by Grady, D. R.
“That will give us a huge database,” Helena mused.
“Right. That’s what I’m thinking we need to do. We know that at least half of these wells are contaminated from the data you’ve provided. But the samples were taken over a month ago.”
“We’ve been taking random samples ever since,” Maria said.
“Right, but unless we know what has changed, we won’t know how to treat the wells. Let’s do the testing now, and then proceed from there.”
“How do you think we should do it?” Jorge asked.
“We need to split up and take between ten and twelve wells each, depending on how close they are.”
“You’ll show us the proper procedure?” Maria asked.
“Yes, we’ll practice here. It’s very important we take the water samples as sterilely as possible. But all three of you have been working in the hospital long enough you know how to do sterile.”
“We’ve all processed plenty of bodily fluid and excretion samples,” Jorge said dryly.
“That’s what I thought,” Tia said with a laugh. “You won’t have a problem picking up this technique. Collecting water samples will be easier than what you’re used to.” She stared at the data in front of her. “I don’t suppose you have a map with all the wells listed on it?”
“We do,” Maria said and carried the notebook she’d been studying to Tia. She leafed through the book and pointed to a well map taped to the page.
“Excellent. It looks like they’re all clumped fairly close together.” Tia stared at the map and took more notes.
“Do you want to start sampling today?” Helena asked.
“Let’s determine our course of action first, and I’ll show you how to sample. We can practice, and do all the prep work today.”
“Prep work?” Jorge echoed.
“Yes. We need to make up media, pour plates, that sort of thing. It’s going to be a busy day.”
“We’re ready,” Maria said.
“Now, is there someone we need to notify that we plan to take water samples?”
“Prince Aleksi. He can have his staff warn the correct people and they’ll help us, if need be,” Jorge said.
“I’ll talk to him then,” Tia said, and hated the thrill that zipped through her stomach and made her heart flip.
She’d only be talking to him about well sampling. It’s not like they were planning a family together. Her heart flipped again, and Tia had to tamp down the desire that erupted through her body.
Stop.
Calling up her vision from last night about being thrown into prison didn’t help, because at least she’d get the opportunity to feel his body pressed against hers.
Tia rose and walked to the nearest incubator. She opened it and selected a few plates from the random sampling. Time to get to work. She had to record the growth on the plate.
Stinky bacteria should quell further sexy thoughts about the too attractive prince. Bacteria had a way of knocking things back into perspective. The stench of certain species was enough to make anyone gag.
Tia thought morosely that she’d probably lose her sense of smell before this job was over.
***
“Aleksi!”
He turned at the sound of Tia calling to him. Watching her trot down the hall toward him cleared his mind of everything pertinent. Why could this particular woman do this to him every time? Even when she tripped over her own two feet, the effect of her didn’t lessen.
Normally he had to be tapped several times to reenter reality when he worked. Not now that Tia Morrison had arrived. Knowing she worked just down the hall from him sliced through the important things rolling through his brain. “Can I help you?” he asked politely. He sounded like he had ice water running through his veins. Running his head under ice water was an excellent idea, actually. Maybe it would cool his overactive libido.
“Yes. I just wanted to let you know we plan to test all the wells for seven days, starting tomorrow.” She barely sounded out of breath, and as she gazed at him with those large blue-green eyes, he was sure he was supposed to respond, but he couldn’t think of a single thing to say.
She frowned and bit her lip. “Is there a problem with that?” Concern etched her face and Aleksi tried desperately to think of what they’d been talking about.
Wells. Yes. She planned to test the wells.
“What do you need me to do?” Can I kiss you?
“If you inform the proper people that we plan to do this testing, that should suffice. We don’t want to shock anyone when we arrive with all our sampling equipment.”
He nodded. Time to keep his mind on this project. It affected his people, so he needed to make certain he was aware of what they were doing in case he had to soothe anyone who thought they’d been overlooked.
“I’ll take care of notification on my end. How is your search going?”
“We’re only in the first phases now, so I don’t know yet. Once we start the testing tomorrow, we’ll be in better shape. In seven days, we’ll have a huge database. We can expand that if we need to.”
“Will you have some definite conclusions in a week?”
She frowned. The first thought that popped into his mind was so beautiful. He wondered how he had managed to keep his hands off her. With her aunt and uncle in residence, and his mother acting so weird, especially now that Tia had arrived, he thought maybe that was the only thing preventing him.
Could a prince get away with sexual harassment of a paid consultant? He didn’t know, and figured his people had enough problems right now. They didn’t need his poor choices to add to their burdens.
He could just see the headlines, “Rurikstan Prince Sexually Harasses American Microbiologist.” “American Microbiologist Sues Rurikstan Prince for Improper Conduct. I was only trying to help, and then he sexually harassed me.” “American People Polled: Rurikstan Lowest Rating Yet. Who knew the prince was a pervert?”
Aleksi struggled and finally managed to clear his mind in time to hear her say, “We’ll have more conclusions in a week than we currently have.” She turned a stunning smile on him, and he liked the light in her eyes, her intelligence and the way some of her hair curled around her ears.
