Escape to Midnight

Episode 7

Logan's Point Of View

I shifted back into human form and rushed over to Charis. I ignored all the fighting and focused on Charis. I had to save her. I needed for her to be alright. I felt for her pulse, It was very faint. I looked at all the cuts and bruises covering her body. She had lost a lot of blood, I could tell. I did not know how much time she had left. I started to scoop her up and run with her when I felt a hand on my arm. The rogue protecting Charis had shifted and was standing beside me. “Wait, Let me help her, She won’t make it back to your pack unless you let me help.” He said.

I shook his hand off and started to growl at him. “Look Pup, She would be dead already if I had not helped her. You are wasting time, We need to stop her from bleeding out!” He raised his voice at me and I was a little shocked by the power  he was giving off. He was not an ordinary rogue. Two rogue men were walking towards us, One was removing a backpack and handing it to the rogue looking over Charis. My pack members were all standing watching the scene unfold, unsure of what to do. Sterling began to mind link them to stand down and form a perimeter for protection. The Rogue began removing homemade medical supplies from the back pack. They did not have medical wrap and gauze, but they had a wrap made from leaf-like material. He began to wrap the wounds on her side, They were the deepest. next he wrapped her leg. He had a purple paste he began to put in her mouth, coating it. I was mesmerized watching him. When he was done, he stood up, turned back towards the Valley  and walked away.  I scooped Charis up and began to run as fast as I could with her.  We were still almost a day from our pack hospital. Her skin was a pasty white and grey color. Her pulse was so weak. I ran without stopping, I was much slower running as a human and carrying her, but I refused to stop and I refused to let anyone else touch her. I would never let her go again. 

Sterling contacted our pack hospital and made them aware of her condition. They were running towards us with a trauma kit. They would be able to give her fluids and redress her wounds. I had been running for 6 hours as fast as I could when I saw the medical team. As soon as I saw them my body gave out. I fell to the ground with Charis still in my arms. I tried to get back up, but I could not. My body had been pushed to far. The team reached us and carefully took Charis from my arms. Most of our warriors had run ahead and arrived at the pack land already. Only a small detail remained with me for protection. The medical team brought  a trauma stretcher. They placed her on it and secured her with straps. I watched as they began to check and change her dressings and insert an IV for fluids. Two of our warriors shifted from their wolf to human form and picked up the stretcher. I tried to protest and stand to help. My father grabbed my shoulder and pushed me down. “you need to rest for a few minutes and then let Samuel run the rest of the way. You are going to slow them down in your condition. You can't do this alone.” he said it quietly, but I knew it was an order. I watched as the medical team and the warriors started running with Charis. They should be at the pack hospital within 8 hours if they did not stop again. The medic said they would monitor her vitals and stop for more fluids if they need to. 

As they disappeared into the forest I fell back onto the grass. I was exhausted. I knew my father was right, but not being beside her was making me feel unhinged. I waited 15 minutes before the pressure was more than I could bear. I let Samuel take over and ran to catch up with Charis. I need to be close to her.

We stopped twice to change her bandages and give her more fluid. She was starting to swell, she was retaining the fluid and not releasing any of it. As we approached the hospital, I could see a fresh team of medical staff waiting to take over. They rushed her in and through the doors. I was not allowed to enter, but  I was glad she was finally at the hospital,. I felt so helpless. 

My mother came running into the admitting area. She had come home before we started searching for Charis. She was running a command center to compile all the information we gathered while searching. “How is she?” My Mothers voice sounds strained. The stress of the  search had worn her down. I shook my head, I had no words to explain how she looked or what condition I thought she was in. I slumped down against a wall. She sat beside me and hugged me. I fell into her embrace. We sat like that for about an hour until my dad came back. When he entered the waiting room we stood up and waited for him to fix this. All my life he had been able to fix everything. We needed him to fix this. “Have you heard anything from the Doctor?” He asked. I shook my head no.

“You need to go home, shower, eat and put on clean clothes. When she wakes up you want to be able to help her.”  he said.

I sighed, I knew he was right. I had not showered in almost a week. I was dirty and disheveled. I would probably scare her in my present state. “I will go with you,” My mother said.

We walked silently out of the hospital and all the way home. As we entered the house, I had to admit it felt good to be there. I Stepped into a hot shower. It felt like the stress of searching was draining off of me. I stayed in as long as I dared, but not long enough. I had to hurry back, I wanted to be there as soon as we got word. As I entered my closet to pick out something to wear I felt silly. I was suddenly overwhelmed with concern of how I would look to her. I decided to wear a nice button down shirt and jeans. I rushed through the house and grabbed the front door. “Wait for me!!” My mother called out. I did not want to wait, but after everything my parents had been through for us this week I could not leave without her. She appeared carrying an overnight bag. I was puzzled. “ I got Charis some comfortable pajamas and some bathroom products. She might need to spend a few days there.”

