The Dragon Guardian (22 page)

Lorna chimed in from behind Fergus. “Is there nothing here we can use? I know the bunker wasn’t quite finished, but surely there are supplies stashed somewhere.”

Holly bobbed her head. “Fraser mentioned how they started stocking supplies last week. If we’re lucky, they started with the medical supplies first.” Holly looked to Lorna. “Can you find out what we have here? Fraser should know where they’re located. There should be a box or two labeled ‘maternity kit.’ If so, bring it.”

“Aye, I’ll find out,” Lorna replied before exiting the room.

After a beat of silence, Gina’s voice filled the room and Fergus focused back on his mate. “Fergus, tell me one of your stories about you and Fraser getting into trouble. I could do with a distraction.”

Not hesitating, he gently squeezed Gina’s hand. “Aye, that I can do. Have I told you about how I helped Fraser create a Nessie sighting?”

She smiled. “No. Tell me everything.”

As he regaled the tale from his late teens, Fergus secretly wished with his whole heart that his mate would survive the birth despite the less than perfect conditions. With Dr. Innes unconscious and Layla looking over the rest of Lochguard, Gina might not have a doctor on hand to help if things went wrong. Holly was a bloody good midwife, but she might not be able to save Gina on her own.

Tightening his grip on his mate’s hands, he pushed aside his worry. His stubborn lass and son would pull through this. They had to.

~~~

Dr. Cassidy Jackson clenched her fingers as the DDA helicopter sped toward Lochguard’s land.

She hated flying.

Some might consider it odd for a dragon-shifter, but Sid’s dragon had gone silent during her adolescent years. Flying only reminded her of what she’d never be able to do on her own. On top of that, she was at the mercy of a giant machine.

Both reasons made her heart pound and palms sweat.

Yet as they approached Lochguard’s landing area, the smoke billowing up into the sky chased away her past and fears. The Scottish clan needed her help and she was going to give it to them. While she’d never met Dr. Gregor Innes in person, his reputation was well-known as a good doctor dedicated to his clan. It was Sid’s duty to help out while he recovered; she might one day need the same favor.

The helicopter hovered for about a minute before retreating to a smaller landing area further inside the clan’s boundaries. The second it touched down, Sid let out a breath. When it came time to return to Stonefire, Sid was going home by car.

The side door opened. Unbuckling her restraints, Sid grabbed her medical bag and jumped down. She moved quickly away from the twirling blades toward a female dragon-shifter with black hair, brown eyes, and an olive complexion. The female had put in a brief call to Sid earlier. She was Layla MacFie, Lochguard’s junior doctor.

The doctor motioned toward a makeshift surgery tent not far away. “This way. I need you to man the tent and look after Gregor.”

Sid easily switched to work mode. “How many are injured?”

“About fifty. The only saving grace is there were only two fatalities.”

The two females approached the largest of two tents and Layla led the way. She continued, “The other tent has the ones injured in dragon form. There aren’t as many since most were hit while in human form. If you can handle this tent, I’ll handle the dragons.”

Sid had a feeling Layla was sparing her feelings with the division of tasks. But as she saw the bleeding and groaning people inside the tent, she forgot about everything but tending to the hurt. “Just introduce me to the nurses and they can show me the ropes.”

Layla picked up a two-way radio and pushed the side button. “Dr. Jackson is here.”

Sid shook her head. “Everyone calls me Dr. Sid.”

“Dr. Sid then.” Two females and three males with disheveled hair approached them. Two of them had a fair amount of blood on their tops. When they were close enough, Layla motioned toward Sid. “This is Dr. Sid. Help her get settled. I’m trusting her care to you.”

One male nodded and answered, “We’ll be fine, Layla. Go. I know you have a surgery to perform.”

Layla brushed a stray dark hair behind her ear. “Right, then. I’ll check in with you when I’m done.”

Sid pointed toward the door. “Go. I’ll be fine.”

As the young female exited the tent, Sid turned to the five nurses. “Is triage completed?” The same male from before nodded. Sid continued, “Right, let me quickly check Dr. Innes and then we’ll work our way down the list. Unless anyone is hanging on by a thread?”

The same male shook his head. “No. Layla already took care of those. We mostly have burns, scrapes, and broken bones needing casts left. And a few panic attacks.”

