Page 17

Ellie

I was beyond furious that the magics helping in South America made the call all on their own to bring the uninjured to ASH. And then they had the balls to demand we feed and take care of them. We were a hospital, not a fucking motel.

And who the fuck were they to tell us what to do about shit? We didn’t answer to them. We were a separate fucking country—continent even if they broke up into countries. Most still referred to the United States as the United States even if we were technically the country of North America.

Old habits died hard. And that was the country when supes took over. Nothing was ever simple.

But this was citizens of another country, breaking international law without any kind of permission and facing huge problems later just ordering us around. A few smirked at me like they dared me to argue when they brought children through.

“So they want medical personnel from another country that they don’t know to drop everything and take care of scared children without their parents?

” I asked the translator. “That’s their plan?

Who will help the injured arriving who have permission to come to this hospital to get care?

When those people die—probably some parents of these children, they’ll handle it? ”

The translator looked less than thrilled to have to say it all for me, but what did he want me to do?

I couldn’t accept this situation. He sighed and looked at me after they spoke.

“They ask if you preferred they left the children in a dangerous situation, and would you have taken responsibility later if they died?”

I lost patience and fisted the shirt of the warlock in the front of the group.

“We are not responsible for your fucking country’s lack of emergency planning, asshole.

You’re saying there wasn’t anywhere else in all of South America to take them?

Take them to your president! Take the uninjured to your own damn hospitals to get checked out and help.

“We’re trying to help save the dozens who have already arrived and you’re taking us away from doing that!

” I gestured to the new group who arrived, our soldiers acting as medics and helping several heroically.

“Medical personnel is needed to save them. Not babysit people and kids. Take them to a fucking daycare!”

The warlock got pissed that I was challenging him even if he didn’t know exactly what I was saying. He went to use magic against me so I let go since he couldn’t overpower me… But nothing happened. My magic automatically blocked it which was why I normally avoided powerful magics.

I simply smirked and let him go, nodding for the translator to do his thing. He didn’t even get the chance to, two aides of our president’s who I recognized arriving. I filled them in and was glad when they were furious and promised to handle it, update the president—everything.

Ha-joon came jogging over. “Sorry to interrupt, but my family’s pack activated the phone chain to get bodies here to handle the uninjured. They can get names and—Da takes emergency training and management seriously. I should have gotten permission first.”

“See, this is a plan that doesn’t involve keeping fucking doctors from treating patients,” I said to the warlock, annoyed when I saw he fully understood me. Asshole. He was wasting time using the translator for… Asshole.

I thanked them both and headed to handle what was next.

Which was too much. I was beyond relieved when it was the same military contacts who had helped us as the last catastrophe. They had been fantastic and didn’t fuck around.

“The word we’re getting from boots on the ground is this is four or five times worse than the earthquake,” one told me.

“And they don’t have any sort of response close to what Asia did.

South America is so busy trying to downplay it like they didn’t let something so stupid like this happen over an old mine—”

“They’re not being of much use, and their own people are playing games under the guise of helping,” I muttered, gesturing to the magics who were hanging out like they wanted trophies for what they did.

Yeah, they deserved them… But not from us . Their government should give them. I was disgusted how they were behaving and—all of it.

“What do you need differently than last time?” I asked him.

He seemed to hesitate but then sighed. “More of our soldiers are going into danger. We’ll need blood. The president might not ask for it, but—you know how rough things get for us in a crisis. Is there any chance you can spare extra of the good stuff?”

I did some quick calculations and a flash of the last reports I had. “For sure I can get you at least three hundred pints of blood with additives. Beyond that, it might be only regular blood. I’d have to check.”

“Okay, then additives for only our people who get injured. I would suggest getting something set up because it won’t take long before some will need to refuel.

” He sighed when I frowned. “Getting into the sinkhole to retrieve people is bad. It’s deep.

