Ellida (18 page)

My own house had been stripped down almost to
the walls, yet I didn’t have the slightest idea how I wanted it
renovated so I asked Peyton to help me out.

EVENINGS WERE for Jack and me. We would hop
into my Ferrari and take off to one of the town restaurants, cafes
or pubs. At first, we attracted lots of attention, but after a few
days, people would just wave or say hi. My favorite place was the
exclusive restaurant in The Watchman’s, a small hotel at the bottom
of the Great Orme, twenty minutes from town. The hotel’s owners,
Wolfgang Stammerman and Manfred Herzog, were James’ old friends and
fishing buddies. Wolfgang was the restaurant’s Chef de Cuisine as
well, and Manfred its
patissier
, trained in the best Central
European pastry tradition. After our first visit, Wolfgang or
Manfred would always take us to the same table, beside the window
and near the fireplace. The atmosphere was intimate and the food
excellent. The Watchman’s had a nice collection of wines in its
cellar. Perfect.

“Can we come here next month and spend a
weekend at the hotel?” I asked, gazing longingly toward the rooms
upstairs.

Jack fingers brushed alongside my face.
“We’ll do that.”

“You’re going to be here for my next change,
won’t you? You don’t need to go anywhere?”

“I’ll be here, don’t worry.”

I sighed. It was almost impossible to imagine
that the next full moon would bring pleasure instead of pain.

JACK AND I spent our late evenings and a
good part of the nights talking. It wasn’t easy. There was so much
suppressed passion between us. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to
keep that enormous sexual energy under wraps if I let even the
smallest part of it escape. Once my spirits were connected, I’d
said to myself, Jack and I would make up for this enforced sexual
abstinence.

IT HAD been more than two weeks since I’d
applied for the job, and I expected a phone call from the hospital
any day. More than once, though, it did cross my mind that a full
time job would be too much. I already had enough on my plate.

When Dr. Falkenstein phoned to tell me they’d
decided to offer the job to a candidate with more experience, I
almost felt relieved. Almost, but not completely. I missed my job
very much.

Fortunately, he immediately asked me how I
would feel about a part time job.

“I’d love it!” I said readily.

“We’ll have an opening next month. The ER,
twenty-four hours, two night shifts, plus on call shifts. This time
I’m not going to post it. Could you come here tomorrow? Let’s say
eleven o’clock? We’ll talk about your job, and I’ll show you
around. You’ll meet the staff and our new doctor. You two will work
as a team.”

“What’s his name? Maybe I know him.”

“I’m coming in a minute,” I heard Dr.
Falkenstein addressing someone. He either hadn’t heard my question
or he’d chosen to ignore it. “Dr. Vandermeer, we have all your
papers here. Emma will prepare the contract. See you tomorrow,
then.”

“Thank you, Dr. Falkenstein. See you
tomorrow.”

The line disconnected. I continued to stare
into the phone, amused. Something was fishy. I was relieved that I
hadn’t ended up with a full time job, but suspected somebody else’s
subtle influence behind Dr. Falkenstein’s decision. It could be
only one of two people: Jack or James.

I decided to cross-examine the closer
suspect.

“Jack, could you come here for a moment?”

He abandoned his current task—he and Eamon
were leveling the plank wooden floor with a latex filler to prepare
it for cork tiles—and sat beside me. “Was that the hospital?”

“I didn’t get that job,” I said.

Jack hugged me tightly and kissed my hair.
“I’m sorry, baby. I know how much you wanted it.”

“But Dr. Falkenstein offered me a part-time
position in the ER starting next month.” I lifted my head and
buried my nose in Jack’s neck. “Mmmm, what a sexy blend of soap,
sweat and testosterone! You’re driving me crazy on purpose, Jack
Canagan.”

My head swam and I almost forgot why I’d
summoned him.

I made a superhuman effort to pull myself
away from him. “Do you know who got the job?” I said.

For the second time in five minutes my
question had been ignored.

“Are you going to take the part-time job?”
Jack asked instead.

“I am. A part-time job works better for me
now. I have a meeting with Dr. Falkenstein tomorrow. I’ll meet the
new doctor. Why do I have the feeling that you know more than me?
Do you know the man, Jack?”

