by Juniper Hart
Kate’s mouth parted even more, and she gawked at him.
“Why would you do that?” she whispered. “You would let me take credit for your findings?” He shrugged, lowering his eyes. “Is there anything you can’t do?” she breathed when she found her voice. “Anything at all?”
A stab of guilt pierced Graham’s heart, and he met her eyes again.
“I can’t keep you safe,” he muttered, but she shook her head vehemently.
“That’s not true,” she murmured. “You saved my life! I…” She paused, trying to find the words to express what she was feeling, but instead of speaking, she reached for his head, pulling him down into a deep, passionate kiss.
Graham felt her body sink fully against him, and he forced himself to let go of the shame that threatened to consume him.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you for saving my life.”
Their lips met again, and Graham wrapped her tightly into his embrace, never wanting to let her go.
“We’re good,” he murmured into her ear. “We’re fine.”
She sighed. “Yeah. At least until the board gets to us.”
16
Three Weeks Later
Graham glanced at Kate out of the corner of his eye, but she stared straight ahead, unmoving.
“It’s going to be okay,” he told her. She did not seem to heed his words of comfort. He still did not know the circumstances which had led them to the spot where they sat, but Graham had every reason to believe that Michael Walter had something to do with their predicament. Still, after what had happened with Helios, the fate of their future at Carlingview seemed a lot less important than it had been before.
Unfortunately, Kate was still deeply concerned about her job and career.
“Kate, tell me what happened on that boat,” he implored her again, and she still did not hear him. “Kate!”
She finally turned her eyes on him uncomprehendingly, as if she hadn’t heard a word he had said.
“I am so sorry,” she whispered. “This is all my fault.”
He shook his head, not believing the confession for a minute, even if Kate seemed to believe her own words. “This is definitely not your fault. We’ve done nothing wrong. Our relationship has not affected our work or our ability to be doctors. We have been discreet and professional. Just tell them the truth, and this will be over and done with.”
“I am going to lose my internship,” she moaned quietly.
“No!” he said firmly. “You’re not.”
“Dr. Luthor, the board is ready for you,” Dr. Carlucca announced, poking her head out from the boardroom. She looked at Graham. “You will be called upon next,” the chief of staff informed him. “Don’t go far.”
“I’ll be right here,” Graham replied, but he was talking to Kate. He sat back, casting her a warm smile as Kate rose to follow Dr. Carlucca inside. She tried to return his grin, but it was a tired effort. For three weeks, she had done nothing but anticipate this grueling meeting. Graham had nursed her through insomnia and a heavy heart as she waited for the sky to fall around her feet.
He exhaled as the door closed behind them and stared at his hands. How much of what he had told her was true? In his twelve years practicing medicine, he had never been faced with a situation like this. It seemed ridiculous that it should even be a situation, considering all he had contributed to the hospital and medical research.
You have also never been in love, he reminded himself. He wondered if he had overstepped his authority with Kate. Did she fall for me because I demanded it, or was it a natural progression? Is this my fault? I should have known better for both of us.
He tried to shove the lingering doubts out of his mind. He knew how he felt about Kate and how she felt about him. They were mates, bound to one another beyond the laws of man or the Enchanted. He had to stop doubting himself. Whatever happened in there, they still had one another.
It didn’t matter what the outcome of the inquest was—he and Kate would be fine… he hoped. Could their relationship survive if they were reprimanded or if Kate was kicked out of the program? Mates or not, it would be a devastating loss for all the work that Kate had put in. She would end up resenting him in the end, if she was terminated and he was not. He wouldn’t blame her, either.
“How is it going, Graham?”
He glanced up as Sara Creighton stopped beside him and shrugged.
“Not sure yet,” he told her truthfully. “Kate just went in.”
The head nurse sat beside him, and the two were quiet for a moment.
“You know, the moment I laid eyes on that girl, I had a feeling about her,” Sara told her. “She reminded me of you somehow.”
Graham chuckled dryly. “That’s not a very nice thing to say. I won’t pass that along.”
Sara smiled tightly. “It wasn’t an insult,” she replied unnecessarily.
“I know,” Graham laughed.
“She has that same intense expression in her eyes and this need to make the world a better place, just like you do.”
“Well, she certainly is driven,” Graham agreed. “She’s the best hire yet.”
Sara smiled. “The first one you haven’t run off with that attitude of yours,” she retorted, and Graham had to nod in agreement.
“True,” he conceded. They fell into a silence. Graham was happy for the company, though he had to wonder what Sara was doing there.
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” she told the neurosurgeon, who nodded quickly.
“I know,” he said, but he had to admit it was comforting to hear it from an outside source, especially one who had been around the hospital as long as Sara.
“No, I don’t just mean from an ethics standpoint, Graham. I mean you didn’t do anything wrong by allowing yourself to fall in love with that woman. It was high time that you felt something for someone.” Sara rose to her feet, and Graham looked up at her gratefully, albeit with some confusion. She was a mortal, after all. What did she know about mates?
“Thank you,” he murmured, and she nodded her wise head. She turned to leave but paused as if weighing her next words.
