Strength of the Pack (34 page)

Lucas was relieved that the staff was taking the need not to separate them seriously. He realized how little thought he’d given to anything beyond Noah’s well being. He needed to see about getting their gear forwarded since they were going to be here for awhile.

Noah’s new doctor, who had introduced himself as Matsuno, stood beside his bed. “We’re going to get you into surgery ASAP, Sergeant. I’ll put you back together and monitor the repairs for a day or two. Once we’re sure everything is stable, we’ll let the Lieutenant take you up on deck so you can shift and speed up the healing.”

“How long will surgery take?” Noah asked brusquely.

“Several hours.” He went back to examining the X-rays. “I’ve got my work cut for me.”

“Make sure the LT eats and sleeps while I’m under,” Noah told Matsuno.

“I’m not the patient, here,” Lucas interrupted indignantly. “I can take care of myself.”

“You can, but you won’t,” Noah replied.

Doctor Matsuno chuckled. “We’ll make sure he’s in shape to look after you post-op, Sergeant. You have my word.”

Several nurses and orderlies entered and began to prep Noah for his surgery. IVs were inserted, and several bags were hung, at least one being a pint of blood.

Matsuno approached Lucas. “I don’t know how this connection between the two of you works, but we’re sedating Sergeant Hammond for the surgery. Do what you need to, so that he doesn’t pull you under with him.”

Lucas nodded his understanding. “Can I talk to him before you take him in?”

Doctor Matsuno cleared the staff at Noah’s side for Lucas to lean in and speak.

“Make sure you eat and rest while this is going on,” Noah said. “They don’t need both of us as patients.” His speech was beginning to slur, and Lucas sensed him growing drowsy and relaxed.

“I promise. You’re going to be fine; they’ll take good care of you. I’ll be here when you wake up.” Lucas began to withdraw from the link, watching Noah’s eyelids grow heavy.

“I’m good as long as I can scent you.” Noah’s speech was distinctly slurred. He was obviously slipping into unconsciousness. Lucas had no idea what Noah meant or if he’d even meant to speak out loud.

He stepped back and watched the medical staff swarm Noah’s supine form. As they wheeled him from the room, a very young female petty officer approached Lucas. She introduced herself as Daniella Bell and explained that she had been assigned to help him settle onto the ship. She’d show him to the mess then to a place where he could shower, and she’d even locate a change of clothes, although he’d most likely have to settle for scrubs.

Lucas followed Daniella placidly, clutching Noah’s dog tags tightly in his fist. He was suddenly exhausted and felt bereft without Noah’s presence in his mind any longer. She led him through the labyrinth of passageways to the mess, the officer’s head that serviced the surgical patients and back to his and Noah’s room. Along the way, Lucas made note of the direction signs and landmarks used to navigate the bowels of a Navy ship. They were pretty much all the same if you understood the system.

He wanted nothing more than to crawl onto the rack he’d been assigned and wait out the time Noah would be in surgery, but he’d promised Noah he’d look after himself. At least it would give him something to focus on as he endured the next several excruciating hours.

U.S. Naval Ship Comfort
Northern Atlantic Ocean

Lucas ate a small meal, showered and put on the scrubs Daniella provided him. He slipped Noah’s dog tags over his head and wore them along with his own. The metal lay next to his heart and warmed against his skin.

After his shower, Daniella showed Lucas to a wardroom where he could check e-mail. Confident he could successfully navigate the ship on his own, Lucas thanked Daniella and sent her back to her regular duties.

Many of the Marines from Fox Company had sent well wishes to them both. Just before Lucas logged off, an e-mail from Captain Madison dropped into his inbox. Tim assured Lucas that all was well with the combat post, and he and Noah were to focus on getting Noah healed and healthy. Lucas felt as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Lucas made his way back to his room, walking slowly through passageways, painfully aware of the droning of the ship’s engines in his head. He passed many sailors as they moved quickly through the ship, intent on the missions of the moment. Lucas always pressed himself to the bulkhead to let the sailors pass. They had work to do and places to be. Lucas had nothing to do but wait and worry.

