by Juniper Hart
The elevator doors opened, and Graham stepped in beside a lovely intern. Her pass card read “Dr. Engles”. She smiled beguilingly at him, and he avoided her gaze. While she was very appealing to his eyes, he had no desire to strike up a conversation with anyone, least of all a first-year who would ask him a thousand unnecessary questions.
“You’re Dr. Griffin, aren’t you?” she asked brazenly.
And yet she is still going to ask me a thousand unnecessary questions, he thought with irritation. He eyed her through his peripheral vision without answering. He had no interest in sparking up a love-sick conversation with a new addition to Carlingview. It was bad enough that the hospital had been overrun with new interns in the past month. Graham did not have the time or the patience to coddle their egos. He considered himself fortunate that his contact with them was limited to uncomfortable meetings in elevators.
“My roommate is working for you,” the gorgeous doctor offered when he remained silent. Graham tried to wrack his brain for whom that might be.
Don’t tell me—the chief of surgery hired another surgeon in neurosurgery and didn’t tell me. What a shock.
“Is that right?” he finally responded flatly, taking the bait. Dr. Engles nodded.
“Yes. Kate Luthor. She started in your research lab this week. You’re lucky to have her.”
Graham turned and gave the young doctor a scornful look, but he couldn’t help eyeing her svelte body through his contempt.
“I assure you, luck has nothing to do with where I am today,” he snapped, and the woman looked taken aback by his cutting reply. Her smoky eyes narrowed, and she smiled tightly.
“I imagine that’s true,” she replied as the elevator stopped on the fifth floor. “Pleasure meeting you.”
He didn’t miss the thick sarcasm in her voice, nor the loud whisper of “prick” when he stepped off the elevator. He didn’t know why he allowed his short temper to get the best of him. It wasn’t Dr. Engles’ fault that he was upset. He didn’t need to take out his frustrations on an unsuspecting (not to mention extremely sexy) intern, but Graham had never been good at properly channeling his anger.
He was a difficult person to know, and he preferred it as such. Outwardly, he was fun, flirtatious, even arrogant. He went through women like tissues, but they all knew he was around for a good time, not a long time. Secretly, he worried that anyone who got to know the real him wouldn’t like what they saw, as Graham wasn’t sure he liked himself most days. He wondered if he had always been that way, or if circumstance had turned him into a standoffish being. He reasoned that it was likely a combination of the two.
Dr. Graham Griffin had been blessed with every opportunity from the day he was born. His mother often told him that he was a perfect baby, never fussing. It didn’t hurt that he came from a long line of regal bears who had never hurt for money since the beginning of the industrial revolution. Graham had seen a hundred careers, a hundred homes, and a hundred different lives, but it wasn’t until he’d gone to medical school that he finally understood what his calling was.
While most of the Enchanted healed themselves, there were other ailments that could find the Lycans and fairies, the witches and dragons. With mortal funding, he was able to use his experiments to create cures for some of man’s worst illnesses with Enchanted blood while investigating the possibilities between the Enchanted, too.
For years, he had been looking for a cure for demon bites, not that there were so many demons in existence anymore. Still, demon bites were the number one killer of the Enchanted, and it bothered Graham that no one had figured out how to stop them from happening. He hadn’t expected so much political play within a hospital, but it had been happening for so long, Graham had almost forgotten what it was like to live without drama.
I should just retreat to my house in the mountains and build a lab there. Screw the hospital, screw Parker, and screw the BS happening around here every day.
Graham sighed and allowed himself into the labs. No one was at the reception, and he was grateful for small favors. His ability to speak to people was becoming tapped out. Graham required peace and quiet for an hour before going back out to deal with the incompetence of his staff and superiors.
How did I end up here? he asked himself for the umpteenth time, refusing to succumb to the dark thoughts again. It was too easy to fall into the trap of his own mind.
As he walked through the eerily quiet labs, he glanced into the glass rooms, idly wondering where everyone was that morning. He did not intend to look a gift horse in its mouth.
