by R. J. Blain
“But what about her talk? Won’t she miss that?”
“As of yesterday, it’s being rescheduled. It hasn’t been publicly announced, but the attendees have been notified. Two of the main speakers had medical emergencies, and they refused to endanger patients to attend a talk, and Dr. Castor stated she would reschedule with them. Once the three stars of the show announced rescheduling, everyone else did, too.” Mr. Hampton chuckled. “Since the attendees are all top medical researchers, everyone was fine with the rescheduling, apparently. The kind of people who are going to that talk are the kind to respect the patients and put them over a small loss of expenses. The expenses will get written off anyway; those who do still go will have access to the vendors, they just aren’t having the official talks. They’ll figure something out. I received an interesting call, too.”
“What call?”
“You’ve received an invitation to attend the rescheduled talk. Dr. Mansfield contacted me as she got an invitation to attend, and she wants to take you to showcase the first round of work to your foot.”
If Dr. Mansfield wanted me to go, I’d go without even a hint of complaint. “Are you seriously telling me that this whole thing was rescheduled, and just on some freak coincidence, Dr. Mansfield was invited?”
“I’m of the opinion there’s no coincidence. I’m fully convinced it was done entirely on purpose. More importantly, because they want you to attend, the entire shebang is probably being moved to the United States. They’re looking for a convention center to host it, and they’re going to make it even bigger than the first one.”
What the hell? “That’s so weird. That’s not really how they do it, is it?”
“Apparently, the convention only had a hundred attendees in the first place, all prestigious researchers. From my understanding of the situation, they’re going to expand it to become an education convention, and they’re going to make some of the information accessible to the public.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Why?”
“It’ll be good money for the presenters, and a lot of doctors will come—or send assistants to gather information. I stopped trying to guess beyond that, but Dr. Mansfield seemed really excited about it.”
“Okay. I’ll go, but Bradley’s coming with me.”
“As if we’d realistically be able to separate you two for a while.” Mr. Hampton chuckled. “All right, Janette. Do your checks, fix what you think needs fixed, and scold me while you’re at it. And if you can’t fix something, I’ll schedule to go to a doctor as soon as we’re back in New York.”
I nodded, sat next to him on the bed, and took hold of his wrist, closing my eyes so I could concentrate better on the feel of his body. Despite my worries over not having used my magic much, it came to my call without issue, and I slipped into the old routine as though I’d been doing checkups on others the entirety of my disappearance. Within moments, I detected an oddity in the flow of his blood, something I’d witnessed time and time again in patients suffering from cholesterol or clots. It annoyed me that both problems often felt the same to my magic.
Heart disease caused by the buildup of cholesterol took a few minutes, a cut, and a cup to resolve until the plaque reformed, usually over a period of years. Clots needed the same sort of work, but done carefully, else I could kill him trying to help him. I tensed, seeking out the source of the blockages.
Sure enough, Bradley’s father had a severe cholesterol-induced heart disease problem, one I’d need about an hour to correct if everything went right and the plaque plaguing him wasn’t in every damned artery in his body. “I am going to have a serious talk with you about your cholesterol levels, Mr. Hampton!”
“Yes, I know I have heart disease. Yes, I meant what I’d said about only having you deal with it. It’s severe. I’ve been given the riot act by my doctors; it’s terminal within the next few years unless fixed, and you’re one of the few exsanguinators with the right skills and training to fix it.”
“I’m charging a fee of one fancy necklace and all the shiny things that goes with it to put up with this shit,” I announced. “In red. There. I’m officially a gold digger.”
“That’s not how being a gold digger works, Janette,” my fiancé said with laughter in his voice. “But if it makes you feel better about him buying what you liked in the store, my family would be happy to pay you in a fancy set of jewelry.”
I muttered curses over not having addressed the problem before I’d been kidnapped. “I’m going to need a very sharp knife, preferably a scalpel, a cup, and a first aid kit. Maybe a bucket. That’s a lot of plaque and cholesterol buildup. What have you been doing? Injecting cholesterol directly into your bloodstream?”
