138 Treatments of Love (1/2)

A tall man with pointed ears, a clean white polo, and pressed dress pants stood there. The tanned skin of his cheeks was tinted with a faint blush and his hand was fisted against his mouth. He cleared his throat. ”I do hope I'm not interrupting your, um, sleep.” He said. ”I am Doctor Laringo. I was told the young lady needed my attention.”

Arei nodded as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. ”Yes, please come in. He smiled as the doctor looked away when he moved to get out of bed. ”Fear not doc, I have pants on.” A chuckle from the door got his attention.

Ry ushered the doctor through the door as he followed with a tray in hand. ”How'd everything go last night? Did you enjoy your wild night in bed with two beautiful women?” He waggled his brows as the doctor shot his eyes to Ry then back to Arei and the bed, his blush darkening.

Arei laughed and rolled his eyes. Before he could say anything else the bathroom door pushed open and Shelly immerged. Even with all the fur, the poor wolf looked green around the gills. ”Morning sickness again?” He asked taking her in. When she nodded, he turned back to the doctor. ”Is there anything you can do for a pregnant wolf with morning sickness?”

The doctor's eyes widened farther. His gaze dropped to the wolf then to Arei then back to the bed. ”I... um...”

Arei chuckled, ”The child isn't mine. Aside from actual sleep there is nothing else going on in this room. I swear it.” Arei followed the doctor's skeptical gaze to one of the posts of the large bed where a pair of leather cuffs hung. Arei through his hands up. ”Those don't belong to me, they're hers.”

The doctor cleared his throat again. ”Whatever is or is not going on in this house, matters little to me. However, I do advise against... involvement... with individuals with such need for recovery.”

Ry laughed as he listened to Arei and the doctor bicker back and forth. He set out a clean bowl for Shelly and poured the contents of a teacup into the bowl. ”Here, an herbal tea my brother Tri used to make for his wife when she was pregnant.” A bittersweet smile spread across his lips at the memories. He straightened and handed a mug of coffee over to Arei. He took a seat and waited for Arei to join. ”I spoke to the council this morning. They want Jos there no later than next week. As of right now they are calling it a hearing. They simply want her side of the story. Isha left early this morning to finish up her end of things. She allowed Raven to stay behind under the agreement she accompanies you, Jos, and Shelly to Athens. You will all be staying at the Embassy as guests of the council.”

”That's concerning.” Arei replied, watching the dark liquid as he swirled his coffee in its cup.

Arei chuckled, ”Ah, give ol' Fern a pet for me.” He met Shelly's curious eyes. ”Your uncle, Fernando, has proven to be a bit of a pain in the ass over the years.” He nodded toward Ry, ”We were sent out... what would you say 50 years ago? He tried to protest your father's coronation. He was put in his place rather quickly however and we didn't have to interfere.” His words trailed off as his gaze moved over to the bed.

Ry whispered down to Shelly. ”Your parents' palace isn't far from the cave Jos had lived in. He'd stopped by to see her before we left the island, but she hadn't been there. We'd found out later that the council had demanded she leave the island until our return. They didn't want a repeat of our last encounter with her... his last encounter with her, I guess.”

Shelly nodded her muzzle falling into a frown as her eyes focused on Arei's face. He was now watching the doctor carefully, as if the man was handling something precious and irreplaceable. Her head turned to the bed as Jos let out a low moan.

Arei shot to his feet, his nearly full mug of coffee forgotten on the small side table. ”What is it, Doc?” He asked, concern heavy in his voice.

The doctor frowned as he continued working his hands around her lower abdominal. There seems to be one bullet still lodged here. This is probably the cause of her continued comatose state. The shift was only able to repair the organ around the bullet, not force the bullet completely out.” He frowned. ”The operation will have to be done right away if there is any chance of saving her reproductive organs.” The doctor moved his full attention to Arei. ”You will have to move her to the other room where we have set up a makeshift surgical room.”

Arei's brows furrowed, ”Wait, what exactly are you saying?” He collapsed onto the bed beside Jos.

The doctor let out a heavy sigh. ”I am saying if we do not remove the damaged organ and determine whether it has caused any secondary conditions such as infection, then she could lose more than a single ovary.” The doctor stood and nodded to Arei and Ry in turn then moved toward the door. ”She will not wake until the bullet and ovary is removed, and if it is not removed, infection and other complications will ensue.” He pulled off his exam gloves with a pop. ”So, as I said, if you'll move her to the surgical room...” He arched a brow to emphasize his point. ”Then I will get to work immediately.” With that he turned from the room, shutting the door behind him.

Arei's attention was focused on Jos. It wasn't until a damp nose brushed his bare arm that he realized Shelly had come over to sit by his side. ”I... I didn't think of the possibility one of the bullets could have been left inside. I didn't even think to check for exit wounds.”

Ry clasped his shoulder. ”You did what had to be done. You saved her life. If you had taken the time to track each of the many bullet holes, she may have bled out there on the beach. If one lost ovary is the worst that comes from this, then so be it.” He nodded down to Jos's sleeping form. ”And I'd say she'd agree, especially since there's a good possibility the curse left her sterile.”