stopped and pointed down the tunnel, which continued forever, as far as John could tell.
"If you keep going straight here, you'll be at the gatehouse in another hundred and fifty yards."
Tohr went up the flight of stairs, hit the keypad, and threw open the door. Bright light flooded in, like water released from a dam.
John looked up, an odd feeling ringing in his chest. He had the weirdest sense he was dreaming.
" 'S all good, son." Tohr smiled, his harsh face softening a little. "Nothing's going to hurt you up there. Trust me."
"Okay, it's done," Havers said.
Zsadist opened his eyes, seeing only Wrath's thick black hair. "Has she been... ?"
"She's just fine. No signs of forcible intercourse or trauma of any kind." There was a snapping sound, as if the doctor were removing his gloves.
Zsadist sagged and his brothers accepted his weight. When he finally lifted his head, he saw that Havers had removed the bloody nightgown, put Bella's towel back in place, and was pulling on a fresh pair of gloves. The male leaned over his case, took out a pair of needle-nose scissors and some tweezers, then looked up.
"I'll do her eyes now, all right?" When Z nodded, the doctor held up the instruments. "Be of care, sire. You startle me and I could blind her with these. Do you understand?"
"Yeah. Just don't hurt - "
"She won't feel a thing. I promise you."
This Z watched, and it took forever. He had some vague thought halfway through that he wasn't holding himself up anymore. Phury and Wrath were keeping him on his feet, his head lolling on the side of Wrath's massive shoulder as he stared down.
"Last one," Havers murmured. "Okay. The sutures are out."
All the males in the room took deep breaths, even the doctor, and then Havers went back to his supplies and picked up a tube. He smoothed some ointment onto Bella's lids; then he packed up his suitcase.
As the physician got to his feet, Zsadist broke away from his brothers and walked around a little bit. Wrath and Phury stretched their arms.
"Her injuries are painful, but not life-threatening at this point," Havers said. "They will heal by tomorrow or the day after, provided they are left alone. She is malnourished and she needs to feed. If she's staying in this room, you need to turn up the heat and move her to the bed. Food and drink should be brought in for when she comes around. And there's one other thing. On the internal exam, I found..." His eyes bounced between Wrath and Phury, then settled on Zsadist. "Something of a personal nature."
Zsadist went over to the doctor. "What?"
Havers drew him into the corner and spoke softly.
Z was stunned speechless when the male was finished. "You sure?"
"Yes."
"When?"
"I don't know. But fairly soon."
Z looked down at Bella. Oh, Christ...
"Now, I am assuming you have aspirin or Motrin in the house?"
Z had no clue; he never took pain meds. He glanced at Phury.
"Yes, we do," the brother said.
"Let her take them. And I'll give you something stronger as backup in case they don't work well enough."
Havers took out a small glass bottle that had a red rubber seal as a top and palmed two hypodermic syringes that were in sterile packs. He wrote on a little pad, then handed the paper and the supplies to Z.
"If it's daytime and she's in a great deal of pain when she wakes up, you may give her a shot of this according to my directions. It's the same morphine I just gave her, but you must mind the dosage information. Call me if you have questions or you want me to walk you through the injection procedure. Otherwise, if the sun is down, I'll come and give her the shot myself." Havers glanced down at Z's leg. "Would you like for me to examine your wound?"
"Can I bathe her?"
"Yes, definitely."
"Now?"
"Yes." Havers frowned. "But, sire, your leg..."
Z walked into his bathroom, cranked the Jacuzzi's faucets, and stuck his hand under the rush. He waited until it was warm enough; then he went back for her.
By this time, the doctor had gone, but Mary, Rhage's female, was in the bedroom's doorway, wanting to see Bella. Phury and Wrath talked to her briefly and shook their heads. She left, looking stricken.
As the door shut, Z knelt down next to the pallet and started to pick Bella up.
"Hold it, Z." Wrath's voice was hard. "Her family should be caring for her."