32. Dangerous.

Samuel could hear the echoing sound of his footsteps on the stone floor of the magnificent house. As he walked to the end of the corridor, he reached the staircase and began descending it. He was in clinical mode, fully aware that there were pack members in various medical states, some more critical than others. It was his responsibility to ensure their well-being.

When Mimi contacted him and informed him of what had happened, he couldn't help but groan. However, when Bran heard about it as well, he launched a full-on attack against those he could reach. Samuel wanted to take action, not be a nursemaid. That was fine by him, as there were Lepard, Demon, and a few Salvatores who had already been released, with the potential for more releases to come. Mimi assured him that she would leave detailed reports on each of them, including their actions and her recommendations.

Samuel smiled thinly. He had never actually worked alongside Mimi before, but she had always been his patient. Soon, she would be again. However, she was right in recognizing the significant risk of contamination, so she was in a safe place, resting. Samuel had been the one who invented the incubators in the first place, so a few weeks of rest in one wouldn't harm Mimi and might even be beneficial.

As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw Taylor walking with a slight limp. He thought that he should examine them as well, perhaps in a different space, to ensure that there was no more serious damage and that they were ready to recover. He briskly walked towards the medbay. Pushing open the double doors, he was greeted by a cooler, sterile-smelling air, a scent he had grown accustomed to over his millennia as a doctor. At first glance, it was utter chaos. He could see Demon and Lepard dragging Salvatore number one back to his bed, and he could hear groaning.

Charles lay on the floor, barely conscious and in evident pain. His leg was supported externally, but due to the drugs he had taken, he was unable to move. Soon, Demon arrived and carried Mariella to her bed, while Lepard approached Charles. With Samuel's help, they lifted him back onto his bed.

Lepard explained, "Mariella has an infection. She doesn't stay in one place all the time. She seeks comfort from her protector, Charles, so she ends up sleeping on top of or next to him. But Damon, senses this somehow and becomes jealous. He positions himself between them, sometimes causing Charles to fall out of bed."

Samuel raised an eyebrow, realizing that tending to these naughty patients would present new challenges. He looked forward to the day when they would all be well and could share their mischievous stories. Perhaps taking care of Mimi would seem like a breeze after this chaos.

Demon interjected, "The wizards need to stay asleep, or else they'll start casting curses at each other or anyone nearby. Wulfe is in too much pain to be awake, and Dresden has nasty wounds from black magic. We're trying to heal them, but there's a curse embedded in the wounds as well. Number one got slashed with a dagger dipped in rose thistle, just like Mimi had. I am not sure how many wounds she had, and she did not say, but I could smell it on her. We've given him a neutralizer, but it's not fully effective. Not sure if Mimi took any."

Samuel grunted and said, "Alright. We'll go soon and have a discussion. Mimi mentioned that there are records for each of them."

Lepard nodded and replied, "She made one for herself, but we don't have access to it. Only you do. Mimi stayed here as long as she could, but because she didn't have a heartbeat, she didn't need to eat or rest. However, we had to be cautious about the risk of spreading the infection."

Samuel nodded and walked up to the desk. He noticed a stack of files and said, "I'll go through these, and then let's take a round. In the meantime, do what Mimi set you to do. If there are any problems, let me know so we can address them."

As Lepard turned away to walk up to the cabinet, Samuel added, "Oh, and our scanners are in the other room. I want to do a full body scan for each person who is set free, including you. We don't want any surprises."

Lepard nodded, understanding that he wouldn't say anything. Even the thought of lying in that damn scanner for three hours, or longer if the scan took longer, didn't appeal to him.

Samuel ran his hand through his medium brown hair. Sometimes it was still strange to see this complete stranger looking back at him in the mirror. But knowing that the evil wizard had lived inside him, had tainted his old body, and the mere knowledge of the year when they had abused Mimi and what else his evil side had done...

