Crescent (Tribes, Book 1) [completed]

Chapter 31

Liana hated hospitals.

That registered through thick mental fog and a haze of dreamlike activity around her. Liana vaguely registered needles and an oxygen mask. Yet, over and over again, like a mantra to go along with her thready consciousness, only one thought prevailed. I hate hospitals. I hate being poked and prodded. I hate hospitals.

Then, each time, she sank back into a dream where someone or something dragged Conner away from her. Each time, fire engulfed her in the end. And a ratcheting pain in her chest stole her breath. Then her life.

Liana wasn't sure how long it had been, when she finally awoke. It might have been hours, or it might have been days. The dream state that she had been in didn't allow for realistic passage of time. The last thing that Liana remembered was the cabin going up in smoke. Big, Bad, and Wolfy had left her in favor of taking Konan and the spell with him. Go figure.

Next thing she knew, her eyes were peeling open to the tune of heart monitors and an oxygen tank. Not exactly reassuring.

A croaky whimper escaped her throat and got caught in the oxygen mask over her nose and mouth.

"Liana. Thank God."

Shocked and confused, Liana turned her head toward the voice she knew all too well. Her dad. When had he come? Did they even allow fathers to enter the reservation? That stupid government guy had said something about thirty days... blah, blah, blah... visitors allowed after. Liana remembered that much.

Besides, if her father was here, didn't that mean Conner had called him?

Conner... Liana scrambled to get her elbows beneath her, meaning to push up off the bed. A sharp pain ricocheted through her side.

"Liana, stop." Her father's hands landed on her shoulders, keeping her back against the bed. "Stop. Lay down. You shouldn't be moving around."

He probably had a point. Given the myriad of things that ached, Liana didn't think getting out of bed was a good idea, either. But some things were more important than safety.

"I'll get the doctor," her father announced, giving Liana no time to ask questions.

Fine, whatever, but she had to know. From her spot laying down, she couldn't see Conner, and Liana knew full well that he wouldn't just leave her lying there alone. If Conner were in the room, he would be by her side by now, stroking her hair and telling her it was going to be okay. So, what had happened to him?

"I hear our patient's awake now," the doctor's voice came closer with each word. Then, his face appeared above Liana, all seriousness and concern. "How are we doing? Any aches? Pains? Headache? Nausea?"

Liana lifted a hand, aiming for the mask over her mouth.

"You're right, you're right. But you hold still." The doctor handed his clipboard to a nurse nearby, then reached to settle Liana's hand back down on the bed. "I'm going to take this oxygen off so we can talk, but it's going to have to go back on when I leave. Okay?"

Liana gave a nod, which admittedly sent an ache through her entire skull.

The doctor peeled the mask off of her face and set it aside. "Alright, how are we doing?"

"Um... my head hurts a little..." Liana coughed as her throat constricted. "Throat. Um... my side... area..."

"That's to be expected with a broken rib." The doctor retrieved the clipboard to make a note. "Any chest pain?"

"N-no..." Liana tried to wrap her brain around all the things going on.

A broken rib? When had that happened? When the brute kicked her? That made sense, given the stabbing pain she endured back then. Could she sue a werewolf for damages or assault?

Her eyes felt gritty, but she assumed that was for the same reason that her throat didn't want to work. Smoke inhalation could be a nasty bugger. Had anything else gone wrong?

"I'm going to check your wrist now," the doctor declared.

Liana looked to where he was reaching. She had been too absorbed with figuring out where Conner went, and she hadn't noticed the gauze wrapped around her wrist. Now that he mentioned it, that didn't feel so great either.

The doctor unwrapped the gauze layer by layer, to reveal what Liana hadn't wanted to know. Welts and scorches wrapped around her entire wrist, no doubt brought on by the metal handcuffs she had been forced into. She was going to lay the sole blame for that on that mystery man.

"Where's Conner?" Liana finally gathered the courage to ask.

"Conner?" The doctor shook his head. "Who's that?"

Liana swallowed her panic, but the pain in her throat only reminded her of the reason the panic was setting in, in the first place. "Conner. He's a wolf—a shifter. Where is he? Is he okay?"

"Oh, she must mean that man who brought her," the nurse piped up.

The doctor nodded. "I don't know where he is since I haven't seen him. But if he's a shifter, he's probably okay. They have... astonishing recovery abilities."

"You don't understand." Liana rolled her chapped lips together, trying to gather her thoughts enough to explain. "There was a spell and... and... anyway, there were extenuating circumstances. Shouldn't he be admitted, too? Is he going to be okay?"

"Ms. Kerr, I'm going to need you to calm down or I'm going to have to prescribe you a sedative." The Doctor turned Liana's hand over to the nurse, with instructions to redress the wound and administer painkillers.

"Where is Conner?!" Liana demanded.

"He left," her father piped up. "He's gone, Liana. Now hush and stay still. You're in no shape to be so agitated."

The stinging in her eyes no longer had anything to do with the aftereffects of inhaling fire. Liana knew the weight of the tears that pressed against her eyes now. It was the weight of realization and anger.

"You made him leave?" Liana managed to push the words out without sounding as though she might kill herself.

Her father folded his arms and shook his head. "You've been brainwashed, haven't you? Look at yourself! He did this to you."

"He had nothing to do with all this." Liana closed her eyes, hoping that it would keep the tears from falling. She should have known better. "You made him leave? How? How did you force him to go away?"

"You're not going to trust me, but I didn't force anyone." Liana's father heaved a great sigh. "You're going home with me once you can safely be discharged. We'll talk about this then."

Liana was in no shape to argue with her father, nor had she ever argued with him before. But, boy, did she want to argue now. She may not have wanted to go to the reservation in such a manner, but she was no longer a child. Conner hadn't brainwashed her. He had shown her what it would be like to live alongside him. He had never pushed the boundaries too far or forced her into doing anything she wasn't fully willing to do.

Yet, it had ended like this. With her prejudiced father somehow pushing her heroic wolf away.

Liana sank into the hospital mattress, wishing that sleep would carry her away again. She couldn't handle being awake without Conner by her side. Don't leave me... was the last plea she managed before she shut out the world once more.