This wasn’t the way I had seen this done, but it was effective. The bit had spurs on the outside and a flat bottom, and by carefully controlling speed and pressure I had made the required hole. I got lucky; I could see the blood draining. I set the drill down and changed gloves before using gauze and a wrap to hold it in place.
I could hear the helicopter but didn’t say anything until the other guys noticed. “Snake used to be Army, he’s got the flares and will guide it down,” he said. I just kept working on Hammer as they landed.
A few minutes later, the EMT’s were next to me with their gurney. Working together, we got him strapped in place. “I’m going with them,” I told Viper, tossing him my keys.
“We’ll take care of your stuff,” he said. “See you at the hospital.”
I pulled on a spare helmet after we loaded so I could talk to the crew and the hospital. I’d only been down there a couple times, visiting patients from the clinics I worked at, so they knew me. It was a short flight, and after turning over to the neurosurgeon and thoracic surgeons who were waiting, I was looking around for water and a change of clothing.
The guys arrived about forty-five minutes later, rushing into the waiting room. “How is he, Doc?”
“He’s in surgery. The neurosurgeon is done, he stopped the bleeder. They are removing the antler now.”
Snake had made a coffee run, and I gratefully took the tall coffee and the muffin he offered. We waited another hour as I got to know the guys, and they got me to talk a little about myself. President Viper was married, a former Marine and Vietnam combat vet. Most of the guys in his club were vets, the younger ones had been in the Iraq war. If you weren’t a veteran, you were a brother of one. The group was very tight, and clearly Hammer was loved by them. He was the Master at Arms, responsible for discipline in the club. The VP was the medic, he had served in the late 70’s at stateside hospitals. He was, of course, nicknamed Doc.
After hearing that Hammer was going to pull through, the guys relaxed. “Pres, I got a half-dozen rooms reserved at the hotel a few blocks from here,” he said. “That’s all they have.”
Viper looked around at his club members. “Two brothers stay here with Hammer, we’ll do eight-hour shifts,” he said. He looked at me. “Doc, we can offer you a room or we can take you back home. Snake looked at your truck, the tie rod broke and he had to call for a tow truck.”
Shit. I really needed to get back to the Pack. If we had two cases, who knew what was happening next. “I have to get home, I can’t stay here,” I said.
“Whatever you need from us, you have,” Viper said. “We are in your debt for saving our friend.”
I blushed a little. “That’s my job, it’s what I’m trained for.”
“We know,” Doc said, “but you still have it. Boss, I’ll stay here with the prospect until morning.”
“Dagger, Gasket with me. The rest of you get to the hotel.” I followed them down the elevator, their Harleys were parked in a line near the entrance. “You can ride with me, Doc.”
“You have a helmet for me?”
“None of us do,” he said. “Helmets are for rice burners, cuts are for Harleys.”
I needed the ride, so I got on behind him. “I’ve never ridden,” I told him.
“Just hold on to me and lean when I do,” he said. He started his big Harley and pulled out, the other two falling in line behind him. It was the most enjoyable trip I’d had in a long time; I loved the freedom, the speed as we covered the miles quickly. There was a guest house at the edge of our territory we could get to without getting close to the main Pack, so I gave him directions there. It was nearly sunrise when we got there.
There were no fresh scents, so no one was using it. The key was in its normal place, so I opened it up and let them in. “I’m going to take a shower and go to bed, and you guys should get a few hours sleep before you head back,” I said. “There’s a bathroom down the hall, towels in the closet inside. There are two beds in this room, and one of you can take this couch.”
“Thank you, Vivian,” Viper said. “We’ll let ourselves out, you get your sleep.”
I went into the bedroom and called the Alpha, letting him know what happened and that I had humans staying with me for a short time. He said he would keep the Pack away, and asked me to come see him once I had some sleep.
I was asleep before my pillow warmed up. When I woke, there was a note from Viper along with his card. Who would have thought that this big biker owned a computer company in St. Paul? He thanked me again and told me I was always welcome to visit them if I went down to the cities. I smiled and put the note in my pocket, before going to talk to the Alpha.
I knocked on the Alpha’s office door, I could smell Luna Connie’s scent in there with him along with Beta Charles. “Come in,” he said.
I opened the door nervously. “You wanted to see me, Alpha Clark?”
“Please, Vivian, sit. I’d like to hear more about what you found in Duluth, as well as what happened last night.” Mitch had Connie in his lap, her hand was protectively held over the small baby bump she had.
Charles was sitting in one chair in front of his desk, so I took the other, keeping my eyes down respectfully. “As you know, I went to speak with Dr. Jennings, as he is the closest and most experienced Pack Doctor. As I arrived, a woman in his Pack had just died, her baby lost at eighteen weeks. From the symptoms and how quickly it progressed, it appears to be the same cause as what killed Laura.”
Connie was pale, nervously looking at me. “How can that be? You said this had never happened before.”
I nodded. “I have found nothing like this in my training or in the human training. Human medical texts have been no help, and until yesterday, I’m not aware of any other doctor seeing it. Dr. Jennings had the same problem; for an unknown reason, the placenta started to detach from the uterine wall while the pre-term fetus was still viable. The mechanism prevents the normal process that stops the bleeding, in fact, it seems to promote bleeding. He got to her faster than I did, delivered the baby by C-section, but couldn’t stop the bleeding before she died.” I looked at my hands. “I’ve also called my father, he is helping me research, but as to cause or treatment, we are at a loss.”
“Could it happen again?”
“I don’t know WHY it is happening, much less why in two different Packs so close together. Anything is possible, I’m afraid.”
Connie looked at her husband, he pulled her close before looking at me again. “If it happens again, what will you do?”
“Get the female into the clinic at the first sign of fever or bleeding. If I see any evidence on the ultrasound or physically it is starting, I’d have to take aggressive measures.” I gulped, what I was about to say went against every instinct a wolf had. “I’d do an emergency C-section, even if the fetus is not viable, which for us is up to twenty-eight weeks gestation since I don’t have access to neonatal intensive care. Then I would remove the placenta and attempt to stop the bleeding; if it doesn’t stop, I would be forced to perform a hysterectomy in order to save the mother.”