The small shuttle landed on the dome city's landing pad. Through the window, Seeran could see Medic Kaul waiting at the platform's edge, watching the shuttle as it went through its landing sequence and for Seeran to exit the shuttle so he could treat the human girl. He had a scanner in his hand.

The co-pilot, who had called Medic Kaul, notified him that she was in dire need of attention, describing her as a skeleton with skin stretched over it. The description was accurate. Her appearance alone made him fearful that she wouldn't survive.

Seeran waited for the door of the shuttle to open so that he could exit. Fear and anxiety washed through him as he kept peering down at his mate in his arms. Her breathing was shallow; Her heartbeat was slow. As each second passed, Seeran worried more for his mate. He could tell there were only moments left of her life.

The hiss of the door opening echoed through the shuttle's small cabin, then the ramp lowered. Seeran was already at the bottom of the ramp before it had even hit the ground, having to step off nearly a foot down. He needed his mate to get to the medic quickly. Her condition was declining rapidly.

Medic Kaul rushed up with his scanner and scanned the girl in Seeran's arms. It wasn't lost on him the way Kaul paled the moment he saw her, then paled further after the scan. "Follow me. I can't help her out here," he stated, then turned and headed for the med clinic; Seeran stayed close behind. Both were rushing through the streets trying to get to their destination.

On the way to the clinic, those in their path stepped to the side, giving them room. They could see the urgency in the way they rushed toward the med clinic. Medic Kaul and Seeran's features told them the situation was dire.

Once at the clinic, the door smoothly slid open, and Medic Kaul rushed to his shelving, retrieving several strange-looking devices. Seeran didn't know anything about medical procedures, so he didn't know what he was looking at, nor did he want to interrupt Medic Kaul to ask him. Seeran knew that every second counted.

"Put her on the exam table," Medic Kaul ordered, quickly setting his devices on the small table next to the bed. He was still moving fast, clearly in a rush to start her treatment.

Seeran did as ordered. He didn't say anything; he only watched, trying to stay out of the medic's way. He didn't want his impatience to hinder the medic's work, which could cost his mate her life.

Kaul quickly covered her thin body with a sheet and then hooked up several tubes; One of them in her vein, the other down her throat. Seeran paled as he watched Medic Kaul work. He worked quickly, not pausing even for a second. This told Seeran that the situation was more than dire. It made his fear rise.

The girl gagged as Medic Kaul shoved the lubricated tube into her mouth and down her throat, the tube making her choke, struggling to breathe.

"What are you doing?" Seeran hissed, watching his mate struggle. He didn't like seeing her go through what was happening. It was too invasive, too painful.

Not pausing from his work, Medic Kaul did not answer as he quickly hooked up a milky-colored bag to the device attached to the tubes in her throat, then a clear bag to the one in her vein. Once set up, he flipped a red switch on each; a gentle hum sounded as the machines did their work. Through the tubes, Seeran could see the liquid in the bags slowly go into her body through the tubes that Kaul had placed in her.

"What are you doing?" Seeran asked again; his voice was strained with worry.

The machine continued to hum as the liquid flowed into his mate.

Hooking a breather to her nose, Kaul flipped another switch, giving her oxygen. Once everything was set and the girl was hooked up to all of the medical devices that were needed to treat her, he finally stopped and took in a deep breath.

Medic Kaul looked at Seeran. "One is a feeding tube; the other is hydrating her. She needs oxygen to help her breathe; that's why there is a breather attached to her," he explained. "I think she will make it with the food and hydration. Your mate is severely starved. She needs nutrients. There is a solution in the food that will help it absorb quickly. There is also medicine that will help her recover in a matter of hours, maybe even less. It's meant for larger individuals, so it may work faster. If the solution does its job, her vitals should be stabilized by the time the bag is empty."

Seeran nodded as he watched Medic Kaul pull out his scanner again. Moving the scanner from head to toe, he watched the small screen and waited. The soft hum of the machine continued as the bags of fluid emptied.

The scanner suddenly beeped.

"What is it?" Seeran asked, worried, not knowing what the beep meant. His worry for his mate overshadowed everything else.

Kaul checked the scanner and then pressed a few buttons before looking over at Seeran. "Her vitals are stabilizing. The medicine, food, and hydration seem to be working. Even her breathing is much better."

Seeran nodded; relief washed over him. He couldn't speak as he continued to watch Kaul as he worked with his mate. Time passed slowly. It felt like hours, but it had only been less than an hour that had passed.

The scanner beeped again, making a high-pitched noise. Kaul turned the sound off and scanned the girl again. Kaul frowned. "I need to take a sample of her blood," he told Seeran. "I can't do that without your approval since she is your mate."

Seeran looked up from his mate to study Medic Kaul. "Why do you need a sample of her blood? What's wrong?" He couldn't keep the panic out of his tone.

"I'm getting strange readings from my scanner. It has to do with something in her bloodstream. I need to take a sample to make sure it isn't something that needs to be addressed," Medic Kaul explained. With her condition, I don't want to wait. If there is an infection, her body isn't strong enough to fight it off.

Stiffly, Seeran nodded in understanding, allowing Kaul to take her blood. He didn't like it, but what he knew of Kaul, he trusted him. He knew Medic Kaul wouldn't take it in her condition unless he felt he truly needed to.

Medic Kaul reached over, picking up an empty injector. Adjusting the injector's settings to take blood rather than give whatever the contents were, he stuck the injector into the girl's vein, taking her blood. As Seeran watched, Kaul stuck the injector into a machine, the blood draining out of the injector and into the testing device. Once turned on, he waited for it to do its thing.

After several minutes, a beep sounded, indicating the test was complete. Medic Kaul looked at the screen. Smiling, he turned to Seeran. "Your mate has immunity to zombie toxins. We can find a vaccine to stop the spread," he stated excitedly. In his mind, this was good news. If he could devise a vaccine, those who were attacked, scratched, or bitten by zombies wouldn't become infected.

"You don't need more of her blood, do you?" Seeran choked. He didn't want to subject his mate to anything invasive. She had been through enough, and at the moment, she was too fragile. He didn't want her to become a lab rat for the medical department in order to develop a vaccine. The thought scared him.

Medic Kaul smiled. "I can use the sample in the testing device. I doubt I will need more than what I have."

Seeran nodded in relief. "When will she be well enough to take home?"

Kaul moved over to the girl, scanning her one last time with his medical scanner, not answering. When he was done, he carefully removed the tubes and breather. He waited, watching her to be sure she remained stable. They waited for nearly thirty minutes, just to be sure. There was no evidence that she would revert to how she was when she was first brought in. The food, hydration, and medicine had done their job.

"You can take her home now. Give her creamed soups with a high nutritional value and lots of water to keep her hydrated. I will come by your home each morning to scan her until she is better," Kaul replied. "If you feel the need to call me, then do it. I will be available to you regardless of the time of day or night."

Seeran nodded, then gently picked up his mate, leaving the clinic to take her home.

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