The interior proved to be a typical, unassuming physicians office. Chairs were spread around the room for the waiting patients, in the center at the wall farthest from me stood the reception desk, guarding the door to the exam rooms. Obviously, none of this surprised me, it seems as though every medical office in the country has this layout in some fashion. What struck me though was the overflow of anxious patients packed into the room waiting for help...and the absolute lack of medical staff. I approached the desk, hoping maybe the receptionist had just stepped out, only to find it completely empty. The polished wooden surface that usually played home to charts and calendars was devoid of anything but a thin coat of dust. A pulse of encouragement from the ethereal presence in my gut sent me barreling forward into the back office. The nurses station in front of me was just as abandoned as reception, so I pressed forward. With renewed determination, I marched down the hall of exam rooms to the furthest door, assuming by the placard that read "Private", that this was where I'd find Dr. Mitchell. If he was even present, that is.
The figure in front of me shot up from his chair, startled at my sudden intrusion. His sun-bleached locks were disheveled, strands standing haphazardly like he had been pulling at it, and his heather-gray eyes confessed how exhausted he was. So this was the Doctor, and despite looking around my age, his distress made him look crippled and senile. He stood frozen, mouth agape as I reached over his desk and grabbed the extra stethoscope he had lying there. Draping it around my neck, I regarded him with determination, "I was a Registered Nurse in California, I'm here to help." I didn't wait for him to approve or even acknowledge that I had spoken. I couldn't, I needed this too badly to accept anything else, I'd been rejected too many times as it was.
I turned out of the office, leaving him rooted and floundering, and moved into the break room. Rummaging around, I grabbed an extra set of scrubs, a wristwatch and loaded a cart with all of the tools I would need. I changed into the uniform, carefully folding the over-sized sweats and hoodie I had inherited from Caius and set them to the side. I completed my outfit with a set of surgical sleeves and exam gloves in an effort to cover as much of my exposed skin as I could. I wouldn't be much help if I was giving all of the males rashes like walking poison Ivy. After taking a quick survey of supplies, I started my rounds.
I took to my duties like a fish to water and by mid-morning, almost half of the patients had been treated. When lunch time rolled around, the waiting room was gloriously empty. Ezra and I hadn't had time for any words beyond the standard medical jargon, but when we collapsed at the break room table, sandwiches in hand, conversation flowed as easily as though we'd been doing this for years.
Ezra shook his head, laughter ebbing from another humorous rant about the chaotic events so far today, "I still feel like I'm dreaming! I've been the only one here since we established the compound, and here comes Wonder-Nurse out of nowhere to save the day!"
His boyish grin made me chuckle, "I can't believe you trusted me enough to just take over like that, I didn't even introduce myself besides stating my credentials, do you even know my name?!" I laughed harder, he had been calling me nothing but 'Nurse' all day.
"Of course I know your name! After the Ceremony, everyone knows your name, Adrienne!" He laughed again, but the mention of last night made me shift in my seat uncomfortably. He put his hand on my shoulder, "As embarrassing as it may feel, I hold nothing but respect and admiration towards you, and I trust you because you have already given yourself entirely to save us all. How can I not trust someone who has given me something so precious?" His gray eyes twinkled and his lips curved into a dopey grin, "besides! You make a killer sandwich, I'd keep you around just for that!" The tension I felt melted away instantly and I laughed, punching him in the shoulder playfully. We continued our banter throughout the rest of our break, and when it came time to get back to work, I offered to clean up so he could let in the new patients. I had the break room cleared and the medical supplies restocked, and deciding to check on Ezra, I caught him rushing through the hall, "Prep one and three for me Adri, I have to set up a breathing treatment for the girl in room two."
"Got it, doc."
I made quick work of the vitals on the male in Room 1, dressing his laceration until the doctor decided on stitches or not. I knew he would, so I went ahead and got a tray ready. I was brooding over the frequency of wounds and breaks we had seen today as I headed to Room 3. I knocked and entered, still writing a reminder to ask Ezra on my little notepad, when a gruff voice stopped me.
