his knees locked. The paramedics laid out a backboard, put a cervical collar around Kat’s neck and turned her against the board. They used restraints to wrap around her head and body, even her legs, to keep her immobile.

“Darkness,” Trey murmured, “they don’t think she’s going to make it. I’m so sorry, man.”

NO!
He shoved Trey away and stomped to the humans lifting Kat on the backboard. He glared at the female he’d frightened. “You have an ambulance in front?”

She nodded.

“Trey, team, grab Missy. Let’s go.” He turned, studying the animals in Book’s arms. “Bring them too.”

“You can’t all ride in the ambulance with her,” the human female informed him. “There’s not enough room.”

“They are going to go to the helicopter and wait for your ambulance to drive Kat to them. I’m staying with her.” He shot Trey a furious glare. “You don’t take off without us. Inform Homeland we’re coming. I want all our doctors on standby and tell them to get the healing drugs ready.”

Book stepped forward. “She’s human.”

“She isn’t going to die,” Darkness snarled. “I won’t allow it.”

Trey paled. “Do as he says.”

“I can’t allow you to do that,” the human female protested.

Darkness snarled at her next. “What is your name?”

“Heather.”

“I’m your worst fucking nightmare, Heather. Realize that and stop arguing with me. Do as I say. You come with us in the helicopter. I insist. You can work on her and keep her alive until our doctors have her.”

“Fuck,” Trey muttered. He raised his voice, deepening the tone. “That’s official NSO orders. We have jurisdiction. We’re taking over the scene and your ambulance.” He pushed forward and stopped before Heather. “You are working for the NSO now until further notice. Let’s go. You heard him.”

Darkness glanced at Trey. The male shrugged. Both of them knew they were overstepping their bounds but he appreciated the male backing him up. Darkness inclined his head, acknowledging the debt.

“Tim and Justice are going to hand us our asses,” he muttered low enough that only Darkness could hear. “But what the hell. That’s your woman.”

Darkness stayed with Kat as they loaded her into the ambulance and drove her down the street. The helicopter had come down in a four-way intersection. Cars were lined up, traffic blocked. A lot of them were outside their cars. Darkness ignored them, yelling out orders for the paramedics to carry Kat to the helicopter. Heather looked frightened but she boarded with them.

Missy sat next to Book. He held her against his body, as if she had a hard time sitting upright without assistance. Two of their males had her pets on their laps. The dog looked fine but the kitten appeared terrified, its claws digging in Jinx’s vest. He petted its back, his face lowered, lips moving as if he talked to it.

Darkness took the floor after helping secure the backboard along the bench seat. He kept close to Heather since they couldn’t buckle in. He gripped the underside of the bench and glared at her.

“I’ll make sure you don’t fall. Keep your attention on Kat. Don’t let her die.” He had to speak loudly to be heard.

“This is insane!” she yelled. “She needs to be taken to a hospital.”

Trey closed the side door and crouched next to them, grabbing a strap since there was nowhere to sit. He snatched a headset, yelled at the pilot. “We’re a go. Fly like you’ve never flown before, Darren.”

The helicopter lifted straight up, fast. They banked hard. Darkness hooked an arm around Heather when she swayed but she fisted the sides of the backboard, clinging to it. He focused on Kat’s face. She was breathing but her complexion was too pale. She had to survive until they reached Homeland.

Heather drew his attention when she gripped his hand. He turned his head, peered at her. She moved it to her belt, making it clear he should hold her there. He fisted it at her spine. She opened her medical kit and began an IV. He admired her courage and skill as she worked under pressure.

Fury believed he’d been drawn to Kat because she was a brave female. He felt no attraction to Heather, despite her pleasing appearance. Memories of Kat surfaced. She’d drawn him like no other. It wounded him, seeing her lying on that backboard when other images were so fresh in his mind—her laughing and even glaring up at him in anger. Such life had sparked in her eyes.

He might never see that again or hear the sound of her voice. He’d be left with nothing except bitter reminiscences, knowing everything could have been different if he hadn’t denied how important she’d become to him. He’d wanted to protect her but he’d left her vulnerable instead. Emotions rose, almost drowning him in grief.

He fought to draw air, the pain crushing him from the inside. He wanted to roar out his rage at the unfairness of it. Part of him wanted to beat on something until his fists bled. Another part of him knew he’d never forgive himself if he lost her.

