The minute Luch left the room, I closed my eyes and pulled the pain from Oban straight into me, without even taking the time to ground myself. There was no time. I found his life cord, his soul balancing precariously on the edge between here and the afterlife, and I reached for it gently, winding it around my finger as I would a ribbon, and tugged him delicately back from the veil. On the way, I knit a broken femur back together and closed enough of the rip in his skin to stem the flow of blood.
The wound had missed the femoral artery by a hair’s width, and I steadied my breath as I took Oban’s pain. Luckily, I couldn’t find any internal bleeding, and he must have been running at a fast pace when the car caught the corner of his body.
“I’ve got most of it,” Luch called from the storage room, “but I can’t find a suture kit.”
“I’ve got one here.” Blinking back to the room, I shuddered in a breath, and then another, knowing I’d pay for taking Oban’s pain and not releasing it. I’d do it later, but not before it left its mark. Usually in large unsightly bruises of some sort, but I didn’t mind. Not if it meant I could save another life.
Oban shifted on the table when Luch bounded back in, his arms full of supplies, which he promptly dropped on the table when Oban tried to get up.
“Hey, buddy. No, just lie there.” Luch’s eyes met mine when Oban let out a soft whimper, full of pain.
“Let’s get the pain meds in him and start sedation so I can stitch this up.”
“Do we need to sedate him?” Luch asked, hooking up the saline IV bag. He clearly knew what he was doing, so I took his question seriously.
“I wouldn’t typically suture a patient with this type of injury while awake, largely because I don’t enjoy getting bitten. Do you know if he’ll stay still? Can you restrain him?”
“I can. I’d like to avoid sedation if possible.” Luch crouched at Oban’s head, and the dog opened his eyes and gingerly swiped his tongue across Luch’s cheek. “Hey, bud. I need you to do me a favor.”
Luch’s voice dropped, and I cleaned the wound area while he murmured to Oban. He was a Scottish Terrier, a traditional black “Scottie” dog, which were known to be fiercely loyal. Grateful to see that my healing had done most of the work and there wouldn’t be much need for suturing, I threaded a needle and waited.
“Go ahead.” I snuck a quick glance at Luch to see him holding Oban’s head and then I moved quickly. There was no point in drawing this out longer. Oban was slowly healing. Working fast, I stitched the deeper layer with a dissolvable suture, before quickly closing the rip in the skin. Oban had been lucky the car hadn’t nicked his artery, or he might not have made it here in time.
“There, done.” Stepping back, I let out a shaky breath. I hadn’t yet eaten today, and the pain of Oban’s wounds roiled around inside me, making me slightly dizzy. Two healings in a day with little rest and no food were pushing me into the danger zone.
“What about internal bleeding? X-rays? His back leg was broken.” Oban writhed on the table, shaking his head from Luch’s grip, and rolled to his feet. Straightening, Luch put a hand to Oban’s side to steady him, the other still holding the unused saline drip. “What the …”
“He must have just been in shock.” It was a line I’d used many times to explain away the unexplainable. Surprisingly it worked well enough. Until it didn’t, that is, and then I’d be packing my bags and be on my way. But not this time. No, I was determined to stick this one out. I’d heard enough about Loren Brae to know they had some sort of magickal trouble going on here, which meant nobody would have time to look too closely at the vet who had a high success rate with healing animals in need.
“That’s not possible. His leg was broken. I’m certain of it.”
Only then did I really look at Luch. I’d noticed him, of course, objectively as a human holding a dog in need, but now I took the time to genuinely assess him.
He was big.
Big in the way of men who took up space in the room, like all the air molecules shifted and rearranged around him as though they needed to make space for his presence. An undercurrent of … something … rippled down my spine and I shifted on my feet, unsure if I should inch closer to the door or not. There was nothing outward to suggest he was dangerous, aside from his broad shoulders and thick arms, but there was something about his tawny green eyes, just glinting to gold, that seemed to see too clearly.
I didn’t like it.
I didn’t like it at all.
I hadn’t even unpacked my bags yet, but I wasn’t going to let this man, whose dog I’d just saved, cast suspicion on my healing methods.
“When animals are in shock, or unconscious, their bodies hang limp. Clearly Oban means a lot to you, and you were panicked. I’m a doctor, Luch. I know what I’m doing. Now, you’re welcome to take him home as he’ll rest easier in a comfortable space he knows. Monitor his water intake and feed him in small bits to start. If he still seems to be in pain or exceptionally lethargic tomorrow, bring him back in. That’ll be fifty quid for the sutures.” I just named a quick price since I had no idea what the last vet had used as a pricing structure.
Luch looked from me to where Oban sat on the table, his eyes halfway open as he rested from his recovery. The dog would sleep for ten hours and then hopefully be right as rain.
“Oh, and don’t let him lick the sutures. Do you have something you can use as a protective collar? I didn’t see any when I looked through the storage, but I’m still getting myself sorted here.”
