Loved by a Beast - Miranda Bridges Page 0,4
the healer from the eastern tribe. The fact that Anwa sought his help makes me more frightened than I care to admit.
Ah, hell. I’m scared out of my fucking mind.
“Can you help her?” I ask Brannick.
“I will do my best, Massela.” His voice is soothing, and despite the severity of what’s going on, I find myself calming a little.
He pulls back Vivian’s gown and palms her stomach, his dark brows drawing together. No one speaks or moves as he does his examination. Even though his expression doesn’t change, the atmosphere around him does.
After replacing her clothing, he takes Anwa to the side, his words coming out rapidly. I look over to Scarlett to find the horror I’m feeling reflected in her gaze. The blood drains from her face, making her paler than when Brannick first arrived.
My nerves have me shaking so bad that I get up from the bed so I don’t disturb Vivian, who looks as though she’s close to going unconscious. Her eyelids flutter, and her shallow breaths scrape across my ears. If it wouldn’t scare her, I’d lay my head on her chest to check the strength of her heart.
Unable to just stand there, I march across the small tent and place myself right beside the two healers. They are so deep in their conversation that they don’t look at me until I clear my throat.
“Please tell me what’s going on,” I say. “I know something’s wrong.”
They share a knowing look before Anwa speaks. “The youngling is not facing the normal direction for the birthing process. This is not uncommon, and most Boraq women find it more difficult but not impossible to deliver. However, she is human, and I don’t think she can expel the infant on her own.”
I swallow deep and exhale. “Okay, so that’s not good, but there has to be something you can do.” I swivel my head from side to side, looking between the healers, my gaze pleading. “She has to have that baby or they’ll both die.”
“That is the way sometimes,” Anwa says, sorrow blanketing her tone.
“Fuck that,” I hiss, squinting at her. “You’ve seen other human women give birth before we arrived, so you must know what to do.”
“The successful births were few.” Anwa hangs her head, and the beads on the ends of her hair click together. “I failed them, and it looks as if I will fail again with this one.”
I grab Anwa’s arm and give it a jerk, wanting to shake that defeated attitude from her. “What about a cesarean?” I ask. At her puzzled expression, I explain it to her as best I can, thankful I paid attention to that mandatory video in biology. When I’m finished I can tell I’ve done nothing but confuse Anwa more, and tears fill my eyes at the futility of the situation.
“Humans were not meant to have Boraq offspring,” Anwa says, her own gaze glittering with emotion.
I retract my hand from her to cover my mouth and stifle my scream. This can’t be happening. Most of the human women have found love and acceptance here with the Boraq, and I refuse to believe it will all end in death, just like it did with our predecessors.
“That procedure may be a viable option.” Brannick’s voice, although soft and quiet, is very strong. “It is not something I’ve ever seen, but it makes sense, and the logic holds.”
“You could kill her or harm the youngling if you cut into her like that,” Anwa says. “It’s too risky.”
Brannick folds his arms. “If we do nothing, she will most certainly die.”
The Boraq female ponders that statement for a moment but finally nods in agreement. Then she looks at me, her gaze piercing. “Give us as much detail as possible concerning this procedure. The more you give, the better chance we have at saving your friend’s life.”
I wave Scarlett over, and between the two of us, we give all the information we can think of to the healers. Brannick nods on occasion, but Anwa is the one who asks questions. Some of them we can answer, but most we don’t because we have no clue.
“This must be done quickly,” Brannick says to Anwa. “Escort them out, and I’ll give the female something to put her into a deep, painless sleep.”
Scarlett opens her mouth to protest, but I snatch her hand and give it a sharp tug. She clamps her lips shut and follows me outside. As soon as Draal’s gaze lands on her, he strides over