Callem-

The smell of the hospital alone was enough to make my stomach feel upset, like I'd eaten a fish that had been left out for too long. Again. "Are you alright, Callem?" Parker asked right as we stepped into the elevator to bring us up to the floor Fri was staying on. 

Instead of dwelling on the awkwardly moving machine beneath my feet, I looked down just as Parker lifted his hand to my cheek with a worried expression on his handsome face. "You don't look well..." 

You are the sweetest human. 

I gave him my best smile and leaned over, nuzzling his nose until he nudged me back with a chuckle. "You and your PDA." He said, his words turning my smile into a playful grin. "As long as we aren't naked it's okay, yes?" 

"That was the part you made up, Cal." He said, though his smile told me that he was fine with my version of his rule. 

The door opened right as I opened my mouth to reply. Oh well. I suppose this isn't the place to make such jokes, anyway. I'll wait till we get home. Determined to behave, I squared my shoulders and withheld the urge to itch my skin beneath the shirt I had on. I was used to wearing clothing, but they had all been older and worn, mostly Parker's. New things were quite uncomfortable. 

"His room should be right over here," Parker mumbled as I followed him down the hall. There were a lot of people walking quickly back and forth on the floor, but very few actually went into rooms. 

When we stopped at a room, door covered in red warning signs, we both looked at each other and grinned. "I don't suppose he's in here?" I asked, trying out some sarcasm for Parker's benefit. I didn't like saying one thing that could mean another, but Parker seemed stressed and there really couldn't be a misunderstanding that I was joking a little with what I said. 

He gave me a cheeky grin and I returned it before he reached for the handle. The door jerked, but held firm. We frowned at each other, then Parker turned toward a woman hurrying toward them. 

"Excuse me, but you can't enter that room." She said, seemingly out of breath from rushing. 

Parker looked up at me and I nodded, knowing not to say anything. I wasn't the best at talking people into situations, or whatever it was called when you made people do what you wanted. I knew there was a word, but it was escaping my thoughts. 

"We're friends of his, our friend Oliver brought him in." Parker said, his voice calm even though I could tell that he was still stressed. He had a nervous twitch to his fingers and almost stuttered twice. 

The woman grabbed the clipboard hanging next to the door and read through what was scribbled on the sheets. How can anyone read that? I wondered as she continued to read. Maybe she's just pretending that she can understand it? 

"What is your friend's name? And what are yours?" She asked, glancing up at us. 

"His name is Oliver and I'm Parker." He glanced over his shoulder at me and nodded. "And this is Callem." 

The woman looked back down at the clipboard, then wrote something on one of the lower lines. "Alright, but do not approach him. He's been extremely aggressive since he was brought in and is restrained." She looked back up at us, her eyes narrowing. "And we don't need to test those restraints, am I being clear?" 

Frowning, I nodded at the same time Parker did. Fri wasn't an aggressive mer. He was a sweetheart who had to be terrified in order to try and hurt anyone else. When she finally said that we could go in, she unlocked the door but made us wait until two men came over to escort us, as if they could do anything against an angry mer. 

I kept my mouth shut, though, and just waited until she opened the door and we were allowed to go inside. What I saw when my vision adjusted to the dim room made my stomach ache terribly. I wanted to run over to the bed and tear Fri free of the ropes that held him to the metal bed. Parker grabbed my wrist and squeezed, making me take a deep breath as I stared down at him. 

"Calm down, Callem." 

His voice didn't help me much as I slowly made my way closer to Fri. He had a mask over his face, and a weak, but steady growl was echoing in the quiet room. His eyes were barely open, but I could feel them on me. I let my gaze move over his body, the amount of things hooked up to it was sickening. 

"He can't need all of this." I stated, staring sideways at Parker as he stopped beside me. 

Instead of answering me, Parker turned toward the machines that were beeping in the room. I wasn't sure what any of them were, but surely Fri didn't need so many. 

"Why is he on a ventilator?" Parker asked as he turned to face the woman who had followed them inside, the two men she'd gotten to join her at her back. 

She glanced down at the clipboard, using the light coming in from the hall to read. "It says that he came in unconscious. He was barely responsive and needed assistance breathing. That's why the machine was hooked up." She stated, returning her gaze to us. 

"I'm assuming he's tried to escape or attack someone, and that is the reason he's tied? And not just because he's growling?" Parker asked, a hint of frustration in his voice that I shared. 

The woman sighed and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "He came in unconscious but when he came around, he began baring his teeth and growling at staff. They tried to assure him that they just wanted to help him, but he refused to keep the ventilator mask on or the IVs for the fluids he needs in."