Bradley smiled. “I have another idea. A better one.”
“What better idea?”
“I think I’ll give a local doctor a call and make an inquiry.”
I raised a brow. “You’re going to call Dr. Castor?”
“Yep. She can supervise your work and provide supplies. And as Dr. Mansfield has been given an invitation, perhaps I can get the number.”
“I already have the number,” his father said. “I can call her, as Dr. Mansfield instructed me to call her regarding Janette’s attendance. It’s an easy tie-in. And, if we’re at the house, we can send Ren over with Ajani. If you can survive a slight delay reuniting with your fluffy goddess. They’ll come to the hotel first so she can stretch and use the litter box, though.”
He needed his heart addressed far more than I needed to hug my cat, although I would suffer through a meltdown if I didn’t get to hug my cat soon. “Call her. I will survive a delay reuniting with my fluffy goddess.”
After retrieving his phone, Mr. Hampton tapped on the screen and held the device to his ear. “Ah, hello? Is this Dr. Castor? Excellent. My name is Paul Hampton. Dr. Mansfield gave me your number regarding a rescheduled convention?” He listened, and he grinned at what the woman said. “I think I have a suggestion that is the best of both worlds. If you could text the address to your home to my phone, I’ll see how long it takes to reach you. I’m currently in the California area with my son and his fiancée, and she wishes to do a procedure on me. I would appreciate a temporary escape from her schemes, as she doesn’t have a scalpel or other medical—” His grin widened. “Ah, it’s heart disease, and she wishes to purge the cholesterol causing it and handle anything else associated with the problem.”
Clever, clever man. I waited, joining him in grinning.
“Ah, yes. I’ve had a diagnosis for a while. It’s fairly severe, I’m afraid, but it’s nothing little Janette can’t handle. Oh. That? Yes, I’ve known her since she was a little girl.”
Well, close enough. I’d let him have it, although I hadn’t been that little when the Hamptons had barreled into my life.
Mr. Hampton laughed. “I’ve learned doctors are simply fascinated with other talents. Hold on. I’ll ask her. Which town do you live in?” After a pause, he said, “Janette, how do you feel about a drive to the ocean today? Dr. Castor would like to observe the procedure, and she promises she has anything you might need in her home. She has a lab in her basement to work on her research.”
Of course she did. I bet there was an ICU in there somewhere, too. Or at least an operating table.
“I’m okay with that, as long as Bradley or I are driving. I don’t want you to get cut off and have a heart attack on me.”
“I have been driving here just fine. You will not have an anxiety attack over me driving some more tonight.”
“I absolutely will!”
“You will not, young lady. Bradley, put your woman in a corner until she behaves herself. She’s in bodyguard and nurse mode at the same time, and she needs to remember I’m not actively in process of having a heart attack, and even if I were in process of having a heart attack, she could stop it because she’s an exsanguinator.”
Right. “Can we leave now?”
“We can leave now, although I would like to know how l
ong it would take for us to get there before we decide to drive right this minute.” Mr. Hampton listened to Dr. Castor, and he chuckled. “All right. I’ll herd the children out the door. Please text me the full address. Thank you.” He hung up. “Dr. Castor asked if she should acquire a prescription for an anti-anxiety medication for you, as you seem to be rather twitchy.”
“I’m not twitchy, I just don’t want to have a heart attack because you have a heart attack, and you’re a walking heart attack risk.”
“I take my medication on time daily. I’m sure it’ll be fine for an hour and a half.”
I glared at him. “I could just find some scissors and fix this problem now.”
“No. We are going to go meet Dr. Castor, and you will just have to cope with having a backup doctor who probably has a fully functional ICU in her basement.”
I hesitated at that, and then I narrowed my eyes and held out my hands. “Keys.”
Mr. Hampton laughed, and to my astonishment, he handed me the fob for the rental. “If you have a single symptom of PTSD while behind the wheel, you will immediately pull over, and I will drive the car. I will sit in the front seat with you so I can take hold of the wheel if necessary, and you will tolerate this assault to your delicate sensibilities.”