“Good. What’s your name?” Sid asked.

“Logan Lamont.”

“Okay, Logan. You take me to Innes and the rest of you go back to work. Don’t hesitate to holler if something goes wrong.”

Logan handed her a spare radio. “This is for you. They’re easier than mobile phones.”

Sid took it and the four other nurses rushed back to their sections of the tent. As Sid and Logan walked toward the back, she looked at the younger male. “Who were the casualties?”

Logan’s face turned grim. “A mother and her child. A bomb hit their house before they could escape. The only good bit of news is that the father and other daughter were out when it happened.”

The mention of the family’s tragedy stirred a memory from Sid’s own past. But she pushed it aside. “It’s rare for a family to have two female children.”

“Aye, but the Innes’ have a rare track record of birthing more females than males.”

Sid faltered. “Innes?”

Logan put out a hand. “No, Gregor never found another mate, let alone had a child. But his sister and her youngest child were the ones to perish.”

Sid had dealt with her fair share of tragedies. From losing humans who died when birthing dragon-shifter babies to reckless teenagers who ended up tortured by dragon hunters; Sid had seen them all.

But Gregor Innes’s past was well known among the dragon-shifter medical community because of his year’s leave over a decade ago. The man had already lost his wife in childbirth and it’d taken him a year to regain control of his dragon.

Taking a deep breath, Sid fell back on her years of medical practice and training. She needed to be calm and collected for the sake of her patients. She’d handle Gregor Innes when he woke up.

Speaking of the male, they entered a curtained-off section. Her eyes fell on the unconscious dragonman on the bed.

Even pale with bruises on his face, he was handsome. His dark blond hair was a tad bit too long and a light scruff donned his cheeks. The laugh lines at the corners of his mouth told her he was a man who had eventually overcome his past to find some degree of happiness.

Sid didn’t even realize she’d been staring until another male to her left spoke up. “Who’s this, Logan?”

Forcing her gaze away from the male who had to be Gregor Innes, she met the eyes of the red-haired, brown-eyed male holding his sleeping four or five-year-old daughter. “I’m Dr. Sid, from Stonefire. And you are?”

“I’m Gregor’s brother-in-law, Harris Chisolm.” The male hugged his sleeping daughter tightly. “And this is my daughter, Fiona.”

“I’m sorry for your loss, Harris.”

The male’s voice cracked. “Thank you.”

“I hate to be indelicate, but I need to check Gregor and then attend to the other patients. My recommendation for you is to find something to eat and then take some rest with your daughter.” She looked to Logan. “Can you assist them while I quickly check Gregor?”

Logan nodded. “Aye.” He looked to Harris. “Come with me, Harris.”

When Harris merely followed, Sid had a feeling the male was feeling defeated. She was usually pretty good about keeping her feelings partitioned when it came to tragedy and death, but Harris’s case was too similar to another one.

Not now, Jackson.
Sid pumped out some antibacterial gel from its receptacle and rubbed it into her hands. Pulling down the sheet, she was greeted with Gregor’s bare chest. The light dusting of hair and muscles told her that even the doctor took time to remain fit and healthy.

She placed her fingers on the side of his neck and was surprised at how warm his skin was. Not too hot, but warm in a way that made her want to lie on top of him and drink it in.

Blinking at the randy suggestion, she looked at her watch and focused on each beat of his heart. The rhythm was steady and nothing to be concerned about. After checking the responsiveness of his pupils, she felt his neck and then ran her hands down his chest and sides. Sid had done the same procedure a thousand times before, but she found herself lingering at his waist. It was almost as if she didn’t want to let go.

Maybe Evie was right and Sid needed to start enjoying life a little more. Sid couldn’t remember the last time she’d had sex. Even without a dragon-half to demand it, the release would ease some of the tension she stored up because of her occupation.

Thinking of sex, her eyes trailed down Gregor’s chest to the light line of hair just below his navel. The sheet stopped her from finishing her perusal. She hesitated, but then assured herself that she needed to check all of him. It was her duty as a doctor.

And it was most definitely not because she was curious about what was under the sheet.

