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“One-twenty. Weak, thready… Dropping.”
Clamps. Gauze. Press.
Clamps. Gauze. Press.
“Keep the blood coming!”
“My Lady… His lips are blue,” Fiona says, her voice a quiver.
“Don’t tell me that. We all have jobs to do. Just do yours,” I speak in a calm I don’t feel, as I tie off ligatures and my heart pounds against my chest. “Pulse?”
“One-fifteen. Still weak, but better.”
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. My shoulders drop as relief spreads through my chest. He’s going to make it.
Upon finishing all the ligatures, we remove the clamps and tourniquet. I take a deep breath; they’re secure. Drawing the remaining muscle over the cut bone, I work it until there’s enough coverage to protect the bone.
“Suture.” Melanie hands me a pre-threaded needle, and I begin stitching. Once I’ve finished giving him clean seams, I wrap the area with sterile gauze and a final bandage.
It’s done.
My heart leaps from my chest, and I spring at Cain, grabbing his wrist and pressing my fingers on the pulse point. One-ten. Steady, slightly weak. He’s stabilizing. Tears well in my eyes, and I puff out a couple of breaths despite trying to stay collected.
“My Lady?”
I look up, and Fiona, Riah, and Melanie are all watching me. I rip off my gloves, tossing them in the bin to my side, and my face falls into my hands as my feelings wash over me. I cry, but I smile, because Cain is alive. I sniffle, then wipe the tears from my cheeks and face my team.
“We did it. You all did great.” They all smile, and while I would love to send them off to bed, we’re not quite finished yet. “Fiona, remove the ether and clean up the supplies. Melanie, let's get some morphine in his IV. Riah, would you please grab me a bucket of warm, soapy water with a cloth to wash myself up?”
“Yes, boss.”
Looking over my shoulder, I catch Dean watching me from the corner. I walk over, and despite the blood on my shirt, he wraps his arms around me, and I rest my head on his chest.
“Is he going to live?” His voice lowers to my ear.
“He’s out of hot water, and we have antibiotics and pain medication. He will live.” Dean nods, then kisses the top of my head.
“How did you know that I wasn’t a match?”
“Because I know all of your blood types…” It’s mandatory for medical staff to memorize the blood types of everyone within the aristocracy. Cain A+, Pru A+, Cal AB-, Lu A+, Caius B+, Cora O+, August A+, Alistair A+, Sir Lazeroff B+, Lady Lazeroff A-, Marcus AB+, Morgan B-. But I went a little further. I’ve spent hours studying the blood types of everyone I love and everyone in our circle. Dean and Dahlia are AB+.
“Why?”
“For emergencies just like this… You’re my match, and Dahlia’s. If we ever need blood, we’ll need you.” Dean kisses the top of my head again. “Do you think you could get a few things for me?” I look up and meet his brown eyes; he’s still afraid for his friend.
“Anything.”
“Would you bring back some comfortable clothes for Cain and me? I’m going to clean us both up, and I’m going to stay here with him.”
“I’ll be back in half an hour. I’ll stay, too. I don’t want you here alone.”
After we part, my team and I finish cleaning. I wait until Dean is back and we have Cain clean and in a new bed before getting Pru and Cal from the waiting room. Tonight, it’s all of us. Pru and Cal are to Cain’s left, Dean, Dahlia, and I to Cain’s right. Not that any of us get much sleep. Only when the sun peeks through the white curtain, and I’ve seen the color come back to his skin. Only once I’ve checked Cain’s pulse for the hundredth time, do I finally manage to close my eyes.
If I had been successful in my suicide, Cain would be gone.
I can never cave into my darkness like that again.
Maybe I’ll wake up, and this will all have been a dream.