Back in his room, the bed looked surprisingly inviting. He crawled beneath the covers and promptly fell asleep. He woke groggily when they brought Noah back into the room. Lucas started to get out of bed when Nurse Chavez stopped him.

“He came through the surgery just fine,” she said. “It took some work, but they put him back together with no serious complications.”

“Good. That’s good,” Lucas relied, rubbing his gritty eyes.

“He’s still out of it, Lieutenant,” Chavez continued. “We’ll keep him sedated for awhile yet. You just go back to sleep.”

It was a testament to his exhaustion that Lucas fell right back to sleep without protest.

When he woke again, the room was dimly lit. Noah was still sedated, wires and IV lines attached to him. Chavez was making notes in a chart, jotting down information from the displays on equipment beside Noah.

Lucas swung his legs over the side of his bed. He slid his feet into the soft, cotton slippers that matched his scrubs.

“You look much better, Lieutenant,” she said quietly. “Your color is better, and your eyes are brighter.”

“Is that your professional assessment?” he asked with a grin.

Chavez gave a soft laugh. “No, but it is the practiced eye of a mother of two.” She rolled a small chair next to Noah’s bed. “When you’re ready, you can visit with him. We’ve reduced his sedation, and he’ll start to wake up fairly soon.”

Lucas thanked her and crossed to Noah. He looked surprisingly good, all things considered. Lucas gave his hand a squeeze and whispered that he’d be right back. Lucas needed to visit the head after sleeping so many hours.

§ § §

When he returned, Noah was alone in the room, sleeping peacefully. Lucas sat down in the chair next to his bed. He took Noah’s hand between both of his own. He reached out to that part of his mind where he’d grown accustomed to Noah residing, but there was nothing there. Noah was still sound asleep.

Lucas began to talk. He told Noah that Gunny had been successful in the mission, despite the two of them being cas-evaced. He relayed the Pack’s emailed wishes for a speedy recovery. He told Noah about the e-mail from Captain Madison. He told Noah to wake up so his doctor could clear him to shift, and he could hurry up and heal.

He knew he would have to tell Noah all of this again when he woke, but Lucas could think of nothing else to say. Keeping his mind on these safe topics kept Lucas from reliving his fear. It kept him from noticing how frail and helpless Noah appeared now and how Lucas missed the intensity and vitality he’d come to associate with Noah.

Lucas felt Noah’s presence before he showed any outward signs of stirring. He shifted closer to the head of the bed and ran a hand over Noah’s shorn hair. “I know you’re there,” he said quietly. “Take your time. I’m right here.”

Lucas’ hand was gripped tightly in Noah’s; at the same time Noah took a deep breath, and his eyelids fluttered. He watched Noah slowly return to consciousness, confusion and anxiety giving way to recognition and relief.

“Am I okay?” Noah asked, voice rough from disuse.

“They say you’re fine,” Lucas replied. “If the repairs hold for the next day or so, they’ll let me take you up on deck to shift.”

“’m thirsty,” Noah croaked.

Lucas reached for the call button. “Let’s get someone in to look at you, now that you’re awake.”

Chavez appeared, carrying a large plastic cup that she set aside. “Welcome back, Sergeant,” she greeted with a smile. “Doctor Matsuno will be here in a few minutes. How’s your pain?”

“I can’t feel my left side,” Noah replied. “I’m more thirsty than anything.”

Chavez handed Lucas the cup she’d brought with her. “You can give these to him slowly.”

There were ice chips in the cup. Lucas gathered a few on his fingertips and slipped them between Noah’s lips. He grinned when Noah sighed in relief.

When she had carefully removed Noah’s IVs, Chavez took his pulse and listened to his heart and lungs. With a caution to ring if they needed anything, she left them alone.

Slowly, Lucas fed the ice chips to Noah. He didn’t watch Noah’s full lips; he ignored how soft they felt brushing against his fingertips. Instead, he focused on how grateful he was to see Noah’s blue eyes open again.