“You two will come out of this fine, but I suggest you watch your back going forward.” He stared at her inquisitively. “Dr. Walter is not as nice as he lets on. I suspect that Dr. Luthor has already figured that out.”
The nurse disappeared, leaving her words to resonate in Graham’s already overdriven mind. What had that man done to Kate?
Michael Walter had taken the day off, citing the flu as his excuse. The reality was that he was waiting with bated breath for word on the inquest. Whatever the board decided would have a huge hand in his future at the hospital, and the suspense was driving him to drink.
“Michael!” Karen snapped. “It’s ten o’clock in the morning! What the hell are you doing?”
He glared at his wife and defiantly took an indignant swig of scotch, frequently checking his cell phone. He knew the board had met with the not-so-happy couple at nine, so it would be hours before a verdict was in, but he could barely contain himself.
“Are you listening to me?” Karen barked again, and Michael rose from the chair in his study to cross the room, where he promptly slammed the door in his wife’s face. He would have divorced Karen years ago if not for the cut she would receive in the way of a settlement. There was also the small matter of his wife knowing him better than he cared to admit. She was apt to out his debaucheries to the Council or pack.
She trapped me into marrying her by getting pregnant, and she continues to harass me, he thought angrily, glaring at the closed door as if Karen might come flying through in defiance. She didn’t, and Michael sauntered back to his high-back leather chair to enjoy his drink in peace.
He had debated divulging the information he knew about Graham Griffin and Kate Luthor, wondering if the knowledge might benefit him later, but the more he thought about the slap on the yacht, the more he wanted to see Kate Luthor destroyed. The fact that her d
emise would bring down his most irritating nemesis in the process was delicious icing on the cake, and he had simply started the ball rolling by cooing the idea of their affair in the ears of his many conquests.
Soon, Carlingview Memorial had caught fire with the news that the world-renowned neurosurgeon was warming the bed of a lowly intern, and the gossip escalated to epic proportions. It was more than Michael could have asked for, and when the inevitable ethics meeting had been called, he simply sat back and waited for the two doctors to ruin their careers.
They did it to themselves, but they are two less that I will have to worry about when I become chief, he thought, pouring himself another drink. His phone began to ring, and Michael eyed it. His hazel irises dilated when he recognized the number.
“I’m off today, Sara. What is it?” There was a slow, lazy laugh on the other end.
“I’m shocked that I caught you at all,” Sara Creighton told him. “I was expecting your voicemail.”
“Well, you got me. What is it?”
“As I am sure you’re aware, Graham Griffin and Kate Luthor are up against the board today.”
“Are they? Oh, yes, that affair business. It’s a shame, but that’s what happens when you can’t keep your personal life out of the hospital, I guess,” Michael replied flippantly. Sara laughed heartily.
“Oh, Michael, you are such a hypocrite. I have no idea if you are completely aware of how full of it you are.”
Michael’s hand tightened around the phone, and he glowered. “Why are you calling me, Sara?”
“I just wanted to tell you that if either one of those doctors face any sort of disciplinary action, even for a day, your gig will be up. I will make it my personal quest to out your disgusting, shady ways to every single person who needs to know about it. Including Karen.”
Michael felt the blood drain from his face, and he stood in silent shock at the naked threat.
“I have no idea what you’re babbling about,” he snapped. “But it sounds like you’re making slanderous accusations which you can’t possibly substantiate.”
“You really have no idea who runs hospitals, do you? You have become so lazy in your man whoring that you don’t even bother to avoid security cameras anymore. I have so much documented proof of your affairs, it would take a year for Karen’s divorce attorney to filter through them.”
“You wouldn’t,” Michael hissed, his mind immediately conjuring an image of dollar bills with wings floating out of his wallet.
“Now, I’m no expert on marital—or extra-marital— affairs, but do they work it as a settlement for each time you cheat, or is it a lump sum? I guess that’s for the lawyers to work out. Pity. I always liked that yacht. I wonder who will get it in the end.”
The buzz that Michael had acquired slipped away in a wave, and a heavy silence followed her threat. “What do you want, Sara?”
She sighed deeply on the other end of the phone. “I want you to be a decent human being, Michael. I want you to act like a team member and not sexually harass your fellow doctors and nurses. I want you to not sell out your coworkers for whatever twisted reason you’ve managed to justify, but we’re a little past that now, aren’t we?”
In the momentary pause which followed, Michael could only hear his own heart pounding.
“Fingers crossed for a good outcome,” Sara finally hummed. She hung up before he could respond, leaving Michael in a cold sweat, staring at the phone.
Kate walked out of the room, her face pale with worry. Graham offered her an encouraging smile, but she did not look at him.
“Dr. Griffin, you’re up,” Dr. Carlucca announced, and Graham jumped to his feet. Watching as Kate strode dejectedly away, a spark of anger ignited in him, and he followed Carlucca. As she closed the door behind him, he spun to address the board.
“Have a seat, Dr. Griffin,” Stan Burgman, chairman of the board, instructed, but Graham refused.
“No,” he replied flatly. “I’ll stand for this.”