I scowled, but after a moment of consideration, I bobbed my head. “Okay. I can work with that.”
“Go make yourself pretty. Bradley, wear your suit. I’ll sit here and relax so your little lady doesn’t finish having a meltdown because she forgot I had heart disease and have had it for years.”
“She really doesn’t like heart disease, Dad.”
“Of course not. And she particularly hates she forgot I have it, so she’s upset she hasn’t dealt with this already. Remember. We’re pretending we have no idea Dr. Castor is our top suspect in Janette’s kidnapping. I want to see what cards this doctor plays.”
As I did, too, I went to my clothes, which hung up in the room’s small closet, and browsed the selection until I found a silk blouse, a blazer, and a skirt, the most formal of my new clothes. “You know what the best part of Bradley wearing a suit is, Mr. Hampton?”
“I’ve heard this question before. If you want to enjoy stripping him out of his suits, that’s your business and not mine. Just try to leave his suit somewhat intact. He likes his clothes just like his cars: ridiculously expensive.”
“Buy cheap suits I can destroy at my whim, Bradley,” I ordered.
“As you wish.”
EIGHTEEN
I feel like we’re doing something incredibly stupid.
After so long of not driving a vehicle of any sort, I bounced to the SUV and struggled to contain my excitement at reclaiming yet another piece of my life. I got behind the wheel, adjusted the seat, and sighed my satisfaction, giving the dashboard a loving pat.
“I can’t buy this vehicle for you,” Mr. Hampton warned me as he slid into his seat and buckled in. “Although I’m rather pleased to see how happy you are about driving. I was not expecting blissful excitement. I was expecting shaking, anxiety, and some whimpering, honestly. But if you like the way this SUV drives, we can look into one for you when we get home. You’ll want a practical vehicle to go with your sports car. But you aren’t getting behind the wheel of a sports car until you pass my test.”
“Okay.” I waited for Bradley to get settled in the back before buckling in and starting the engine. The SUV growled at me, and I nodded my satisfaction at the sound. I plugged in Mr. Hampton’s phone and activated the navigation system, chuckling over how we were headed right back to where I’d been. “I feel like we’re doing something incredibly stupid.”
“I own the security company monitoring her house, Janette. Let’s just say I have a team of employees playing tourists and hikers prowling around her property in case we have any trouble. You’re as safe as I can make you. I really doubt she’ll try anything, not when it involves a patient’s health. In this case, mine. I may not like how the past few months played out, but you came home to us as healthy as anyone could hope for.”
“And with a thirty million dollar foot,” I whined before putting the SUV in reverse and backing out of the spot. The vehicle’s rear view camera amused me, as none of my sports cars had such a luxury in them. “My next car has one of these cameras.”
“Federal law as of two years ago,” Mr. Hampton informed me. “As long as you don’t buy a classic, it’ll come with one.”
“Nice. Bradley, they made cars fancy since I last read any car magazines.”
“Would you like to get some car magazines on the way back from Dr. Castor’s place?”
I nodded, and I eased the SUV through the parking garage, put the parking voucher into the ticket machine, which it spit back out at me, and escaped the hotel’s lot. I handed the printout to Mr. Hampton. “It gave it back?”
“Yes. It’s still valid.” The card went back into Mr. Hampton’s wallet.
According to the navigation system, it would take us almost two hours to reach the Mission-style manor, and I settled in for the drive, pleased to discover that while we were in the heart of San Francisco, the traffic barely bothered me. Unfortunately, his phone believed we wanted to cross the Golden Gate Bridge.
To my disgust and dismay, we lost forty minutes to the bridge, and once we crossed it, we blitzed along the highway until the phone insisted we take CA-1, a dinky, twisty, turning hell road with a view I wanted to experience as a passenger rather than a white-knuckled driver. “What the fuck is with this road?”