Don’t leave me, Kat. Don’t die. Keep fighting
, he silently urged her.
I’ll do anything if you just stay with me.

“Why is it taking so long?” Darkness cradled his bleeding fist, ignoring the hole he’d just put in one wall.

Fury sighed. “Do you feel better? Allow Paul to bandage that. You’re going to slip on your own blood.”

Darkness refused to stop pacing. “They’ve had her for ten hours.”

“It takes time,” Fury reminded him. “You insisted on them giving her the healing drugs. They had to put her in deep sedation and stabilize her heart before they operated to stop the internal bleeding. No news is good news. It means she’s still alive.”

He halted. “Maybe they are afraid to tell me.”

Trey sipped his coffee. “I would be.”

“You’re not helping,” Ellie muttered.

“Would you want to tell him? He’s scary when he’s pacing and randomly striking out at walls.” Trey arched his eyebrows. “They’d tell you though. I was trying to lighten the mood. She’s hanging in there.”

“Why are you even here?” Darkness glared at the human.

“I want to know how your girlfriend is. I’m rooting for her.”

“Shouldn’t you be at the task force meeting?”

Trey hesitated. “I wasn’t invited. I’m suspended for a few days.”

“Tim suspended you?” Darkness growled. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Easy there,” Trey murmured. “You want someone to pulverize but it had nothing to do with you or what we did on scene last night.”

“Why are you suspended?” Fury frowned. “I haven’t heard anything about it.”

“It’s between Tim and me. I broke a rule of his. He’s pissed but he’ll get over it. I’m not saying anything more.” Trey grew quiet.

Darkness resumed pacing. Justice entered Medical and Darkness glared at him. “Do you have something to say to me?”

Justice glanced at Fury.

“No word yet.” Fury looked at the clock. “She’s a fighter.”

“For a human?” Darkness snarled. “Is that what you meant?”

Fury lifted his palms. “Stop. You are looking for a fight and I’m not giving it to you.”

“Don’t look at me.” Justice shook his head. “I read the reports and I don’t have a problem with anything your team did. We returned the paramedic to her home. She’ll have a good story to tell and was very understanding of the stressful situation. There won’t be any problems with the human authorities. I did want you to know that the police recovered a body from Katrina’s home. It’s Robert Mason.”

That saved Darkness the trouble of hunting the male down and killing him.

“Are they sure?” Fury looked skeptical. “I saw some of the news coverage. There wasn’t much left of that house.”

“They had positive identification. He was a priority since he’s FBI and because of the association to the NSO. They pulled dental records and immediately compared them at the coroner’s office. Jessie’s father put pressure on them too. It’s him. There’s no doubt. His body was heavily damaged but enough was left for them to make other distinctions as well.” Justice walked over to the pot of coffee and poured a cup. He turned, studying Darkness. “We’re getting heavy inquiries from the press about what went down last night but it’s being handled. Her family is in communication with Missy. We won’t allow them access to Homeland but Missy assured them everything was being done for Katrina.”

Darkness scowled. He didn’t know much about Kat’s family. He hadn’t asked. “They wish to see her?”

Justice nodded. “They have to fly in. They are living in other states. She had Missy listed as her medical contact at the FBI. That was lucky for us since the female is here and hasn’t protested anything our medical staff has done.”

“She probably doesn’t realize how dangerous that healing drug is,” Fury rasped.

Darkness glared at him.

“I’m not saying you did wrong by demanding she be given it,” Fury quickly stated. “I’d have made the same decision.” He shot a meaningful look at Ellie. “I just hope her friend is kept unaware of the side effects.”

“What are they?” Ellie inched closer to her mate.

Fury took her hand. “It was tested on Species but when they tried it on humans it caused heart attacks and massive strokes. It was too powerful for them to withstand.”

“Think massive amounts of amphetamines,” Trey added. “I learned about it when they put True’s mate on it after she was shot. It accelerates the healing process but it can also raise the heart rate too high, causing severe arrhythmia and heart attack. The patient can also stroke out because their blood pressure goes through the roof.” He stared at Darkness. “You had to take the risk. I’m sure she’s still here because of the drugs. It’s given her a real chance at survival if they can just keep her stabilized. It’s got to be a fine line between keeping her vitals high enough to keep her alive but low enough to combat the side effect of the drugs.”

