“Dr. Stone?”
I looked up and smiled. “Sorry about that.”
I resumed suturing, working on the man’s arm, layering the stitches across it. Carlos, a twentyish nurse with short black hair shaved nearly to stubble and earrings in both ears, was watching me, almost as if amused or concerned. It was difficult to tell. I suppose if the situations were reversed, I would be concerned about how I was reacting, too.
I finished the line of sutures, tying it off and smearing on a little Neosporin ointment before nodding to Carlos to cover it. I turned to the patient, a Mr. Bender, and pulled off my gloves. “The sutures should come out about seven days. You should see your primary care provider for that. Watch for any redness or drainage, and maybe be a little bit more careful with your knives,” I said.
He smiled sheepishly. “I can’t believe I fell like that.”
“You’re lucky. You could have done more damage, but this will heal just fine.”
He had been luckier than I’d let on. It wasn’t too far from cutting through the radial artery, though he denied any intention to harm himself. As far as I could tell, it had been an accident just as he had described, though I’d seen similar injuries before, and most of them were self-inflicted. There was nothing about Mr. Bender which struck me as someone who wanted to harm himself, but it could be difficult to ascertain. He’d passed all of my depression screening questions, and even his wife, who was waiting now in the emergency room lobby, had said it was an accident.
“Thanks, Dr. Stone.”
I made my way back out to the nursing station and took a seat at my usual location. I could have let one of the residents take care of the suturing, but the patient had been bleeding pretty heavily, and there was concern he was going to need surgery, so I had just taken care of it. It was a difficult balance me to strike, trying to determine what I could leave for the residents, and what I needed to take care of on my own. Today was one of the days we didn’t have many upper-level residents. It left the interns running the ER for the most part, though it also meant the attendings like myself had to have higher involvement.
“How’s it going?” Brad said, making his way up to the desk. He had only his scrubs on, and had abandoned his white coat, which wasn’t altogether surprising. There were times when a white coat got in the way. I had taken mine off before suturing, not wanting to get it bloody, and it was hanging on the back of my chair.
“Just a little bit distracted,” I said.
“You were distracted the other night, too. Is everything okay?”
A part of me wanted to tell Brad what I’d gone through, and what I was going through. If he was going to be a part of my life, then I was going to need to share some details with him, though I still didn’t know how I was going to share this. How do you tell someone you have magic, and make it not be a strange and impossible conversation?
I wasn’t even sure he’d believe me. It was possible he’d react poorly, and I suppose if I were honest with myself, that was my biggest fear. I didn’t want to upset Brad, but I also didn’t want to lose the connection we’d begun to form. I felt keeping the information to myself was about the only way I was going to be able to protect our relationship. Then again, I also understood hiding such information was not the best way to maintain a relationship. I’d seen far too many people over the years who hid parts of themselves from their significant others and had seen how it affected their relationships. And now here I was doing the same thing.
“There’s just a little bit of stress with my grandfather,” I said. It was near enough to the truth that I felt I could maintain it.
“If there’s anything you want to talk about, you know I’m here for you.”
I smiled at him, hating that I was lying. At the same time, it was nice for me to know what Brad was offering for me. It was something I still found surprising—almost as surprising as having someone willing to be there for me.
“I know you are.”
“I can’t believe we give the upper-level residents the weekend off like this,” Brad said.
“You do remember, when we were upper-level residents, how much we looked forward to this weekend?”
“Mostly for a chance to get away,” he said, smiling.
It was an opportunity for the residents to get together, to talk through career plans, to have an educational session where they all were able to gather, something which wasn’t always possible within the residency program. Most the time, it was difficult to bring everybody together in one place because clinical responsibilities got in the way.
“You liked it because you spent the weekend drinking.”
Brad shrugged. “I’m not going to deny it.”
A siren sounded, and I glanced toward the ambulance bay.
Brad looked at me. “You might need to take that one for me. I’m in the middle of working through three patients with the intern I was assigned.”
“You don’t have to sound so excited about,” I said.
“I’m working with Dr. Ross.”
I winced. He was a good person, but he needed a whole lot more handholding than most of the residents we had. Hopefully we could get him up to speed quickly and make him into an effective resident, but the more I’d worked with him, the less certain I was that was going to be possible.
“Good luck with that.” I got to my feet and headed toward the ambulance bay.
There was no sign of any of the residents I was working with, which meant I was going to be on my own with this one. I didn’t mind. I’d moved past my reluctance to manage traumas, and though I didn’t look forward to them the same way Brad did, I enjoyed the thrill of the unknown.
When the ambulance backed in, the door popped open, and I waited for the EMT to give me his rundown. But there was no EMT. Instead, the person inside the ambulance grabbed me, hauled me inside, then pulled the door shut.
I started to scream, but then I realized it was Jean-Pierre.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“You called me,” he said. He sat on a bench casually, as if it could have been a limo. Dressed in a dark navy suit, his hands clasped on his lap and his hair neatly combed, he could have been a businessman.