“We’ll take whatever conclusions we can get,” he said, hoping his voice didn’t sound as husky as he thought. Lecher and pervert swarmed into his brain, and Aleksi struggled to keep his mind clear of sensuous thoughts.
“I think after all this testing we’ll be able to make some definite decisions. We’ll know exactly what’s in the wells, and then we can take the necessary steps to make them safe again.”
“Wonderful.” He groped for something to say and thought about the meeting he was about to enter. “I’m meeting with our plumbing team in a few minutes. We’re hoping by the end of the week to be able to use the showers again, at least.”
“That would be wonderful. I’ve been lusting after the shower in my room,” she admitted with a sweet smile.
The teenage boy in him thought, “Heh, heh, she said lusted...” and Aleksi cut off those thoughts immediately.
“I must say I prefer showers over the tub. Must be the years I spent in America,” he said. Pretty stupid, but at least he sounded normal.
“I had no idea of what you would have been used to here. How did you manage to live in the dorms and the nasty apartments during school?” She cocked her head to the side and he liked how the sun made her eyes glow brighter than any of the gems they took from the earth.
“I had to learn to cook, that was a challenge, but other than that, I didn’t mind.” He shrugged.
Her eyebrows rose. “How could you stand the small rooms and dirty bathrooms?”
He smiled. “I’m a man. I’m pretty sure I never noticed.”
“I noticed,” she said dryly.
“You’re also a microbiologist. I studied international business and law. We probably noticed different things.”
“Or ignored different things. Do you still cook?”
He liked the light of mischief that danced in her eyes.
He thought about that while rocking back on his heels. “I probably wouldn’t starve.” He couldn’t help but laugh. “But you’d have to be really hungry to eat what I cooked.”
Her laughter warmed him from the inside out. “I see. Well, I’m not much of a cook either, but I do okay.”
“You’re probably much better than I am.”
“My food is edible, that’s about the extent of it. I don’t pay much attention to my efforts.”
“Do you eat out frequently?”
“I eat in the cafeteria most days, but I also have a huge family, so there’s always someone willing to feed me, which is nice.”
“You have frequent family get-togethers?” He thought wistfully of how special that must be. It had always just been his parents and him.
“Oh yes. I can manage to bake something, so I usually take a dessert or salad. Then I get to eat everything else and it’s always really good.” She smiled and he liked that she let him in on her secret. He felt like a co-conspirator.
He glanced reluctantly at his watch. “Ah, my meeting is about to start.”
She cocked her head. “If you need me, just call,” she offered. And turned to traipse back to the lab. She tripped but caught herself, probably from long years of practice.
He had to clench his hands at his sides to keep from telling her he desperately needed her.
Pervert
With a defeated sigh, he turned to the conference room where he was to conduct the meeting. It was too soon to mention his heir problem. He wasn’t sure enough of her yet. But she said lust, the teenager inside him repeated.
Yeah, at least she knew the word. Too bad she had no idea what it actually felt like to want someone you had to keep your hands off. For now, he reminded himself. She was here for at least two weeks. A lot could happen in that time.
Please.
Chapter 9
At supper that evening, which still included her aunt and uncle, relaxing was a little easier for Tia. Knowing Aleksi struggled with cooking somehow made him more human to her. She could relate. She’d never tell him about her prom fiasco, but at least she had cooking skills, or lack thereof, in common with him.
“What did you do today, love?” Aunt Emma interrupted her musings, for which Tia was grateful.
“We’re preparing for a big day tomorrow,” Tia said, and forked up some chicken. She thought it was chicken. Some kind of fowl, anyway.
“What’s on the agenda?” her uncle asked.
“We plan to sample all of the wells in Rurikstan City and then we’ll run a series of tests on them. Some will give us quick results, while the others will take longer.”
“You’ll have an incredible amount of information,” Rich said, sounding impressed.
“We hope so. I’ve been playing with the idea of having someone continue the testing, perhaps just monthly, after I leave,” she said and bit her lip.
Gracia brightened. “You’re leaving?” She sounded hopeful. Tia resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She appreciated the dark look Aleksi sent her. He didn’t seem to appreciate his mother’s venom any better than she did.
“Not until we finish the testing and formulate a plan to fix the problem. But eventually, yes, of course.”
She noticed Emma frown at Gracia, but couldn’t place Emma’s expression. Her aunt appeared to be deep in thought, always an interesting outcome – when General Emma thought out strategies and the like, smart people fled. The woman definitely had sent more than one brave man and woman sprinting for the hills.
“Oh, you’re not leaving soon?” Gracia sounded disappointed.
“Not until I fix your well problem,” Tia said and turned to Aleksi. “Did you have any trouble when you mentioned we’d be testing the wells tomorrow?”
He shook his head. “All of the personnel my assistant spoke with actually offered to help in any way they can. We’d all like to see this problem solved.” He glanced at his mother, his expression stern, like he’d nearly reached his limit with her.
