My Defender(48)

"We appreciate that," Tobias said, sitting close to his mate.

Ellie took a deep breath. "Were you aware that Clara had a heart defect?"

Both parents look stunned. "No," Tobias answered.

"Her healing abilities were overtaxed by the virus; it caused her heart to give out," she explained.

"Virus?" Grant asked.

"Yes." She made sure to look into Susan's eyes. "Your little girl helped me find it."

Susan looked confused. "How?"

"In the other children, their healing abilities eradicate every trace of the virus; it's why it hasn't shown up on any blood tests we've run. But because Clara's healing abilities were also working on her heart, it wasn't able to destroy the virus completely. I was able to see it for the first time today."

"She did good?" Susan asked, softly tearing up.

Ellie stood and Grant rose next to her. She wanted to let Susan rest. "Yes, she helped very much." She took Grant's hand. "We're going to go now so you can get some sleep." She took a ragged breath. "I can't even begin to imagine the pain you're in, but maybe later, much later, you can take comfort in knowing that your little girl may be the key to saving the other children. You should be very proud."

Susan nodded absently as her tears fell. When Tobias started to stand to walk them out, Grant shook his head. "Stay with your mate."

Ellie kept her composure until they were past the houses. In the shadow of the new hospital, she stopped and wrapped her arms around her mate's waist. "I never want to do that again."

"You did very well, my love. I think in time they will find solace in your words."

Ellie stepped back and wiped at her eyes. "I hope so." She looked past the hospital to the tunnel that would take them to Level One for their meeting. "Are you ready?"

"Only if you are."





CHAPTER TEN





The air in the dining room where Ellie sat with her mate was oppressive. Magnus looked like he was about to collapse. He was pale, which only emphasized the dark circles under his eyes. Both Elizabeth and Sebastian kept shooting him concerned looks. Once everyone was seated Nathaniel cast a soundproofing spell so they could begin.

Kari stood and looked in her direction. "I know this has been a terrible day for you Ellie, but can you give us a breakdown of what happened?"

Ellie nodded and stood. Kari sat back down and picked up her notepad.

"This morning, Clara Garcia was the first fatality to a new virus that has struck the wolves here in the city," Ellie began.

Everyone looked at each other. Magnus' eyes flashed. "Virus? Are you sure?"

"Yes. Unbeknownst to Clara's parents, the little girl had a heart defect. Coupled with the virus her healing abilities were overtaxed creating a deadly combination."

Meryn frowned. "Do shifters have defects?"

Ellie gave a half shrug. "If you had asked me yesterday, I would have said no. But I can't deny the evidence I have seen. I bet more shifters than we realize have birth defects that would kill a human but the shifters can go on to lead normal lives because of our healing abilities."

Meryn played with the string on her sleeve. "If she hadn't gotten sick, would she have lived?"

"It's pure conjecture because I have nothing to gauge it against, but yes. I believe that her healing abilities would have continued to compensate for her heart defect as she grew. It would have continued to go unnoticed."

"I thought you didn't see anything in the bloodwork," Broderick asked.

She nodded. "I didn't, not until Clara's autopsy. Because her healing abilities were working so hard on her heart in the end, they weren't able to completely destroy the virus. I was able to see it for the first time in her final blood sample."

"What would have happened if Clara never got sick? What if you never found it?" Meryn asked.

Ellie froze, staring at the small human in horror. "Oh gods," she whispered and sat down in her chair, her legs going weak at the implication.

"It would have progressed undetected until it was too advanced to treat," Nathaniel said, choking on the words.

Grant took her hand. She squeezed it tightly. "He's right." She looked at Meryn. "I never even thought about it that way." She leaned back in her chair. Even with the new hospital, they were still missing what they desperately needed: more help.

"We need more doctors. I have a horrible feeling this is just the beginning." She released Grant's hand and rubbed her hands over her face. "Doctors who are aware of the paranormal world and trained in human medicine are extremely rare."

"I know one," Meryn piped up.