“I called you, but that didn’t mean I want you to come abduct me.”
We made our way out of the ambulance bay, careening along the street. I wondered what attention this was going to draw. I’d already had enough issues over the last few years and I didn’t need someone to think I had just been abducted from the ambulance bay—but then, I hadn’t seen anyone else in the ambulance bay. It was likely no one was even aware I was now out of the ER and being dragged away by Jean-Pierre.
“It’s the first time you have sent any word to me,” Jean-Pierre said. “I thought it prudent I respond.”
“I’ve tried to give you your space,” I said.
“And yet, I understand you have been involved in more than you should handle by yourself.”
“I was by myself.”
“I would like to see him,” he said.
“I don’t even know that I’m going to be able to give you access to John Adams.” I wasn’t even sure where he’d ended up. I thought Barden had hidden him, and maybe that was part of the strange tension from Veran and Cynthia towards Barden. They had worked together to hide John Adams away, to keep him from the rest of the mage council. I could only imagine the kind of things Barden would want to do as he questioned him and could easily imagine they were things that Veran and Cynthia would not view as appropriate.
“We shall see,” Jean-Pierre said. “I imagine there is a limited duration of time for which you can be gone.”
“Now you’re concerned about how it looks that you abducted me?”
“I was always concerned, Dr. Stone, but this is safest. Not only for me but also for you.”
“I imagine you have one of your vampires driving?”
“I do.” I knew Jean-Pierre didn’t have familiars—other than me. Accordin
g to him, I was the only familiar he’d taken in some time, though I still didn’t know what that meant for me. It didn’t seem to give me any increased abilities or anything else, but it somehow connected me to him, binding me to a vampire—something I still wasn’t sure I wanted.
And yet, having a connection to Jean-Pierre did add value. I was able to use it if I were to come across vampires—something I hadn’t done since we had dealt with them the last time. For the most part, I tried to stay away from the vampires. I tried to ensure I didn’t run into any other magical creatures, other than those Barden introduced me to.
“What sort of access do you have to the other side of the Veil?” I asked.
“I would not have thought you would be intrigued by the power on the other side of the Veil.”
“Normally I wouldn’t be, but a friend of mine might be in danger.”
“What sort of friend of yours do you have there? It was my understanding you had no connection to the magical world prior to our meeting.”
“I did have some connection to the magical world, Jean-Pierre.”
“Perhaps that is true. This must be your mysterious friend I’ve heard so much about.”
What had I revealed of Kate to Jean-Pierre? I had intentionally been vague about her, and not only to Jean-Pierre, but everybody else in the magical world I’d come into contact with. I didn’t want to expose Kate to others who might be interested in harming her. As far as I knew, the vampires might not have any interest in it, but there was the danger of others who might not be as friendly to me and my causes as the vampire elder. It was part of the reason I’d been cautious with Matt Gillespie, and I was thankful for that. Had I been less cautious with him, I might have revealed something I shouldn’t have, putting Kate into danger. Not that she needed my help in getting into danger. It seemed as if she were doing well enough on her own.
“Yeah, well, she apparently crossed the Veil with one of Barden’s mages, and they got separated. He thinks she’s now in danger.”
“From what I understand of this friend of yours, she is skilled enough.”
“Normally, I would agree, but I don’t know what she might encounter on the other side of the Veil.”
“There are many deadly things on the other side,” he said.
“So you know what’s over there?”
“I haven’t crossed the Veil, though I do keep my ears open for the potential dangers that exist.”
“Why don’t you cross?”
“As vampires don’t have magic on our own, it makes it difficult for us to go to a place where magic is found everywhere. Not only is there the danger in that, but there is the potential they might use us.”
“I didn’t realize you could be used in such a way.”
“Vampires didn’t originate on the other side of the Veil, Dr. Stone. Unlike the mages and possibly even the shifters, vampires originated on this side.”
“I didn’t realize that.” I hesitated. “You say you don’t have magic, but I’ve felt the effects of your abilities.”
“Abilities, yes, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it magic. We have a way of influencing, and it’s something which is a part of us, but it isn’t as useful as what mages are able to do. It’s not even as useful as what the shifters are able to do.”
“But you have speed and strength.”
“Both of which are easily countered on the other side. Have you ever met any of the fae?”
I nodded. My only experience with one of the fae was a woman who I now knew to be exiled from the other side. “Once.”
“Have you ever encountered one of the fae on the other side of the Veil?”
“Considering I haven’t crossed the Veil?”
“Given the people I know you have interacted with, you must know power changes when it crosses the Veil. When it does, everything is shifted, such as it were. In the case of what you refer to as demons, they are lessened. They are far more impressive creatures on the other side of the Veil. The same goes for the fae. They have more power over there than they do on here. And while we may have a strength and speed advantage on this side, we do not have that same advantage on the other side. Any limitation to their access to magic is gone.”
