31. All Rise.

As the sharp sting of yet another sugar injection hit my thigh, I couldn't help but groan inwardly, hoping it would provide me with a little more energy. It was becoming clear that I had reached the end of my rope and would have to rest. Occasionally, I would feel shivers, a sign that my battle against the smoldering infection was lost and the infection was creeping in.

We were staying in the Michigan Mansion, a place that wasn't exactly mine, but rather left to the Pack during those seven years. The house strongly reflected Mariella's style, with its stainless steel kitchen, white walls in the hallways, and plain, dull-colored rugs on the floors.

Nevertheless, I had been taking care of my pack for a few more days, managing to get some of them out of the medbay. Elena and Katherine had proven to be excellent nurses. I had also arranged for Tim, Taylor, Dexter, and Murdock to recover and eat in separate rooms. Salvatores 2, 8, and 10 were awake, and I hoped they would be leaving soon. Salvatores 6 and 9 were already in their beds in other rooms, also recovering. Progress was being made.

Elena and Katherine were responsible for those who were allowed out of the medbay, nursing the Salvatores back to health. I had also called Samuel, confessing what had happened and sending him the results of those who were still sick and sedated. Samuel was an epidemiologist specializing in studying and treating infections, several of which were here.

However, I had no intention of being one of his patients. I had devised a plan to go to Fuengirola, where I had access to a top-notch incubator, a brand-new model. I would rest there for a week or two, possibly waking up at a later time. If the pack was in better health by then, I could allow them to treat me.

But for now, as the alpha female, my priority was my pack, not myself. The details of where and how I would recover held little significance in my mind. The only thing that mattered was the well-being of my patients, my pack members, still lying in their beds, sick and weak, relying on the care of others. I knew that it would have an impact once they were strong enough to leave the medbay. 

I wasn't planning on sticking around because it seemed too risky, at least from my perspective. Even though I was only biologically half Salvatore, most of them who were still under were too weak to fight off my infection. I didn't want their health to suffer, especially considering the effort we had put into getting them well.

Samuel was a good doctor for this situation, although he wasn't too pleased when I called him so late. It would have been helpful for him to know about this from the beginning, so he could have rearranged his schedule, but it didn't take him long to make the necessary adjustments. I didn't send him my results, and he didn't ask for them either.

There were already plenty of other problems to deal with, like Mariella's infection, Charles's leg, the infections of several other Salvatores, Wulfe, Adam, and poisonings. So Samuel would already have his hands full without me adding to the chaos. Later on, perhaps resting in an incubator would give me a chance to fight off this germ. One can never know. After all, it's been a while since I last had an infection this bad, so maybe I can overcome it. And if not, they definitely don't need me crawling on the floor in my feverish restlessness.

My concentration was interrupted by the weak voice of Number Two, who said to me, "You know, you exhaust yourself with those sugar shots. You should take it easy, baby. You should be the patient lying in bed, not taking care of us."

I shrugged and calmly replied, "There are Salvatores, who are already recovering. I called Samuel, so yeah, I'll soon take it easy and rest. And after we've treated the critical cases, maybe then I can be one of the patients. But not yet. I'm still too much of a risk of infecting others, so I need to go somewhere else soon."

Number Two coughed, struggling to breathe, and Lepard brought him a small machine to help open up his lungs. It would also help him. He wasn't really worried about me; he was just trying to assert himself and get me to move him next to Mariella.

"Mariella was all that was on their minds," I thought bitterly. 

Despite my hopes of getting Adam and Alaric to improve their lab tests, they hadn't shown enough progress. It would then be Samuel's decision whether to keep them under or let them wake up. Samuel would also need to assess whether any Salvatores could return to the medbay or if they needed more time to recover.

I walked up to the sink to wash my hands, as Demon had just informed me that number four had ripped out his stitches. I would have to sew him up while the boys took care of dressing changes and cleaning the deep wounds that some of them still had. I went to the shelf, trying not to sigh too much as I gathered my supplies, including several sets of gloves and now a face mask, to prevent spreading my infection. It was taxing for Lepard to maintain the energy shield around me all the time, so the face mask would help.

