Alien Healer

by Sadie Carter

  A small part of him noted the fact that her skin was far too hot, her pulse too fast, and her breath was shallow.

  But the male part of him only recognized his claim on her.

  Mate. Mine.

  She was his mate. How had he not realized? Was he really so caught up in his own selfish needs that he hadn’t even recognized his own mate? So much about his interactions with her now made sense. The way he could not get her out of his mind. His anger at the thought of anyone else touching her.

  Mine. Mate.

  She was his mate. The one person who should come before all else with him. And he had pushed her away. Had essentially used her, even if he had not meant to.

  That is no excuse. You should have been caring for her. Ensuring her health.

  Which was what he needed to do right now. His dreadful neglect had led to this. If she had been safely ensconced in his care, then he would never have found her collapsed on ground, clearly very ill.

  “I am so sorry, my mate,” he murmured to her. “From now on, I will take only the very best care of you. You will be everything.”

  He would do whatever was necessary. Sacrifice whatever he had to. She was his. That was, if he could help her. Panic flooded him. What was wrong with her? He needed to examine her immediately. He slid his arm under her legs and another around her back. She was so light that, when he lifted her, he very nearly threw her up into the air.

  “Stars. You weigh nothing.”

  He glanced down into her face. She was so pale, she appeared gray. Even more alarming was the blue tinge to her lips. Was she not getting enough oxygen? Ignoring Giz, who had stuck close to his side, he took off, racing towards the medical center.

  He heard them coming but ignored the noise. Right now, his only focus could be on Ellie, on getting her well. He examined the read-outs coming from the machine. He had already put her in the regen machine, but because she was not injured, it could not help her. Now he had to figure out what was wrong.

  “Oh my God! Ellie! No!”

  The scream filled with terror came from behind him. Surprisingly, Ellie made a small whimper of distress. That was the first reaction he’d had from her since he’d gotten her to the medical center.

  And it had been due to nothing that he had done. It was foolish to feel jealous. But he could not help it. There were some things he was coming to understand about himself that he was not proud of.

  He turned to look at the group of people behind him. The dark-skinned female was being held by Blue’s brother. He knew she was the one who had spoken. Her eyes were wide, filled with shock. The smaller, pale male stood on one side of Blue, Safan stood on her other side.

  Surprisingly, though, it was the larger, dark-skinned male who stepped forward to speak. Racar had thought that Blue was the leader. Blue looked to be in shock right in that moment, hand over her mouth, worry filling her eyes. And this male seemed to have a special relationship with Ellie. He had been the one she had been cuddled into the other night.

  Racar scowled at him.

  He scowled back, not the least bit intimidated. “What is wrong with her? Is she going to be all right?”

  Racar wanted to snap something back but held himself in check. He was still a healer and these people were Ellie’s family. His mate’s family. He took a calming breath, ran his hand through his hair, shocked to realize it was shaking.

  “She is ill. She is running a high fever; her pulse is too fast.”

  “What happened? How did she get here?” Concern and a hint of surprise filled Safan’s voice.

  “Giz led me to her,” he managed to get out. “I do not know how he found her. Although he seemed to be carrying one of her dishes. He had food around his mouth.”

  “She was bringing lasagna to dinner,” Blue explained, sounding almost numb. There was no inflection in her voice.

  “She was collapsed on the ground when I found her. Not moving. I was not even sure she was alive.” Terror filled him at the memory.

  Someone sobbed in a breath. He didn’t look back. The read-outs told him nothing he didn’t know. She had a fever. Unresponsive. Dehydrated. What was wrong with her?

  “Is she going to be okay?” Blue asked.

  Safan looked down at her in worry, then wrapped his arm around her, pulling her against him. “She will be all right, my mate. Won’t she, Racar?”

  Safan’s voice dared him to say otherwise.

  “Yes.” She had to be. Nothing could happen to her.

  “So what is wrong with her?” the other female asked. Keely. That was her name.

  “I do not know.” He hated having to admit that.

  “How do you not know?” It was Blue’s brother that spoke. “Aren’t you meant to be some hotshot healer? Aren’t you single-handedly going to find a way to prolong the lifespan of all the human mates? And you don’t even know what’s wrong with Ellie?”

  “Maybe we need a different healer,” the dark-skinned male rumbled. “He does not even like Ellie.”

  Racar turned to him with a snarl. “No other will touch her. If they do, they die.”

  They all stared at him with varying degrees of shock.

  “Racar,” Safan said in a low voice. “What is going on?”

  Racar let out a shaky breath. “I am her mate.”

  His declaration was met with icy silence. Then the pale, thinner male stepped forward.

  “Like fuck you are!”

  6

  He glared at the smaller male. “I am Ellie’s mate.”

  Keely shook her head. “You can’t be.”

  “I am.” And he was starting to grow insulted that they did not believe him. “I do not lie.”

  “No one is calling you a liar,” Safan told him, although he was the only one that looked like he believed that statement. The rest of them continued to glare at him with varying degrees of anger. “But are you certain?”

  “I am certain. When I found her, she was so still. Just lying there. If I had not followed Giz…” His voice trailed off. Then he shook off that thought. He had followed the creature. He had found her.