We Rushed back, anxious to hear an update. Sterling was waiting with my dad. They both looked as tired as I did. We sat in the chairs opposite them. Sterling cleared his throat and looked at me. “Warren is demanding we return her,” He said. I scoffed, I was immediately angry. I started to stand up and protest when Sterling touched my shoulder. “We will go to war to keep her, Don't worry. I have doubled our patrols and let him know we are not returning her.” He put his head in his hands. I felt guilty, they had been through so much and now we were on the verge of a war. “I'm sorry Sterling, I don’t know what to do to fix any of this. I want to kill Warren. Maybe that is the answer to all of our problems.” 

“You have no reason to feel guilty! That man is a monster. Our pack will deal with him if his pack does not kill him first.” My dad tried to reassure me. I was feeling so emotional from the lack of rest and worry for my mate. 

The doctor came through the doors. We all jumped up and rushed toward him. “She is alive, She has some severe injuries, but she is alive. We had to sedate her and clean her wounds, they had a lot of dirt packed into them. We sutured them closed. Internally the cut did not hit any of her organs, but they were deep enough to. We are going to keep her sedated through the night. Her body needs to rest and heal. You can come back in the morning and see her.” He said as he turned to walk away. 

“Wait, Can I stay here with her?” I asked. He paused and turned back to me. 

“You need to rest, You need to recover from the stress you have been under. I was hoping just knowing she would be okay might ease your mind enough for you to go home and take care of yourself.” The doctor spoke to me, but he was looking at Sterling. “I suppose we can allow you to sleep in a bed in the room with her, if you eat some dinner and promise to sleep. She is going to need you to help her recover. The wounds in her leg may cause a permanent limp. The cuts to her side and abdomen will affect her ability to get up and down and she won’t be able to lift until she heals. It will be a process. She has broken ribs that should have healed already. Her wolf is not helping her heal. The damage must have taken a toll on her wolf. Without that help she might need assistance for six months.” As he spoke, the seriousness of her condition felt like a weight on me. 

“I will carry her everywhere she wants to go for the rest of her life. I just need her with me.” As I said the words I was struck by how true they were. I needed her, No matter what I needed her. A chill ran down my spine, I was almost afraid to ask the question suddenly burning in my mind. "What about Pups?" I asked hesitantly. He grimaced and forced a smile. It felt like the entire world stopped while we waited for his answer.

“Short answer is yes she should be able to have pups”, his words were slow and cautious. “The long answer is we need to wait and see how everything heals, If she gets any kind of infection or if she has any other complications……. Well it will complicate things.”

I swallowed hard and looked at the ground. I had know idea if she wanted pups, I did not know anything about her. I was lost in thought when my Mother said, “Let's get you home and clean up. You have tonight to deal with all the emotions you're feeling. By morning, you need to be ready to start your new life with your mate.” She gave me a small smile. 

“ Mom, I literally just took a shower, I don't need a shower.” I know she wanted to help, but right now I just wanted to be with Charis. 

My Dad sighed and put his arm around my Mother. “ I think we need to help him get settled here for the night and then go home. I'm sure Doctor Bradley can prescribe something to help Logan sleep. A good night’s sleep will give us all a better perspective in the morning.”

I wanted to protest taking anything to help me sleep, but I figured it was a fight I would not win. So far I was getting my way on everything else. The doctor was positive Charis would not wake up in the night anyway. My Mom rushed home and got me some bedding that she said smelled like home. She brought me a pillow and some pajamas. I wanted to laugh at how absurd it was. I am a grown man. Dad laughed and said it was her way of dealing with all the stress. Dad helped me move a bed beside Charis. The nurses adjusted all the Medical equipment to the opposite side of the bed. I was able to touch our beds together. The Nurse brought me the sleeping pills Doctor Bradley brought me, I got into my bed beside Charis and held her hand. I don't remember falling asleep, but I do remember waking up. 

After not sleeping for so many days the combination of sleeping pills and being close to Charis helped me fall into a deep restful slumber. I felt Charis start to throw her arms around. She was mumbling in her sleep. I was trying to wake up and check on her but the pills and exhaustion were stopping me. She let out a blood curdling scream. I sat straight up suddenly wide awake. I tried to grab her, to calm her and stop her from thrashing around.  I inadvertently pushed the beds apart and fell in between them. I pushed myself back up and tried to talk to Charis. She was screaming so loud I knew she could not hear me. The monitors in her room were  sending alarms, some because she had unhooked herself and some because she was clearly in some sort of distress. “Charis, You are okay, I am here with you. It's okay.” I was screaming at her without realizing it. The nurse and doctor had come into the room, the nurse pushed me out of her way. She had a needle in her hand. She injected a sedative into Charis' arm. Almost instantly Charis was back asleep. I slumped back onto the extra bed, a little too shocked to even speak. The nurse was busy resetting monitors and checking the lines. I looked over at the doctor, "What happened?” I asked him.

“With the amount of trauma, that was probably a nightmare. She is sedated for  now, and hopefully she does not have any more.” he said.

“What if she does? If she tries to thrash around like that won’t she injure herself? "I asked him, but the answer seemed obvious.

The doctor sighed and rubbed his forehead. I could tell he was trying to word his answer carefully. He looked at me and replied, “She can reopen the wounds that are healing, That is our biggest concern. My first thought is to tie her to the bed. We have the shackles we use for prisoners.”. 

