Night

by Jessica Florence

  I was pleasantly surprised to see Dr. Liam working tonight on my floor instead of Dorian. Hopefully he had the night off, and I could enjoy my night without him glaring or making snide comments about me.

  Melissa Ann was working with me again, so we were joking around all night between patients, and the shift flew by. After I clocked out, I went down to the cafe for a breakfast sandwich, settling down with some coffee at a small table in the corner. The sound of a chair moving across the floor made me look up, and Dorian dropped down into the chair across from me with a cup of coffee in his hand.

  I’d had a very peaceful night without seeing Dorian, and of course he just had to ruin it at the last minute. If I would have gone home instead of eating here, I probably would have avoided him. No matter, I was done letting him get to me, so I sipped my coffee and started eating my breakfast.

  He didn’t say anything, and neither did I. We just sort of glared at each other while eating. When I was done and ready to go home to do some laundry and sleep, he rose with me and we walked our separate ways. It was an odd encounter, and I wasn’t sure what to make of it.

  I went about the rest of my day trying not to think about it at all. I’d been mostly successful until I fell asleep. I dreamed of his hands coasting over my skin and wanting him to touch me hard, but he wouldn’t. He was just content to tease me.

  When I woke, I was so sexually charged that I should have taken care of it myself, but I forgot to set the alarm and had to rush out the door.

  One more day, then I would be off for two. I didn’t have any plans, but Lilith had offered to help teach me some defense moves. So, I would see if she was up for it. Couldn’t hurt to learn how to defend myself, just in case.

  As soon as I walked into the ER, a fight broke out between two men who already looked banged up. Security had been standing there with them, so they were able to break them up quickly. Dr. Liam was there, checking them over with Melissa Ann, who had taken some steps back to protect her baby bump from the rambunctious men.

  I looked over the paperwork from the nurse before and saw I had a few minutes to spare before needing to make my rounds.

  When Melissa Ann and the doctor came over to the nurses’ station, she started shaking her head.

  “What’s that all about?” I asked, and Liam, with his blue eyes and wavy hair, was the one to answer.

  “Two men…one is dating the other’s sister, and the brother accused the boyfriend of using his powers to seduce her. Then they got in a fight. One kid has the power to read minds.” Liam looked over his charts and scribbled down some notes. This was not going to be a good day, if this was the first event of my shift.

  “Are they okay?” I asked, and he nodded.

  “Some cuts here and there, but that’s it. No broken bones as far as we can tell. Might take the brother in for an X-ray to double-check his wrist. I’ll tell you, things are starting to heat up again. This is the third set of patients in the past twenty-four hours dealing with someone with powers.” He gave me a sad smile, and I knew how he felt. As a person who wanted everyone to be happy, healthy, and safe, this was not going to be good, and we as health professionals could see it coming a mile away. The citizens of Seahill were going to destroy each other.

  Melissa Ann was oddly quiet as she sat down in her chair.

  Liam gave me another smile before leaving the desk, and I waited till he was out of earshot before asking if she was okay.

  “I’ll be all right; it’s just hard thinking about what kind of world I’m bringing this new baby into.” She sighed and started typing her notes on the computer. I could see the worry in her eyes, and I understood it.

  I wished there was something I could say to make her feel better, but there was nothing right now. The future wasn’t looking so bright, but I hoped for all of mankind that we could put aside our differences and be a unified world. A pipe dream, but I wished for it every chance I got.

  A smile grew on my face when I saw Charles walking through the ER in the early morning hours, on his way to physical therapy. He stopped to chat, and I couldn’t help but grin at his charming ways. He was nice, and now that he had full use of his legs, he had been working out more. The athletic build looked good on him.

  His brown hair was a tad bit longer, and I knew some lucky lady was running her fingers through it frequently.

  “Everything going okay?” he asked with a big smile on his face.

  “Yep. Just saving lives as best as we can. You know.” I winked, and he laughed. It felt good to have these people in my life, that knew all the parts of me and seemed to like me anyway.

  “I hear ya. Next time you come to HQ, we need to hook you up with a communicator, and then you should hang out. We’ve been busy, but somehow, we still find that chance to all sit together. It’s nice.”

  I would love that.

  “Maybe during my next two days off.”

  He ran his hand through his hair, and I watched him do it. He was good-looking, and I could appreciate that.

  There was an awkward silent moment, so I broke it by asking how his therapy was going.

  He looked down at his legs and patted them nicely.

  “Good. They have no clue how I got them back to where they are, but they’ve helped me so much. Today’s my last appointment, actually,” His face was completely lit up, and I leaned in for a hug to congratulate him. His body was warm, and those muscles wrapped around me securely. I missed being touched.

  “Well, you better get to it!” I pulled back from my hug and gave him a parting smile.

  “Thanks, I’m sure I’ll see ya soon.” He waved and then walked toward the therapy department.

  It was moments like this that I was proud of my gift.

  They may or may not remember that Rose and Draco had saved me one day at the hospital months prior. A man had been brought in to the hospital unconscious, but once he had woken up, he was a threat to my life. They stopped him from killing me, and I knew I owed them a debt, even if I didn’t say it out loud.

