Dr. Wolf, the Fae Rift Series Book 1- Shockwave (7 page)

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“I’ve never known a doctor to have such concern for one of his patients.”

Aleric’s eyes flew open. It took him a moment to remember where he was. The hard tile floor and the sign stating ‘D Wing Under Construction’ sent everything rushing back.

He looked up to see Dr. Indley, the veterinarian, standing a few feet away with a quizzical expression on her face.

Aleric pushed up from the wall and stood.

“You’re moving a bit stiff,” she noted.

Aleric gave a self-deprecating smile. “The tile’s a bit hard.”

“You could have brought a chair,” she said.

“That’s thinking ahead,” Aleric told her. “I figured I’d sit and take a break, and next thing I know, you’re here talking to me. Napping wasn’t part of the plan.”

Dr. Indley nodded with an empathetic expression. “I know the long hours you guys pull here. I suppose you’ll take any break you can get.”

Aleric glanced at the watch he didn’t have. He wondered where his belongings had gone when he appeared in Edge City. Being found unconscious and naked was an embarrassing thought.

“I seem to have misplaced my watch,” he said. “I should probably go check on Braum.”

“I like that you refer to your patients by their names,” Dr. Indley said. “It’s refreshing, considering how many patients you must take in a day.”

Aleric wondered if he had been caught. Perhaps he needed to be a bit more disenchanted by the whole hospital thing. He figured doctors must become apathetic about healing over time. Though from what he had seen, helping people recover was an incredible process.

“Uh, yeah,” he said in an attempt to cover. “It was Dr. Worthen’s idea to refer to patients on an individual basis so that they are…well…seen as people instead of objects.”

“I applaud that way of thinking,” she said.

Silence filled the hallway. Aleric wasn’t sure what to say or do. He didn’t know how long he had slept. Given the tightness of his neck and shoulders, it was longer than he had planned. He needed to check on Braum. Nurse Eastwick’s warning about high temperatures and keeping an eye on the numbers lingered in his mind. But he didn’t want Dr. Indley to follow him into the D Wing for many, many good reasons.

“Can I come with you to check on Braum? I’m anxious to see how he’s recovering. I’ll have to admit, his case wasn’t what I was expecting when Dr. Worthen asked me for assistance.”

“You took it well,” Aleric said. “Given the unusual circumstances, you performed the surgery without a hitch.”

He hoped that was true. From what he had seen, he honestly had no idea. There could have been a thousand hitches and he wouldn’t know. He actually wasn’t sure what a hitch would look like in a surgery, or what a hitch was, if the word itself was considered.

“I’m sorry,” he said with the realization that he had stood there for an uncomfortably long amount of time. “I must be more exhausted than I thought. Maybe I should grab something to eat.”

“I’ll join you after we check on Braum, if you don’t mind me coming with you,” she replied.

With the many, many reasons she shouldn’t go into the D Wing, Aleric couldn’t think of a way to voice even one of them without sounding completely insane.

He ended up with, “Sure.”

“Great!” she replied.

“Sure?” he muttered to himself as he pushed through the first set of doors. “Smooth thinking.”

“Light and Dark?”

Aleric glanced over his shoulder at Dr. Indley’s inquisitive tone. She was looking up at the signs above the two doors.

“Oh, uh, yeah. My nurses have a sense of humor.”

“Is it ethical to label patients that way?” Dr. Indley asked.

“It’ll wash off,” Aleric said. “Don’t worry.”

He pushed the Light door open before she got too curious and wandered into the Dark area. The last thing he needed was for her to run into a raging demon or hungry vampire.

Aleric spotted Tranquility sitting on her bed which had been pushed right up against the window.

“I’m catching the last of the rays,” she said with a big smile on her face. “The better to keep the vampires away.”

“That’s what I heard,” Aleric replied, holding his voice steady. He motioned to Dr. Indley. “This is Dr. Indley. She’s coming to check on Braum.”

“Do they know each other?” the veterinarian asked in surprise.

“Fairies and faun are cousins,” Tranquility replied.

“Fairies?” Dr. Indley repeated. She looked at Aleric.

He made a swirling motion by his head. “Crazy,” he whispered.

She nodded and turned back to Tranquility. “That’s nice, sweetie,” she replied.

Aleric hurried her toward the other end of the room.

“She’s a bit delusional, but happy,” he explained in an undertone. “We just humor her until her psychotherapy sessions.”

“I heard that,” Tranquility called out.

“This wing looks a bit, well, in-progress,” Dr. Indley said. She touched one of the walls and then looked at the white paint on her fingertips. “Don’t you have other wings?”

“They’re full,” Aleric replied. “We’re at our limit. This wing was our last option.”

She nodded. He was relieved she bought his story. He was going to have to start writing everything down if she questioned him further just so he could keep his story straight. As it was, he felt like his front was unraveling as quickly as he could weave it.

Aleric paused inside the door frame, but Dr. Indley went straight to the bed.

“His numbers look good,” she said over her shoulder.

“Yes,” he replied, forcing a confident tone. “That’s what I thought, too.”

“Will your nurse be by to check on the dressings?”

“Yes. She should’ve been here already. I need to go see what’s keeping her,” Aleric hedged.

The veterinarian seemed perfectly content to let him go. Aleric stayed put, unwilling to leave her alone in the fae wing. There was a contemplative expression on her face as she studied the patient.

“What happened to you?” she asked.

Aleric thought for a moment that she was talking to him. He was debating whether to go with the truth or another lie that would bury him further when he realized it was a rhetorical question addressed to the patient.

“That’s what I wondered,” he said. “Braum, what happened to you?”

Dr. Indley looked at him. “How on earth does a man have the legs of a goat like this?”

“Evolution?” Aleric suggested.

