Page 29 of It’s Kind of a Bunny Story (Hey There, Hop Stuff #3)

M onroe led me past the hustle and bustle of the staff, and through several doors marked Employees Only. We stepped into a small room that was attached to the lab.

“It lacks the privacy of a private room, but being so close allows the doctors to monitor Charlee’s vitals while they begin working on a vaccine to give the pack prior to exposure to help lessen the effects of the toxin.

They are also working on an antidote that could help those who’ve been exposed,” Monroe explained.

“I prefer having the doctors working within feet of her, rather than having her in a room by herself.” It was the truth.

“Cillian told me Linc and Copeland have already received the first transfusions. Now it’s a waiting game to see how their bodies respond.” Monroe stepped aside and motioned for me to walk ahead of her toward the bed.

Charlee was just as eerily still as she’d been in the car. An IV line ran from her arm into some kind of machine that appeared to be collecting her blood.

Several feet away, doctors rolled between computers and microscopes, frantically typing notes every few minutes.

A lab assistant prepared several slides, putting a drop of crimson liquid from one vial onto each thin piece of glass.

Task finished, she retrieved a second vial and dripped that liquid on top of the first. Was that Charlee’s blood?

Science hadn’t been my favorite subject in school, but even an idiot could have figured out the doctors were testing the reactions of wolf shifters’ blood to the toxin and the antibodies.

When I’d arrived at the hospital several hours after Linc and Copeland had arrived, Dr. Blaine still hadn’t known how to save the wolves.

The staff could do nothing more than keep the wolf shifters comfortable and hope their bodies could somehow defeat the toxin on their own.

A sense of heaviness had hung over the facility, but now, an undercurrent of excitement hummed through the room.

Not bothering to ask for permission, I climbed into bed beside Charlee, tucking her tiny body against mine.

I pressed a gentle kiss to her bruised cheek, frustrated that I hadn’t been there to protect her when she’d needed me.

It was a failure I would have to live with, and I wasn’t sure I could ever leave her side again.

For hours, we lay like that. I didn’t sleep, and instead watched the doctors, my heart soaring each time they shoved a chair back in excitement and called the other doctors to examine whatever they were seeing, only to feel it sink when their brows creased with new lines of frustration.

A large screen took up almost the entirety of one wall.

Dr. Blaine stood in front of it, studying the burrow’s documents on the toxin, and comparing it to the reports being handed to him from the surrounding doctors.

They were desperate to glean any information that could help them create an antidote and a vaccine as quickly as possible.

Listening to the medical team talk, I gathered that while a small number of antibodies prior to exposure had kept Linc and Copeland healthy longer than usual, it hadn’t been nearly enough to save them.

Dr. Blaine wanted to create a vaccine that would last longer in the body, and would amplify the effect of the antibodies without needing to risk rabbit shifter lives in the process.

Honestly, they were attempting to do the impossible. Yet somehow, they pulled it off. And work that should’ve taken years, they figured out in less than four hours.

“It worked!” Dr. Blaine shouted, shoving away from the microscope. He smacked his palms on the granite counter.

I pushed up in bed, and Monroe lifted her head from where she’d fallen asleep against Cillian’s chest.

“You believe you have a working vaccine?” Cillian asked.

The doctor grinned. “Only time will tell, but I’m pretty confident.

” The doctor grinned. “It will likely require an initial injection, and then follow-up boosters over time, but it should prevent the wolves from being affected by normal exposure to the toxin. Depending on their immune system, it’s possible that some wolves may experience symptoms after exposure similar to a cold, but with refinement, we may be able to minimize those cases as well.

I’d like to make a small batch to ensure we are correct. ”

“Do it,” Cillian ordered. “And let us know if there’s anything we can help you with.”

“No. No, I think we have it,” Dr. Blaine assured him, rushing to help his team.

Clearing my throat, I interrupted the excited chatter. “What about Linc and Copeland? How are they?” I was terrified to hear his answer.

Dr. Blaine turned to face me, his face grim. “They’re still alive. All we can do is wait and hope the transfusions of the antibodies worked.”

I fell silent, watching them work to create a small batch of the vaccine. When the team finished, they hurried out of the room with Cillian and Monroe following on their heels. I stayed, refusing to leave Charlee alone. Linc and Copeland were in the best hands possible.

Charlee’s breathing was shallow, but steady.

She’d sunk into a coma, but the doctor had assured me she was stable and just needed time for her body to heal itself.

I found that hard to believe while staring at a face so pale I could see the veins beneath her skin.

There was nothing I wanted more than to see her smile at me and look into her big green eyes. Would I see them again?

For nearly an hour, I lay stroking Charlee’s hair and counting each beat of her heart.

I glanced toward the door as footsteps in the hall grew closer.

Dr. Blaine and two nurses came through the doorway and made their way toward us.

My stomach sank as I saw their expressions. Something hadn’t gone as planned.

“Are they still alive?” How could I bear to face Charlee if she woke to find they were gone?

“It’s too soon to know about the vaccine.” Dr. Blaine cleared his throat. “As for Copeland and Linc, the transfusion worked, but because of their critical condition, it wasn’t enough.”

“What does that mean?” I asked.

My unease grew as the doctor and nurses exchanged glances.

“We need more of her blood,” Dr. Blaine explained.

They’d been in the process of taking blood from her when I’d arrived in the room, and they hadn’t seemed concerned then. “Why are you asking for my permission now?”

The doctor scrubbed a hand down his face, looking grim. “Because we need to take a significant amount of her blood, far more than a safe donor amount. We’ll give her a transfusion immediately after, but I won’t lie. It’s risky.”