Inside his sparkling new lab, he made his way to the far corner and fired up his computer, settling in the high-back leather chair and placing the noise canceling headphones over his ears. He loaded up his voice recorded notes from his last research period. In moments, he was consumed by the sound of his own findings, typing the dictation furiously as he listened. Soon, he had all but forgotten about Parker and Schwartz.
After half an hour, he saw a shape heading down the hallway in his peripheral vision, but Graham didn’t bother to look up. He was far too intent on his work to make eye contact with anyone. It was not until a form stood directly beside him that he started in surprise, looking at a fresh-faced brunette with a winning smile. Slowly, he removed the listening device from his ears and stared at the woman.
“Hi,” she said brightly, her face alight with an awe that Graham recognized well. “I—”
“Who the hell are you, and how did you get in here?” he growled, cutting her off rudely. Instantly, the girl lost her smile, her peaches and cream complexion turning waxen.
“I-I’m Dr. Luthor,” she breathed, her eyes wide with shock. Graham wracked his brain, a dozen thoughts coursing through his mind. The name vaguely rang a bell, but he couldn’t say why. Anyway, this girl looked like she’d just walked out of prom. He sniffed the air and realized he was in the presence of a fairy.
A fairy doctor. She can’t have the stomach for this.
“You’re a doctor?” he demanded disbelievingly. His eyes pored over her tiny frame and innocent face. “Doctor of what?”
The young woman’s face went from white to a dark shade of crimson, and Graham watched as her mouth pursed into a fine line of anger.
“I’m a first-year intern here,” she retorted from between clenched teeth. “A Stanford University graduate and your new research assistant.”
Graham remembered the brief conversation he’d had with the attractive blonde in the elevator. Ah, yes, Sara hired me another idiot intern because the last six have been a raving success, right? What did the blonde in the elevator say her name was? Karen Luthor? Kerry Luthor?
“Right,” he said, his face becoming slightly less annoyed now that he knew she belonged there and wasn’t some spy looking for proprietary information. “I’m Dr. Griffin.”
“Yes,” Dr. Luthor answered tightly. “I knew that.”
He raised a sandy eyebrow, slightly taken aback by her icy tone. I guess I rubbed her the wrong way, he mused, slightly entertained by how sour Dr. Luthor’s expression had become. What a shame. She seemed like she wanted so badly to fawn over me and waste my time.
“Well, as I’m sure Nurse Creighton has told you, I have a very busy schedule. I don’t have time to hold your hand and babysit you. If you have questions, email me, but I rather appreciate it when people take their own initiative. My last two assistants had a hard time with that. Do you think you’ll be able to manage, Dr. Lucas?”
“Luthor,” she corrected coldly, nodding. “And yes, I am sure I will be able to manage fine. I have already been here for a week—I thought you would have gotten my notes by now. I started a log of my findings, and you can find it in your Dropbox, should you be interested in what I am working on. You can also email me if you would like me to focus on a specific avenue. I am sure you remember what being a first-year intern is like. My time is also limited.”
Graham was temporarily stunned by her bold words. She’s awfully cocky for someone work
ing for a world-renowned neurosurgeon, he thought and opened his mouth to put the doctor in her place, but as she continued to stare somewhat hatefully at him, he caught himself. He had to admit, he was slightly impressed by her, even though he had no interest in getting his hopes up. She came in here smiling, and you ruined her mood. You were behaving in classic Griffin fashion again.
Instead of retorting, Graham clamped his lips together and nodded curtly, picking up his headphones as if to dismiss her. Apologizing was not his strong suit, and he was not about to start by doing it to an intern. If she lasted long enough, she would learn his ways and accept them, but Griffin had his doubts about the girl.
“Fine, then,” he said, turning back to the computer. He felt her hesitate for a moment before whirling on her heel and claiming a stool by another computer in the opposite corner.
Graham found himself unable to concentrate suddenly, his blazing azure eyes shifting toward where Dr. Luthor sat with her iPhone plugged into her own ears. He noted that her foot tapped against the rung of the stool occasionally, and he wondered what she was listening to.
