Hannah saw that Khaat was trying to cling to Marcus. She looked at Soph.
"I'll go," Hannah said. "I'll get him." She left in a hurry and took a couple of short cuts to Brian's office.
"Brian," Hannah said. "You...need to come. Right now."
Brian looked up as she spoke and heard the hesitance in her voice. He saw the look on her face. This was news about someone he loved, and it wasn't good.
"Who is it, Hannah?" he asked, not sure he wanted to know, getting up from his desk.
"It's Khaat. Brian--she...well,...she might bleed out. Its...not pretty."
"I'm used to all kinds of not pretty," he said calmly, partly to steady himself. His first couple steps were an even, calm stride but his own fear of losing her took over and he soon found himself running.
He spun the corner and his running shoes slid. He grabbed hold of the doorway of the treatment room where he laid eyes on her.
"Oh, God," he said softly. He saw her still trying to clutch to Marcus and saw Soph there trying to stabilize her. "Marcus, report," he ordered. "Soph, I want to help."
"It was James," Marcus said.
"James," Brian frowned, going to Khaat and starting to check her vital signs. "That's not possible. Are you sure?"
"Completely," Marcus said. "He's flipped his plan. He's not just after your family. He's broadened his scope. I...suggest you seek the Deputy Minister, Sir, immediately."
"Elijah Krum will find out when I get time to send for him," Brian said. "Throat...shoulder...heavy blood loss, tissue damage, bone damage...cartilage, ligaments...This is going to need surgery. Life support...We need more healers. Hannah, get a surgery suite ready and a full team.. This is going to take time." Brian didn't know if Khaat even had any time left for surgery. It was a judgement call. Did he try to save her, or did he keep her comfortable and have a few moments to talk to her--to say a whole lifetime of things to her in a moment or two?
"Daddy..." Khaat tried to call for Robert, and Brian knew why. Robert had the skills to deal with this. Brian wasn't sure he himself did. But Robert wasn't coming. They'd have to do this without Robert. He nodded to Marcus, hoping Marcus would just comfort her. Brian needed his hands and couldn't do any hand holding at the moment, as much as he wanted to. Then he noticed Marcus's own bleeding wound that was in Marcus's upper left arm.
"Somebody patch him up," Brian said. "I need him."
"I'll survive, Sir," Marcus said.
"You will, but I can't have you buggering up my sterile field in the operating room. You can't be 'leaking' in there," Brian said. "Soph, I need you. I can't do this without you. She'll die if we don't have a full team."
He was sure he was going to need a healer to provide a life support spell for her so the rest of them could finish the surgery. He looked at Khaat. He knew that she was well aware her time might be running out, and he needed her to have hope, to fight, to try.
He leaned over her and brushed her blood soaked hair from her face. He kissed her forehead slowly, lovingly. "I'm here," he said to her softly. He saw her try to shake her head, not wanting him to try. His words to her now were slow and deliberate so she could not miss them. "Trust. Me," he said with all the love and affection he could muster, looking straight into her eyes. Her fingers tightened around Marcus's. She knew Brian was taking the choice from her. He was deciding to fight. He wasn't going to let her go that easily. Her eyes fluttered shut as she weakened.
Brian looked at Soph. "We're going on this," he told her. He wasn't going to just let his wife lay there and die. He was going to try whatever surgery he knew to keep her alive. "Soph, you find whoever else you can. We're going to need them." He looked at Marcus. "I need you there. You better not faint."
"Yes, Sir," Marcus said.
"Hannah," Brian said. "Send back to my house. Her mother...needs to know. And then find Elijah Krum. Tell him there's been a second assassination attempt in less than a month. Tell him someone's tried to kill the Chief Warlock. I'll have more information for him after the surgery. Let's prep her and then go."