Fang Hospital (Dr. Gabriella Van Court, Book 1) (4 page)

Chapter Six

Gabriella swung the car into a physician parking space with precise alignment. She tapped the steering wheel. “I kind of like driving.”

“Well, don’t get used to it,” K.L. said. “After tonight, this auto will be strictly for show...in your garage. We have to teach Barbara the proper vampire ways.”

“Agreed. But there’s no harm in taking a spin, every now and then.” She peered into the back seat. “I’ll even teach you to drive.”

K.L. rolled his glacial blue eyes. “As if I can’t read the manual.”

“Oh, K.L., I didn’t mean it that way. I know you could absorb the mechanics, but I thought it would be more fun...you and I, and Barbara, on the open road, taking turns driving. We’ll go on a vamp vacation!”

K.L. shrugged with a renewed smile. “Okay. Sounds fabulous.” He wiggled his fingers. “I love spontaneity. Teach away.” He folded his hands. “I promise to be a good pupil.”

“That’s the spirit, K.L.!” Barbara chimed in.

Gabriella and K.L. clapped.

“Oh, our baby girl just spoke her first vampire words!” K.L. exclaimed.

Gabriella reached over her seat and patted Barbara on the shoulder. “I’m so proud of you!”

Barbara shot her maker a toothy vampire grin.

Gabriella sniffed. Max was approaching. She whipped out her clippers and snipped her pointy nails. She tossed the clippers into the back seat. “Hurry up, you two. Max is coming. Zip those nails down!”

K.L. sawed off his tips in a flash and trimmed Barbara’s to a perfect mortal manicure. She “oohed” at his fingernail artistry.

Max pulled into a parking spot, got out of his car and gave Gabriella a hearty wave. Her vampire vision revealed his wink. Her heartbeat skipped a few bars. He shut his door and clicked his remote. The car horn beeped in response.

Barbara winced and hollered, “Yee-ow!” She shot her palms to her ears.

Max glanced around as if to see where the noise had come from.

K.L. lowered Barbara’s hands.

“It’s all right, Barbara,” Gabriella said soothingly. “Vampire ears are sensitive, and yours are especially super sensitive right now. It will get better. You’ll learn to adjust to human noise.”

Barbara pouted, but nodded.

“Good, girl.” Gabriella held up her hand. “Now, shh. Max is approaching.” She shook her head. “No biting. When we go inside, K.L. will take you to the lab and feed you. But you have to behave.”

“I promise,” Barbara said.

Gabriella smiled at her. “Now you’re talking!”

Max continued to search for the howl. He bobbed his head in the air, investigating every direction.

Gabriella stuck her hand out the car window and quickly waved to Max. “Over here!”

She’d broken his distraction. Max trotted over to her like an excited puppy.

“I hope you teach him to roll over,” K.L. said.

“I will. Right after I teach him to lie down.”

“You’re getting me excited. Once I get Barbara situated, I’ll pay my prince in radiology a visit!”

Max lightly punched the hood of the Volkswagon. “I like it!”

With his elbows braced across the open window, Max leaned inside the car. His breath tickled the back of her neck. “You look like you’re feeling better.” He said it with a hint of a question in his voice.

“Oh, Max, I’m sorry. Whatever I had ran its course. I was so exhausted that I fell asleep.” She gave him a pout.

The corners of his eyes did that cute wrinkle thing. Vamp skin didn’t crease. “I’m happy you’re better. We’ll have to try to get together again soon.”

“I’m up for that!”

Soon he would be, too.

“Hi, K.L.” He peered at Barbara. “Who’s this?”

Thankfully, with Barbara’s new hairdo and pallor, he hadn’t recognized her.

“Uh, this is Barbara, uh, our new lab tech. K.L.’s going to show her the ropes tonight.
Literally, if she doesn’t behave
, she thought.

“Welcome aboard to Fang Hospital. I hope you like it here.”

Barbara carefully grinned without displaying her fangs.

Max leaned closer. Gabriella could smell the blood coursing through his veins. She hoped the E.R. stayed quiet tonight. She’d have her own party with Max before moving down to the lab to join in K.L.’s festive plans.

