Saving the Alpha

A Doctor's Oath...

What awaited us after we passed the exit was the curious stares we got from the very female who knocked on the door. Her statue face were brilliantly decorated with a rare occurrence of a raised eyebrow as she followed us from behind, harmonizing with our slow pace as Viktor helped me in my walking.

We reached the destination soon after--because I literally stepped on his ankle--and from here on out, I could smell a thick stench of blood lingering in the air.

Similar from what an accident scene would look like, people gathered in uneven big circle, becoming unpaid spectators to others demise. Some would express sympathy, while a more skeptical one would judge. The only different vibe from the scene was some towering werewolves evident from amongst the crowds like a sore thumb.

The loud chattering among the canines died down when they all fixed their gaze towards us. Luckily I was used to people staring, as in surgery room, people stared at you and your moving hands to make sure they assisted you in the right time. If wrong mistakes were done, a life could be lost.

We stopped at the middle, where the stench is strong. There, drenched in a pool of dark blood, was a person, with half of his body have reverted back into a human form, while the others not--as if his morphing is incomplete. I couldn’t believe my eyes and inadvertently clenched my hands that was placed on his shoulders.

Why is he like that?

I looked around, trying to find a presence of any paramedic.

All I could see was people agonizing over that bleeding person but no one approached him for help. He just laid there, alone.

I bit my lips, my sense of justice screamed at me to save him, and immediately released my hands before trotting towards the bleeding body. Reaching to his side and sitting on my folded legs, I ignored the pool of blood and brought his head onto my lap to heighten his respiratory tract. The amount of his wound could be counted by a single hand, yet his bleeding rate was preposterous. It would be fatal if I didn’t place his head on a higher level than his body, as he would cough blood. Scanning through the cuts that stretched wide on his chest to his upper waist, I spotted the wounds were surrounded by a purple swelling.

My eyes widened in surprise.              

“Viktor!”

I called him in a pleading tone. I don’t care if he shot me with a surprised look because of my plead or not, but if this injured person were left to be unattended, he will die soon.

“Can you help me?”

I said to him who knelt down across where I sat. He narrowed his eyes and frowned, before closing his eyes, as if losing hope.

“There is nothing we could do for him.”

The crowds started to whisper.

“No! There is still something we can do!”

I opposed. As a doctor, stating that someone died is only eligible when their brain is dead, if their heart stopped beating, perform AED(Automated External Defibrillator). If they bleed, supply them with blood, but if one is still alive, then leaving them die was not an option in a presence of a doctor. 

“I told you it’s impossible!”

His loud voice sent ringing into my throbbing head. He realized the pain I was having and gritted his teeth before ruffling his hair in frustration.

I shook my head to ease the pain, and fixed my gaze to him, while also placing my palm on this dying person’s chest. They were slowly turning cold.

“Viktor...”

I called him for the last time before looking at him in a pained expression. We stared at each other for a brief moment, before he heaved a sigh.

“Zhena.”

The stone-faced female resurfaced from the crowds.

“Disperse the crowd, they’re noisy. Also, hear what this person wanted to say and help him in any way you can.”

The woman nodded and headed to my side.

I gave Viktor a thankful smile, before requesting the female named Zhena some equipment and a room for treatment.

We resumed the treatment inside one of the guest room. For easier treatment, I asked them to prepare a special bed for him--a metallic bed to make sure that the mattress weren't stained by that dark red substance. After determining his blood type, I urged some people to bring the designated blood types from the nearest hospitals while informing them to tell the blood providers of who I am and about my need. We needed a lot to make sure he is alive.

“Oh, right.”

I stopped one of the guards who almost exited the room.

“Can you go to my clinic? Find a person named Elliot Trafalgar and tell her to bring basic equipment, suturing equipment, and a lot of cotton dabs. If she's not there you can go to this address. Thank you.”

I handed him my smartphone which were smeared with blood to show the location of her house--giving him a few moments to remember--then I lightly tapped his shoulder. He nodded understandingly before dashing outside the room.

I started by checking his pulse. Stable, but slow. His chance of living were slim, especially with that gruesome look of his wounds.

They were just scratches from claws, obviously, but surrounding the opening was poisonous based on the purple hue. Judging from the color, this person is being poisoned by one of the lethal poisons out there, and he could die any minute from it.

He suddenly opened his eyes when I was stopping his bleeding.

He looked at me with weak eyes, the sparkle on his eyes already disappeared, and I hate that kind of thing the most.

“Viktor.” I turned to look at Viktor who was standing while leaning against the wall beside the entrance door.

He responded almost immediately.

“Can you come here for a bit?”

He progressed from the waiting room’s entrance to the single bed.

I tip toed for a bit, crossing my bloodied hands behind my back and leaned my head close to one of his ears as I whispered, “I want you to converse with him. Anything that you can come up with. Just make sure he doesn’t fell unconscious.”

I prompted.

In some cases where the patient suddenly woke up from their daze, we needed someone to keep him calm so it doesn’t complicates the situation. That is why we always have a close friend or family member with us in the ambulance throughout the journey to the hospital.

Viktor scratched his head, obviously bewildered by the sudden request.

“Hey, Tanner.”

He mumbled, trying to initiate a conversation with a gruesomely wounded person who's lying in front of him.

“...Hey...”

Tanner responded slowly, though his slow response indicates his ability to still be able to perceive his surroundings, which is a good sign.

They started idly chatting about what they do and even cracked some lame jokes, and somehow, Viktor tactfully avoided topics about the attacker or anything sensitive that could trigger his emotions.

The blood packs and the medical equipment that I requested safely arrived, along with a trusty person that worked as my lifelong partner, Elliot Trafalgar, my nurse.

She stormed inside the room with a tight expression and slammed the equipment on a prepared table. From her attire--a long sleeved brown pajama with polka dots that were covered with a baggy sweater--I bet she was having her leisure time before she went to bed, but was interrupted when the guards searched for her. I was about to call her name when she raised a finger in front of my face.

“Don’t. Say. It.”

She then pointed towards Tanner.

“Save that guy first.” 

She said briefly while pulling out some rubber gloves and some water from her medical supplies box. 

Elliot refused to meet eyes with me throughout the whole process, but with our great teamwork, Tanner had successfully being treated.