Page 14 of The King

“What changes have there been?”

“She is…”

“Heart rate? Pulse? O2sat?”

“There are…”

"Oh, just let me see her chart," the Doctor sniped.

The slide of metal and then the rustling of papers filled Ettie's ears a split-second before the 'physician' was barking more questions at the nurse. "Are you taking vitals every ten minutes? If so, why are they not recorded on the chart? This is utter incompetence. Why is good help so hard to find? If I had the time to do it all myself, don't you think I would? I know I can do all of this better than any of you, but there are only so many hours in the day, and we are on averystringent deadline. I can’t be everywhere – doeverything. Just do your job, or you will be asked to find employment elsewhere."

The woman who thought Ettie had something to do with the death of her family got infinitely more demanding and insistent as she peppered the nurse, who smelled like hand sanitizer and gardenias, with question after question. It was more like an inquisition with a huge side of berating than a superior talking to a subordinate.

“Orderly. Orderly!” She demanded, her voice steely and cold.

“Yes, Doctor,” a man who sounded young and intimidated answered almost immediately.

“Get three others and move this patient to Level 4 isolation.”

"Level 4?" The man was shocked and, if Ettie wasn't mistaken, more than a little scared.

“Yes,” the Doctor snapped. “Did I stutter, Orderly?”

“N-No, m-ma’am,” he stammered.

"Then do it now." The hiss in her voice sent shivers down Ettie's spine.

“This doctor is a serious asshole,”Eden snarled.“It’s gonna be fun to take a piece outta her hide.”

“You can say that again.”

But there wasn't time. The doctor was once again barking orders like a drill sergeant, and Ettie needed to pay attention if she was to escape.

"If we need to cut back on the silver nitrate solution to get her lucid, then do it in small increments. If we shock her system, I will get nothing out of her." She huffed impatiently.After all, thisiswhat I ordered. This specimen must be kept alive, and her abilities must be kept under control until she is moved to Extraction and Removal. The nurses and doctors there are more experienced with handling these wild beasts."

“That witch just called us a wild beast,”Eden snarled. “Well, if it’s a wild beast she wants, then it’s a wild beast she’s gonna get just as soon as we’re upright.”

“Okay, She-Ra.”

“Yes, Doctor. The silver nitratewascut by ten percent precisely seven minutes ago. We will continue every seven minutes, reducing it by four-point-four percent as per your orders, until reaching the required dosage."

“Good. However, I still cannot understand whyyougave the specimen another dose of the tranquilizer an hour before my scheduled arrival."

“Because, as you can see, the chart…”

"I do not have time for your excuses, Nurse Weatherly. I called yesterday with explicit instructions to begin the weening process immediately as I would be visiting at promptly three p.m. today." A series of sharp taps by what Ettie figured was a finger on the chart hiked up the scent of rage and animosity in the room as the loud clunk of the brake, followed by the jerking of her bed, told Ettie they were about to move her.

Sure enough, the bed started rolling. Slowly at first, with a zig to one side and a zag to the other as if the orderlies were trying to get their rhythm.

A wave of unrest shot through the air, and the whirling, twirling, swirling funnel cloud of Wild Magic returned with a vengeance. Rolling down one side of her bed, it slipped under the sheet, tickled her toes, and then swept up the railing on the opposite side. All the while, it avoided the orderlies, the nurse, and the doctor.

“The untethered Mysticism wants to give comfort,”Eden explained through her clenched beak.“It’s definitely Shifter Magic. One stands out above the rest, but I just can’t put my finger on its origin. Can you feel it? It's Ancient, angry, and looking for vengeance. I mean, it's pissed with a capital P. It's so livid, I'm not sure I want to find out who it belongs to."

“Yeah, I got that,”Ettie replied."But the anger is not pointed at us. You've got nothing to worry about. I'm just trying to figure out which direction we're going. I'm gonna have to remember where this room is to get back here and save the others."

“Yeah, I gotcha,”Eden immediately replied.“But I’m trying to figure out what Shifters are here with us. That’ll help find them, too.”

“Sure will.”

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