“The fae have a limitation to accessing magic on this side of the Veil?”
“As far as we know, they do, though we also believe the limitation is not as severe as the mage council believes.”
“Why?”
“I suspect the fae have wanted it that way. They are nothing if not devious.”
I thought about what I knew of the various types of fae. It was practically nothing. I knew there were two factions, and they were separated in some way, but I knew almost nothing else about them. I had no reason to interact with them, but then again, maybe I should. According to Barden, my magic was descended from the fae.
“Your kind has crossed the Veil before,” I said.
“They have. And rarely have they survived to return.”
And here I thought Jean-Pierre might be someone who could help me find information about Kate, but if he was so afraid of crossing the Veil, it would be unlikely he’d be able or willing to do anything for me.
“What other contacts do you have on the other side of the Veil?”
Jean-Pierre smiled at me. “That, Dr. Stone, is a very different question.”
We pulled to a stop, and in the back of the ambulance, there were no windows for me to look out. I had no idea where we were, or whether he’d driven me a considerable distance away from the hospital.
“I will look into what I can and get back to you. Will that suffice?”
“It will have to,” I said.
“What has Barden Leifan said about this?”
“Barden want to keep me out of it.”
“Does he?”
“He thinks this might be beyond my skill set.”
“Perhaps,” Jean-Pierre said. “And yet, if the rumors of your last confrontation are true, you have grown remarkably in your skills.”
“Apparently, I have a talent for using spells.”
“Not using them,” Jean-Pierre said.
I shook my head. “No. Not using them so much as triggering them.”
He smiled. “If you hadn’t had this talent, I doubt I would’ve survived my last encounter with the organization. Don’t worry, Dr. Stone, I will look into what I can find about your friend, and when I get back to you, we will have a further discussion.”
“You intend to abduct me from the emergency room again, don’t you?”
“I would never,” he said, smiling at me.
I shook my head, looking toward the door. “Where are we?”
“Why, we are back where we started.”
He had brought me back to the hospital. I shouldn’t have been surprised. “Is this how you intend to communicate with me again?”
“It might draw the least amount of attention,” he said.
“How did you know I was going to be the one who responded?”
“Because I called you to me,” he said.
I frowned, watching him. He was an older man, impossibly old, though I didn’t know how old. It was one of those questions I wanted to ask, but I didn’t know how to do so in a way that wouldn’t be offensive. It was like asking a woman about her age, yet in the case of a vampire, his age mattered more. As far as I knew, he was the oldest vampire on the Elder Council.
“I thought you said you didn’t have any magic.”
“I don’t—not necessarily—and yet you and I are bonded as vampire to familiar.”
“Which allows you to call me?”
“It wouldn’t be beneficial to me if I didn’t have some way of reaching you,” he said.
“And what benefit does it provide me?”
“Normally, the vampire to familiar bond allows a certain level of protection, but in the case of you, Dr. Stone, I wonder if it doesn’t convey as much protection as it would to others. With your magical ability, you don’t have t
he same need for my protection.”
“You never know,” I said.
I stood, looking at the door. “Is someone going to let me out of here?”
“Not just yet,” Jean-Pierre said. “If you would prefer, I could enhance the connection between us.”
“To what end?”
“You may begin to have a way of reaching for more power. I can’t guarantee the effect will be there, but if I enhance it, you will have some of my speed and strength.”
“What about the other aspects of your abilities?”
“Those should already be there,” he said.
I frowned. “I don’t think I have your same powers of persuasion.”
“Maybe you just haven’t developed them yet.”
“What will it take for me to obtain the speed and strength?”
He flashed a hint of a smile, revealing his fangs.
I shook my head. “No.”
“It isn’t unpleasant, Dr. Stone.”
“Really? You feeding on me isn’t unpleasant?” My hand went my neck almost involuntarily. I could practically imagine his fangs dipping into my throat, the same way they did during every movie I’d seen with vampires. I wasn’t sure I wanted to have Jean-Pierre so close to me, and knowing what I did about him, and what he claimed about himself, the fact he was a predator, I didn’t know it would be safe for me to do, anyway.
“There might be a little pain at first, but that goes away rapidly, and when it fades, you begin to have a hint of pleasure. That is the other aspect of the connection you would be given access to.”
“I’m not into that sort of thing,” I said.
“If you find the need, the offer remains.”
I couldn’t imagine what it would take for me to want it. “Thanks, I guess,” I said. Watching him for a moment, I frowned. “Can I go?”
“I don’t intend to keep you,” Dr. Stone.”
I pushed on the door, and it came open. We were back in the ambulance bay, and there was no one there, including none of the typical nurses, or anyone who would usually be in an ambulance bay. Somehow, Jean-Pierre had managed to get rid of everybody who was normally in the emergency room bay.
That could just be another aspect of his abilities, or perhaps there was something more to it, but either way, now wasn’t the time to consider it. Now was the time to get back to work.
Lost Cause Page 7