“Well, Jeanie is great now.” Ellie smiled. “The drugs saved her. We just need positive thinking. They’ll save Katrina.”

“Kat,” Darkness growled. “She likes to be called that.”

“Don’t,” Fury growled back. “You want to pick a fight? Not with my female.”

“I’m frustrated.” Darkness calmed. “Sorry, Ellie.”

“It’s okay.” She kept her smile in place. “You wouldn’t be the only Species to ever get testy with me.”

The door across the room swung open and Doc Alli came out. She’d changed from her scrubs to a shirt and shorts set. Her sandals were quiet on the floor as she approached. Her expression masked her emotions but she locked gazes with Darkness, walking directly up to him. She stopped.

“That’s one tough lady you have in there, Darkness. I didn’t want to come out to give you news until I was sure she was going to make it, barring unforeseen circumstances.”

He let the words sink in.

Doc Alli grinned. “It was touch and go. I won’t lie. We had a hell of a time figuring out what dosage she could withstand but giving her enough to help her. The paramedics on scene were wrong. Her lung was bruised but it hadn’t collapsed. She had hairline fractures along her rib cage on that side but they’ve mended. We also didn’t find any internal bleeding so we didn’t have to operate. She just got bruised to hell, has a severe concussion and needed stitches in three places. She lost a lot of blood from those sites, which explains her scary vitals when she came in. She was suffering from extreme shock. She’s Trisha’s blood type. That was lucky. Treadmont insists on keeping all mate blood types on hand just in case one of us ever needs it.”

“May I see Kat?” He was afraid to believe her.

“Yes. I’ll take you back. We have her hooked to a lot of monitors. I want you to be prepared for that. Treadmont and Trisha are staying with her. She’s healing so fast we already had to remove the stitches so you won’t see those. Next time we’ll just use staples if we ever have to use the healing drugs on one of us. We’re keeping her sedated to manage her heart rate and blood pressure. We brought her around once to make sure she…”

“She what?” Darkness didn’t like the way her grin faded and worry flashed in her eyes.

“She took a severe blow to the head. We had to put her down fast when her heart rate rose too high but we wanted to make certain she was okay. The scans we did when she arrived showed some swelling but it’s gone now.” Doc Alli reached out and placed her hand on his chest. “We were worried about damage.”

“She’s fine though, right?” He felt sick.

“It was a closed head injury. You got her to us fast and we immediately began the drugs. We think we caught it in time before she suffered permanent injuries. The scans look great now. There’s no bleeding. We’ve been running scans every hour to watch her. The last thing we wanted to do was open her up. We don’t have a neurosurgeon at Homeland but we had one on standby from one of the nearby trauma centers in case he was needed.”

“What if there is damage?”

Doc Alli chewed on her bottom lip.

“Just tell me.”

“We have been consulting with the neurology department. If there was damage and it’s mild, she might not remember what happened to her. Short-term amnesia is a possibility. It could cause some personality changes. Irritability. Mood swings. Depression.” She paused. “There could be some mild physical issues. Blurry vision, headaches and some weakness to her limbs. We’ll watch for verbal clues too. Slurred speech or trouble identifying words, spoken or heard.”

Darkness closed his eyes. It hurt.
It’s my fault.
He couldn’t stop repeating that thought in his head. He should have kept Kat at Homeland, handcuffed to his bed, instead of pushing her away. She’d wanted him to meet her halfway but he’d refused to even try.

“Darkness?” Doc Alli patted his chest. “She’s tough.”

He opened his eyes. “You said you brought her around once. Did she seem fine?”

“She opened her eyes, looked confused, but then her heart rate climbed too high. We put her back under. She never spoke. It was too fast. Sedatives are hard to shake off and we just didn’t have enough time to allow her to become coherent.” She dropped her hand. “Do you want to see her?”

“I do.”

“Follow me.” She spun and quickly walked away.

Darkness stayed on her heels. They had two operating rooms and that’s where she took him. Doc Trisha and Treadmont were in the large room, both sitting on chairs. They looked worn out and had changed clothes as well. Doc Trisha smiled at him. It looked forced. Doc Treadmont just dropped his head, watching something on a laptop.