I could feel the eyes of a few awake Salvatores on me as I collected my things and headed to number four. My muscles ached, and I felt sick as a dog. In a perfect world, someone would be there to tell me "That's enough" and take care of me, but the reality was far from perfect. My head hurt, and the light bothered my eyes, but I kept my pheromones tightly under control, not allowing any to seep out and reveal how sick I truly was.

Even though there was throbbing pain in my neck, my pheromone glands were filled to the brim. I didn't bother to put curtains around the beds; let them watch. Ironically, number two seemed more concerned about Mariella than me, which painfully clarified the future for me. So, I didn't have high expectations there.

I focused on cleaning the bloody mess in number four's stomach. I had managed to close one of the three wounds using my donated blood, not the blood currently in my veins. However, my blood had almost completely used up the Salvatores' supply, which was dwindling. I proceeded to numb him and continued stitching him up.

He was still burning up, so I told Demon, who was nearby, "Bring me a fever-reducer bag. This one is running hot, so let's give him one of those, and if his fever drops, you can clean him with energy. No need to wash him since he has stitches."

Demon nodded and made his way to the drug cabinet. We had created our own cabinet instead of using the pack's locker system. I had filled it with jars and vials, mostly made from my own materials or acquired from elsewhere. I had even emptied one cabinet that had been almost empty to accommodate them. In my spare time, I had also prepared various types of bags for different purposes - sleeping bags, antibiotic bags, and fever-reducing bags. I knew what each person needed, so I named the bags accordingly. Sometimes multiple people could use the same type of bag, so I made extras. 

I was still in the process of stitching him up when Demon approached us. He walked past me, brushing against me slightly, and hung the bed on the IV rack. He connected it to the cannula in number four's neck.

After adjusting the flow and taking his temperature with an infrared meter, he said, "107F, so yeah. Let's see if one bag does the trick."

I nodded and murmured, "It's stronger stuff. I managed to make some, so let's see if it hits the sweet spot."

Demon nodded, grunting softly as he walked up to Dresden, who was turned on his stomach again so they could clean his back. The wound was still pretty nasty. I had given crystals to them to be placed there to suck out residual magic and help the wound heal. 

Finally, I finished stitching up his damn wounds and disposed of the trash. I washed my hands again and approached Wulfe. He looked ghostly pale, with dark black veins still visible on his skin. He had bruises here and there, and his cheeks were hollowed out, making him appear even younger. I knew that he would have one hell of a recovery from this as well.

Next to him was Magnum. His entire chest was covered in thick bandages, and ugly red burns were still slightly visible on his neck and throat. The rhythmic pumping of a ventilator was connected to a breathing tube sneaking into his mouth. Whatever that holy water bomb had done to him had also hindered his breathing. If he had been human, he would not have survived, but he was still hanging on. I hoped he would continue to do so, but nothing was certain in this life. 

The last person in the row was Colin. His leprechaun could be seen through his slightly green hair and sharper, more noble features. In his wolf form, his fingernails were replaced by claws, and his arms and legs were covered in hair. He had deep wounds scattered across his body. The boys had to shave him in order to clean those wounds. I couldn't figure out how to fully transform him back into a human, so he remained in this strange half-state. Maybe time or Samuel would be able to help. I touched his hand and noticed that his mating mark was still there, which brought me comfort. I couldn't touch him too much, as he was in a fragile state and I didn't want to infect him.

As I walked up to my desk to update my records, dizziness overcame me once again. I leaned back in my chair, hoping to hold on a little longer. However, I had to keep my limits in mind and remember not to push too far, especially when I was more of a hindrance than actual help. I managed to push the dizziness out of my mind and began writing down the next steps for each member of the pack.

