Untouchable ~ A Jared Leto/MARS Fanfiction

Chapter Ten

Despite a voice inside wondering just how much bullshit I'll have to put up with—my tolerance for bullshit is pretty much zero—I nod. Because perhaps that's exactly what Jared knows he needs the most—someone to keep him grounded, real, and sane. I only hope I can keep myself sane as well, and my intense attraction to him well-hidden and under control. "Yes," I tell him, "I accept."

A little while later, Dr. Lange invites Shelby and I into his office where we tell him how Shelby found Jared—again, with her skipping the part about hearing and leaving him the night before—and, thanks to my wilderness EMT training, I was able to stabilize him and pull him back from the brink of death.

"Amazing," Dr. Lange says. "Utterly amazing. To think, with all of the advancements in modern medicine, and you were able to save his life without so much as electricity. Truly incredible." He sits back in his comfortable-looking leather office chair and folds his hands in his lap. "Had you not set his leg as well as you did and kept him still, the tissue damage could have been far worse. As I'm sure you know, Lanie, there are branches of the femoral artery in close proximity to the tibia and fibula. Had one of them been nicked or severed...." he shakes his head. "Jared could have lost enough blood internally to kill him. It's truly miraculous that you found him when you did, Shelby. The snake venom alone was lethal enough. But even without that—if he'd moved just the wrong way and one of those broken bones had hit an artery, there certainly would have been a very different outcome."

My daughter and I exchange a glance, and I swallow past an enormous obstruction in my throat. "Yes," I whisper. "I know."

Dr. Lange blessedly moves on to discuss my use of intravenous CroFab for the snakebite, colloidal silver for the ensuing infections, and the aloe vera paste as a topical. He listens intently as I tell him about growing up in northeastern Minnesota near the Superior National Forest and Boundary Waters Canoe area. I describe how from an early age my dad taught me self-sufficiency and survival skills, and how I'd gone on to attend school to further my training. I tell him about working in Search and Rescue as well as with our local fire department.

"So, how about you, Shelby?" Dr. Lange asks her. "I'm so impressed at your age that you have all of this knowledge and skill. Would you like to be an EMT someday like your mom, or perhaps become a nurse or a doctor?"

Shelby shakes her head. "I want to be an actor, like Jared."

I glance at her in surprise. Shelby's never professed any interest in acting before. "An actress," I correct her. "Girls are actresses."

"Yeah. I want to be an actress, but I want to be in action movies, not dumb mushy romantic ones."

Dr. Lange laughs. "Well, I think you'd be a fine actress, Shelby."

***

As Shannon predicted, Katia Valkov returns to the hospital that afternoon. This time I see her for the first time, as I'm returning from dropping Shelby at the hospital's teen room to play video games. Katia steps out of the other elevator at almost the same time that I exit mine. She's on her phone and as she speaks, I immediately recognize her voice.

She's much younger than I'd imagined, no older than perhaps twenty-five. I can't take my eyes off of her.

Tall, check.

Light brown hair, curled in a few soft spirals that tumble down her back without a hint of frizz or split ends, check.

Thin to the point of anorexia without the slightest bump of muscle definition, check.

Exotic, green cat eyes, check.

Cheekbones that could cut butter, check.

Pale, flawless skin, check.

Perfect but very understated makeup, check.

Beautifully dressed in an expensive-looking white mini-dress that barely skims the hem of her non-existent ass, paired with calf-high black heeled boots made of some kind of soft leather, check.

Regal, cold demeanor, check.

Carefully blank, imperious expression as she sweeps up and down the corridor, check.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Jimmy's not at his post outside Jared's door right now. Shannon's not on the floor, either. He and Constance are in Dr. Lange's office, discussing Jared's post-release physical therapy needs. There isn't even a nurse behind the station desk across from the elevators. All that stands between Katia Valkov and Jared is me.

Is running interference between them part of my new job description? Jared's never mentioned it. Would he want me to enforce his wishes not to see his ex-girlfriend? I have no idea, but I assume so, since he's previously made it clear he doesn't want her here. Okay, so, how do I do this? I'm not good at confrontations, never have been, and especially not with a complete stranger, even one I loathe, however irrationally that I do. Bottom line, this woman intimidates the hell out of me, and I have no idea what to do.

Katia turns in my direction and looks right at me. Correction—she looks right through me, as if I'm not even there. She breezes past with a dismissive glance, muttering something to whoever she's talking to on her phone. A waft of perfume passes over me in her wake.

Does she know what room Jared's in? If so, how did she get that information? As she strides in exactly the right direction, I swallow hard and make a decision.

"Ms. Valkov?"

Katia stops and turns, her eyes piercing right through me but not quite meeting mine. She slips her phone into her bag. "Yes?" she snaps.

Unnerved, I summon up my courage and inject as much authority into my voice as I can manage. "Jared has requested that you not be allowed to visit him. I know you're aware of this."

Katia's eyes flash. "And who are you?" Strange, her accent is nowhere near as pronounced as it was when she was here earlier.

I cross my arms in front of my chest. "I'm Jared's new assistant." Boy, does that sound odd.

Katia's narrowed eyes sweep me up and down, and her lips curl in a sneer of disgust. "Really. Where the hell did he dig you up?"

Now I'm no longer intimidated. Now, I'm pissed. "He doesn't want you here." I speak between clenched teeth. "I don't want to make a scene and call security to have you escorted from the premises, but I will." Of course, that's probably exactly what this bitch wants. A scene. Her flair for the dramatic is palpable. But why? What can she possibly get out of chasing a man who wants nothing more to do with her?

Katia smiles, revealing blindingly white, perfectly straight teeth. "Well, whoever you are or claim you are, obviously you're not much of an assistant if you don't know that Jared personally called and invited me to visit him." With that, she turns and sweeps into Jared's room, the heels of her boots clicking on the polished linoleum.

She knows what room he's in. I've allowed her to go into his room. Already, I've failed at my job. Shit! I cringe, waiting for the explosion.

It doesn't come.

I hurry to Jared's room, trying to formulate how to apologize for this first colossal fuckup. I step in, the words racing up my throat, and I stop so abruptly that I nearly lose my balance.

Jared's half sitting up. Katia's leaning over his bed, her skirt hiking up even further into dangerous territory. They're embracing, and their mouths are joined in a fevered kiss.