Who cares what she is listening to as long as she does the work she’s supposed to do, Graham thought, but he still couldn’t help looking up at her. His mind flittered back again to Dr. Engles and what she had said about being lucky to have Dr. Luthor in his lab. He reasoned that was just one friend providing moral support for another, but he also knew that Sara Creighton would not have hired just anyone to work with him.
A deep blush rose into his face, stemming from the pit of his stomach, and he was galled by his own unabashed thought. Graham had never been remotely interested in the background of any of his prior assistants. He never had any faith in any of them lasting, and his faith in Sara Creighton was unwavering, even if she was a mortal. If he were to suddenly ask Nurse Creighton about the new intern, Sara would undoubtedly raise a knowing eyebrow and conclude something untoward was going through his mind.
Which, of course, is ridiculous, Griffin thought, irritated with his own unfocused thoughts. The girl is obviously not going to last two weeks. The schedule alone would bring the toughest doctors to their knees. She is just a little fairy who probably got by on her parents’ good names her whole life.
Graham had finally had enough of his own internal bickering and rose, shutting down the computer.
So much for clearing my head in peace at the lab today. Thanks a lot, Dr. Luthor, he thought as he brushed past her toward the door. She purposely did not raise her head as he left the lab, and he was secretly grateful, because it allowed him the opportunity to read her access card. Kate. Her name is Kate.
4
Anthony Lockhart was admitted early on Tuesday morning, not even an hour after Kate had started her shift. She met him while covering Dr. Brummer’s rounds, and her heart skipped for joy as she enjoyed her first ever tour without the shadow of a senior resident breathing down her neck.
Don’t get excited; you’re allowed to take blood pressure and change bedpans. Anything more than that, you need to get permission. Still, they were baby steps in the right direction, and with all the overbearing doctors who had been on her butt for the past two months, Kate was thrilled by the freedom.
“Hello, Mr. Lockhart,” she said brightly as she entered the room. Instantly, she gasped at the man in the bed. Her heart quickened immediately, and she quickly glanced at the tablet in her hands. There was no covert memo that he was a demon, but her heart raced as she recognized him for what he was.
“Nurse,” he said pleasantly. Kate bristled.
“I’m Dr. Luthor,” she retorted with more sharpness than she intended. Keeping her distance, she checked his IV bags, cautiously eyeing him out of the corner of her eye. What is he doing here? I’ve never seen a demon in a hospital before.
“Luthor…” he purred, his eyes widening and a peculiar smile forming on his lips. “Is that a fact? I knew a family named Luthor once.”
A shiver passed through Kate while she continued to search his file to understand why he was there. She didn’t want to spend any more time with the demon than absolutely necessary. She had good cause to be alarmed by their nearness.
“I’ve been poisoned,” he offered, and Kate wondered if he was reading her mind.
“Poisoned?” she echoed in disbelief. “By what?”
He shrugged, and Kate felt the lie in his simple action.
“That’s why I’m here,” he said lightly. “To find out.” None of what the patient said made any sense, but Kate knew it wasn’t her place to drill him. He was Brummer’s charge, not hers. Anyway, he made her decidedly nervous, and she knew he could tell.
“I won’t bite,” he taunted her. Kate didn’t smile. If anything, the wording caused her to balk. Instantly, she thought of Veronica and backed away from the bed.
“I could use some more green Jell-O,” Anthony called out to her as she spun to leave without another word. “And can you tell me what floor Dr. Griffin’s lab is on?”
Kate froze in place, her heart hammering at the question.
“Why?” she asked, slowly turning to stare at the demon warily. “What do you want there?”
He laughed merrily, but there was no amusement in his eyes. “Oh, come on now, doctor. You’re a fairy. Surely you must be intrigued about the experiments they do on the Enchanted there.”
“We don’t experiment on the Enchanted!” Kate snapped defensively before she could stop herself. Anthony’s eyes grew huge and wide.
“We?” he repeated. “You work in the labs?”
