Chapter 78: Friday, July 12th Pt. 4

I leave his side for the bathroom, grabbing two washcloths while the water in the sink runs. I test it for hotness before wetting both cloths, adding soap to just one before returning to the bed. I wipe down his feet, using the second cloth to rinse them so he doesn’t get debris from walking barefoot outside in the bed. He’s so exhausted that he doesn’t even pull back the covers; he simply lays on top using the robe to cover himself. I return the cloths to the bathroom sink before opening the closet and retrieving a soft, flannel sheet for him to sleep with. He has never been known to sleep uncovered even during the warmest summer nights. I notice the pedestal fan and grab it before shutting the closet door. I place the fan in the middle of the floor before heading back to the bed, shaking out the sheet and covering him before sitting on the edge. A soft knock on the door jam alerts me to Lilly’s presence before she walks inside the room.

“I had a feeling you would resort to one of these rooms.” She states calmly as she sits on the other side of the bed. “How did it go?” She asks quietly as she was very vocal with her concerns when I told her my plan.

“Better than I anticipated. He confirmed what I feared. His wolf became so preoccupied with hunting down his luna that Damian was becoming trapped behind the wolf. It was becoming increasingly difficult for him to control his other half and the chronic need to force shifting to maintain control has exhausted him physically and mentally. It’s going to take some time for him to recover.”

“What does that mean for his guardsmen apprenticeship?”

She asks as she strokes the tips of his hair at the back of his neck. He shifts uncomfortably under the covers letting out small whimpers as I feel the muscles in his lower back start into mild spasms.

“Damian, would you be willing to take some muscle relaxers? Angela already has them prepared as we knew this was likely. I just didn’t grab them while we were walking through the wing.”

“Please.” He whispers as the spasms intensify under the hand I have placed on his back. He starts moving faster, frantically trying to find a comfortable position to lay in. Lilly stands as his pain increases, alarmed at the sudden change. I run one hand over his back trying to find where the muscle has tensed the worst while grabbing his hand in the other.

“Squeeze , Day.” I instruct him as I press down just above his left hip area trying to use a mild amount of pressure and my ability to take on some of his pain to calm some of the pain he’s feeling. I quickly link with Angela, explaining the situation, grateful that she chose to slip into her office instead of going back to bed. I wait until he has calmed before continuing the conversation.

“His apprenticeship has been put on hold without an anticipated return date. I have already met with Cohen, the leader of his group. We worked it out so that Monday when the group patrols again, Brandon, a young adult delta that has been asking to patrol since turning eighteen six months ago will start his apprenticeship with the group. While he has struggled with both the classroom and physical training he has the spirit and determination of a warrior and Cohen agreed to give him a try in the field.”

She nods while sitting back down on the bed. A light knock on the door takes my attention away from Damian to see Angela walk across the room.

“I brought some water.” She states as she places the bottle on the side table. “Because of the sedating effects of both medications combining them means we need to monitor his heart rate.” She explains as she hands me the portable monitor. “Do you remember how to connect to it so it shows on your phone?” I nod as I take it and the pill bottle from her hand. “I will attempt to connect with it in the office but the cell phones seem to have a longer reach.”

I give her a quiet thanks as Damian starts sitting up allowing the sheet and the robe to slide off his body. He sways unsteadily as brief whines escape his throat. He’s struggling to stay upright but still manages long enough for me to place the monitoring stickers while he takes the medication. Hooking up the leads goes just as fast and he’s laying back down before Angela leaves.

“How long will he be like this?” Lilly asks as Damian continues to struggle with the pain.

“It’s difficult to tell. A lot of damage can occur to the muscles and ligaments when shifting is forced. He didn’t feel this pain before now because his wolf was keeping him in a survival state. It’s only when the body relaxes that damage will rear its ugly head. Our plan right now is to keep him on our highest dose of Silvex twice a day. This first dose will last twenty-four hours but you can start the pills after twelve hours have passed so his first pill will be at eight tonight. The muscle relaxers will also be every twelve hours for three days. If he’s still experiencing high levels of pain and cramping, on the fourth day I will take him to the wing, have him sedated and get him through the multi scanner looking for any injuries that may have occurred.”

“When will you be telling him all this?” Lilly asks worried about keeping too many medical things a secret.

“I promise you, he’s not asleep right now. He has relaxed with my help but he hears me. I will also go over all this with him during the few hours he’ll be awake tomorrow. His body will start adjusting and the sedating effects of Silvex should significantly reduce by Tuesday giving us the ability to start therapy and classes designed to help him take control back.”

“Are you sure this will work?” She questions.

“While I didn’t need as much intervention due to you already living here, I went through a similar course of action.” I explain as I release everything I took from Damian back to him. He stirs slightly but overall has fallen asleep nicely. I sit back down on the bed looking at Lilly.

“His needs are similar to what I needed as we both needed to control our wolves but they are both significantly different.” I sigh as I rub his back lightly. “I needed to control my lust for you. I understood that you were abused but you weren’t talking about it. I also understood that my wolf’s pursuit of intimacy scared you so I sought treatment that was experimental at the time. Damian is different and I fear, more extreme than that. His mate is trapped in a house of hell. Cohen has approached me several times with concerns and I have joined him in the field on their off days. Damian’s wolf has every right to seek revenge for what Alrik Anderson is doing. Not just to his mate but the children under her care. Yet, it is important to understand that she won’t leave until all the kids are gone. The problem is, she trusts no one. We need a starting point and I believe Damian is the key.”