He must have been terrified. Anger boiled in my chest when I realized that Hice was nowhere to be seen. I had expected him to be lurking in a dark corner, watching over Fri, but he wasn't here. I doubt he even came at all. 

The door opened right as I thought that and I had a feeling that my own mind had brought Hice to Fri's side. Unfortunately, the person who stepped through the door quietly, then turned and shut it before facing us, was definitely not Hice. 

Parker stepped forward, likely about to speak to the man, when a snarling roar ripped through the room and the machines against the wall began going crazy. I jerked my attention back to Fri, who was fighting the restraints in a fury. He swung his head back and forth enough to force the mask off, then began trying to free his arms. His struggling forced some of the IV needles to pull free, leaving lines of blood slowly escaping from his wrists and arms. 

"Fri, calm down." I said, trying to soothe his anger. 

His dark-rimmed eyes met mine, and I realized then, that he wasn't angry. He was terrified. Without thinking, I responded. Whirling around, I grabbed the man by the throat and slammed him against the wall hard enough to shake the shelf leaning up against it. Dust fell slowly to settled on us from the ceiling as Micah lifted his shaking hands to scrape at my arm, but I didn't release him. I tightened my grip as my gills flared and I felt my teeth starting to form points. It took a lot to bring out my other side without the feeling of water over my body, but I was very close to tearing him apart.

The only thing that saved the man were his gasped words as he choked around my fingers digging into his neck. "Hice s-sent me." 

I let his body drop to the floor then, after a final strong squeeze. He coughed, then gagged and coughed several more times, trying to regain his ability to breathe. I probably hurt him for far longer than this moment, but after Fri's reaction to him, I couldn't find it in me to care. A hand wrapping around my left arm brought my fury back and I turned, snarling at one of the two men that he woman had brought in for protection. He shrank back against the opposite wall, eyes wide. 

"Cal." 

Parker's voice immediately made me sigh with relief as he stepped beside me and offered a smile. "It's alright. He won't be able to get to Fri with all of us here." 

He didn't yell at me for losing my temper. I never lose my temper. Unease nudged at my heart, but as I looked down at the man still at my feet, I couldn't find it in me to apologize. 

"Why would Hice send you here, and not come himself?" Parker asked, taking over the situation. 

I let him, though I remained right beside him, ready to defend what was mine. My fingers lifted to gently grasp the edge of his shirt, just in case. I wanted him to know that I was there the second he needed me. 

It took Micah a few more moments before he heaved a tired breath and leaned back against the wall. Sweat dotted his brow, making his dark hair press against his skin as his dark eyes lifted to meet Parker's. He kept glancing at me, but I held back my snarl. I wanted to growl at him. Make him cower for doing whatever he had done to Fri previously, but Parker needed me to calm down for right now, so I would. 

"He wanted me to try and help Fri." Micah finally said. He seemed like he was being careful with his words, and it made me uncomfortable. 

Parker seemed to notice that, too, because he squatted down and narrowed his eyes on the man. I followed, kneeling beside him, doing my best to look dangerous. He flinched, hunching a little and licking his lips nervously. "I came because he asked me to." He repeated. 

Parker pursed his lips. "What makes you useful? How could you even begin to help Fri? You brought him that bottle of medication last time. Oliver said that stuff was strong. Dangerous, and for the treatment of severe swelling." 

Fri's growl played as background music to our discussion, keeping Micah clearly worried. When he didn't reply to Parker, I bared my teeth and Parker continued. "Answer me, Micah. What can you do here?" 

"I-I know what's wrong. What they're doing won't help him." 

The man's face paled as he spoke and I thought he might pass out right where he sat. He didn't seem like he would know what was wrong. He wasn't dressed like the doctors. He didn't talk with strange words that most of them used at Parker's work. He seemed normal, wearing a simple black T-shirt and worn jeans. His shoes were even old-looking. I couldn't see him as a doctor, let alone one that knew about mers. 

Parker, though, seemed to take his words seriously. He was looking at the man with a hesitant expression. "Fri knows you. What did you do to him in the past?" He asks, his voice calm, though I could hear the edge in them easily. 

The man was practically shaking at the question, which only fueled my own anger. I lowered my left hand to the cold tile floor and leaned forward where I crouched, hissing as my gills flared again. 

Micah's arms shot up at the same time he yelled his response on a shaky breath. "I was the head biologist assigned to study him!" I had his throat in my grasp before he even finished speaking, his arms knocked aside as if they were nothing. Soon, you will be nothing, too! My heart pounded against my chest as I didn't hesitate to choke him. 