“We took this road on the way back to San Francisco, Janette. It didn’t bother you then.”
“That was at night, and Bradley was feeding me.”
“We took it when we checked out the beach and the house the last time.”
“Bradley was probably feeding me again,” I stated, huffing over my obvious inability to pay any attention to where I was going when a passenger.
“I was actually feeding her, but I’d given her a book, Dad. A new book. On her e-reader. We lost her before we crossed the Golden Gate that time. I just kept handing her food so she could nibble while she read.”
“I should have guessed there was something going on back there from the quiet. Children in cars are never quiet unless they’re causing trouble,” Mr. Hampton muttered.
Laughing at that, I forced myself to relax, although I stuck to the posted speed limits and obeyed when the signs bothered to warn me to take the turns at slow speeds. After the first few switchbacks, I learned to respect the signs. “This road is amazing.” It was also deceptively quiet. “Why aren’t there a lot of drivers on it?”
“The 101 is faster, and it goes to the popular places. This route is for the towns along the coast and tourists,” Bradley’s father explained. “The lack of shoulders is a little disturbing, though.”
“There’s a shoulder. It’s only about two inches wide, but there’s technically a shoulder. Some places even have enough viable grass to pull over if you really need to.”
“Just wait until you reach the coast and we’re perched on the edge of a cliff. You’ll love it.”
I would. “We don’t have the time to stop, do we?”
“There are a lot of parks and beaches along the way, and it’s not that far from our hotel. I’ll take you tomorrow if you’d like. We have to stay the week anyway so we can pick up your jewelry. I asked them to do a complete certification of the stones, as a bunch of them didn’t have their certificates; the lesser gemstones rarely have them, but for insurance purposes, I needed each stone identified. I also asked them to acquire you a present you should like.”
I lifted my left hand from the wheel long enough to show off my new watch. “Will I like it better than this?”
Bradley snickered. “Honestly, will you like anything better than that?”
“I like you more than the watch, but barely.”
“Hey, Dad. I’m a treasure. You’re going to have to break it to Mom that she doesn’t love me nearly as mu
ch as Janette does.”
While I’d learned to expect Bradley to pounce on every chance to reinforce he wanted me in his life, I hadn’t expected him to call me out quite so directly. As I’d been cornered in a masterful display of affection, I shrugged. “It’s true. She’s just going to have to accept being a distant second place on this matter.”
“Considering the photographic evidence I have of your general adoration for my son, I will try to break the news gently to his mother. I’m sure she’ll cry and want to hug you.”
In the past few days, I’d discovered I would accept most forms of affection from anyone. I even considered accepting hugs from strangers. Hugs from people I knew soothed, where once upon a time, it had embarrassed me more than anything. “Wouldn’t she have to come here to…” I sucked in a breath. “She’s coming, isn’t she?”
“Did you really think my wife and your parents would stay out in New York when you’re here? They’re coming. Your parents are on the same flight with Meridian. Ajani is providing escort for the rest.”
“Mickey?”
“Everyone else is staying in New York to handle work. Mr. Tawnlen arranged for temps to help cover duties over at the main branch. Mickey volunteered to stay behind, as he was given the keys to Bradley’s sports car if he agreed to go over and check on the herd of goats and horses in the evenings. Sorry, Bradley. Mickey really wanted to drive it, and he spent weeks learning how to handle a manual so he could. I even set some ridiculous rules on when he could drive it. If it needs maintained again, I’ll pay the bill. I know the engine’s rough. He also has keys to one of our cars if yours breaks down on him.”
Bradley huffed. “I don’t mind Mickey driving my car if he’s helping to hold down the fort.”
“Dr. Mansfield is helping, too, as is Lenard. Dr. Mansfield volunteered to help with the animals in addition to the folks I hired, as she didn’t want your parents to worry. Mickey needs more work with firearms, too, so he’s got access to our range and will check on the house. He’ll also be practicing evasion of the security guards. He’s also going to be doing some more research on our new favorite doctor when he has time.”