My arm tightened around her fragile body. “How can you even ask that of me—of her? Charlee has already given too much blood. Hades! She’s in a coma because her body is struggling.”

He sighed. “We understand, and if there were any other way, we’d try that first. But we’re out of time and options.”

I refused to do anything that would risk losing her. “What about Boone? I thought he was giving blood as well.”

The doctor shook his head. “We’re taking as much as we can from him as well.

Dr. Boone insisted he wanted us to take as much of his blood as possible rather than weakening Charlee any further.

We honored his wishes, but we can’t risk taking any more from him, and we were forced to start giving him a blood transfusion. ”

“Then take mine,” I insisted.

“It wouldn’t work. You don’t have enough of the antibodies in your bloodstream.

Even if we injected you with the toxin now, it would take a couple of hours before we could start taking your blood.

” The doctor was patient in his explanations, but he kept checking his phone, seeming more agitated with each notification he received.

Finally, he met my gaze head-on. “Sir, I know you’re frustrated, and I’d feel the same if it were my mate. The alpha ordered that the decision is to be left in your hands.”

“Then I say absolutely not. We’re not putting her life at further risk. She’s done more than enough.” My tone made it clear this wasn’t open for negotiation. “You’ll have to find another way.”

An older nurse with kind eyes moved to the side of the bed. “Dear, I can’t imagine what you’re going through, and we will honor your wishes. But right now, you’re Charlee’s voice. Please take a moment to consider what she’d want.”

Tears sprang to my eyes. “I can’t lose her.”

“And she doesn’t want to lose any of you.” The nurse gently patted my arm. “Without more of her antibody-rich blood, Linc and Copeland will not make it. Seeing how far she was willing to go to save them, when she wakes up, are you prepared to tell her you made this decision for her?”

I wanted to be angry at the nurse for pushing for me to change my mind, but I couldn’t. How could I when she was only speaking the truth?

If I said yes, and Charlee died, I’d lose her. But if I said no, and the wolves died, Charlee would never forgive me, and I’d still lose her. Either way, she’d be gone. As hard as it was, I needed to do what she would have wanted.

I ran my fingers down her silky hair. “Charlee? I need you to be strong. You have a little more work to do.” Without looking up, I choked out, “Do it. Save Linc and Copeland.”

Hours later, Dr. Blaine dropped into the chair next to the bed. He dropped his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. Charlee was weak, and she remained in a coma, but her vitals had stabilized.

The minutes ticked by, with the doctor remaining silent. Unable to handle the stress of not knowing, I asked, “How are Linc and Copeland?”

“They are finally out of the woods,” he responded without opening his eyes. “In the last thirty minutes, we’ve witnessed signs that their shifter healing abilities are working to repair the damage done to their bodies.”

The tension in my muscles relaxed, and I drew in the first full breath I’d taken since this nightmare began.

Opening his eyelids, he met my relieved gaze. “We would have lost them if Charlee hadn’t secured the research and injected herself with the toxin. She’s a hero.”

“I know,” I murmured.

Clearing his throat, the doctor continued, “Based on Linc and Copeland’s survival, and what we’re seeing on the blood drawn from the shifters who volunteered to receive the first doses, I believe we’ve found the answer to preventing many more deaths.

And it requires a lot less blood be taken from Charlee and Boone since we wouldn’t be trying to save wolves who were on death’s doorstep. ”

“Will you start on another batch of the vaccine right away?” I asked, still worried about the burrow retaliating.

“No,” Dr. Blaine sighed. “We can’t until we have more blood to work with.”

My jaw dropped. “Are you asking for more of her blood?” There was no disguising the horror in my tone.

“Of course not. Boone and Charlee will be far too weak to give any more blood for quite some time. Which means it’s going to be a long while before we can stock the vaccine and begin dosing the pack.

And we will need more blood to continue research on an antidote that can be used to save those who are exposed but never received the vaccine. ”

“They aren’t the only rabbit shifters you have at your disposal, Dr. Blaine,” I reminded him, holding out my arm. “Take mine and get the work started.”

For a moment, he looked excited, but then he frowned.

“It’s not just rabbit shifter blood that is needed.

You’d have to be injected with the toxin.

It would be a smaller dose, nothing like the near-fatal levels Boone and Charlee used on themselves.

But you’ll still feel its effects, probably similar to having a bad case of the flu. ”

He would not change my mind. “I understand. But knowing how vindictive the Blackberry Burrow is, we need to do whatever we can to protect the pack. We don’t have the luxury of sitting around to see if the burrow retaliates.”

“Which is why I’m not going to argue with you.” The doctor pushed himself out of the chair with a groan. “If you’re willing to suffer through the toxin’s effect, I’ll go tell the nurses to prepare the injection. The sooner we can start this, the sooner we can protect the pack.”

A rustle came from the doorway, and we both turned to find Monroe and Ellora.

“Tell the nurses to prepare injections for us as well.” Monroe gave me a smile. “Like Fletcher said, Boone and Charlee aren’t the only rabbits in the hospital.”

The doctor hesitated, his eyebrows drawing together. “Monroe, are you sure about this? Are you sure the alpha is okay with this?” Then his eyes slid to Ellora, and he looked more than a little afraid. “And you’ve discussed this with Mac?”

I’d yet to meet this Mac guy, but with the way everyone spoke, you’d have thought he was a villain, not one of the good guys. Was the man truly that intimidating?

“Of course I did!” Ellora laughed. “I wouldn’t risk him ripping your head off. Our men aren’t exactly happy about it, but they understand why it needs to be done.”

“Then, if you’re sure, I’m not going to turn down the offer.” With that, the doctor hurried out of the room. Even though he was tired, his steps had a bounce in them.