I was content to let the light slip from the man's eyes before I felt Parker's hand press over my own at the base of Micah's neck. "Callem. We need to think this through, please let go of him for now." 

My anger flared, betrayal making my heart confused as to what I should do. "He hurt him, terribly." I growled, putting more strength into my action. Micah struggled, clawed at my hand, but he got nowhere. He would pass out shortly. 

"Callem, release him, now." Parker said, his gaze focusing past me when I glanced his way. I then followed where he was looking and released the man out of surprise. The people who had brought us into the room were gone, replaced by police with guns pointed at us. 

Had they been here the whole time? I didn't hear anyone come in or saying anything. 

Standing, I faced the men, a frown finding its way onto my face. I could hear Micah coughing beside me, but I wasn't going to look away from the guns. 

"What's going on in here?" The officer to my left asked from the doorway. He was a bit heavy, but still held himself well. He wasn't afraid of me. Because of the gun. 

His eyes went to Micah, but he didn't try to move closer. We waited silently until Micah was able to catch his breath and shakily get to his feet. I expected him to try to get us out of the way. To tell the police that I'd attacked him, which I did. He remained silent for several more moments as he leaned his body against the wall to help himself stand. He then looked at me, our eyes meeting and holding. I wanted to snarl, but I forced myself to just narrow my gaze. He turned his attention to the officers then, and forced a pained smile. 

"It... it was just a misunderstanding." He rasped, speaking clearly painful for him. 

The officers seemed shocked. I felt shocked. I'd just attacked him. Tried to kill him, yet he said that we had just had a misunderstanding? The two policemen looked at each other, then back to Micah as they slowly lowered their guns. 

"Are you sure? You should get treated, and press charges." The one on the right said, his brown hair thin, leaving him nearly bald. 

Micah nodded and pushed away from the wall. He wobbled a bit, but managed to stay upright. "No charges, please leave us be." The officers were hesitant, and I thought they might just take me away anyways, because they probably could, but with me being a mer, they were likely hesitant. 

"Okay, but we'll be waiting in the hall. If we hear anything at all, we're coming back in." The heavier man said before turning and leaving with his partner. 

I walked forward and shut the door, not bothering to wait for the woman and her two guards, who had disappeared off to somewhere else. When I turned back around, I saw Micah limping over to the many machines hooked up to Fri. Some weren't working right, but I figured that was because Fri had thrashed in his bed, removing some of the items connected to the machines. 

"A lot of this dosage is too high. He doesn't need this at all, and this is too low." Micah said as he began messing with the machines. I didn't like him touching anything that had to with Fri, and while Fri had calmed down, he was still growling and snapping at Micah each time the man got almost too-close. 

He did get too close one time, when he removed one of the needles that was still stuck in Fri's wrist. Fri lunged, his teeth snapping down onto Micah's left arm. The man winced, a quiet whimper leaving his lips, but he didn't stop what he was doing or call for the officers. I felt a pain in my arm just watching as blood began to run down his skin toward his wrist. "This is toxic. It might have helped initially, but it's poison in the end." Micah said as he tossed the needle, connected to an IV, aside to hang by its intended machine. 

Fri released him after he removed another needle. I could tell that he was about to fall asleep, and that was likely the only reason he gave up his attack. Micah stumbled about for a while longer, fixing this and turning off that. Parker and I followed him closing with our eyes, making sure that he wasn't hurting Fri. 

When he finally stepped away from the bed and machines, having replaced the mask over Fri's face since Fri had fallen asleep, he turned and grabbed a clipboard set off to the side and began writing. "He needs these medications as fast as you can get them. Double the dose on this one," he said as he made a mark next to one name. "And halve this one. Don't give him anything else." 

Parker took the clipboard from him right before Micah turned and leaned back against the wall, sliding down it with a long sigh. Parker left to get the medicine and I took the time alone to kneel down in front of Micah. He didn't move. His head was hung forward, hair falling to just barely hide his eyes. I reached forward and moved his bangs aside. 

He passed out. 

I wasn't surprised. I did hurt him pretty badly and he was bleeding from Fri's bite. Sitting down in front of him, I tried hard not to hate him. He had caused terrible things. Yet he's here trying to help. He couldn't just be doing this because Hice asked him to. I was confused, and I didn't like it. 

Frowning, I gave my own sigh and decided to just wait for Parker to return. We would get Micah help after Fri was taken care of.