“I’m fine, Lucas,” Noah said suddenly, crunching on the ice. “Werewolves are damn hard to kill.”

“My brain knows that,” Lucas admitted, “but seeing the blood and feeling your pain sort of overrode everything else.”

“You handled it well. Thank you.” Noah’s eyes grew distant, as if remembering. “Everything in me was screaming that I should shift, even knowing the damage would be permanent.”

Lucas could feel Noah’s gratitude and affection like a physical thing, and it warmed and pleased him immeasurably.

Doctor Matsuno entered the room at that moment. “Lieutenant. Sergeant. Things seem to be going well here?”

They both agreed that things were fine. The doctor consulted the chart before stepping to Noah’s side. He lifted the bedclothes to reveal Noah’s heavily bandaged torso and thigh.

“Was the surgery difficult?” Lucas asked, wondering why he was torturing himself with the details.

“The side wound and fractured hip were no problem,” replied Matsuno. “The shattered femur, though? That was a challenge.”

“Will it heal?” Noah asked sharply. Lucas felt fear rocket through him.

“No reason to think it won’t,” assured the doctor. He lifted the heavy bandages that were draped over Noah’s surgical wounds. “I had to locate the major bone fragments and piece them together like a puzzle. Temporary bone glue is holding you together for now and once I’m comfortable everything is stable, you can go on deck and shift for a few hours.”

“How long will that take?” Noah questioned.

“A couple of days,” answered Matsuno. “The wounds look good. We’ll keep an eye on them, change the dressings and get you out of here as soon as we can.”

Lucas thanked Doctor Matsuno and turned back to Noah, running a hand over his hair. He didn’t even bother to hide how pleased that news made him.

“Lieutenant Young?”

Matsuno tore Lucas from his musings. “Yes?”

“Later on, when Sergeant Hammond tries to convince you that his bed is extra-wide so that you can climb in it with him, let him.”

Lucas’ curiosity warred with his embarrassment. “Excuse me?”

“You’re human, so I don’t know how much you understand about our culture, yet. We heal better and faster with physical contact. Ordinarily, our pack gathers around us, stays close and sleeps with us.”

Lucas remembered the way his Marines had curled around each other to sleep following full moon runs and combat. He nodded his understanding. Lucas could feel Noah’s eyes on him, and his face flamed. He really shouldn’t be quite so pleased that curling up to sleep with Noah was medically sanctioned.

“Thanks, Doc,” Noah said, laughter in his voice. “He would have put up a hell of a fight.”

Matsuno chuckled. “Crawl in with him whenever you want, just stay on his right side.”

The doctor left, and Lucas asked if Noah wanted more ice chips.

“No thanks. I am tired, though.” Noah tossed back the bedclothes on his right side. “You’d better climb up here so I can sleep.”

Lucas didn’t need to have Noah in his head to know he was being teased. With a heavy sigh and a raised brow, he slid off his slippers and carefully climbed up onto the bed. Lucas pressed himself against Noah’s side and laid his head on Noah’s shoulder.

Noah’s hand ran up and down his back several times before it hooked around his waist. Lucas heard him release a deep breath and felt him relax. Inside his head, Noah was at peace. Lucas figured he’d lay there for a while and listen to Noah breathe. He didn’t expect to fall asleep until he actually did.

§ § §

Noah’s hip wouldn’t allow him to sit up more than a few inches. Feeding himself had proven awkward and messy to the point he’d reluctantly consented to Lucas taking over the task.

With the food tray pulled close, Lucas lay back against a pile of bedding and pillows the nurses had assembled. Noah’s left side was slightly elevated, and his head lay against Lucas’ torso. Slowly, Lucas fed Noah forkfuls of food from the tray.

“I’ll say one thing for the Navy and their pussy ships,” Noah said between bites. “They serve good food.”

Lucas laughed. “You’re a Marine, your standards are low.”

A Navy corpsman in a flight suit appeared in the doorway of their room. He rapped his knuckles on the doorsill. “Excuse me, sirs. Sorry to disturb you.”