“Dr. Griffin—”
“No,” Graham said firmly. “You need to hear me out before this goes any further.”
The board sat forward somewhat apprehensively, but Bryan Gould nodded.
“Okay, Graham. Say what you feel you have to say,” he told him. Graham inhaled sharply and began to stalk about the room.
“I don’t need to tell you that I have been a respected doctor in this hospital for years. I did my internship and residency here, and I am head of neurosurgery. My research is world renowned…” He paused, about to mention the work he had done with the Enchanted, but he stopped himself. There were mortals among them.
“No one is doubting your—” Carlucca interjected, but Graham held up his hand.
“I am not about to spend half an hour tooting my own horn, Dr. Carlucca. I just wanted to remind you of who I am and what is at stake here.”
She sat back, her mouth forming a thin line. “Go ahead.”
“I was hoping to apply as chief of surgery next year, but as I recently explained to Dr. Luthor, I have decided against it.”
There was a surprised murmur in the room.
“Why?” Dr. Schwartz demanded, his face beading with sweat. “You’re the most qualified person for the job.”
So, I really was in line for it, Graham thought with some regret. He shoved it away, remembering why they were there.
“Because I have dedicated my entire medical career to this hospital and enriching the lives of others, and suddenly, I have found someone who has enriched my life. Instead of giving her the attention she needs, I am taking on more responsibility. I don’t want the chief job, and I didn’t before our relationship came to light. So, this now becomes a matter of two doctors—two consenting adults—who fell in love with one another. So, what are we doing here?”
His question was met with a thick, uneasy silence.
“Graham, you don’t need to give up the job as chief,” Eli Schwartz said pleadingly. “Perhaps you can have Dr. Luthor run your lab, and we will find another attending to head up neurosurgery so it frees up your schedule.”
Graham looked at the board, blinking as the words sunk in.
“You… you’re not terminating Kate’s internship?” he asked, and they shook their heads in unison.
“No, Graham. This was simply a formality, a call to action. Dr. Luthor is a brilliant doctor with excellent credentials. In a short time, she’s become indispensable to the hospital. As you said, you are two consenting adults who have kept your personal life so quiet that no one even knew of your relationship until recently. There is no cause for any sort of action on either part.”
He nodded his head slowly and sank into a chair.
“Okay,” he breathed, exhaling. “Now what?”
Schwartz chuckled. “Now we have to convince you that it is still in your best interest to run for chief.”
Kate curled into his arms, letting out a deep breath, and Graham placed a kiss on her forehead. They lay on the California king bed in Graham’s condo, spent from an exhaustive lovemaking session. The sun was beginning to set outside the penthouse windows, casting an orange and red hue about the room.
“I told you we had nothing to worry about,” he told her softly, and she snuggled her naked body against his lean frame.
“I wouldn’t go that far,” she sighed. “We still have Walter to worry about.”
Graham tensed at the sound of the surgeon’s name. The hearing with the board had disappeared into their minds like a bad meal, something they could still taste if they thought about it, but nothing they cared to dredge up. Dr. Walter had been suspiciously absent from the hospital since the day of the hearing, and rumor had it that he was on vacation for a month.
He pulled her closer and dismissed the thought. “That’s for another day, Kate.”
She didn’t respond, knowing that the threat of Michael Walter was real. He is intent on destroying us. He expects to be chief of surgery, and he thought that Graham would be out of
the running by bringing our relationship to light. What will he do next?
“So, I was thinking…” Graham paused and waited for Kate to question him.
She took the bait. “You were?” she joked. “About what?”
“It’s almost Christmas.”
“I think that is fairly obvious. The nurses have been sporting Santa hats for two weeks now,” Kate laughed. Graham inhaled the sweet scent of her hair.
“I know what I want for Christmas,” he said seriously. Kate rolled away from him so she could stare into his handsome face, half-smiling.
“I wouldn’t have pegged you as someone who was overly sentimental,” she replied. “But tell me, what would you like for Christmas?”
“I want you to move in with me.”
Kate’s immediately thought about Lisette, but realized it wasn’t an issue any longer. Since Lisette had confronted Kate that day in the locker room, the two had made up and were closer than ever. After Kate told her everything, Lisette was thrilled Kate had found her mate and had forgiven her for keeping it a secret for so long.
Lisette had decided to move out into her a penthouse that was better suited to her lifestyle. Of course, she invited Kate to come with her, but Kate refused. Lisette would be thrilled for her when she told her about moving in with Graham.
Despite the umbra that Michael Walter had cast over them, Kate’s life was exactly where she wanted it. She had a job she loved, her mate, and a security she had never known before. There was an antidote to demon bites now. Even if Helios made good on his threat and tried to go after her family, everyone had the antidote in arm’s reach.
“Yes, of course I’ll move in with you,” Kate answered, and he grinned happily. After placing a sweet kiss on her lips, he sat back and stared at her for a long moment. “What?” she finally asked, a slow, pink blush reaching her cheeks.
“I love you,” he told her.
“I know,” she said with smirk before gently placing her lips to his cheek.
Epilogue