Well, this new body wasn't too bad. He wasn't as tall, but he was fit and good-looking enough. That's all that mattered. For all intents and purposes, he was always a doctor first and a man second. Surely Mariella and Mimi had been with him in bed, but medicine always came first.

As he started to read the files, a familiar feeling of intrigue, excitement, and a genuine need to help and heal rose within him. He soon began formulating his own plans. Not that Mimi's ideas were bad, not at all. But sometimes things could be done more simply. Females tended to complicate things sometimes, and he preferred to take a more straightforward approach to his treatments.

Sure, everyone who was sedated would still be unconscious, but he would use other drugs to keep Mariella and Damon under for good, so Charles wouldn't have to deal with any more disturbances. He would assess each wound himself to determine what treatment was necessary, and if there were any easier or simpler ways to handle things.

He couldn't help but laugh when he read about number four's tendency to remove his own stitches. It seemed that karma had taught Mimi a good lesson too, as she had done that many times before. However, he would make sure that number four wouldn't wake up either. He wasn't afraid to use higher doses of sedatives than Mimi had used in her bags. He would use the antibiotics Mimi had provided, but he might add a few more if necessary.

However, first he needed to see what else she had brought in, as she hadn't listed everything she had brought and he understood that she had some extras. He would probably use several antibiotics to eliminate the germs in the Salvatores faster. Those socks filled with energy chips were a good idea. He could use them in his clinic, especially when dealing with energy creatures.

Since he was one himself, he could recharge them if needed, without having to replace them. However, he wouldn't let Damon or Lepard recharge them until they had received a clean bill of health and were in reasonable fitness. Otherwise, they might not load the right kind of energy if they were feeling nervous or something.

Number two weakly spoke up as he noticed Samuel's arrival, saying, "I'm almost able to walk, so you should let me go. I can help. You'll need all the help you can get, especially when caring for Mimi."

Samuel grunted and replied, "Caring for you isn't any easier. From what I've read, you bunch aren't exactly model patients yourselves, so I'm not sure if Mimi will be worse off this time."

Number two pushed himself to sit up and told Samuel, "She will be the sickest, but I'll check on Mariella next."

Samuel informed him, "Alright, I'll take care of that."

As Samuel noticed the dissatisfaction in Number Two's gaze, he reassured him, saying, "You're not going anywhere just yet. Stay here. I will take care of you soon enough, and then we'll see if you can be discharged. It's no use if you faint your way out."

Number two grumbled in discontent but remained in place, for now. He despised when someone tried to talk sense into him and he had to listen and obey. He could see how pale Mariella looked and sensed her confusion. Mariella didn't get sick often, and it always threw Salvatores off balance when she did.

At the moment, Mimi and her condition weren't on number two's mind at all - only Mariella and her well-being. He couldn't help it, it was just the way it was. In their eyes, Mariella was the weaker one, unable to handle as much as Mimi, and she looked so ill and pitiful. Number two focused and tried to improve his energy flow to heal himself fully so he could assist Mariella more effectively.

Meanwhile, Samuel sighed inwardly at the Salvatores' petty issues, but he quickly read through Mimi's extensive files. He and the boys went on their rounds, starting with number one. He was sedated, but still had a fever. Samuel increased the dosage of the fever-reducing medication and administered three more antibiotics, the generic ones that would do the trick. The dose of pentobarbital would keep him sedated at all times, and the added muscle relaxant ensured he wouldn't move.

Then it was number two's turn. After Samuel examined him, he found no fever, and his wounds were healing well. However, he was weak and underweight.

Samuel instructed him, "Go to the kitchen, eat, talk with others, recover, take a shower. And once you've gained 5-7 kilos of weight, then you can come back and see if we need your help."

Number two grumbled, "Don't be such a worrywart. Mariella needs me."

However, Samuel was firm in his decision, and number two had to leave. Tim and Taylor came to escort him to the kitchen, where the Salvatores who had already left were also cooking. They hadn't been exposed to Mariella's pheromones as much, so she hadn't become an obsession for them like she had for number two. 

