“Excuse me, Dr. Walters?” One of the nurses popped her head into the lounge. “Ewww, what’s that smell?”
The microwave beeped.
“Come on. It’s my favorite, pork chops and sauerkraut.” Devora twirled her fork in her hand. “What’s up, Judy?”
“We have a trauma victim coming in and more may be on the way. The ambulance is on Main Street and will be here in a few minutes.”
Devora tried not to think about the tender pork chop, but her mouth still salivated. “Trauma? What kind of trauma?”
“The abandoned Wharf Hotel collapsed from the winds today. Turns out, there was a community of homeless people staying inside.”
Did her husband know about this yet? Devora motioned to her food in the microwave. “I’ll be out in a minute. Let me put this away.”
Judy nodded.
As soon as the nurse was out of sight, Devora whipped out her cellphone, clicking her husband’s name from her favorites. She sent a text.
People trapped at the Wharf Hotel. Building collapsed.
Her husband, Derek aka Silver Comet, may already know about the disaster, but often, she found out about these things way before he did. Hopefully, he appreciated her sacrificing a few bites of her meal to send the text.
She returned the phone to her pocket, then pulled her meal out of the microwave, covered it, and set it on the counter. Her stomach grumbled as she realized she may not get a chance to eat the rest of her shift.
~ ~ ~
The next seven hours flew by, and she ignored continuous comments about the stinking sauerkraut that filled the lounge and escaped down the hallway. It was hard enough that the odor reminded her of how hungry she was. At the end of her twelve-hour shift, she threw her meal away. Twelve hours without a single break…and nobody noticed.
Not knowing if she was more tired or hungry, she flung open her house’s door and went straight to the kitchen. Food first, then to bed early.
Paramedics attempted to bring a total of six victims into the ER from the Wharf Hotel. Silver Comet located and dug them out of the rubble, but they were in bad shape. One died before making it to the ER, and Devora lost another patient soon after he arrived.
The other four, she saved, rushing from room to room, triaging the worst cases. Despite her exhausted limbs, she couldn’t help but smiling. She made a difference…saved people’s lives nearly every day, and they were so appreciative. This was the reason she was a doctor. The reason she chose the ER.
“Derek, are you home?” She called on her way to the refrigerator.
“Yeah, I’m coming.”
Devora pulled the first thing she saw in the refrigerator and began eating.
“Pickles?” Derek said. “Either you’re pregnant or had a bad day.”
“Let’s hope it was only a bad day.”
“Well, my day was awesome. You should have been along. First, I had helped the police with a standoff between a disputing husband and wife. I used my magnetic power to pull the gun right out of the husband’s hand. Before I left, I heard about the old Wharf Hotel. It collapsed today because of the high winds—”
“Yeah, I know. I sent you the text.” Devora shoved another pickle in her mouth and turned to the cheese drawer, pulling out a few pieces of string cheese. This was typical of Derek, focused on his amazing abilities he forgot she had a life too…though, perhaps not as spectacular as a superhero’s. How could she compete with that?
“Oh, yeah. That’s right. Well, the police had been down there, struggling for hours to get the people out. They freed one, but the debris was a nightmare. Luckily, it was mostly metal, and I channeled my magnetic comet glow and had most of it piled up on the other end of the property in no time. The rescue squad removed what was remaining and saved six victims lives.”
“Four,” Devora said. Waving a piece of string cheese.
“No, there were six.”
“But only four survived.”
“Oh, that’s too bad.”
Devora wanted to tell him all about her heroic rescue of the other four, but before she could spit the words out fast enough, Derek continued.
“Well, when I finished there, I went and rescued a few kitties that had climbed up in a tree, and even made an appearance at the local middle school. You know, don’t do drugs.” Derek flashed Devora his fake, charming smile. “Afterwards, I checked in down at the police station and they said the mayor wanted to talk to me. Guess what he wants?”
She shoved a piece of string cheese into her mouth. “I have no idea.”
Derek had a huge grin and puffed his chest. “He wants to give me the key to the city.”
“It sounds like you had an amazing day.” Devora had devoured both pieces of string cheese and now stood at the pantry door, looking for something else. She hated missing a meal, it made here want to eat everything she could find.
“So, what’s for dinner?” Derek asked.
“Dinner? Really?”
“Oh, I just thought you were looking for something to cook.”
“Do you have any idea how my day went?” Someday, he’d ask her first.
Derek waved his hand. “Yes, please tell. How was your day? Is that blood on your shirt?”
Looking down, Devora saw the splatter of blood across her scrubs and images of her holding pressure on a wound until she could tape it shut until surgery arrived, of doing chest compressions, and of resetting a dislocated shoulder flashed through her mind. Who knew whose blood that was? “Fine. My day was typical.” What did he think she did all day? Obviously, not as exciting as saving kitties from trees.
“Typical is good, too. Not all jobs are as exciting as mine.”
Devora bit her lip, then shut the pantry door. Did he even know how hard she worked? How many lives she saved, too? Of the skill she had? Stop it, Devora. No reason to get a big head. “How does takeout sound tonight? I’m hungry for General Tso’s Chicken.”