Luch ran a hand through his hair, so dark it was almost midnight black, his expression unreadable. He had the looks of a warrior of olden ages, broad shoulders, a sharply angled jaw, and a fierce countenance that made me want to usher him out of the door as fast as I could.
“What happened to the last vet?” Luch stroked Oban’s ears, ignoring my attempt to get him on his way.
I’m not going to be able to stay upright for much longer.
I began to clean up, hoping he’d take the hint to leave, as a wave of exhaustion made my arms tremble. Moving to the sink, I stripped my gloves off and tossed them in the bin and then washed my hands vigorously.
“Och, I can’t really say. He was in a rush to go, and though I’d planned to take over in a few months, he moved the date up. I’m making it work, but I haven’t had the transition time I’d hoped. Hit the ground running as soon as I got here.” I glanced over my shoulder as I dried my hands. Luch still just stood there, petting Oban, and I leaned back against the sink, towel in hands.
“That’s a bit odd, don’t you think?”
“Don’t know. Didn’t know the man all that well.” I needed Luch to move on. “Right. Oban’s looking well enough, and I think it’s best you get him home now. He’ll be needing a good long rest after his adventure today. Today’s my day off, and I dearly need to use this time to unpack and get my things sorted.”
“Right. Sorry about that. We’ll just be off then.” Luch reached in his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, counting out fifty pounds, before he handed it over to me.
A spark leapt between our hands when we touched.
Bloody hell. What was that?
Luch stared down at our joined hands and then raised his eyes slowly to mine. I swallowed, nerves kicking low in my stomach, as my entire body prickled with awareness. Be it lust or danger, I couldn’t quite tell, but either way, how he looked at me seemed to foreshadow an ominous outcome.
“What did you say your name was?” Luch asked, still holding my hand. I pulled it back, breaking contact, and I would have stepped away had my back not been to the sink. Instead, I raised my chin ever so slightly, a challenge.
“I didn’t. But my name is Dr. Faelan Fletcher.” I emphasized the word “doctor.” Not only had I worked hard for my credentials, but I found the title often put overbearing men in their place. I didn’t add any pleasantries about it being nice to meet him. Because I wasn’t entirely sure that it was.
Oban made a soft sound, a huff of sorts, and Luch snapped to attention, turning to pick up his dog. Even though I found this man to be highly intimidating, my heart still softened just the tiniest bit. There was just something about a strong man cradling a dog that made my insides go warm and gooey. It certainly didn’t hurt when said strong man was also wickedly handsome with a face straight out of a warrior movie. Not that I was paying much attention, because I was fairly certain I’d collapse into a chair if Luch didn’t leave my clinic immediately.
“The practice is closed today. But if Oban runs into any trouble, or if you have any questions, feel free to contact me.” Leaving the exam room, I walked to the waiting room where I’d put a box with my cards on the front desk. Since I moved on to new towns so often, it only had my email and phone number as contact information, and no clinic name or address. I handed Luch a card and then paused to pat Oban’s head. The dog wriggled in Luch’s arms, lunging forward, and I laughed as he licked my face effusively.
“You’re very welcome, good sir.” I knew he was thanking me. My patients always knew when I used my power to heal them, something I never took for granted. Such an amazing gift, even though I could never openly share it. Animals were far more in tune with the magickal world than humans ever were. And I definitely found them easier to connect with than humans, which was a bonus given my “line of work” so to speak.
“Och, I should be thanking you as well.” For the first time, Luch’s hard expression dropped, and when he looked down at Oban, a smile wreathed his face.
It was a lightning flash in stormy clouds, lighting his entire face, and my breath caught.
Aye, this man could be dangerous in more ways than one.
“Nae bother. Happy to help.” Please leave. Please just go. For some reason, the more Luch lingered, the more uneasy I became. “Hope your day goes better, Luch.”
“It’s Dr. Carmichael, actually.” Luch held my gaze over Oban’s head. “Dr. Luch Carmichael. I’m really impressed with your work here today, Dr. Fletcher. I know how hard it can be to treat accident wounds. It’s a miracle, really, that Oban wasn’t more injured. Isn’t it?”
Bloody hell, the man was a doctor. I knew he’d had some medical training, but this was my worst nightmare.
“I can’t say. I didn’t see the accident. How was it he got hit by the car again?”
My shot hit home. Luch winced, and his brows drew together as he looked back down at Oban.
“I didn’t close the gate. It’s my fault my wee pal got hurt.”
“It’s a tough lesson, but you’re certainly lucky it wasn’t worse.” Please leave. The pain from healing Oban roiled around inside me, and I needed my tea, some food, and a nap … now.
“Give him lots of love today,” I said, letting out a shaky sigh of relief when Luch finally left the practice. Quickly locking the door, I moved past where Luch stood in front of the practice and was almost around the building to the stairs to my flat when his words followed me.
“I’ll be certain to do so. Thanks for all your … work, Dr. Fletcher.”
Bloody hell. Was I just super sensitive because of my exhaustion or had Dr. Luch Carmichael been far more astute than I imagined? ...
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