  She was going to be all right. She had to be. He would accept nothing less.

  “When I touched her, I felt a connection. The bond reached out to me. And if anyone can save her, it is me.”

  “So why don’t you know what’s wrong with her?” Keely demanded loudly.

  Ellie murmured something, her head thrashing back and forth. He turned immediately to her, shutting everyone else out. They weren’t his priority. She was. Feelings of possessiveness washed over him. His focus was on just one person.

  Her.

  “It is all right, Ellie. You are safe. Everything will be all right,” he soothed her.

  “Will it?” Blue asked.

  Racar turned to her with a scowl. “Yes. Ellie will be well. Because I will allow for nothing else. Now, unless you are able to help me ascertain what is wrong with her, you will all need to wait outside.”

  “She is our family,” the bigger male stated. What was his name?

  “We’re not just waiting outside,” Blue’s brother added.

  Racar glared at them all. “You are upsetting her. She is sensing your fear and upset. She needs to rest and fight whatever this is that is attacking her body. I will allow nothing that interferes with her health, that includes all of you.”

  Keely narrowed her gaze at him. “You will not shut us out of her life. Maybe you’re right and we can’t help you with this. But we will always be in her life, we will always be here for her. You may be her mate. And I say may because I’m not so sure about that. But we are her family. She needs us. She loves us. We know her. All you know is that your body thinks she’s yours.”

  Racar heaved in a breath and let it out slowly. He needed to remain calm. He’d already seen how Ellie reacted to the emotions of those around her, even unconscious.

  “I think it is best we leave now,” Safan said. “Racar will not shut any of us out. He knows we a
re Ellie’s family. But he is right, he needs to concentrate on what is wrong with her. We are going to get in the way.”

  Finally, a voice of reason.

  “How will you figure out what’s wrong with her, though?” the smallest male asked. “Do you know much about human diseases?”

  “I have done extensive research,” Racar said stiffly.

  “Maybe we can help, though,” the male said. “We’ll stay out of your way, but if you give us her symptoms, perhaps we can all help.”

  Racar was silent for a moment. Part of him wanted to insist that he could do this on his own. That he would take care of her alone. She was his. She didn’t need anyone but him. But Safan met his gaze, his eyes serious.

  “It is worth considering, Racar.”

  Her needs came first. “Fine. You can use my office.”

  “You’ll keep us updated?” the big man asked.

  “Yes. I will.”

  “Symptoms?” the pale male asked, pulling a small tablet from his pocket.

  “Fever of 104, unresponsive, pulse is weak, BP is only 70 over 45 and there is a rash on her back and tops of her legs. Her face is also swollen.”

  “All right. We will—” The small male’s words were cut off as alarms started blaring.

  “She has stopped breathing,” Racar shouted as Acan rushed into the room. They went to work, moving frantically to help save her. Racar shocked her heart while Acan started oxygen.

  Racar tuned out everything out as he worked on saving his mate. He could not even allow himself to feel any terror over losing her. His skills as a healer took over.

  “Her heartbeat is back,” Acan said with relief, glancing over at Racar. “She is breathing on her own.”

  Now his own heart started racing with fear. His skin felt clammy with sweat. Light-headedness rushed over him. He stood there, staring down at his mate, who looked so tiny lying there on the masic, her body covered in a white sheet. Her skin was so pale, he could see the veins underneath.

  He had nearly lost her. Could still lose her. And her last memory of him was going to be of them arguing. Why hadn’t he recognized her as his mate?

  Gradually, he became aware of soft sobbing behind him. He turned to find Keely in Blue’s brother’s embrace. Safan had Blue tucked in against him and was murmuring softly to her. The smaller male was working frantically on his tablet. The biggest male had his gaze glued to Racar.

  “You keep her alive,” he commanded.

  Racar bristled. He did not need this male making demands of him. She was his mate! He stepped forward to meet the threat just as he heard a noise at the door. Que strode in.

  “What is going on? I heard Keely was at the medical center.” His gaze moved around frantically before settling on the dark-skinned female. “What is wrong? Are you hurt?”

  Keely glanced up, tears running down her face. “I’m fine. It’s Ellie. She’s ill. She just stopped breathing.”

  Relief filled Que’s face.

  Racar’s temper flared hot. “What are you doing here?” he snapped at the other male. “You have no business here. All of you need to leave and let me concentrate on getting my mate well.”

  Que stared at Racar in shock. “Your mate? The little red-haired female is your mate?”

  “Yes! Now all of you, go!”

  Safan and Que shared a look then started to move everyone out the door. The smaller male walked without his gaze ever leaving his tablet. The bigger male remained where he was, just staring at him steadily.

  “Tane, he will look after her. She is his mate,” Safan told him.

  Tane. That was his name. “He better,” Tane growled.

  When they were gone, he turned back to Ellie. He gently clasped hold of her hand. Her skin was still burning hot. Worry flooded him.

  “What shall I do?” Acan asked quietly.

  “We need to take blood, run tests,” he told him, forcing his mind back onto medical matters. “We need to get her in the cooltub. We must get her temperature down.” It was getting dangerously high.