Samuel was aware that, based on the latest results, the wolves were ready to go or wake up, just like Alaric and Adam. He planned to check on Salvatores 8 and 10 to see if they were ready as well. With Salvatores 6 and 9 already cooking and recovering, having numbers 2 and 10 out would mean that half of the Salvatores would already be recovering and able to assist. It was important for them to load up on teeth, as they would be crucial in helping the others.

In the meantime, Samuel would do whatever he could. He proceeded to check on number 3. Damon in this version had a deep gash in his lower stomach, a busted knee, and nasty bites on his back, so he had several wounds that needed to be tended to.

Samuel examined the wounds and instructed Demon, "Let's apply a chilled pure bump to them and cover them with surgical plastic for four hours. After that, rinse them and apply a thick gel dressing, but wet it with centrifugal liquid instead of saline."

Demon frowned, and Samuel explained, "Well, you know, boys have similar physiology, so my guess is that the bump will work for them too. It's healing for females and has to do with feelings, so let's give it a try."

Demon wrote down the instructions. Number 4 was about to wake up, and Samuel said, "Attach spiked shackles to this one. Mimi made 1.5 ml of velvet every six hours, and if needed, every four hours, to keep him asleep. Let's put antibiotic jelly on those cuts, cover them up, and keep the febrifuge flowing to prevent his temperature from rising again."

Lepard walked over to the cabinet and brought a ready-made febrifuge bag, hung it up as usual, and set it to drip into number 4.

Samuel opened it fully and said, "Administer the whole dose quickly, so we can bring down the fever." He then instructed, "Go get that dose of velvet now."

Number 4 was trying to open his eyes, but Demon swiftly brought a bright pink vial and syringe. Samuel drew the dose and injected it into the cannula, causing number 4's struggles to cease. Number 5 had been poisoned and was still unconscious with no signs of infection, essentially in a coma, but maintaining his temperature.

Samuel agreed, saying, "Alright, let's proceed. Bring me the blood collection machine so we can start changing his blood. We'll use Salvatore's blood as it drips, giving him 500 ml for every liter taken. We'll re-test for poison after 8, 12, 16, and 24 hours. Hopefully, we'll see a decrease. If not, we'll come up with a different plan. Robbing blood from him will boost his body and help form new blood. They are as lazy as Mimi with their bodies. They don't get sick often, but when they do, they need a proper challenge."

The rounds continued, with Samuel making adjustments and suggestions to everyone. He maintained a neutral expression, though his tone showed slight concern for Magnum. He ordered Magnum to be submerged in healing jelly, just like Mimi had been when she first met Damon. The healing jelly was the best option for Magnum's recovery. Wulfe would also stay under sedation since the poison was not in his blood. Blood collection would be useless for him. The focus would be on supporting him, and if Salvatore's teeth had any other ideas, they would consider them. However, there wasn't much else they could do for him.

Samuel decided to let Adam, Alaric, and the wolves wake up, but he would assess their condition and determine if they could recover on their own or if it would be wiser to keep them in the medbay. As an old creature who wanted to help and heal, this was what Samuel was all about. He glanced at Damon and Lepard, who were shifter hybrids born as a jaguar and leopard. They could take human form by the time they were one-year-old, just like shifters. Samuel couldn't help but think that if this ability fell into the wrong hands, someone could flood the world with monsters.

Samuel had his own offspring in some realms that had been discovered. He had bred with the pack, but there were no cubs with Mimi. He knew that somewhere out there were cubs carrying Charles's and Mimi's DNA. They had indeed had cubs before, but Damon, the original one, had become incredibly jealous. He had made it so that Mimi could only conceive with him and no one else.

It was a nasty situation. Once again, Mimi had given her all to the pack. They would only have eyes for Mariella and the wolves. As for those who were with Mimi, like Taylor, Tim, and Mimi's five, Samuel had no idea how they would react. It was always a crisis when someone got hurt, and they had to figure out how to recover and overcome it. Only time will tell.