Noah glanced at Asa then back to him. “Maybe. I’m loathe to suggest this, but the poison could be contained in our prenatal vitamin regimen. I did check every vial in the house, but that doesn’t mean an RN who gave one to a patient for home administration didn’t tamper with it first. It certainly explains why each of these women complain of extreme fatigue and nausea.”
Asa cursed. “And we each blew off those complaints as symptoms of pregnancy. God, hindsight really is twenty twenty.”
“This is so blatantly insidious,” Christian snarled. “What this actually means is we have a staff member who is both mentally disturbed yet smart enough to fake their way through an enchantment and intelligent enough to concoct this toxic cocktail. If you’re right Noah, this does narrow down our list of suspects considerably.”
Noah’s lips made a thin, terse line before he said, “Yes, it does to Blake, Katie and Betty. They’re the only three nurses who work in the V clinic. No one on the hospital staff has had regular access to these affected patients. Perhaps your life mate’s sixth sense was spot on about Blake. I’m sure we can all agree to rule out Betty. Katie simply doesn’t strike me as a person capable of murder. I could be wrong.”
Asa added, “A nurse wouldn’t have the knowledge it would take to create something this chemically devastating.”
Noah replied, “True, but it’s obvious now this person isn’t working alone. Whoever they’re working with quite frankly has a frighteningly vast knowledge of our physiology.”
Christian said, “Whatever the case, I don’t believe murder is their sole objective in all of this. There are far easier ways to kill a vampire than a mix of arsenic or cyanide and whatever this other drug happens to be, given the vast differences in these patient’s reactions.”
“Then what are they after?” Asa asked.
Noah shook his head. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
Silence ruled the room for a spell as well as a heavy blanket of despondency. Christian hated bringing this topic to light but felt it needed to be said. “I don’t want this to sound self-serving, but I think we need to retain an attorney. These patients have every right to sue us down to our last dime. And deservedly so. We’re responsible for their care and safety and although none of this wasn’t our fault, we let this menace into our facility.”
No one argued that point because Asa and Noah had to know he was right.
“Dominic is the best attorney I know. As soon as I speak to him today I’ll ask if he’s willing to take the case should we need him.”
“Fine,” Noah said. “It’s a good preventative measure although if it were to go that far with any of these patients I’d be hard pressed to fight a lawsuit given the circumstances.”
Asa clamped a hand on Christian’s shoulder. “Contact Dominic, Chris, but for now I think we all concentrate on today’s disaster not tomorrow’s.”
The meeting ended soon after and the three of them went their separate ways to begin their day.
Once Christian finished with his first patient, he went to sit in the nurse’s station to do some quick charting. The large cubicle was empty, and so was he. He leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms over his throbbing head.
Christian loved being a doctor, but today the job felt like a curse. The V clinic used to have such a light, joyful aura. Now he felt as though a dark, evil cloud hovered over this building and his heart was so heavy he could hardly draw a full breath. Of course the noxious feelings stemmed from the fate of the clinic, but mostly a soul sick sadness for the lives lost. These were people he was supposed to care for, protect from harm while under his care. He and his partners had failed to do that again and again. Worst of all, more patient losses and fatalities may occur if they didn’t catch this person and fast.
Tears stung his eyes, a product of overwhelming grief, regret and helplessness. He rapidly blinked them away and forced himself back to business. He didn’t get far because he felt Tiffany push at his mind with a soft, worried-sounding, Hey, Christian. Can you hear me?
He let her in immediately. Tiffany? What’s wrong?
I’m okay. Are you?
Christian smiled. Tears stung his eyes again, but this time for a different reason. Tiffany had just channeled his riotous emotions which meant she was going to be a very empathic life mate. That made him very happy. In fact, it made his day.
Christian? You there? Are you okay?
He couldn’t lie to her. Not really. Noah got a call and fax this morning from the VCDC. It’s not good news, but our patients are doing much better. No worrying. Okay? We’ll talk about details tonight.
Okay. Earlier I thought I was losing it. I felt depressed and miserable for no reason. I kept thinking of you and imagining you hurting. Suddenly, I realized you were. How bad is this news?
It just wasn’t as hopeful as we’d wished in order to help our patients. However, I am hopeful where Dominic is concerned. I really do believe his surveillance system will help us catch the killer.
If it’s possible, it will happen. Dominic rocks in his areas of expertise.
I know. He chuckled. I was thinking that earlier. Thank you for checking on me.
Your welcome.
I’ll see you tonight.
I can’t wait.
Neither can I. I love you. Until tonight?
Tonight. And I love you too, Christian. Call me if you need to.
Will do.
He closed his mind to her and tapped the pen he’d been using to chart against his chin. The thought of Tiffany picking up on his mood had never crossed his mind. The enigma of life mates was new to him too. He understood the mechanics and spiritual aspects of life mating and as a doctor more than most vampires. Being a life mate proved much different than base knowledge.
As much as he hated to do it, he engaged a mental block against her because he didn’t want Tiffany feeling the tentacles of this major funk that had him in its grip. However, knowing they were so in tune to each other before he’d marked her and they became one made him very happy. It meant she wasn’t afraid of committing to him anymore.
