Demon King: Awakening

Chapter 4

He made his way back to his quarters, but as he walked he felt the pull toward the female knight's room in the hospital wing. Soon he was standing at her door, about to knock when it swung open, a nurse standing there startled by seeing him there.

“Your Majesty,” she quickly said with a bow. “How can we help you?”

“I've just come by to check on the knight.” He said simply, trying not to appear to vested in her. “How is she fairing?”

“She has yet to react negatively to the ointment, but the doctor suspects if she can make it through the night then we will be in the clear.” She informed him.

“I see, thank you.” He turned to leave.

“Don't you wish to see the human?” The nurse quickly inquired.

“No, I simply wanted to hear how she was doing. That is all.” He said and strode back down the hall to his own quarters. He had a nagging feeling in his chest, begging him to go and see her, but he ignored it and went back to his own room without looking back or giving the feeling a second thought.

He prepared for bed, slid under the sheets, and dozed off into the dark hours of the night. He was exhausted, it had been a long day, filled with confusion. He had not only allowed a human knight into his castle walls, but he had also continued to worry and want to check on her. Then he was informed of the impending war to come with the humans. Instead of reacting as a usual demon would, he tried for a more peaceful resolution. He shook his head, this was all crazy. He sighed and slipt away into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

The sun rose on what Nurse Chaiun had hoped would prove to be a good day. Areana had made it through the night without showing any negative effects from the ointment. Suddenly her vitals spiked, “Get the doctor!” One of the nurses said, frantically. Another nurse raced out of the room.

Moments later, the doctor came rushing in, “What happened?” He demanded.

He was quickly at her bedside, checking her pulse, and her temperature and then peeling away the bandages from her wound. “Her vitals suddenly dropped. Her breathing became erratic, and her pupils are dilated. It appears that her body is shutting down.” Nurse Chaiun explained.

“We'll take a closer look,” Doctor Rataloan said as he peered down at her wounds, finding green puss escaping from the cut. “She isn't just rejecting the ointment, but her body is shutting down from it. Give her another shot for the pain. The next step we need to take will be extremely painful.”

Nurse Chaiun nodded her head and began to prepare the shot. “Are you sure? Hasn't this only been tested on demons?” She eyed the doctor, waiting on further instructions.

“It was, however years ago I came across the opportunity to test the drug on humans. Please do understand, we cannot speak of this to the king about those times.” He smiled sadly at the memories.

“I see, we shall do as you say, right away.” Nurse Chaiun quickly injected Areana.

Doctor Rataloan waited a few moments to allow for the drug to take effect before moving on to the next step. “Now we must clean the wound again, but this time we will be to remove the ointment. Every last drop must be cleared out.” He stressed. Nurse Chaiun nodded while she and another nurse quickly got to work.

“How will we care for her wound now?” The other nurse questioned.

“We will have to do the treatments just as a human doctor would. It will take longer, but she should live at the very least.” His voice was filled with concern. “We will need to stop the bleeding that will start as we begin to clean her wound. Then we will quickly stitch her up.”

The nurses nodded and carefully removed the stitching on her wound. As soon as it had been opened, she began to bleed. One nurse began to clear away the blood, while Nurse Chaiun quickly, but carefully cleaned out the ointment and cleaned the wound. She gingerly reached into the wound, careful not to cause further danger or damage to Areana. As soon as she slid her hand into the wound, Areana started to instinctively move and began to let out low painfilled grunts that slowly became louder and louder until she was screaming out. Quickly, Leonard raced to her side, “Doctor!” he bellowed.

“Hold her down.” Doctor Rataloan instructed.

Leonard nodded and grabbed hold of her shoulders, trying to steady her. “Doctor, we need another set of hands to hold her down.” He said, struggling to keep her still.

Doctor Rataloan nodded his head, before exiting the room. He came back a moment later with another guard and nurse. They each took positions on either side of her, holding onto a leg and hip. “Let's start again.” Said Nurse Chaiun. Everyone looked at one another and nodded, ready to hold her down. As they put pressure on her shoulders, legs, and hips, she began to push against them, her eyes shot open and her screams echoed throughout the room. Tears streamed down her cheeks as the pain heightened. Nurse Chaiun felt uncomfortable witnessing her pain. She may not like her, but the king wanted her alive and dared not anger him. Within ten minutes, Areana's wound had been cleaned, the blood had been minimalized and she was ready to be stitched back up.

Doctor Rataloan went into the medical box, pulling out a needle and medical thread. He sterilized the needled and threaded it. He slowly stitched her wound. She had stilled, clearly, the pain had been far too much for her, even with the pain relief shot they had given her. He let out a sigh, exhausted from helping a human recover. She had finally been all stitched up and appeared to be resting with some peace. They put on human ointment that would help stop the wound from infected and then a large bandage had been placed over her wound. They covered her with a blanket and all left the room except for Leonard, Doctor Rataloan, and Nurse Chaiun.

Doctor Rataloan was about to explain the next step in Areana's treatment when the door swung open, “I could hear screaming echoing down the hallways.” Kobel bellowed.

Everyone jumped, startled by the sudden outburst. Doctor Rataloan stepped forward to explain, “Her body rejected the original treatment. We needed to clean out her wound and applied medical treatment that is more suited for humans.”

Kobel let out a frustrated sigh, “What about her recovery?”

“We have high expectations that she will make a full recovery, however, it will be at the rate of a normal human.”

“How long do you suspect it will take?” Kobel questioned, worried about what he had heard.

“Since she is not a demon and I have rarely worked on humans, I can only guess at her recovery rate. However, in my expert opinion, I would guess that she will be back on her feet within ten to fourteen days. As long as she adheres to my advice of remaining on bed rest.” Doctor Rataloan explained as well as he could.

“See that she makes a full recovery. If she does not, there will be hell to pay.” He threatened.

Doctor Rataloan swallowed hard before asking his next question, one that had been weighing on his mind. “Yes, of course, your majesty.” Kobel went to step past him, but was stopped by the doctor, “Your majesty if you don't mind my asking, why is this human in particular so important?”

Kobel froze, thinking, “It is none of your concern.” He responded sternly.

Doctor Rataloan, released Kobel and quickly stepped away, fearing his tone. “My apologies, your majesty, I didn't mean to overstep my boundaries.” He bowed, trying to express his sincerity.

Kobel continued to step past him, reaching Areana's bedside. He looked down at her, she appeared so weak. His heart ached, looking down at the knight that had appeared so strong earlier that day. How could a prince attack his own knight? He pondered to himself. He knew he needed to leave before more demons questioned him and then questioned his ability to lead.

“Continue to monitor her progress. If there are any changes in her health, inform me immediately.” He said, making sure the doctor understood the seriousness of his words.

“Of course, your majesty.” Doctor Rataloan responded and bowed as Kobel exited the room. Once the door had closed he let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. The king could really cause any demon to shake in fear.

“Make sure to watch her carefully.” Doctor Rataloan instructed Nurse Chaiun and Leonard. “Do not miss anything.” He warned.

“Yes, doctor.” They responded in unison.

Upon hearing their response, Doctor Rataloan left the room, too. Both Nurse Chaiun and Leonard looked at one another, nodded, and then went to their posts. Leonard went to stand next to the door, while Nurse Chaiun sat near Areana's bedside.