The Salvatores who were awake were in and out of consciousness, relying heavily on those energy stone chips filled with sausages. They weren't ready yet, as their memory was fluctuating, and it might take two or three more days for them to be able to go. But I knew I had reached my limit, so I tried to write down as much as I could. The shivers became more persistent and I could feel my energy draining. It was becoming incredibly difficult to even sit and type, but I had to complete this report. I grabbed my injector and took another hit of sugar, then carried on.

I documented everything I did for each patient, including the tests they needed to take. I also left the results and organized physical files for each of them, which made it easier to keep track of things. I updated everything as best as I could, knowing that I would soon need to go and rest. As I was writing, Lepard approached me and observed.

I told him, "I'm almost finished with my notes. Samuel will be here soon to continue, so you know what to do and keep doing. I have to leave to avoid infecting them after all the effort we've put into their recovery."

Lepard nodded and expressed his concern, saying, "I wish there was a way for you to stay here. You're not well and you need a lot of care."

I nodded in agreement and replied, "Give it a few weeks. Let's get them well and out of the way, and maybe then I can join you guys in Fuengirola, where I'll be safe. I've written a file about myself, but it's password-protected and only Samuel can access it. I don't want to worry you, but you need to focus and follow the plan I've outlined here."

Lepard remarked, "You're sacrificing yourself again for others."

I smiled wearily and whispered, "Can't help it, alpha female, and all that jazz. But really, don't worry about me and do what Samuel says. Don't try to convince him to bring me here. My infection will be severe enough that even these weaker Salvatores, though it should give them immunity as biological halves, might not be enough."

Lepard gazed at me with his sky-blue eyes, his slightly longer blonde hair, and his cruel yet handsome features. He resembled Damon to some extent, but was a more refined and crueler version of him. I could sense his worry for me and his reluctance to obey, but there was no other choice but to follow my instructions. He groaned as he heard some rustling and walked over to investigate.

Shaking his head, he said to Demon, "Come on, the trouble triangle is on the move again."

I assured Leopard, "I'll finish writing this and then I'm out. Samuel will take over, possibly with the help of other Salvatores. You'll be fine."

He nodded and prepared himself to separate the three individuals once more. 

After 15 minutes, I had finished writing everything that needed to be written. Exhausted, I stood up and gazed at the medbay. Most of our team was still unable to function properly, and I knew it would take a while for them to recover. I wasn't sure how long it would be, but for now, I needed to rest.

Using my strength, I teleported to the portal room, tapped the Fuengirola, and walked inside. It felt good to be home. Despite the renovations it had undergone over the centuries, it still had that familiar feeling of home. It had also been a place of recovery for me, but I had also created a new life here.

I made my way to the updated medbay, where I found three state-of-the-art incubators. These computer-controlled devices not only provide warmth but also cooling. I knew that once I entered the incubator and set the parameters, the computer would take care of me.

The incubators were made of plexiglass and had attached units with probes and other equipment. The lid was see-through, but it would darken once the patient was inside, creating a dim and safe environment. The incubator would monitor everything that was programmed into it. I approached the control unit and started by removing my clothes. It was difficult, especially with the fever-causing shivers, but I managed to take off several layers. I left the bandages on as I had many wounds that had not been stitched, only covered with thick bandages.

Next, I had to attach small monitors to my body to measure my blood pressure, temperature, saturation, and other parameters. As I activated the system, it began recording. There was no heartbeat or blood pressure, which was fine since I had installed an external pacemaker to provide a heartbeat. If my heart failed, the system would cannulate me and circulate my blood. This incubator, or Patient Care Pod (PCP) as it was called, was truly top-notch.

After setting my temperature and other parameters, the system prompted me to attach a few more devices to my body. Finally, it was time to rest. One of the incubators opened its lid, and I crawled inside. The mattress was soft and inflated to prevent sores on my bony body. My eyes closed on their own accord as I was overcome with exhaustion. Now, I no longer had to push myself. I could finally rest, possibly recover, and then assess what would come next.