  When Charles and Leon were taken to the hospital, both on the brink of death, I healed them. I also healed Charles’ spine so that he could use his legs again. None of the society knew, as far as I could tell, and I wanted to keep it that way. I didn’t want recognition for doing what I could. Even if helping them may have taken a few years off my life, I was happy I did it, and would do it all over again.

  Chapter Six

  Dorian

  “Grab this and try to bend it in half.” I held up a piece of rebar to Ajax, a veteran who lost everything he had once he came home. He had volunteered to host unlimited strength.

  The man worked out nonstop and was very large, with black, shaggy hair and a dark beard. One would say in the old days that he looked like a pirate.

  His big hands gripped onto the metal, and his muscles flexed. Slowly but surely, the metal began to bend and then snapped in two.

  Excellent.

  I’d created my own version of the Hero Society, and soon I was going to unleash them. Those do-gooders were no match for these better versions. Not clones, but now I had the same powers they possessed in my army. The strength, the empath, the shifter. I even had a computer geek, and a killer of my own. The only one I was missing was the magic, and I had little use for that. Magic was no match for the power of the gods.

  Phillip’s powers came from my father, Apollo, and I was privy to the same power, along with some handy others. But it wasn’t constantly on like his was—mine was more like a TV that I could turn on when I wanted, checking the futures and following my own path that led where I wanted. His sights were set on the future where people like them were the heroes. They would be safe and live out their lives saving humans and protecting them. A happy ending.

  I wanted to set them all free. No more hiding, no more fear. We were powerful and shouldn’t belittle the gifts that were given.

  “Keep practicing, making sure you gain control over these new powers,” I said and
moved to check the others’ progressions.

  Everything was moving along smoothly, and I had begun to realize that letting Emanuel fall to the heroes had been a positive development. He was wasting time, when all we needed was some blood from Draco. Years wasted.

  But now, things were as they should be.

  I checked into the future for a moment to see that no one would be in my office at the hospital as I flashed in.

  The hospital was getting busier from the hate brewing outside, a perfect time for me to persuade others to join my side and be free.

  I looked over the patients that had come in, and saw two had been documented as having powers, but only one had been checked in.

  Without wasting time, I left my office and walked to the boy’s room.

  “Ron Presley.” I grabbed the charts at the end of his bed and looked at the man in his twenties before me. He wasn’t much to look at as far as build—definitely no fighter—but he was here because of a fight. He’d asked to be admitted for the night, and someone approved his stay. Odd.

  He didn’t say hello to me but stared at me with narrowed green eyes.

  “I’m in,” he said, and I tilted my head to the side, interested in what he was agreeing to.

  “Care to elaborate?”

  He looked out the window for a moment, lost in thought, before turning back to me.

  “I’m tired of hiding and being hated because of my power. I’m not evil. I just wanna be me and not worry about being in a fight because of people being scared. So, I’m up for what you came down to ask.”

  This morning was interesting already.

  “I read minds. I knew what you wanted when you came in. Figured I’d save you the breath.”

  The kid had spunk, I’d give him that. Mind reading was definitely a power I could use.

  “When the time comes, I’ll come to you,” I said, and looked over his paperwork just in case.

  “Is there a reason you decided to stay overnight? Your wounds hardly need any attention.” I was curious, not that I had an issue with it. Wasn’t my money he was wasting, so I couldn’t care less.

  He shook his head.

  “I didn’t want to go back to reality yet. It sucks out there.”

  It sucked everywhere, no matter the reality. I saw his head nod in agreement to my thought. Just as I was about to say something, someone knocked on the door.

  “Hey, Ron, I’m about to leave, and I just—” Esme stopped speaking as soon as she saw me in with Ron. Her teeth nibbled on her lip in a way that suggested she was nervous. As soon as she noticed my eyes on that lip she let it go and stood straighter. She looked more confident, like she had yesterday morning when we had silent breakfast together.

  She moved her eyes from me to Ron and walked over.

  “I just wanted to check on you. Do you need anything before I head out?” She ignored my presence and gave her full attention to the boy.

  He shook his head and looked out the window again, obviously done talking.

  “Okay. If you need anything, just let Luce know. She’s the day-shift nurse. Dr. Liam said you’re clear to stay resting for the remainder of the day.” She leaned in and touched her hand to his shoulder.

  “It’s going to be all right.” She spoke to him sweetly and then walked off without sparing me a glance.

  His gaze turned to watch her leave.

  “The world would be in better shape if more people were like her,” he commented, and I wanted to scoff. Maybe this kid would be better suited for Draco’s little club, if he thought Esme was the optimal person to be in life.

  “I’ll be in touch,” I stated and began my walk out of the room too.

  “She wants you but doesn’t like that she wants you.”

  I turned my gaze back at him and smirked.

  “I know.”

  The feeling was mutual.

  Chapter Seven

  Esme

  “Here.” Lilith handed Leon a bottle of vodka to help take the edge off.

  He’d been stabbed in the shoulder, close to an area where there looked to be a bullet scar.