This was—idiots. Serious idiots to have built over that mine. ”

Fair enough. I made it happen, having a few of my admins work with his soldiers who were in charge of managing it all so someone didn’t slip into the chaos and walk off with free blood.

Then I was actually needed to jump in as a doctor because so many were coming in faster than our off duty people could get here on a Saturday. Or extra help to us.

I was relieved when about a dozen emergency and trauma doctors from New York arrived. A few were attendings—even better—but would be lost at ASH. I had them help the military and set up in extra medical tents outside to triage as best as they could.

Then another group of seven showed up from LA. Five from Chicago with the promise more were coming. Ten from Dallas.

Fabulous. Fucking fantastic.

But it was also summer in Atlanta and that was part of my yelling at the warlock. It was too hot already.

Relief filled me when I saw some of Ha-joon’s family working with others to set up tents and shelter from the sun on the grassy area along the parking lot.

I talked to one of the president’s aides and he promised me water and more was already on their way.

Clothes for kids and people to change into and—everything.

Amazing. And ASH didn’t have to pay for it all.

It sounded selfish or cheap, but we were giving enough already. It wasn’t like we were going to be collecting from another country’s insurance for all of the medical fees.

Apparently, one of the more sexist aides to the South American President was tired of being told no or I wouldn’t just do whatever they wanted…

So, he came for the source. I sensed the pissed-off vampire before he reached me.

I gave him a bored look as he stormed down on me which only incited him even more.

Fuck. Him.

He extended his arm like he was going to grab me and pull me to the conversation he’d been having.

But I wasn’t having any of that.

I used the clipboard I had been reviewing to smack his hand away and then slammed it into his throat.

“Maybe that will make you swallow down whatever bile was about to come out of your mouth now, you ungrateful piece of shit. We don’t owe you anything, and we’re not a United Nations funded hospital no matter what your president tries to pretend. ”

Just to be a bitch, I tapped his head a few times with the clipboard while he was healing from the shot to his throat.

“Did that clear things up or do I need to smack more sense into you? Because I’m more than willing to.”

“You will be arrested for this,” he coughed.

I snorted, smirking when rage filled his eyes.

“Everyone here saw you get physical first. Just because I’m better than you and was ready for it doesn’t change that.

How about I have you arrested for assaulting a citizen here when you’re a guest?

” I glanced past him. “Who am I talking to with a brain besides this one?”

Some idiots just never learned because he reached for me again. I let him touch my shoulder this time so there was no mistaking it or anything he could spin later.

I moved my fist under his arm and punched up into his elbow joint, instantly dislocating it before doing the same to his wrist and shoulder.

“See, that was what I was stopping by slapping your hand away last time, but apparently you really wanted to see the consequences of your actions. Fine by me.”

Alan came racing over and glanced between us. “I warned you fools not to poke the bear when we’re in the middle of a calamity.”

A deep British voice spoke from my left. “I was unaware you had such a temper.”

I turned my head and met Alpha Clark’s gaze, swallowing down some of what I might have said because he was Ha-joon’s father and I was pretty sure I was in love with my Alpha wolf.

“You should be grateful you didn’t get even worse and I was in such bad shape when you met me.

I was too down on blood and recovering from injuries painfully because of that. ”

He glanced from the man on the ground wailing in pain back to me. “I believe that. Clearly, you were well trained.”

I nodded. “And you always found me in public. Human women weren’t trained like that back then. You had all of the advantages then .”

“Yes, and I will keep apologizing for how I acted. It was unforgivable.” His lips twitched. “But I hear your message loud and clear, Dr. Reed. Things have changed.”

“Yes, the biggest one being that we both care for your son, so we should never be on opposite sides of anything,” I reminded him before heading to speak with my president’s aides.

We had enough help from other hospitals that I didn’t have to jump in again as a doctor, but honestly saving the lives of the victims would have been less stressful than coordinating it all. Especially with too much pushback and not enough help.