"What are you doing here?" I finally looked up to meet Caius' hard stare, his cold demeanor matching the ice-blue of his eyes. Guilt ripped through my gut, but I straightened up quickly.
"I work here." I didn't trust my voice, so I busied myself with his chart.
"Since when?" he scoffed, causing me to bristle at his condescending tone. He leered at my gloves and plastic sleeves.
"Since you kicked me out of your house. I got lost and stumbled into this place," I tried to keep my voice even and professional while I continued with my routine, lifting his wrist to check his pulse.
He fidgeted and wouldn't meet my eyes, unnerved by my close proximity. "Well, that's good...I guess. The doc could use the help," he stammered.
I began to inspect the welts on his arms, and he nodded when I asked if that was why he was here. I sighed and logged it onto the chart. With a burst of vindication, I stopped with my hand on the doorknob, "I'm glad to be here, it's nice to be around someone who actually needs me." I didn't wait for a reply and left the room.
I did my best to avoid Room 3 until Caius was gone. Ezra gave me a sympathetic look after tending to his wounds, but didn't press me for an explanation. The orange hue of sunset had cast over the office by the time we finished for the day. I peeked in to the Doctor's office to say a quick goodbye, but when I saw him, hunched over the desk with his head buried in his hands, I sat down instead. He had already ditched the white lab coat, and his lean frame was now on full display in the fitted black button up. A red argyle bow tie was the exclamation point to the man I had just begun to define. He twitched a finger to the side to peek at me, "Hi," he mumbled through his fingers, reminding me of a little boy playing peek-a-boo. Dr. Ezra Mitchell was a genius and an impressive physician, graduating top of his class at only 24 years old. But he was also a goofball and had a mischievous youthfulness that others mistook for immaturity. So despite the giggle that bubbled out of me at the sight of this, I could sense how broken down he was. I'd only been with him a day and already felt the weight. He sighed as he slid his hands down his face, "sooo..."
"So." I answered, but the question from earlier came to mind, imploring me to ask, "did you notice the amount of injuries we treated today? Cuts, fractures, burns, contusions...I think we covered the entire textbook on first aid!"
Ezra let out another huff and yanked the bow tie loose, "yeah," he shrugged, "that's normal-"
"What?" I sputtered, not expecting that kind of reply, but he continued his thought, ignoring my outburst. "but the illnesses we've been seeing recently, those are new. I haven't had to administer a breathing treatment since med school..." he lamented but quickly grew quiet. I could see his frown deepen as he considered everything.
"I'm seeing more cases of disease and viruses than I ever have before. It seems like every month I diagnose something I thought we were immune to. And the scary thing is, the females are almost twice as likely to be affected than the men." I was still concerned with the injuries, but this new information peaked my interest enough for it to slide to the back of my mind. He stood up and pulled a binder from one of the shelves, it's spine nearly bursting with pages. "This is everything I have so far" he explained as he leafed through it. There we're lists, test results, medical journals, and even some newspaper articles. I leaned over the desk while he scanned over the pages, but as I went to point something out, a sharp crackle of electricity splintered through my center making me yelp. What once was a dull pulsing current through my veins from Marcus' venom instantly morphed into a lightning storm.
I crumpled into a heap on the floor, contracting with pain. Ezra took one look out the window and realization quickly shot him into action, "Shit, Adrienne! Its after dark! You have to..." before he could finish, Caius burst through the door, blanket in hand. Without a word, he wrapped me up and lifted me into his chest. Ezra followed close behind as he sprinted across the Forum and into the Lodge.
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Author's Note: And now we've met Ezra, I hope you like him as much as I do! Don't forget to click that little star on your way out! <3
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Bound by the Hollow Moon
Werewolf**COMPLETED FIRST DRAFT** Adrienne has been trying to find some semblance of a normal life after surviving an abusive relationship. Her first date years after the breakup doesn't go as planned though when she is kidnapped by a brutish Alpha hellbent...