Max popped the car door open and extended his hand to Gabriella. He eased her from the car and shut the door; his eyes never wavered from hers. K.L. escorted Barbara from the car. He scooted her past Max and Gabriella.

“I’ll be orienting Barbara to the lab. When you two have the chance, stop by for tricks and treats.” He winked at Gabriella. “Later.”

“Absolutely,” she said.

K.L. and Barbara disappeared.

Max took Gabriella’s hand. “You’re frozen!”

“The air conditioning in my car is top notch.”

“Hey, where did K.L. and Barbara go? They were just here.”

“They apparently were in a hurry.”

Max glanced at his watch. “Our shift doesn’t start for another 25 minutes. Care to take a stroll? There are some picnic benches in the rear of the hospital. I’m sure there are no “picnickers” there tonight.” He nuzzled her neck. “We’ll have the place to ourselves.”

The man was living dangerously, and she loved it. She could go for a holiday quickie, a prelude for some real down time with Max.

Max sat on the bench and yanked Gabriella to him. She straddled him. She stroked his neck. Her nails had extended. His carotid pulsed beneath her fingers, rocketing to fill him where it counted. She grinded against his hardness. He could definitely compete with any vamp man! Her fangs lengthened, sharp and primed to taste his deliciousness. Wet and aching to receive him, she tugged the tie of his scrub pants. He reached down and untied hers. She couldn’t contain herself anymore. Gabriella punctured his neck. Sucked into her seduction, Max flung his head back for more. She drew enough to please him and satisfy her without draining him right then and there. He moaned. She prided herself with his response. They wiggled out of their scrub pants to beyond their hips, anxious for one another. They were about to complete their delicious 25-minutes, when a light shone on them. Gabriella winced. Max held her tight.

“What the hell?’ he yelled.

“Hey, you two, get out of here!” the hospital security man shouted.

He zoomed his flashlight on them. “Oh, pardon me, doctors. ” He whipped the beam away, sheepishly waved, and scurried back into the hospital.

“Well, that was uncomfortable...for him,” Max said. “But for me, hardly.” He cocked his head toward the E.R doors. “Let’s take this inside.” He pressed his lips to hers with a mix of obedience and passion. “To be continued,” he whispered, his voice crystal in her ear.

They adjusted their scrub pants. Max left his a bit roomier, camouflaging the remains of an unfinished tryst.

Gabriella glanced at Max’s “south.” She lifted a brow and sheepishly smiled, careful to not expose her fangs.

“We’ll walk slowly,” she said.

Max laughed. “I’ll need at least a mile to walk this off!”

****

They arrived in the E.R. just in time for their bodies to recoup hospital decorum. But her mind buzzed, anticipating their next, hopefully uninterrupted, encounter. She focused on his thoughts. His mind was as lit as hers.

“Gabriella? Yoo hoo. Dr. Van Court? Are you ready?” one of the out-going E.R. physicians called.

She snapped to attention. She was ready all right. But patients came first.

“I am. Let’s do check-out rounds so you guys can get out of here and celebrate Halloween.”

“What’s to enjoy?” the other attending physician asked. “I can’t wait to turn off my lights. I can’t believe how many kids still ring the doorbell for candy.”

What a killjoy! Gabriella thought. She’d bite into him the next time they were alone.

She and Max and the two-day shift attendings reviewed the stack of patient clipboards.

“It’s not as bad as it looks,” one said. “Especially for Halloween. Most of the patients have been dispo’d and are awaiting transfer to their hospital beds. We’ve left three active ones for you. There’s a guy in cubicle 2 with acute nephrolithiasis. He’s been given some pain meds and Urology has already been consulted. They’ll take care of that kidney stone.”

The E.R. doctor tossed the patient’s clipboard aside. Gabriella would round on him anyway. She’d fix him before the urologist made a step into her E.R.! Healing was her vampire gift, and she used it humbly.

The other E.R. attending shuffled through the clipboards. “Let’s cut to the chase. I want out of here. Cubicle 1 has a head laceration that will need suturing and a tetanus to go.”