  “Is that safe for humans? We have not used the cooltub for one of them.”

  Stars. He was not sure. He ran his hand over his face. “I do not know. Contact Moroco, ask him if he knows. Then get me some water and a cloth. I will try to cool her down that way until we find out.”

  Acan nodded and got into action, returning with a bowl of lukewarm water and a cloth. He started with her face first, wiping away the sweat. She murmured something, too quiet for him to make out the words. Frustration filled him. He was not used to feeling so helpless. So out of control. This was his mate. He was a healer. Why couldn’t he figure out what was wrong with her?

  He leaned in close, placed a kiss on her too-hot forehead.

  “You will live, mate. You will get well. You will wake up. You will be mine. And for once, you shall obey me.”

  “Racar, you should rest,” Moroco said quietly as he walked up beside him.

  He didn’t even glance up from where he sat at Ellie’s bedside. Over twenty-four hours had passed since he had found her passed out on the ground. Her heart had stopped twice in that time. Her temperature had spiked so many times, he feared brain damage. They had discovered the cooltub was not safe for humans, that it could send their bodies into shock. So he had continuously bathed her body to try and get her temperature down. No medication they tried seemed to work.

  “Racar,” Moroco said again. This time more insistently.

  “Would you rest? If it was Saffron lying here like this, would you take the time out to rest?” he snapped, looking up at the head healer.

  Moroco just stared back at him calmly. Moroco was in charge of the medical center. Racar had control over the research center, but he had given Racar the lead in Ellie’s care. Albeit reluctantly. But he had known better than to attempt to force him to step away.

  “No, I would not. But I would also realize when I needed help. You will do her no good if you are not at your best due to exhaustion. When she gets well, she will need you.”

  “I know that.” And he would be there for her. He would do whatever it took to get her healthy. “Why can I not work out what is wrong with her?”

  Moroco frowned. “It is most puzzling. We have done so much research into human diseases and anatomy, I thought our diagnosis systems would be able to pinpoint what is plaguing her. I—”

  “Could it be a bite?” The small human male strode into her room.

  Racar scowled at him. The group of humans that called themselves Ellie’s family had not left the medical center since she was brought in. They came in often and sat by her side. He had been unable to keep them out. And he had tried. He could not risk anyone upsetting his mate, which seemed to happen when they got overly emotional. For some reason, despite the fact that she was unconscious, she seemed to react to them.

  She had not once shown any reaction to him. He told himself it was because he kept his emotions tightly in check. Becoming upset as Keely was prone to do or angry like the males in the group was not helpful.

  But he also could not help but feel somewhat jealous.

  Jealous of their closeness, that her only responses were to them. Not him. And so, he found it hard to be civil in their presence. They had occupied his office, were relentless in their requests to sit with her. They were an annoyance and he wished he could order them away. Away from his mate.

  “What?” he snapped at the male.

  “Could it be a reaction to a bite?” he asked. “Could Ellie have been bitten by something, maybe without knowing, and this is an allergic reaction?”

  “There would be evidence of a bite.” Moroco was the one that answered. “And if it was a reaction, it would surely show up on our diagnosis system,” he added.

  “But if it was a small bite, then you may not have found it. And maybe it doesn’t show on your system because it’s not something that you guys are allergic to.”

  “No other humans have been bitten by something and r
eacted like this,” Moroco told him, although Racar noted he looked thoughtful.

  “Not all humans react the same way to things,” the human male pointed out. “I think we should go over her body again, see if there is any sign of an entrance point.”

  “It is worth a try, Racar,” Moroco said.

  Racar nodded. There was no harm in looking for such a spot. “Both of you turn your backs. I will examine her.”

  He would not have anyone looking at her body but him. Neither of them could touch her without it paining her anyway. He ran a wand over her first. Nothing. He shook his head. Surely the wand would pick up on something.

  But he shifted the sheet away and started to inspect her skin closely. They had stripped her naked. Her clothes had been sweat-stained and dirty and it hadn’t been worth dressing her again when he was bathing her so often to keep her cool. She had oxygen to help with her breathing, but it still sounded ragged. Choppy.

  Yes, this was worth a try. Pretty much anything was worth a try at this stage. He moved down her body, carefully examining every inch of her skin. He ran his fingers over the soles of her feet. He frowned as he felt something bumpy under the skin at the base of her right big toe. What was that? He had not found that before. But then, he had not done much more than a cursory look over her feet to make certain nothing looked out of the ordinary.

  On the surface, there seemed to be nothing wrong. And maybe it was nothing. But…

  “I have found something.” He threw the sheet over her body to shield her from their view, but kept her feet bare. “Under the skin here. There is an odd bump.” He pressed down on it lightly and Ellie let out a cry of pain. “I missed it before. I missed it.”

  Moroco bent down to look without touching her. “I can see nothing there.” He moved over to a pad on the wall, pressed a button and a nozzle appeared. He coated his hand in the liquid, which quickly dried, providing a barrier between his skin and Ellie’s.

  He turned back to her and Racar moved back so he had a chance to examine her foot. “There is a definite lump and she reacts with pain. Could be unrelated to her illness.”