  I finished stapling him up and bandaging the wound.

  “I can’t believe someone tried to stab you.” I looked at Charles and then back at Leon to make sure he was all set. I handed him some pain reliever and told him to take as needed. I knew I wasn’t technically allowed to prescribe anything, but this wasn’t exactly a legal job, and he’d needed it.

  He thanked me and went back to drinking to help with the pain, ignoring the pills.

  Charles had been silent since they had arrived. I’d been hanging out with Rose, sipping tea while chatting about a book she’d been dying to read when Lilith and Charles stormed in with the bleeding Leon. We went to the medical room immediately and I got started on fixing him. Thankfully that one stab wound was it, and the man who attempted to hurt Charles—that Leon had jumped in front of—had been taken to the police station and charged with assault.

  “Things are getting nasty out there,” I commented, and Leon scoffed.

  “People are acting out in fear; it’s never good when they do that,” Lilith commented and leaned in to rest her head on Leon’s good shoulder. She was not all smiles now. She was concerned and scary serious.

  “Is there anything that can be done?” I asked. It had been a question I’d been wondering lately, and I hadn’t been able to come up with a solution. No matter what those with powers said or did, there would be those who wouldn’t accept them. They’d fear them, even the good ones. It was times like this that made me nervous that people would lash out and become the monsters that they are being made out to be.

  “I think it just has to run its course. We keep helping as best as we can,” Leon answered and turned his head to kiss Lilith’s forehead.

  “War is coming, and it’s not going to be pretty.” Lilith sighed, and the whole room turned solemn.

  War. It did seem imminent right now.

  “I wonder if that person you guys have been looking for is behind all this madness—creating their army from the chaos.” I voiced my thought aloud, and they all looked at the floor or the wall.

  “No clue,” Charles said, and then there was silence.

  I wished the bad guy would just make his presence known, and then they could fight them, ending this whole thing. I had faith in these people. In the end, I know everything will be righted. Something or someone will bring them all together.

  After that depressing conversation, we moved to the chill room and watched a movie. I shared a big blanket with Rose while Lilith snuggled Leon and Charles sat in the chair by himself. Halfway through the movie, AJ joined us and we just enjoyed relaxing for a change.

  I spent my second day off cleaning my apartment and read two of the books Rose recommended. They were about the world of fae. I had been so consumed by the story of love and sacrifice I’d gotten the audiobook so I could listen to the hunter with the artist’s soul and the high lords that loved her while I cleaned.

  It may be fantasy, but the love between the two characters was the type of love I’d always dreamed of. They both would sacrifice their very lives so the other could be happy. They loved strong and would do anything for each other. They cherished each other and had accepted every strength and flaw equally. Embracing both.

  The next day I was working the second shift, so I tried to sleep during the night but sort of failed.

  I walked into work with a smile on my face even though I’d only slept for five hours.

  Melissa Ann was off today so that was a bummer, but it happened, and I was friendly with the other nurses and doctors, so it was still going to be a nice day. Today I was helping out in the maternity ward. While I loved being around all the pregnant ladies and babies, it made my heart hurt sometimes. I always thought I’d have kids, but the reality that I might not live long enough to see them grow up made me too scared to have them.

  Still, I helped deliver two babies, and was there for the three
women who were in the postpartum care rooms with their newborns. It was sweet watching the new parents fawn over their bundle of joy while trying not to freak out over every squeak and snort. I’d had to go into their room more than once to ease their worry.

  I was sitting at the nurse’s station, doing the never-ending paperwork and thinking that I needed to get out more. I wanted to start dating again. I had kissed a lot of frogs, but if I wanted to find a prince, I’d probably have to kiss some more.

  “Daydreaming at work. How very Esme of you.”

  “Speaking of frogs,” I mumbled and tipped my face toward Dorian. I’d passed him once in the halls earlier—he’d been called in to do a complicated delivery. He’d been in that operation room for hours, as far as I knew, but the woman and baby were okay, so that was all that mattered now.

  “Frogs?” He raised his eyebrows, and I looked over his appearance. His hair was messier than usual, and his five-o’clock shadow looked more like a seven o’clock one. But his eyes were stuck on me, waiting for me to answer his question.

  “I’m tired of kissing frogs while looking for a prince. You are not my prince, so you are definitely a frog in this story,” I said, still feeling that bravado inside me that I’d had days before. I was a changed woman, and there was no going back. He didn’t laugh or make fun of my words to him; he simply held my stare before leaning in.

  “I’m definitely not the prince in this story and never will be the good guy, especially where you are concerned.” His low timbre made shivers dance across my skin. I heard him loud and clear, and I completely agreed with him, but the way his eyes were boring into me made my stomach flutter.

  Not tonight, stomach, this man was the devil, and there was no way in hell.

  We stared at each other for another moment before he smiled and rapped his knuckles on the desk, walking away without another word. I hated these weird encounters I kept having with him. There had been a change between us, and I wasn’t liking it. He was paying me more attention than he had before, and while I was not giving into the attraction, it was still there no matter how hard I fought it.