She cracked a smile. “Seriously, Dr. Wolf. What do you think?”

He shook his head. It wasn’t hard to look overwhelmed. “All I know is it’s been a crazy day.”

The door to the Light fae side opened and Nurse Eastwick came in. She paused when she saw them. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of Dr. Indley. Aleric cleared his throat.

“Nurse Eastwick, Dr. Indley came to see how Braum is doing after his surgery.”

To her credit, Nurse Eastwick nodded and spoke as though finding another physician in the fae room wasn’t a cause for concern.

“It’s good to see you here, Doctor. You did a wonderful job.”

“Thank you,” Dr. Indley replied. “I’m glad to see that he’s resting well.”

The nurse checked the numbers. Aleric glanced at them as well and nodded to himself. Nurse Eastwick threw him a wry smile.

“He is. I’m just here to change his I.V.,” she said.

“We’ll get out of your way,” Dr. Indley replied. “Let us know if his condition changes.”

“I will for sure,” Nurse Eastwick replied.

Dr. Indley followed Aleric out of the room. She paused and glanced at the door marked Dark.

“It makes me curious to see what’s in there,” she said.

“A patient better left asleep,” Aleric replied.

She nodded. “It’s not my place to pry.”

He was relieved when she followed him out of the D Wing.

Nurse Eastwick met them near the Emergency Room a few minutes later. “I had Nurse Tarli pick up some extra food. It’s been one of those days. Do you have a moment to eat?”

“Definitely,” Aleric told her.

His immediate response brought a smile to the nurse’s lips. “Saving lives builds an appetite, doesn’t it, Dr. Wolf?”

“It does,” he replied. “Who would’ve thought?”

“How long have you been here?” Dr. Indley asked.

“Three years,” Nurse Eastwick replied without missing a beat. “Dr. Wolf did his residency here and decided to stay.”

If the veterinarian thought it strange that the nurse answered for Aleric, she didn’t say.

The smell of food, any kind of food, would have been enough to make Aleric’s stomach growl; however, the scent of the food wafting from the white containers on the table in the breakroom exceeded his expectations.

“I can never turn down a chicken cordon bleu sandwich,” he said. His mouth watered at the thought.

Nurse Eastwick handed each of them a container; she kept her face carefully guarded when they opened them.

“Chicken cordon bleu. How did you know?” Dr. Indley asked.

Aleric realized his mistake. A human wouldn’t have been able to smell the food through the containers from the doorway, let alone identify it.

“It’s, uh—”

“I’d say lucky guess, but he always requests chicken cordon bleu from Minnow’s,” Nurse Eastwick cut in. She winked at Aleric. “I can’t let you woo Dr. Indley with your tricks, Doctor.”

“Call me Marae,” Dr. Indley told them. “As a veterinarian in a hospital, I’m a bit out of place with your type of patients.”

“You were invaluable for Braum,” Aleric told her. “I’m sure he’s grateful there’s a doctor with your expertise here. I’m Aleric.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Marae said.

Nurse Eastwick sat down with a sigh that said it had been a very long day.

“You can call me Loreen, though at this point the only thing I want to answer to is someone telling me it’s time to go home.”

She picked up the remote on the table and pointed it at the television.

“…from the strange appearances happening all over the city,” a reporter wearing a black suit and with perfectly styled hair stated. “Monsters ranging from storybook types to nightmares have been seen in the shadows and broad daylight. As the sun sets, Edge City is left wondering where it will stand come morning. Many of these creatures have vanished seemingly into thin air, but are they just waiting for nightfall to come out again, or have they indeed left us with memories to haunt our waking hours? Investigations are being made as to where they came from. If anyone has information about any of these creatures, call the police immediately. Lines have been set aside for this purpose.”

Several phone numbers trailed across the bottom of the screen.

“What do you think they’re talking about?” Marae asked.

Nurse Eastwick exchanged a glance with Aleric.

“Not exactly sure,” the nurse replied. “I hope they figure it out. Sounds scary.”

“Somebody’s spooked,” Marae said. She looked at Aleric. “What do you think?”

“I think creatures that vanish into thin air don’t exist. Maybe somebody’s playing a prank,” he suggested.

“That’d be pretty elaborate,” Nurse Eastwick said. “Things have definitely gone too far if the news is involved.”

Marae bit into her sandwich, then her cell phone beeped. She checked the screen.

“Shoot. I’ve got to go. A dog was brought in mangled by something the owner didn’t see.” She looked at Aleric. “Is that okay?”

He nodded. “Go ahead. I’ll keep an eye on Braum.”

She smiled at him. “I know you will.” She grabbed her purse from the table. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Call me if you need anything.”

“Will do,” Nurse Eastwick said. As soon as the door closed, the nurse slumped in her chair. “If we have many more days like this one, I’m going to check myself into a mental institution.”

“Do those places exist here?” Aleric asked.

The nurse nodded. “You guys don’t have them? Where do you put the crazy people?”

“First of all, crazy is a harsh term. I’m sure there’s something more professional to call them, like ‘mentally deranged’ or ‘completely psychotic’.” Aleric grinned. “And secondly, in Blays everyone is pretty much crazy. I mean, it’s full of demons and vampires and such. Who’s to say who is insane?”

Nurse Eastwick smiled. “You have a point.”

Aleric shrugged. “It just all depends on your standards. If you set a line and say anyone beyond that is crazy, the person drawing the line had better have a very solid foundation as to why he or she deserved to do so in the first place. Aren’t we all a little bit insane?”

“I feel insane right now,” she replied. “Has today even been real? Maybe you’re right. A sane person would have left this hospital with the first patient.”

“Who was the first patient?” Aleric asked.

She pointed her fork at him. “Yesterday night when the chaos hit? You.”