With a deep breath, she tossed back the sheet. Gregor Innes hadn’t been maimed in the lower half of his body. All the long inches of his penis were lying intact.

What are you doing?
Sid was a doctor. She’d never had the slightest interest in gaping at one of her patients before. Maybe it was just because she didn’t usually treat Lochguard’s clan members.

Her eyes moved to his face and Gregor’s chiseled cheekbones and strong jaw. Whatever it was, it was highly unprofessional of her. Sid needed to get her shit together. There were injured and dying people who needed care.

Tossing the sheet back over the lower half of his body, she examined his head. The large bump was probably the reason he was unconscious. Considering all of his other vitals were right on target, she would just need to wait for him to wake up.

With one last glance at the rise and fall of Gregor’s chest, Sid took a deep breath and exited the partitioned room to dive into the fray. Thankfully, as she examined one patient after another, she never had another inappropriate thought. Only Gregor Innes has that effect on her and Sid refused to think of the reason behind it.

She would do everything in her power to steer clear of the doctor once she left Lochguard. That should protect her from any dangerous feelings of hope.

After all, solitude was the best chance for a dragon-shifter without a dragon to avoid losing their mind and going insane.

Gina relaxed after her latest contraction. All of the books and articles she’d read hadn’t prepared her for how much birthing a child hurt without drugs. To be more accurate, they should say, “A contraction is like someone gripping your uterus and twisting it until you think you’ll break in two.”

Sweat trailed down the side of her face, but Fergus wiped it away with a cloth. She looked over at her dragonman. While his eyes were calm and collected, the tightness of his jaw told her how he was worrying for her on the inside. Squeezing his hand, she murmured, “I’m glad you’re here.”

He kissed her forehead and lingered. When he finally pulled away, he answered, “Me, too, lass. Me, too.”

Holly’s voice cut through their moment. “You’re fully dilated, Gina. So far, you’ve been brilliant. On the next contraction, I need you to push as hard as you can, okay?”

Gina nodded. “I’ll try.”

Holly looked over to Lorna at her side. “Is everything set up to check the babe once he’s here?”

“Aye, it is. And if he’s anything like my own kin, he’ll be in a rush to get out.”

Even though there was no blood relation between Lorna and Gina’s son, Lorna acted as if they were. Tears prickled her eyes. “Thank you.”

Lorna raised her brows. “For what? You’re giving me my first grandchild, hen. The sooner he’s here, the sooner I can spoil him rotten.”

At Lorna’s comment, Gina burst into tears and Fergus hissed, “Mum.”

Not hearing their ensuing argument, Gina tried to stop crying. But the MacKenzies were kinder than she could’ve ever dreamed of. More so than her own family.

Her grandmother’s words echoed inside Gina’s mind:
Not all dragon-shifters are bad, Gina. Don’t let one clan’s actions close off your heart from the rest.
At the time, Gina had wondered why her grandmother would say such a thing. Now she knew—her grandma had probably foreseen Gina seeking out the Scottish clan’s help.

Fergus kissed her tear-stained cheek. Then his strong-yet-kind voice filled her ear. “Let’s just get the wee man out and deal with my mum later.”

Gina sniffled. “But I’m crying because I’m happy, Fergus.”

The corner of his mouth ticked up. “If you’re happy now, about to push out a bairn, then wait until later. I’ll show you happiness you couldn’t dream of.”

She smiled. “I can’t tell if you’re being cocky or sincere.”

He grinned. “You’ll just have to wait to find out.”

Damn, Fergus was too attractive for his own good when he grinned with mischief dancing in his eyes. Maybe she could coax that grin out more often.

Gina opened her mouth to tease him when another contraction hit. Pain cut across her lower abdomen and she barely prevented herself from cursing out every person in the room.

Holly commanded, “Push, Gina!”

Gripping Fergus’s hand, she pushed as hard as she could, stretching parts of her she didn’t want to think about. The pain was finally too much and she screamed.
Please let this be over soon.

After what seemed like an hour, the contraction finally ceased. Gina relaxed onto the bed with a huge sigh. She wasn’t looking forward to doing that again.

Holly ordered, “Don’t push again until the next one, no matter how much you may want to do so.”

Fergus mopped her brow with a cloth and Gina managed to ask, “Is he nearly here? Please tell me he’s nearly here.”