Tia almost felt sorry for the woman, but Gracia radiated a clear message of I-don’t-want-you-here. It was just plain silly. They needed her skills. And was it so wrong to have her aunt and uncle drop in? Aleksi could do a lot worse than personally knowing a powerful United States Admiral.
Surely the woman knew this, but she didn’t seem to care. It was strange behavior for a princess. One who’d been so for nearly forty years. One bright thought was that if Princess Gracia acted like such an idiot, maybe being a princess wasn’t so difficult after all.
“Mother, perhaps you should retire for the evening. You’re looking a little pale,” Aleksi said. Even Gracia couldn’t miss that order, and Tia figured she was thinking about that island he threatened her with, so she rose unsteadily to her feet.
“Yes, I could use some sleep,” she said and turned – barely acknowledging her guests. Even if it was proper royal behavior, it was still rude.
“I’m very sorry for her behavior,” Aleksi apologized. He stared after his mother with a rather lost expression, and Tia wanted to smooth the lines that bracketed his mouth.
“Aleksi, how long has she been acting like that?” Emma still wore her thinking face.
“The last year,” he said, and frowned at his barely touched dessert.
“Has your father been gone that long?”
“Yes.”
“Has her behavior been like this before his death, during, or after?”
Aleksi stared at her aunt, as though trying to flip through his memories to locate that answer. “I’d say it’s been gradual, but at least since after his death. Perhaps before, but not to the extent she’s exhibiting now.”
Emma nodded and sucked her lips between her teeth. “I think your mother needs grief counseling.”
Aleksi started. “Grief counseling?”
“Yes. Have either of you undergone any type of counseling since your father passed away?”
“No, there hasn’t been time,” Aleksi said.
Rich stirred. “Has your mother been out of Rurikstan since his death?”
“No,” Aleksi admitted. “You believe she is suffering from grief?”
“I think that’s a huge part of the problem. She might also be experiencing some symptoms from your well water,” Emma said.
Tia straightened in her chair. “I should have picked up on that.”
“Not necessarily, love. Right now, I think Princess Gracia needs to be sent to France or England – somewhere you trust to help her emotionally. Something is bothering her, I’d say.”
“How did you pick up on that?”
“I’ve experienced similar grief. I recognized the symptoms. But I’m also picking up from you that you don’t quite know what to do with her. Like her behavior now isn’t quite normal.”
“It is not,” Aleksi said fervently and shook his head. “I don’t even know her these days.”
“That’s probably because she’s not taking your father’s death well. Were they close?”
“Yes, they appeared to have a good marriage.” Aleksi’s voice was quiet. “I’ll speak with an advisor who knows her well.”
“That’s a good idea. Don’t take my opinion, because I don’t know her, but I think you’ll see a different person after only a few weeks with a skilled therapist.”
“But you advise I send her away, rather than bring someone qualified in?”
“Yes, only because if the water is part of the problem, then that might help to alleviate some of the more severe symptoms.”
“I’ll speak with some trusted people.”
“I think you’ll find you get your mother back once she’s feeling better.”
“Thank you,” Aleksi said with heartfelt sincerity.
Tia noticed his eyes slid to her and she wondered about it. Why would he send her such a speaking look? She wished she could help his mother, if what General Emma said was true.
If the woman really was grief stricken and couldn’t fight her way out, then she needed help and sympathy, not snarky, petty comments like Tia had been thinking.
See, another obvious reason why she wasn’t princess material. American girls did seem to do snarky well. Shouldn’t a princess be sympathetic and sweet?
Tia nearly choked on the next bite of cake. If so, she certainly didn’t qualify. To keep from falling into her own depression, Tia refused to look at Aleksi again. The man made her want things she knew weren’t good for her. Like a drunk who wanted another round of alcohol.
***
“You’re going to send me away?” His mother sounded horrified early the next morning, like he’d betrayed her.
“Yes.” He sucked in another deep breath of air, and continued. “I’m not sending you to the island, but to London.”
She perked up. “London?”
“Yes, mother. I want you to see some doctors there.”
“Why, there’s nothing wrong with me.”
“There could be. We can’t be certain those of us in the palace weren’t affected by the same thing that has caused our people to sicken.”
“You want me to fly to London to be checked by some doctors there? Dr. Mahon is perfectly capable...”
“Mother, Dr. Mahon is averaging three hours of sleep a night. He can’t afford to see yet another patient.”
“That’s not enough sleep.”
“No, it isn’t. I’m flying more doctors in to help ease the load, but I don’t want to take chances with you. So I’m sending you to London. You can stay at our flat there, where you’ll be comfortable, and the car can take you to your various appointments.”
She looked hesitant. “Do you really believe this is necessary?”
“I do,” he said firmly. Already the idea of leaving here seemed to have perked her up. His father hadn’t spent much time in London, but his mother loved that city. She always seemed to thrive there. London never failed to revive her spirits. “Once you’re given a clean bill of health, then we can speak of your returning home.”
She rose briskly from her chair, “I’d better go see about making the arrangements for my departure today.” Her eyes shone with a new light and her energy seemed to increase before his very eyes.