With a nod from Derek, Devora pulled her phone from her pocket. “Why don’t you have a seat in the living room, and I’ll join you once I order food. I could use an evening of relaxation, anyway.”
Derek smiled, leaned in, and gave her a peck on the cheek, then retreated to the sofa.
Devora pulled two chocolate sandwich cookies from the cupboard, shoved them in her mouth, then called their favorite Chinese restaurant.
Chapter 2
Devora arrived at Two Comets Memorial Park early so she could get a good seat to watch her husband receive the key to the city. She wanted to sit right up front, but couldn’t be too obvious she was Silver Comet’s wife, since he’d be in costume. She took a spot second row back on the left side. Inconspicuous enough.
On her phone, Devora flipped through her work email while she waited. She had a few medical students she was supervising and didn’t want them to get behind waiting for her to reply. She scrolled through the emails, stopping at one from Dr. Batterman, the hospital’s Medical Director.
By now, people were filling in around her, and the mayor shuffled onto stage, tapping his microphone. “Hello, citizens of Starhill. Today…”
Devora tuned him out as she read the email from Dr. Batterman.
Good Afternoon Dr. Walters,
I have the immense pleasure of informing you that you’ve been nominated for the prestigious Dr. Phil Murphy Award of Excellence. As you know, only our finest physicians qualify for this award…
Devora nearly dropped her phone when the surrounding crowd leaped from their seats and cheered. Her heart pounded as she stood up, grasping the phone to her chest. She had worked so hard at Starhill Memorial Hospital. Had someone finally noticed?
She looked up to see her husband…um…Silver Comet shimmering onto the makeshift stage in front of her, then back down at the email, there were paragraphs left. Sighing, she slipped the phone in her pocket and began to clap. Work would have to wait.
“Thank you for joining us…Mr. Si
lver Comet.”
Derek took the microphone. His eyes hidden beneath a silver mask. “I’m honored to be here.”
“Well, it’s about time we did this. You’ve been protecting this city for three years now, and it hasn’t been safer.”
With that, rain began to fall. Icy cold rain.
“It’s not rain!” Someone yelled.
Over the crowd were millions of water bubbles, floating like she’d seen in videos of from outer space. Derek had told her about a supervillain he had stumbled upon a few months ago with the ability to manipulate water. What was her name… Azure Nightmare?
Devora snapped her head around the crowd, trying to identify the supervillain. She had to be here somewhere.
Azure was new to town. Despite tangoing with her husband a few times, the city didn’t know about her yet. Was she finally making her presence known? Derek hadn’t figured out how to stop her yet.
“It’s gotta be a supervillain!” Someone yelled.
“Silver Comet will save us!” Came another voice from the crowd.
From what? A big splash of water? What did Azure have planned?
All eyes were on the bubbles of water absorbing into each other, causing a huge puddle of water, the size of a small island, to form overhead, but Devora searched for the cause of this fiasco. Behind a tree, next to a row of empty chairs, flashed a shimmering blue hand. Devora darted her eyes to her husband, but he was already off the stage, flying up to the large pool of water. All she could see was his silver glow and signature lighted tail resembling a comet.
What had Derek told her about Azure? She was made of water, and when she appeared solid, it was an illusion. Devora looked to Silver Comet flying in circles below the pool of water. The water spun as Derek slowly lead it away from the crowd.
Devora saw the strain on Azure Nightmare’s face, she had stepped out from behind the tree. Water was bubbling over her skin, breaking through the illusion of a typical human.
Devora dove over an empty chair in front of her and put the tree between her and the villain. Devora stumbled over the power cords…
Power…electricity… and water…
Time was of the essence. She picked up the sound system’s power cord and unplugged it. Her hands shook and her heart raced as she leaped towards Azure Nightmare, sticking the chord into the bubbling water on her exposed calf.
Azure turned completely transparent, and her eyes widened as she tried to pull out the cord, but Devora pushed it further into her liquid leg.
Azure thrashed about, and when her liquid hands were unable to grip the power cord, her eyes latched onto Devora’s. Her voice strained as if spoken underwater. “You’re not a superhero. How could you foil me?” Then multiple jagged lines of electricity, like lightning, filled her body before she burst, sending droplets of water over Devora and across the lawn.
Devora wiped her face in time to see Azure’s huge water cloud come crashing down right on top of her husband…to the parking lot below…crushing some empty cars. Devora held her breath. Where was Derek? He has to be okay.
Her eyes scanned the sky above the parking lot. Each moment felt like an eternity. When the Sliver Comet’s glow finally rose above the street, Devora dropped her head back into the grass, staring at the sky. He’s fine. He’ll always be fine.
The image of the crushed vehicles turned Devora’s stomach. What would have happened if Silver Comet hadn’t moved the water away from the ceremony’s audience?
When Derek returned to the stage, he looked like a drenched rat and the crowd went wild.
He bowed with a huge grin on his face. Oh, would Devora hear about this one.
The mayor’s mouth hung open. “Well, we thank you once again, Silver Comet.”
Devora lay against the damp grass, soaked and tucked away behind the stage with her heart pounding.
“I was only doing my job,” Derek said.