I was already shaking my head no. I was  prepared to protest when he raised his hands and continued. “I am going to wait, I don't think mentally she needs to wake up tied to a bed. That would only add to the trauma. Lets see how she is in the morning."

I was relieved he was willing to wait. I sat back down on the bed as he turned to leave, I looked at the clock. It was three a.m. I laid back down to try and get some sleep before Charis woke up again. I tossed and turned and never really fell back asleep. I was relieved when my Mom showed up. I could quit trying to sleep. She came into the room and hugged me good morning. 

“ How did you sleep? How is Charis doing?” she asked. I shook my head. “She had a nightmare and had to be sedated again.” My Mother went to Charis' bedside, She checked her pulse and felt her head. “What is Carrington saying about it?” he asked. My Mom worked here so she knows everyone by first name basis. I assume she means the doctor. “He said we might have to tie her down. I don’t want to do that, but we can't keep her sedated, that can’t be good for her. My throat tightened and the fatigue was weighing down on me. 

That is when I heard it, a faint sound that my heart beat fast and my fatigue vanished.

“Logan” Charis called my name. I called for the doctor. My mother left the room to go and find him.

Charis Point Of View

Saria and I were running as fast as we could, our feet were sore from pounding into the ground. I wanted to turn around and see how close he was, but I was scared to look. The trees in the forest were a blur as I ran past them. My lungs were burning from lack of oxygen. Suddenly I felt it, pain through my backside, sharp and white hot. I screamed in pain as I fell. I looked behind me and saw Warren. How had he caught up to me? How did I let this happen? I looked into his face and saw nothing but hate. He began to punch me over and over again as we started to fall. As I fell I began to scream louder and thrash around. I needed to get him off of me, I needed to get away. I screamed and forced my body into a sitting position. A bright light was blinding me. I felt a warmth beside me. I screamed and leaned into the warmth, away from Warren. Why couldn't I see any more? Why did my body hurt like this? It was hard to move. I was in a panic. My breaths were strained and I could not get enough air. “Charis, Charis calm down!” I heard a voice that seemed far away. I struggled to find the voice, It was close to the warmth. I felt a sharp pain in my arm and everything started to turn into blackness again. my body relaxed and my mind went blank.

“We can't keep her drugged indefinitely, What are we going to do?” I could hear voices around me.

“When she wakes again she may not have the same reaction. We need to wait and see. She has been through a lot of trauma the last week. Be patient.”

I heard the voices and wondered  who was talking. I was afraid to open my eyes. The last thing I remembered was Bennie and I being surrounded by Rogues. I did not recognize the voices, but something felt familiar. I felt a warmth and a comfort coming from one of the voices. Then I smelled it, The most wonderful scent in the world. I could barely speak, my voice was more of a squeak, but I said his name. “Logan?” 

“Charis! Doctor  she is awake! Charis, can you open your eyes?” he asked.

I shook my head, my eyes still felt heavy, Everything felt heavy. “its Okay Charis, You are going to be okay.'' Logan grabbed my hand as he reassured me. 

The doctor came in and pried my eye lid open, the light flooded into my eyes. I winced in pain, I heard a low growl and a slapping sounded. “Logan NO!” a woman yelled.

“Young man, I can not help her if you interfere!” The man sounded very irritated.

“I'm sorry, I could not control myself. I looked like you were hurting her.” Logan sounded sad as he apologized.

“perhaps you should wait outside if you can’t control yourself then”. I cringed at the thought of him leaving the room. I forced my eyes open and tried to sit up. The movement caused me to cry out in pain. “Hold still you will reopen your stitches.” the man said

‘Charis, I'm not leaving, you are oaky,” Logan's voice was soothing. I made eye contact with him. He was so handsome. I wanted him to hold me and make it all better. “What happened?” I asked. 

I saw Logan, the man I believed to be a doctor and a woman all looking around at each other uncomfortably. The doctor was the first to speak. 

“Let me evaluate your condition right quick, then I can leave you and Logan to sort out what has transpired the last few days." I nodded my approval, I did not want to speak again, the pain in my throat was unbearable. The doctor began by checking my eyes and looking down my throat. “Some ice chips will help ease your throat,” He said.

Logan immediately went into the hall calling for a nurse to bring ice chips. The doctor lifted my gown and looked under it. He gently touched my abdomen and I winced from the pain. 

“Your blood pressure is still low, but your heart rate is good. The wound in your abdomen is dry and does not appear to have fever or swelling. Overall a very good improvement from yesterday. Are you able to speak to your wolf?” the doctor asked. 

I tried to speak to Saria, but she did not answer. She may be resting, I can’t hear her”. I said. 

“ When was the last time you spoke to her?” he continued. I shrugged my shoulders. I really had no idea. 

“You are healing at the same speed as a human, your wolf is not assisting you. At this rate you will be here for a few days. Do not get out of bed unassisted. The nurses are going to unhook some of these machines. You will be able to shower, but you will need help to shower and to stand. The wounds on your abdomen are severe. You need to be careful not to tear them back open. You have a deep gash on your leg. You should not put your full weight on your leg. Rest is the most important thing right now.”