“I have other patients to see, Mr. Lockhart. I’ll have a nurse bring you the Jell-O.” She didn’t give him a chance to respond and hurried away, her pulse racing. He’s not who he’s claiming to be. He doesn’t belong here. I need to speak to Dr. Brummer about him.
But what could she tell the senior resident? That she was suspicious of a demon? The doctor would laugh in her face, even if he was a Lycan. Everyone was wary of the demons. They were the rarest of the Enchanted, after all, and the only being who could easily kill any of them if need be.
Coupled with the knowledge that Helios was newly roaming the earth again, vigilance was paramount, but Anthony wasn’t Helios. This demon didn’t even have the traditional crystalline blue eyes which the species boasted, making Kate believe that perhaps he was a hybrid of sorts. In any case, her deep distrust was more personal than anything else, and she knew it.
She thought about the warning that Dr. Evans had given her weeks earlier and ground her teeth together. No, she would be keeping her concerns to herself. Whoever Anthony Lockhart was, it had nothing to do with her.
I’ll just have to keep my distance from now on, she decided, but for some reason, she couldn’t shake the mounting anxiety building in her gut.
When she finished her shift that afternoon, Kate headed directly home. She wanted to take a shower and grab a tasteless supper before returning to the lab that night, but when she arrived, she cringed as she saw the obnoxious red Hummer sitting outside the house. She instantly felt a bolt of anger shoot through her.
Again? she thought furiously. He’s here again? Kate’s once “play-the-field” roommate was seeing an awful lot of a certain attending, and it was making their living arrangements somewhat awkward.
“Oh, you’re home,” Lisette cooed when Kate walked into their basement apartment. Her companion was slipping on his expensive leather shoes, casting Kate a sly look. She ignored him.
“Just for a few minutes,” Kate mumbled, shoving her way into the kitchen. She’d shower when she was sure that he was out of the house. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her friend give the doctor a long, passionate kiss before sending him on his way.
“I’ll see you tonight,” she giggled. “Keep on-call four open for us.” Kate smothered a grunt, rolling her eyes skyward, but she didn’t say anything until Lisette joined her in the kitchen. “What’s that sour look for?” Lisette demanded, instantly reading the expression on her
face. “You look like you swallowed a lemon.”
Kate inhaled and collected her thoughts before turning to fully address her roommate. “Please, Lis, I am begging you to stop bringing that guy to our place. He’s a resident! His house must be a thousand times better than our basement.”
Lisette reached for her pack of cigarettes, and Kate’s scowl deepened as her roommate lit up inside, but she didn’t comment. Lisette cackled and blew a smoke ring out from between her luscious red lips.
“He likes doing it here, like it’s a dirty little secret or something,” she told her, winking. Kate grunted loudly, a blush forming on her cheeks. She wasn’t a prude by any stretch of the imagination, but sometimes Lisette was just too much. Her friend’s smile faded slightly, and she let out a sigh. “Why do you hate Michael so much? He’s gorgeous, charming, rich… What the hell else could you want in a man?”
Unbidden, Dr. Griffin’s face popped into Kate’s mind, and her cheeks turned redder. Why the hell am I thinking about him now? He’s just as bad as Michael.
“I don’t hate him!” she protested earnestly. “He hates me! It’s like a scene from a horror flick every time I run into him in the hallway. He mouths stuff at me, but there’s never any sound. I swear he’s putting a curse on me or something.”
Lisette laughed even louder this time. “Oh, and he’s huge!” she cried, extending her fingers a wide distance apart for effect. “It is like at least nine—”
“Lisette!” Kate hissed, not wanting to hear the end of that sentence. “I don’t care! I just feel awkward when he’s here.” Lisette butted out her half-smoked cigarette and rolled her eyes.
“I’ll talk to him about finding other arrangements if it’s that big a deal to you,” she offered generously, and gratitude flooded Kate in a torrent.
“Thank you,” she sighed. “I’ve got enough stress without worrying about running into him here.”
Lisette grinned as if she suddenly understood.