Chapter 440: The Ones Who Stay Standing

Lysander stepped out of the room and pulled the door shut behind him with careful fingers.

The soft click sounded far louder to him than it should have.

Sophia was asleep now; there was no need for alarm. He had instructed the trainees and the nurses to monitor her condition.

He could finally go home and get some much-needed sleep. Or so he thought... before he could even make his way to the front of the facility, he heard hurried footsteps approach him.

"Sir—"

Lysander watched with wide eyes just as one of the front nurses rushed toward him, breathless, hair half-loosened from its tie.

Lysander lifted one tired hand as he shook his head. He just wanted to take a break. He needed sleep.

"No," he said gently but firmly. "Don’t say it."

The nurse skidded to a stop in front of him.

He opened his mouth and then closed it, as if debating whether he really should say it or not, and then chose to say it anyway.

"Another patient has been brought in," the nurse told him.

Lysander closed his eyes. A long, quiet groan dragged itself out of his chest before he could stop it. He already suspected there was a new patient, but he just wanted sleep.

He shouldn’t even be working right now. With the way everyone went to him, one would think he was the only healer in the pack. And they were supposed to be proud of the facility?

"You do know I’m not the only healer in the facility, right?" he asked the nurse. "What happened to Marta or Tomas or Jimmy? What about Kate? There are other healers apart from me. You know their homes, you... fuck!"

He really was exhausted and just needed to rest.

"Is it a Trihydra bite?" he asked the nurse.

"No, sir."

"An infection from a Skylur?"

"No, sir," the nurse replied.

"Then meet..." Lysander sighed, controlling himself, while the nurse just watched him with a frown on his face.

Before he could speak again, a familiar, amused voice drifted down the corridor.

"Oh, leave the poor man alone, Calen."

Marta said as she walked towards them. Unlike Lysander, she looked awake and there were no bags under her eyes. But then why would there be? She didn’t have an infant who only wanted to spend time with her immediately after being fed by her mother.

No, it was Lysander who had the infant. It was he whom Raina was attached to, so much that sometimes, even when he tried to sleep, she’d fuss and wake him up. Most times, Brynhild couldn’t calm her down and he would have to step in, holding her until she fell asleep.

"Can’t you see how exhausted he is?" Marta asked Calen, who flushed.

"I do, but he was here already. And we all know he’s the miracle healer, so I just went to him. And he’s also the head of the facility."

"That doesn’t mean I should kill myself," Lysander groaned.

"Miracle healer you are, you can’t possibly kill yourself," Marta said with a laugh.

Lysander huffed a quiet breath.

"I am not a miracle healer," he said flatly.

Marta chuckled at that, shaking her head at him.

"But you are," she said easily. "It’s you who researched how to treat someone infected with Trihydra venom. You are also known for being able to save someone on the brink of death. You are that good. You don’t need to pretend otherwise. Besides, it seems you are forgetting you did something similar today... no, that’s yesterday."

Lysander frowned at her. "Yesterday?" he asked.

Marta rolled her eyes. "It’s a new day already."

"No, I know that. I’m just trying to remember how I did something similar yesterday."

Marta gave him a look. "Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten Tarin. The boy Miles and Genevieve brought in?"

"Oh," Lysander said. "But you helped me too. Without your expertise—"

"Stop with the excuses, boy. It’s because of you that boy survived. Don’t even try to downplay it. There’s a reason why everyone refers to you as the miracle healer."

Lysander sighed, and Calen spoke up then.

"I didn’t mean any offence, sir. It’s just that when something is... complicated... they always say to find you."

Lysander rubbed two fingers against the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"Ignoring the miracle healer talk," he said quietly, "this is exactly the reason why—"

Marta’s gaze softened. "—we are still at the point where we are. There are other healers here, and we should really stop depending on only you, miracle healer or not."

Marta nodded. She held the same opinion as Lysander, after all.

"I saw you had the trainees in the room with you while you treated Sophia."

Lysander nodded.

"I did."

"How was it?" she asked him.

"They were eager to learn, but it’s one thing to learn the theory and another to do the practical," he told her.

Marta nodded in approval.

"I like what you started tonight," she said. "I’ll continue it."

Lysander looked at her.

"You don’t have to—"

"I do," she cut in gently. "And I want to."

She turned to Calen.

"Gather the trainees in the facility. Just like what Lysander did, I’m going to be teaching them while I treat the patient. He was injured by a mirelurker, right?" she asked Calen.

He nodded. "He’s bleeding, and he is also pale."

Marta nodded. "I can deal with injuries from a mirelurker. I’ll have one of the healers assist me while I do the procedure."

Calen nodded rapidly.

"Yes, ma’am."

"And don’t interrupt Lysander again unless it’s a situation the other healers can’t handle," she added.

He flushed deeper.

"Yes, ma’am."

He turned and hurried away.

Marta turned to Lysander. "I have to go. It’s enough chit-chat when a patient is fighting for his life. You can go home and get some rest. I’m sure you’ll have more work to do when morning comes—add to that the fact that Orion is back."

Lysander sighed and then nodded.

"I’ll leave Sophia and Tarin in your hands. I’m only a few minutes away in case you need me."