Max picked up the clipboard. “I’ll take care of that.”

“Moving on,” E.R. doc one droned. “In cubicle 3 is a guy – rule out MI. Doubtful he’s had a heart attack. So far the work up is negative. We’re waiting for the rest of his blood work. His cardiac enzymes are pending. Then you can sign him out as indigestion. And speaking of indigestion, in bed 4 we got a kiddie dressed as Dracula. Very convincing, I must say. Ate too much Halloween candy, I suppose. He’s all yours. We’re out of here!”

“Yeah, keep it as quiet as we left it, will you, guys?”

The outgoing E.R. doctors sprinted out the door.

Max folded his arms across his chest. “Jerks. Knowledgeable, but jerks just the same.”

Gabriella touched his shoulder. She’d have to trim her nails again, and soon. “Karma, Max. Karma.”

She’d definitely dole out her definition of Karma!

“I’ll attend to Dracula, and you stitch up that man’s head.” She ran her pointy fingernails along the back of his neck. “Once we finish, we can, as you put it, continue.”

Max rolled his eyes upward and softly moaned. “I’ll suture fast.”

****

Max entered cubicle 1. He stretched out his hand.

“Good evening. I’m Dr. Cade. That’s a nasty gash you have across your forehead.”

Clotted maroon clumps of dried blood clung to the young man’s blonde hair.

“My bicycle’s front wheel got stuck in a pothole. I didn’t. Next thing I knew I went airborne. A tree took me down!”

“Yeah, I hate when that happens. Sorry for the wait. We’ll get you cleaned up and stitched up. I hope you have a ride back. I don’t think you’ll be pedaling home. Plus it’s already dark.”

“No problem. My girlfriend brought me. She’s in the waiting room. My mangled bike is in her car.”

“That’s nice of her. She must really care about you.”

“She can’t handle the sight of blood. She got so pale. But she drove me here anyway.” The young man smiled past the crusted blood plastered to his cheeks. “She’s the one, you know.”

Max’s thoughts zeroed on Gabriella. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”

An E.R. nurse joined them. “I’ve brought a suture tray and irrigation for you, Dr. Cade. When you’re finished suturing our bicyclist’s wound, let me know.” The nurse smiled and nodded at the young man. “I’ll clean you up real nice after Dr. Cade finishes. You’re in luck, at least here. He’s the best.”

Max waved his hand. “She’s exaggerating. The other guy’s gash I did last week turned out,” he shrugged, “eh, okay. A little cock-eyed, but no one’s perfect.”

The young man’s eyes bulged.

Max held up his palms. “I’m joking.”

“Phew!”

“You’ll have a scar, but I’ll wager it will be minimal.”

“That’s cool. As long as you don’t make me look like Frankenstein, stitch away, Doc.”

“Even though it’s Halloween, I’ll resist the urge.”

The young man laughed. “Hey! You’re all right.”

Max turned to open the suture tray.

The nurse pointed to his neck. “Dr. Cade, That’s a hell of a bug bite. I’ll get some anti-bacterial ointment and a Band-Aid.”

“That’s weird. I didn’t feel a thing.”

“Whatever got you, Doc, had some wide choppers.”

Max looked into the mirror above the sink. “I’ll be damned. Something had a good meal.” He’d have to check Gabriella’s neck as well. They had been too busy to notice any insect invaders.

The nurse patched up his neck and Max patched up his patient with surgical perfection.

He cinched the last piece of suture across the young man’s forehead.

“The nurse will give you a tetanus shot and wound care instructions. I’ll see you in 5 days to take those out.”

His patient gave him a thumb’s up sign. “Thanks, Doc. Happy Halloween!”

“You, too. Watch out for the trick-or-treaters on your way home.”

“I will.” He pointed to the Band-Aid on Max’s neck. “You better watch out for Dracula.”

“I’ll get some garlic. Take care, and let the city know about the pothole.” He winked. “Although I could use the practice.”

“I’ll recommend you to all my friends.” The young man waved. “See you in 5 days.”

Max waved back. “Later.”