He strode out of the room at my nod, steps quick, like a man on a mission. I could tell how much this meant to him.
“Okay! Be right back,” he shouted back in my direction.
When I glanced around the room, I noticed three pill bottles on the bedside table, like a human would get from a pharmacy, their distinct orange color out of place in the room.
I frowned and turned my attention to Rory’s parents. “Has Jenkins been giving Roryhumanmedication?”
Shifters tended to lean toward herbal, more holistic forms of medicine—and for good reason.
Leah nodded; eyes still pinned on Rory. “He said they would be effective at fighting infection. Said everyone used them in the hospitals.”
I groaned, straightening after listening to Rory’s heart and rubbing my temples.
“Griff?” I called out. I could hear him leaving the office we’d passed, where he’d likely been rummaging through files, and he quickly rejoined me.
“Yeah? You find something?”
I draped the stethoscope around my neck, pressing my lips into a tight line. “I think I know what’s going on.”
“Already?” Donald asked, shocked.
I met his concerned stare, nodding again as I raised my brows. “I’m not certain, but I already have a good place to start. Many human medications are inappropriate for dragons. Your DNA isn’t the same as ours. I’d bet that one of these medications is keeping Rory weak. Once I get a good look at what’s been prescribed, I will be able to see if they contain any harmful ingredients.”
I rolled the bottles over in my hands. They were strong stuff, probably wreaking havoc on the child’s immune and cardiovascular systems. Dosage was so critical too. The saying went, “one was medicine, two was poison.” This was a dragon with different genetics and a child, at that.
“That doesn’t sound right.” Leah worried. “Healer Jenkins went to a human medical school. He knows what medications work.”
“But Roryisn’thuman,” I told her kindly but insistently. “His DNA is that of a shifter, so human medicines won’t work the same way. Sometimes they do, but the ingredients need to be checked and triple-checked. Especially for a child who has less body mass and different hormone levels at play.”
“You’re one ofthoseidiots,” a voice snarled from the doorway.
I turned, hiding my surprise and keeping a serene expression, even as irritation bubbled to the surface. An older man with ratty gray hair stood in the doorway, hunched over a walking stick. His face was twisted into a snarl.
“Healer Jenkins, I take it?” I asked coolly.
“It’sDoctorJenkins. You’re not needed here,girl,” he growled.
My hand twitched with the urge to slap him. He was not the only medical professional in the room, and he knew it. It was too early in the morning for misogyny and prejudice to be rearing their ugly heads.
“My name is Rowan. I’m just trying to help. Research has shown?—”
“Screw your research. You are comparing this boy to a common animal! These medications work well; I’ve been using them for years.”
“I disagree.” I did my best to keep my tone polite, but given thehorde was struggling severely with their health, his methods clearly left something to be desired. “And, furthermore, the outcomes do not support your hypothesis.”
“Jenkins, be nice. Rowan is here by invitation of the Alphas,” Griff warned the old man as he hobbled toward the bed.
“Leah, Donald. Don’t listen to this girl. She shouldn’t be here.” He glowered at Rory’s mother, and I didn’t like how distressed the boy’s parents looked.
This is ridiculous.
“You’re a purist, aren’t you?” I asked with a quirked eyebrow.
I had encountered a few folks like this before who had explained their thinking. A few decades ago, some old-school dragons had decided that modern medicine was the best there could possibly be, and the traditional ways of healing were obsolete. Except, it wasn’t that black and white. Modern medicine was amazing for some things, but in others, it could actually hurt shifters. Weighing all the options equally was the right move.
“And you’re one of those new-age healers who doesn’t understand modern medicine. I bet you didn’t even go to medical school,” he snarled.
I rolled my eyes. “I did, actually, for three years, but that’s irrelevant here.”