Kat lay still on a padded gurney. They had the rails up on each side of her. She wore a hospital gown. A thick blanket covered her to mid chest. Her finger was covered with a plastic clip and a green thing was taped to her upper arm near her elbow. It pumped fluids and drugs into her system. The leads of a heart monitor ran under the top of her gown to her chest. She breathed on her own but still looked too pale.

He stood at her bedside. Her other arm was bandaged where he knew she’d suffered a deep gash. It was wrapped loosely around her arm. He frowned.

“It’s healing,” Doc Alli informed him. “We keep peeking at it so it’s best not to tape it to her skin. Do you want to see her other injuries?”

He jerked his head in agreement.

Doc Alli lifted the blanket and Darkness growled. Kat had been on her side when he’d found her and too many bodies had been in the way when the paramedics had strapped her to a backboard. They’d covered her with blankets to keep her warm against the affects of shock. He realized her hip and thigh were damaged.

The wounds looked as if she’d been cut by a thick blade. The skin was marred by multicolored bruises, a natural progression of the healing process. It was in the advanced stages. They’d already started to become yellow.

“I don’t know if it was from flying debris from the blast or if she landed on something,” Doc Alli explained. “She got nailed on both sides, either way. Her left side was cut up like this but she sustained the worst damage on her right side. Her arm, her head and the ribs.”

Darkness leaned over, noticing how his hands shook when he carefully gripped the top of Kat’s gown and peeked under it. Circular pads attached the monitor leads above her breasts and more lines ran to her lower ribs. There was bruising under her right breast. He let go and straightened.

“It looked a lot worse when she was brought in.” Doc Trisha moved to the other side of the bed. “The minor cuts and scratches on her have already healed. Not even bruises remain.” She met his gaze. “We have a decision to make. I’m going to go talk to her friend.”

“What decision?” She had all of Darkness’ attention.

“To keep her on the drugs until she’s fully healed or not. At this rate that will be complete by tomorrow night. The other option is to take her off them and allow her to heal naturally the rest of the way. If that’s the decision, we’ll flush out her system to remove the healing drugs.”

“How is she handling being on them?”

Doc Trisha shrugged. “Good, considering she’s almost in a coma.” She glanced at Doc Alli.

“I told him. We’re all worried about the closed head injury.” Doc Alli took a breath. “We’re anxious to wake her up and see how she is.”

“She’s not critical anymore,” Doc Trisha informed him. “It would be safe. Her worst enemy was shock from the blood loss she suffered and the trauma of her injures. We’ve battled both those and won. We’re going to talk to Missy and let her decide.”

Darkness shook his head. “Keep her on them. Kat would hate being contained in Medical. Let her fully heal.”

“It’s not up to you,” Dr. Treadmont stated.

Darkness whipped around to glower at the male.

“It isn’t. They are guests at Homeland and her best friend is listed as her next of kin. Her records were forwarded to us.”

He backed away from the bed and advanced on Treadmont. “You’ll do as I say. Keep her on the drugs.”

Doc Alli grabbed his arm. He stopped, not wanting to drag her. She stepped around him, putting her small body between him and the male.

“We’ll keep her on them but if she starts to show signs that the drug is too much of a strain, we’ll stop them. I think that’s a reasonable compromise.”

He growled low, glared at the male doctor, but calmed. “That’s fine.”

He shook off her hand and returned to the bed, watching Kat sleep. He didn’t plan to leave. He didn’t trust Treadmont anymore. It angered him that the male would disregard his wishes when it came to Kat. He’d put her in danger but he’d also make sure she fully healed before they allowed her to wake.

“We’re going to keep her in here while she’s on the drugs.” Trisha caught his eye. “Okay? We’ll move her to a room once we’re ready to wake her up.”

“Yes.”

Kat would want to know Mason was dead. Her next question would probably be about her friend. He reached out, taking Kat’s hand.

“How is Missy?”

“She’s fine,” Doc Alli assured him. “Some bruises and cuts but nothing serious. She just needed a few bandages and ice packs. We have her in one of the rooms.”

“They have pets.” He remembered that. “Where are they?”

“Book took them home. I checked them over. I’m not a vet but they seemed fine.” Trisha moved away. “He’s going to keep them at the men’s dorm until Missy and Kat are ready to leave Homeland.”