Savage Awakening (Alpha Pack #2)(35)

"Thank God you brought him back!" Noah rose and hurried to help Rowan. "Dr. Mallory has been on the warpath since he went AWOL."

"Well, I'm back. So she can get her panties unbunched and..."

Aric's knees folded and his head tilted back as he collapsed. Rowan cursed, she and Noah jumping for him at once and lowering him to the floor. The nurse shouted for help and both doctors, Melina and Mackenzie, came running, along with another male nurse Noah had called Sam, this one substantially bulkier than Noah. She guessed it made sense to have at least one strong man on staff when constantly patching up supernatural soldiers.

The two men lifted Aric, the big one hoisting him under his arms, Noah at his feet, and placed him onto a gurney.

"Roll him into the ER," Dr. Mallory ordered. "I want a complete workup done, and he's not leaving until I find out if he's just still weak from captivity or if it's something more."

They rushed to comply, and Aric was rolled out of sight. Rowan's chest seized at the thought of him in there alone. Well, not by himself, but without anyone to comfort him. Someone who wasn't a doctor or nurse, but a friend. There was nothing she could do for him at the moment, and she hated it.

I'm afraid for him. I can't remember the last time I cared about someone like this who isn't family. Where it hurts inside, thinking of anything bad happening to him. I don't want to give a shit.

But she did.

"He'll be okay," Mackenzie said, giving Rowan's hand a squeeze. "Why don't I walk you down to see your brother? Melina will bring news of Aric when she can."

Rowan blinked away the stupid tears that wanted to form. Crying would help nobody, least of all Micah or Aric. "All right. I was coming to visit Micah, anyway."

"Good girl. One thing you should know, however. He woke up again a little while ago. In fact, that's what delayed us in going after Aric."

"What? Why didn't anyone call me? Did he..." Dread halted her words.

"No one notified you because we were busy with him until he drifted back to sleep, and you needed your rest. He'll be in and out all day, most likely. And there won't be a repeat of the incident from before because he's being kept calm with a special sedative that we've developed for shifters."

"Dr. Mallory told me about the drug. How long will he be on it?"

"It's hard to say, but our plan is to wean him off gradually, until he's completely healed from his ordeal."

"Meaning, until he's not a danger to himself or others."

"I'm afraid so." She patted Rowan's arm reassuringly. "Try not to worry. Micah's a strong man to have survived, and with all of us pulling for him, he can't lose."

"Thanks."

"Sure. Let's go see him."

They walked the short distance to Micah's room and went inside. Rowan approached the bed, hating how fragile her brother seemed lying there. It wasn't fair that someone who loved life as much as he did had been reduced to a catastrophic disaster. Rage wrapped in layers of pain, and then drugged so that it all boiled under his skin, ready to break free and level everyone around him.

Lowering herself to the chair beside him, she scooted close and took his hand. "I'm here, little bro. Come back to us, please."

She hadn't expected a response, but his lashes fluttered and she found herself looking into glazed, dull brown eyes.

"S-sis?" he croaked.

She swallowed the cry that almost escaped. The last thing she wanted to do was upset him. "Hey, trouble," she said, a catch in her voice. "It's good to see you awake." And not feral, but she didn't want to remind him if he couldn't remember that detail.

"What... where am I?"

"At the Alpha Pack compound. Your team rescued you." She stroked his hair, his confusion tugging at her heart. "You're safe."

He looked confused. "How are you here?"

"It's kind of a long story, so we'll save it for when you're feeling better, okay? I'm here, I'm staying until you're better, and that's all that matters."

"Okay." His expression saddened. "Sis?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"They... hurt me."

"I know about the experiments, the shifters and the supernatural stuff. You don't have to explain."

"No, I mean they hurt me."

Ice flooded her veins, and damned near froze her vocal cords. "Are you saying they raped you?"

Shame flooded his face, and a tear traced down his cheek. "Don't let them hurt me anymore. Please..."

"Shh. I won't. Nobody's going to let those sleazy bastards near you again," she soothed, wiping away the moisture. "Do you hear?"

"Yeah."

But she wasn't sure how much he actually registered of their exchange, or what he would remember. His lids drifted closed, and in seconds his chest was rising and falling in steady rhythm, the drug doing its job.

"He'll be all right."

Rowan started. She'd forgotten about Mac's presence in the room. "When was someone going to tell me?" she hissed angrily.

To her credit, the doctor didn't pretend to misunderstand. "I planned to counsel him first, let him talk to you about it when-and if-he was ever ready to share. I'll still hold sessions with him, of course, and any details are his to divulge to you. I'd never break a patient's confidence."