Page 14 of Dragon Tempted

Before Megan and Tessa could protest, she took the stairs two at a time and entered the room just as several guards left.

John was lying on a stripped-down bed, and Dr. Murphy bent over him, checking his vitals.

“How is he?” she asked.

“Too early to tell. Marcus, can you take off his shirt?”

Eric stepped over to her. “Why don’t you go downstairs with Megan and Tessa?”

Nope. “I’m not going anywhere. I can help.” Sienna stepped to the side of the bed. “What do you need?”

Dr. Murphy nodded. “Wash your hands and then you can help me.”

She rushed into the bathroom and scrubbed her hands before heading back into the bedroom and stopping short at the sight in front of her.

Marcus had removed John’s shirt. He was bleeding from his side, but what caught her attention were the older scars. She stepped closer and stared at his chest. They were a tapestry representing a violent past, and it made Sienna’s heart hurt for him.

Dr. Murphy’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “I’ll need to get that arrow out of him as soon as possible.” He gestured toward the table with his supplies. “Everyone put on gloves. I don’t want anyone touching the arrow with bare hands.”

Sienna quickly pulled on a pair of gloves as everyone else did the same. Dr. Murphy picked up some instruments, and Marcus stood next to him, ready to assist. The doctor cut along his side and started to work the arrow out. Sienna glanced up at John’s face, but he didn’t flinch. She swallowed. Keep it together. Keep it together.

“Sienna, grab that small basin. I’m going to put the arrowhead into it as soon as I can get it out of him.”

She held the metal basin over John’s chest, trying not to shake. A minute later Dr. Murphy pulled a forceps from John’s side with the arrowhead at the end of it and dropped them both into the container with a metallic ping. Sienna turned and set it on the dresser.

“We’ve got a bleeder,” Dr. Murphy said in a much too calm voice for Sienna’s liking. That wasn’t a sentence that should have the same tone as “Nice weather today,” but doctors needed to hold their crap together, right?

“Sienna, grab that gauze and press it to his side.”

Sienna scrambled and pulled the stack of gauze and leaned over John and pushed it against his side.

“Good. More pressure. I’m going to stop the bleeding in just a second.”

Dr. Murphy had Marcus grab more instruments, and the noise around her faded as she looked down into John’s face. He appeared so peaceful right now and that scared her. Where were his frown lines on his forehead and his downturned mouth? He was too damn grumpy to die.

“He’s not going to die if I have anything to say about it,” Dr. Murphy announced.

Sienna blinked up at him. She must have said that last part out loud.

Dr. Murphy nodded at her. “Okay, move the gauze away, Marcus and I are ready.”

She pulled her hand away from him, and they got to work, Marcus handing the doctor different items as he operated on whatever was making him bleed so much.

Adam stood next to her. “Ian’s good at what he does. He won’t let the grump die.”

Yep. She had definitely said her last thoughts out loud.

After another couple of minutes, Ian and Marcus both took a breath.

“We stopped the bleeding. Before I close up the wound, I want to flush the area, especially if there was poison on the arrowhead.”

Marcus walked over to him with a squeeze bottle of clear liquid.

“I’ll need to test the arrowhead before we close him up as well.”

“Can I test it for you?” Sienna asked.

Ian nodded. “Okay. Eric, in my bag is a leather sleeve with two vials of liquid. Get them out and give them to Sienna.”