A permanent commitment might come sooner than either of them imagined. This morning, he’d barely restrained himself from sinking his fangs into her shoulder and burying himself inside her, making her his until the day they died. When a male bit his life mate in this marital fashion, his venom would mix with a male hormone produced in the V-thalamus changing the female’s scent forever. His would change too after he fed from her. Eons ago this act had been needed for survival because their combined scent told other vampires, particularly ferals, that person was life mated. The act protected their females against those heinous ones of their kind.
Vampires had evolved just like humans, but they were far more instinct driven. If a feral male tried to abduct a life mated vampire female for mating purposes, he signed his own death warrant. His natural born instincts for survival prevented that from happening because if any vampire caught him with a female that didn’t bare his scent, another of their kind would kill him on the spot. And that primeval act still reigned true today.
He wondered if Tiffany had any idea what the term marking meant. Had she been born vampire her parents would have explained the semantics and purpose of marking about the time human parents explained the birds and bees to their kids. One would assume living in a vampire family she understood what happened between a vampire couple when they made the choice to life mate. Then again Mia may have never saw the relevance in explaining it to her since Tiffany had been human.
A noise stirred him from his musings. He looked up as Katie walked into the nurses’ station.
“How’s your morning going, Dr. La Mond?” she asked in a cheerful tone.
He forced a smile. “Fine. I’m finished with this chart.” He handed it to her. “Who’s next?”
“Mrs. Roberts. She’s in room four and ready for you.”
“Thanks.”
He stood, intending to head that way when
the patient call light board began to buzz. Christian whipped around to look. When he saw it came from exam room four his heart nearly stopped.
Chapter 17
Katie went over and turned off the call light, then faced him with a perplexed frown. “That’s Mrs. Roberts wanting to tell me what flavor of tea she’s decided on. Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
He let out the breath he’d been holding, but his nerves sparked and sizzled like a downed power line. “I’m fine. I’ll get her the tea. Take care of preparing the next appointment.”
Christian hurried to exam room four. All was well with Mrs. Roberts. He let out the breath he’d been holding and took her tea order. As he stood at the microwave waiting for the water to boil Christian realized he was a mess. If he were consulting with a patient exhibiting these symptoms, paranoia, exhaustion, depression, anxiety he would have prescribed several days of rest and maybe an anxiety med. He didn’t have the luxury of rest and wouldn’t until this building was once again a safe place for every person who walked through the doors.
He’d wondered all morning how Dominic progressed with this security system. A few hours later when he had some time to himself, he went to his office and called Dominic on his cell.
He answered on the second ring. “Hello Christian. Is everything all right?”
He was in Nathan’s office at the Davenport home. Christian could see Nathan in the background of the hologram sitting behind his desk staring at a computer displaying some hologram of its own. “Mostly. How are you coming on our project?”
“You’re partner, Dr. Langston called early this morning with the exact number of areas needing surveillance. Everything is ordered and on its way here as we speak. In fact, I was about to call you. The team I’ve organized will be here tonight to begin installing the devices and setting up the command center. What time will be good?”
“Any time after six. We’re in the process of moving mothers from this labor and delivery facility to my lodge which is much smaller but has eight suites. The hospital will be empty by mid-afternoon. The rest of the staff have been told to go home by five. The building will be vacant the entire holiday weekend.”
“Fine. I’ll call you this evening to let you know when we’re on our way.”
“Good. Um, there is another matter I need to discuss with you if you have a moment.”
“Certainly. What’s on your mind?”
“Noah received word from the VCDC this morning. They’re beginning to get answers about another drug involved in these poisonings. Of course we’ll have to pass on this information to our patients. Currently they don’t know whether they may have come in contact with this drug here because initially we weren’t one hundred percent sure they had, but we have to tell them what we suspect, Dominic. Every detail. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you what could happen if they believe they were poisoned at our clinic by a staff member.”
Dominic rolled his eyes. “No. Consider me retained.”
Christian didn’t like the grim tone of his voice. “Any advice?”
“Got a Swiss bank account? Maybe one somewhere in the Caribbean?”
Christian laughed. “I wish, but no. My partners and I are responsible for this. I’m almost willing to say let the chips fall where they may. They lost their children, Dominic. One man lost a life mate. No amount of money will make up for that, but a good size chunk of change might help vindicate their losses.”
“Shit. You really do need a lawyer with that thinking process. Look, I know you feel guilty, but what you have to keep in mind is none of this was your fault. This is a criminal matter. The crimes may have happened at your facility, but you weren’t being negligent. You and your partners couldn’t have foreseen this or prevented it from happening. Now that you know the facts you’re taking preventative measures to forestall further poisonings.”
Christian drug in a ragged breath. “Sound advice, but it doesn’t change anything.”
“Of course not. I understand you’re grieving your patients’ losses, but don’t let emotions rule your head and don’t you dare say a word to any of them without me present. My other line is ringing. We’ll talk about this later in detail.”
