Even though the hospital wasn’t very far away, the trip felt like it took an eternity to Cas. The girl was heavy in his arms, and he grew tired quickly as he walked. It made him wonder if he should incorporate more cardio into his regular exercise routine. Right now, he definitely felt like he needed it. After all, he wouldn’t want to drop someone if he ever found himself carrying another injured person to the hospital in the future… or some other situation that was more reasonable.

Suddenly, the girl shifted against him, and he flinched, not prepared for the movement. He’d thought she was out cold, but judging by the sound of her whimpers, she wasn’t as oblivious to her condition as he’d hoped. Her pained noises tugged at his heart and hastened his step. He’d always had a soft spot for the wounded animals he’d found on the edge of the city. He even snuck them back to his family’s mansion to take care of whenever he could get away with it. With a bleeding girl in his arms, his natural bent toward empathy only increased and made him all the more desperate to get her to a doctor before it was too late.

[color=b97703]“You’re gonna be all right,”[/color] he assured her. It was unclear if she could hear him or not, but he wanted to try to offer her some peace if she was conscious enough to understand. [color=b97703]“The hospital’s not too much further… They’ll patch you up good as new.”[/color] He wasn’t really sure how much truth was in his words. She must have lost a lot of blood if she’d passed out from it. He just hoped the medical experts could give him good news when he brought her in to be treated. If he found out his efforts to save her weren’t enough, it was going to mess him up for a while. Was there even counseling for that sort of thing?

Just as his arms began to tremble from the effort of hauling her all the way from the forest, Cas breathed a sigh of relief as he arrived at the emergency center. It hadn’t been that long ago since the girl’s last whimper, so he was hopeful that she was still holding on long enough for someone to take care of her. [color=b97703]“I need help!”[/color] he called as he stepped through the automatic doors, getting the whole lobby’s attention with the urgency in his voice. The receptionists and waiting bystanders looked up at him with alarm, but none of them could do anything to save the girl.

He was just about to call out again when a familiar face appeared from a nearby office: Dr. Emett.

[color=b97703]“I’m fine,”[/color] Cas answered breathily when the doctor questioned if he was okay. He was a little surprised by Emett’s concern for his health when he was carrying a near-dead girl in his arms, but it [i]was [/i]the doctor’s first duty to take care of the royal family. If he’d been hurt too, he didn’t doubt that Dr. Emett would have treated him first.

Exhausted, he wasted no time following him to a nearby room and setting the girl down on the surgery table with shaky hands. As soon as the burden of her weight was lifted, he collapsed in a chair by the door with a groan while the doctor looked her over. [color=b97703]“I don’t know for sure,”[/color] he panted in response to his next inquiry, wiping the sweat from his brow. [color=b97703]“I didn’t see what happened… I think she stepped in a bear trap though. She was in the woods when I found her.”[/color]

As Dr. Emett and one of the nurses began to work on treating the girl’s injuries, Cas averted his gaze. Medical stuff always made him queasy, so he didn’t want to watch them stitch her up. Instead, he busied himself by inspecting the bloodstained spot on his shirt. It had been a bad day to wear white. He was probably going to have to toss it when he got home.

When the doctor asked about her name, Cas risked glancing up, glad to see that she was already being bandaged. [color=b97703]“No,”[/color] he frowned, wishing he had more helpful answers to give. [color=b97703]“You can just charge the bill to me though. I’ll cover it for her… She’d had a bad enough day already.”[/color]

Seeing Emett pick up a syringe, he looked away again with a grimace. He really wished he had a stronger stomach for this sort of thing. [color=b97703]“Good, I’m glad,”[/color] he mumbled when the doctor expressed that he’d gotten her there in time. Knowing that the girl was going to be okay, he relaxed a little more in his chair. He was sorry to hear about the pain she was going to be in when she woke up, but at least he could be sure she wasn’t going to die.

When the two practitioners finished treating her, Cas leaned forward, crossing his arms over his knees as he watched the steady rise and fall of the sleeping girl’s shoulders. Now that she was safe, he supposed there was no more reason for him to wait around the hospital. He glanced at the analogue clock on the wall and exhaled. It was almost one in the morning. He was definitely late. Still, it felt wrong to just leave her here after the ordeal she’d been through. No one here even knew her name, so they couldn’t call any of her family to come and be with her when she came to.

He rubbed the side of his face with his hand, trying to stave off his weariness from the long night. Sometimes being an empathetic person was hard. He didn’t even know who this girl was, but he felt obligated to make sure she wasn’t alone. He wasn’t sure how helpful his presence would be, but she was probably going to freak out when she woke up. At the very least, he could explain where she was and why she was there.

Deciding he would stay, Cas leaned back again with a yawn. He just hoped his father wouldn’t be too mad whenever he finally went home.