The Phantom Touch

Dr. Fair

"This is the third time you've disturbed my examination," said Dr. Gregory Fair with an aggravated sigh. "It's time you step outside and work off your steam out there."

Everett had just bumped Gregory's elbow while the doctor inspected my eyes' reactions to light. Earlier, the werewolf had growled at the town's only human centric doctor, when Gregory hit my knee to test my reflexes. And then before that, Everett repeatedly got in the way of Gregory retrieving various equipment because Everett refused to sit down despite there only being so much room in the doctor's small office.

"I'm not going to leave her here unguarded while that zombie is still out there," growled Everett, his voice almost unintelligible due to the thrumming growl reverberating in his chest. "Nor will I leave her alone with a man who has already murdered one woman under his care."

"Everett!" I gasped. Dr. Fair may have been the one that set a whole murder plot into motion which eventually resulted in my calling to the town, however, his only true crime was relaying a secret to someone he shouldn't have trusted. After that, everything was due to a vampire's will compelling his actions. Personally, he had treated me with kindness and had taken great care when treating me after I'd been attacked by Antonov and Natasha's children. Calista may not be on speaking terms with him, but she was over it and anyone who bothered to look would see that Gregory had punished himself plenty for his crimes. "You know full well it wasn't Gregory's fault, it..."

"It's okay, Del," Dr. Fair interrupted, raising a hand of peace to still my tongue. "Sheriff Hathaway," he continued, facing the beast of a man who seemed to grow larger by the second, "the moon is high and your wolf blood has tasted rage tonight. You will do more harm than good if you keep this bottled up. Go outside, transform, and run it off. Pace around the building if you want, the suspect certainly won't come near here with you on guard. As for your concerns about me, you know Kyra has taken my blood and you know I could not go against her will. I'm not sure it's possible for me to hurt Del, even if I wanted to."

For a moment, Everett just looked at Gregory, the veins in his neck protruding and his hair gaining volume upon his head. I saw the strain of muscle pulling at Everett's flannel sleeves and I wondered if what was standing before me was a creature caught between human and wolf. After several seconds of strained silence, the sheriff bowed his head with agreement and headed out the door. Then both the doctor and I waited in the quiet office, feeling the air expand and grow now that the towering presence of an agitated werewolf no longer consumed us.

"Okay," Dr. Fair finally said with a sigh and a smile, "let's return to your exam."

He continued to check my reflexes and ask me questions about the attack, like how long did it last, did I pass out, and if I had any difficulty remembering the events. After handing me an ice pack and a cloth to press against my throat, he pulled up his chair and took a seat.

"Thankfully, it looks like the only physical damage that has been done is the bruising. Your reflexes and reactions don't show any signs of brain damage which could have been a concern if your brain had been cut off from oxygen for too long. Still, I want to monitor this and would like to see you back in a couple days after you've had some time to heal and get a feel for your body a little bit more. Use cold compresses as needed for pain, but I think a prescription for a pain reliever should do the trick." He scribbled some words on a notepad that was stamped with his name and address. It also bore Kyra's signature since the human doctor's name still didn't carry weight in the town. "Take this to the pharmacy. They're open all day long so you can go any time. Other than that, just pay attention to yourself. If anything feels off, I want you to come see me immediately."

"So," I said, biting my lip and looking out the little window of his office, "I guess that's it then." I didn't see where Everett may have been roaming around outside, but I knew he must be there, watching and pacing.