“Me neither…so shall we learn together?”
Nodding, Mac passed the scalpel to Ian while he grabbed the forceps, using them to pull back the edges of the wound which only increased the bleeding. “He’s losing too much blood,” Mac murmured.
Grunting, Ian concentrated on finding the source of the hemorrhaging and finally located it.
“We’re losing him,” Colton said.
Oblivious to the warning, Ian grabbed the severed artery and pinched it closed, stopping the blood flow. “Mac…we got less than a minute…you’ll have to stitch it while I hold it.”
Picking up a threaded needle, Mac bent over the wound, brushing aside the excess blood before beginning, as Ian and Colton held their breath.
~/~/~/~/~
Relieved after Ian and Mac had joined Colton in the operating room, Mystia disappeared but didn’t go far. Landing in the clearing where Smokey was sleeping with his mates, she walked over to the bed, placing her finger on the grizzly bear’s arm. “Smokey,” she whispered in his ear, “you are needed.” Then before he even woke up, she disappeared with him.
Arriving with a jolt when he landed, Smokey’s eyes widened when he saw Oracle standing before him. Realizing he was no longer in bed with his mates in the clearing, he focused his attention on her. “Where are my mates?”
“They are still in the bed in the clearing and very safe,” Oracle replied.
Shaking his head, Smokey got up and realized he was naked. “Fucking hell!” he muttered. “What the fuck am I doing here?”
Mystia suddenly appeared next to Oracle. “Here are your clothes,” she said, softly, holding them out to him.
“We don’t have time for that, Mystia. Could you…” Oracle murmured, gesturing at Smokey.
“Certainly,” Mystia said with a wave of her hand.
In less than a blink of Smokey’s eye, he found himself dressed in his biker gear from last night. Thankful for the clothes, he still was pissed at being taken from his mates. Returning his gaze to Oracle, he growled, “I want to go back to Theo and Norm right now.”
Ignoring his demand, Oracle said, “Your ability is needed to save a dying man who was shot. Will you help him?”
“What person? Does Jackson know you want me to do this?” Smokey asked, warily.
“Jackson will not object,” Oracle replied. “Will you help?”
“Why me?” Smokey asked cautiously. “Why not Mac? He’s a doctor.”
“Mac and Ian are doing their best as we speak, but it will not be enough,” Oracle said. “Only you have the power to save him.”
“Why?”
“The source of your ability comes from the Great Spirit, and because of that, it has the power to help paranormals and humans alike since we both exist on earth,” Oracle explained.
“So the man is human,” Smokey growled.
“He is human and very important to our world,” Oracle confirmed.
“Humans are responsible for nearly wiping out the Manetus.”
“Yes, I know. That is one of the reasons the Fates have chosen this human to help us.”
Smokey didn’t answer; instead, he thought back to the teachings of his grandfather, sorting through them until he found the one he needed. Nodding to himself, he realized he had no choice in the matter since his grandfather had warned him of a time when he would have to put aside his prejudices and honor the Great Spirit by healing an enemy. “Where is he…the human?” he asked.
“Mystia will take you to him.”
Nodding, Mystia touched the bear’s arm and they promptly vanished, appearing again outside the operating room. “He’s in there. Hurry, he’s dying,” she said before disappearing.
Pushing through the door, Smokey stopped, taking in the scene before him. He was alarmed at how close the human was to death; Mac had already begun to give CPR to the prone man which meant his heart had stopped. With two, long strides, he was next to Ian. “Let me, Mac,” he said. Without waiting for Mac to move aside, Smokey placed his hand lightly on the human’s chest and closed his eyes, murmuring the words taught to him by his grandfather. Then, placing his mouth over the man’s, he exhaled his breath into the human, hoping an infusion of his lifeforce would kickstart his heart. Straightening up, he then moved his hand to the wound, whispering healing words.