Christian hung up the phone and sighed. Dominic was right. He couldn’t let emotions override good sense. But without compassion and empathy for those patients and families, he wouldn’t be much of a doctor.
He leaned back in his plush office chair and punched his cell’s home button, bringing up his wallpaper hologram, a small collage of pictures of him, Tiffany and her family last Christmas. Holly and bows surrounding the edge of the combined, overlaid pictures. Danielle had created the collage and sent it to him last January. She was as good a photographer as she was an artist. The memories and emotions the picture evoked made him smile, but worry quickly trailed those happy thoughts.
Christian trusted Dominic. He rarely lost a case. But what if a patient or patients chose to sue and they lost? Christian had wealth, but not Davenport’s level of wealth. He had no fear of losing his medical licenses because as Dominic said, no crime had been committed by the partners. Negligence however could be argued in a civil case in a vampire court. If they lost the case, he and his partners could lose the practice, patients, everything they’d worked for their entire lives.
His next thought—premature perhaps—how would he take care of Tiffany? Christian had melded his thinking patterns with the times throughout the years, but he still felt a man should be able to provide for his mate. Nothing, not even poverty would prevent him from being with Tiffany. Granted she was a simple girl, but he wanted to give her things she didn’t even yet know she wanted.
“I really am getting the cart before the horse here,” he muttered and slipped his cell into his lab coat pocket. He headed out the door and back to work before more morbid ‘what ifs’ began to root in his addled brain.
***
“Tiffany, do you mind filling these eggs with the stuffing I prepared in the pastry bag?” Her mom handed her a plate of boiled egg whites shells then dashed off to check whatever she had brewing in her ovens.
“Sure.” Tiffany glancing around the kitchen counter tops. What the hell was a pastry bag? Tiffany was no cook. Her mom had tried to teach her growing up. Try as she might, she sucked at it, but then she’d never had any real interest in learning.
It was late Saturday morning and the kids and Jazerra were due to arrive any moment. Nathan, Julia, Dimitri and Dannie had gone to the airport to pick them up in a limo. Her mom had a huge lunch in the making and Tiffany didn’t seem to be providing as much help as her sister, Chelsie.
She glanced across the kitchen’s island where Chelsie worked on some cold, ham and cheese sandwiches for the kids. The adults would be having some fancy dishes which had made her mother and Julia famous.
The last hour or so in the kitchen had been fun, filled with light conversation, laughter and memories of days spent just like this one in their farm house kitchen. Those days seemed a lifetime ago. But they’d taken her mind off Christian and his woes, which had been bringing them both down the last two days.
He’d spent the night again, but it had been nothing like the previous two nights. Such heaviness engulfed him. He tried to hide it with a smile, joke, idle conversation, but he hadn’t fooled her. He’d told her about the VCDC’s findings, but she suspected there were some things he’d left out to keep from worrying her. She’d tried to get him to open up, but it wasn’t happening. She even tried to push at his mind like before, but he wasn’t taking ‘psychic' calls. Apparently he’d blocked her, which could only mean matters at the clinic were far worse than he let on. She’d finally given up trying to get him to open up and turned on the TV. They’d silently watched an old movie cuddled in each other’s arms until they both fell asleep.
Christian wouldn’t be here today for this little family reunion. For the next two or three days he, the partners and Dominic would be at the clinic working non-stop u
ntil the security system was up and running. What she wouldn’t give to be a fly on the wall for that.
“Tiffany, please get on those eggs,” her mother chided. She stood at the stove stirring the contents of a pot, shooting her an impatient look over her shoulder.
“Sorry.” She glanced at Chelsie for help. “Psst. Chels.” Her sister looked up. “Where’s the pastry bag?” she mouthed.
She pointed at the middle of the island, littered with the tools of her mom’s trade, and several finished dishes, but she still couldn’t figure out what item Chelsie had indicated. “Which one?” she whispered.
“Oh for Pete’s sake,” her mother said as she turned from the pot she’d been stirring on the stove. She grabbed a long white tapered tube off the island counter top and handed it to her. “This is a pastry bag. And why are you whispering? I may be older than you, but my hearing is just as keen as any vampire’s.”
“Right. Sort of habit, I guess.” She tried for an innocent smile.
“I appreciate your help, T.J. but could you please hurry. I want to be done with lunch when the kids arrive. I haven’t seen Nate and Beth in weeks.”
“Sure. Sorry. You know I suck at this culinary stuff.”
“You wouldn’t if you gave it half as much attention as you do your computers.” She returned to the stove and her pot.
“I’m on it.” Tiffany studied the apparatus in her hand. Once she figured out which end the egg goo was supposed to come out of, she went to work.
“Do you think Christian will be here for dinner?” Chelsie asked.
“I don’t know, but I kind of doubt it. He has a lot on his plate this weekend.” She hadn’t spoken to anyone about what had been discussed at that meeting or what really occurred this weekend at the clinic. She’d made a promise to Christian. Asa too. Nathan had made no such promises and had told her mother what he and Dominic were doing to help Christian. Of course Dominic had told Dannie since he would be at the clinic all weekend. Now the whole family knew.
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