Devora listened to the rest of the thank you and appreciation, and she couldn’t help but be proud of her man.
While the crowd cleared out, she made her way back to her chair to wait for her husband.
From down the path Derek walked with his charming swagger, dressed in jeans and dark gray t-shirt.
“Did you see that?” he asked.
“Most of it.” Devora said, brushing her wet hair off her face.
“That was awesome. Did you see me use the centrifugal force to guide that puddle of water away from the crowd?”
“Don’t you wonder what happened to Azure Nightmare?”
“Obviously, I ruined her plan.”
You ruined her plan? Devora took a deep breath and patted his arm. “Of course you did, Dear. You are amazing.”
Derek touched the shoulder of her damp blouse. “What happened to you?”
“I got a little too close.”
His eyebrows narrowed, and his smile faded. “You’ll have to be careful next time. I’d hate for anything to happen to you.”
Devora wrapped an arm around his waist as they headed out of the park. “And I’d hate for anything to happen to you, too.”
~ ~ ~
“Thanks for coming along. This means a lot to me.” Devora gave Derek’s hand a squeeze as they walked into the conference room at Starhill Memorial Hospital. White tablecloths, candles, and elegant chairs transformed an ordinary room into something extravagant. Wait staff walked around the room with glasses of champagne on small round trays.
“How could I miss seeing you get an award?” Derek smiled and leaned down to give Devora a peck on the cheek. “You watched me get the key to the city last week.”
“That I did.”
Before sitting at a small reserved table up front by the podium, Derek grabbed two glasses of champagne. “To us helping the city,” he toasted.
Us? Couldn’t she just have one day? Why complain? At least he was acknowledging her. Their glasses clinked and Devora smiled, reminding herself to be happy he had said ‘us’ and not ‘Silver Comet.’
Once everyone was sitting at a table and finished a glass or two of champagne, Dr. Batterman took the podium. “We’re here to give a very prestigious award. Once a year, we select one physician with exemplary skill, bedside manner, dedication, and overall attitude to receive the prestigious Dr. Phil Murphy Award, named after our founder.”
Devora felt herself beaming, everyone said she was a shoe-in for the award this year. She also felt Derek’s phone vibrate next to her. She glanced over to see him pull it from his pocket and smile while reading the contents.
He smiled? “What is it?” she whispered.
He turned the phone towards her. The text read:
Major drug deal going down in five minutes by the main boat launch. Responsible for the library massacre.
Devora knew how much guilt Derek had from the massacre. She had heard all his “what if’s” for weeks. Her eyes met his, and she waved her hand. “Go. It’s your duty.” And quickly looked away.
Then he leaned over and whispered, “You’ll win tonight, I know it.” He patted her arm and kissed her lips.
Devora wanted to stop him. This was a huge award, and she wanted to share it with him, but she couldn’t find the words. He had already turned away and was sneaking out of the room. She reminded herself of all the late nights she worked because a critical patient came into the ER and she couldn’t leave. This was no different. His dedication was one of the things she loved about him.
“…Dr. Devora Walters!”
The room burst out in applause, and all eyes were on her and her sad expression. She flipped her head towards the room’s exit. Had Derek heard the announcement? But she didn’t even get a glimpse of him. He was long gone.
She schooled her face and stood up. “Thank you. I’m honored and humbled for this award, as it’s not me that makes it possible. There are many people in my life that support me. Such as the skilled emergency room staff. The nurses. The receptionists. Even
the janitors make it all possible. Then there’s the love and support I receive from my husband.” She tightened her lips as she scanned the room, not able to say any more for fear she’d start crying. She held the plaque up and thanked Dr. Batterman before returning to her seat.
The rest of the ceremony dragged on while Devora kept checking her phone for a text from Derek. Why did his life always take precedent over her own? Did he even know how amazing she was? Not that she was the best, but she poured her heart into her job. Into helping people. Any other husband, normal husband, would appreciate her, right?
Devora arrived home at nearly the same time Derek did. She had her award tucked under her arm, anxious to show it to him.
She gripped it tight as she greeted her husband. “Hey, welcome home. How did your night go?”
“Not as great as I would have liked. By the time I got to the drug deal, it had already happened and most the people were already gone. I chased two down, but one still got away.”
Devora pulled the plaque out, wanting to show him, but he kept talking.
“I searched the city for hours, but there was no sign of him. I’ll get him though, I always do.”
Yeah, you always do. “Any signs of Azure Nightmare?”
“No, it’s like she vanished into thin air.”
Devora planted a hint about Azure’s demise. “More like watered the lawn.”
“What do you mean?”
Devora shook her head and pulled out her plaque. “Well, I won. Here’s my award. I’ve worked really hard for this.”
“I know you have, but I had no doubt.” Derek kissed her cheek, took it from her hand, and turned it over in his. “Feels kinda chintzy.”
Yeah, like that key is made of real gold. She crossed her arms over her chest, collecting her thoughts. He’d appreciate her someday, and it wasn’t worth an outburst. “It’s not the plaque that’s important, it’s what it represents. Hours of hard work, mentoring, being recognized as a top-notch provider by patient surveys, publishing—”
The Superheroes' Wives Collection Page 3
