Page 96 of A Highland Gargoyle's Lucky Star
She crosses her arms. “Aye, well, you’ve more than made up for it with this visit.”
Noah wrings his hands. “Doctor Martha, can you check on him? Is he all right?”
She favors my mate with a soft, kind smile. “Of course, Noah.”
Pulling out her stethoscope, she does a quick examination. Much to my displeasure, she also uses her device with a light on the end of it to damn near blind me. I’m still seeing spots when she steps back.
“You’re a lucky man, Elryk DarkWing,” she says, shaking her head. “I’ll admit, it was quite fascinating to work on a foolish patient who’d managed to survive berserker mode without losing their mind or several body parts along the way. But you did a real number on yourself, young man.”
I wince. “Give it to me straight. How bad is it?”
She goes through and catalogs some of my injuries, which don’t seem too bad. I had a number of rather deep gouges from Sluagh talons, but far more deadly was the venom from their claws that got into my bloodstream.
“You kept fighting long past the point of safety,” Dr. Martha explains. “It took several gargoyles to bring you down, and it was only your mate here who was able to call you back to reality. You’re fortunate to have him. If he hadn’t been here, I don’t know what would have happened to you.”
Neither do I.
“But the Sluagh are all gone?” I prod. Extra confirmation doesn’t hurt.
Noah takes hold of my hand again and squeezes it. “You bet your ass, babe. You were like the motherfucking Terminator. You went out there and demolished them. They never stood a chance against you.”
I sigh with relief. “Thank the Goddess.”
“You’ll need a good week in the hospital here,” Dr. Martha says, and I groan.
“No complaints from you,” she warns.
“But I feel fine.”
She shakes her head. “Although your injuries aren’t that bad, you pushed your body too far and tore a number of your muscles. Our healers were able to repair the worst of that damage, but you need time for them to recover themselves fully. The bigger deal has been clearing the poison out of your system. While the worst of that has passed, it’ll still take time for you to be back to normal, and I want to keep you here where I can observe you. Sluagh venom is quite deadly, so we need to have you close at hand where we can treat you sooner rather than later if you suddenly take a turn for the worse.”
I try to complain again, but Noah places his hand over my mouth, muffling my attempts to speak.
“Of course, Doctor Martha. He’ll be a model patient.” Noah turns a determined gaze in my direction. “I’ll make sure of it.”
She smiles. “I like you, Noah Price. Welcome to the clan. You’ve got your work cut out for you with this one,” she adds, pointing at me. “Good luck.”
Noah grins at her. “Don’t worry about me, honey. I love a challenge.”
Dr. Martha laughs and waves goodbye to me before departing the room.
I try to sit up, but Noah pushes me back down. Instead, he helps raise the bed so I’m in more of a sitting position and stacks pillows behind me for greater comfort.
“Doctor’s orders. You’ve got to take it easy and get your rest.” He hands me a freshly filled glass of water. “They’ve had you on an IV, but drinking plenty of fluids will help you evacuate the last traces of the poison even faster.”
I yawn. “How long have I been out?”
“About two days,” he tells me, and now I understand the haggard look on his face and the bags under his eyes.
“I’m sorry to have worried you.”
He shakes his head. “It’s all right. You kept me and everyone safe. You’re a hero.”
I shift uncomfortably in the bed. “I don’t know about tha—”
He hushes me again. “Trust me, my sweet. You’re a hero and I won’t hear anything to the contrary.”
I sigh in resignation but nod.