Jack turned to me and scooped my face between
his big, warm hands, soft and rough at the same time. “You’ll know
everything tomorrow.” His mouth locked with mine until I forgot
about anything else. “I love you, baby. I have to go back.”

In fact, I had a pretty good idea who would
be the newest addition to Red Cliffs’ medical community, and my
heart made a happy jump.

“HE KNOWS something, but he doesn’t want to
tell me,” I said later to Peyton. This time we were in Maestro, a
popular pizzeria, sharing a large pizza Veronese.

“You’ll see tomorrow. You got the job, that’s
important.”

“I’m actually glad I didn’t get the full-time
job. Look at my life now: Takeshi, Morgaine, the house renovation,
Goblin’s Hollow…”

Peyton’s eyes widened. “You are going to
start singing there? When?”

“On Friday. I asked the guys to keep a low
profile. I don’t want a full bar on the first night. Are you
coming?”

“Of course I’m coming! That’s great, Astrid.
Are you nervous?”

“I’m freaking out. I’ve never sung in front
of any audience. I don’t know why I let Eamon talk me into
this.”

“Because you wanted it, that’s why. It’ll be
fine.” She smiled and patted my hand. “Don’t worry, the Fellowship,
minus Maggie, will be there. Maggie can watch you over the phone.
I’ll talk to Betty, they can pick me up.”

I just groaned. Of course, my family would be
there. I just hadn’t thought about all the particulars. My uncle
wouldn’t miss it for anything. And then Takeshi and Morgaine, Alec,
Drew and Lily… I let out a deep sigh. “At least we’re going skiing
on Saturday.”

“They forecasted another snowstorm for
Saturday. We can’t go skiing before Monday.”

“Crap! It was going to be my little reward
after my singing debut. Or debacle.”

“Hey, everything’s gonna be okay, you’ll
see.”

I laughed and relaxed. “I have no right to
complain, I know. I’ve asked for it. I love singing, but I don’t
like attention. Well, this time it comes in a package, I’m
afraid.”

“You’ll be fine. Listen, if you want, after
skiing, we can come back to my place. I want to show you a couple
of 3D interior images I made. A few ideas about your house, just
something to start with.”

We continued chatting about color schemes and
interior decoration. Later Peyton casually mentioned she might be
going to Seattle soon, but didn’t specify the reason. I was sure
that her trip was connected to Ingmar, but I didn’t expect her to
talk about him. Not yet. She looked happy and there was a spark in
her blue eyes that hadn’t been there before.

I knew Peyton still cared about Jack, but her
feelings had definitely made a turn toward the friendship side. I
wasn’t jealous of their past relationship anymore, or of her
feelings for him. Jack was mine. Peyton had found enough courage to
accept it. In spite of everything, she wanted me as a friend. What
kind of person would I have been if I hadn’t tried to do the same
in return?

“Make sure we have a bottle of well-chilled
Chardonnay for Monday,” I said.

“And you’ll make us dinner. Something simple,
like pasta or fish.”

“Or pasta with fish. Salmon with Garlic
Alfredo fettuccine?”

“Perfect. I have some Italian ice cream in
the freezer.” Peyton glanced to the side for a moment and then
moved her eyes back to me. Her heart-shaped face flushed slightly.
“When you come on Monday, I’d like to talk to you about
something.”

“You can ask me now, or any time before
Monday, if you feel like talking.”

“I have to go back now. We’ll talk on
Monday.”

I smiled. “On Monday, then.”

THE NEXT morning at eleven o’clock sharp I
knocked on Dr. Falkenstein’s door. A tall man greeted me warmly.
His high forehead, aquiline nose, blue-grey eyes and regal posture
immediately brought to mind the paintings of another Falkenstein,
the young Holy Roman Emperor Josef II. He had used the same last
name for his incognito trips. Dr. Falkenstein smiled, realizing I’d
made the connection.

“He was my great-grandfather,” he said
simply.

“But…but… how? I always thought the Emperor
hadn’t left any surviving children.”

Dr. Falkenstein smiled. “He had a son. But by
then he wasn’t the Emperor anymore.”

“Well, I’m glad I was wrong,” I said,
gathering my wits. “And I have to tell you that, in my opinion, he
was one of the greatest men of his time.”

“Thank you for your kind words. This is what
the history books say: he was a great ruler and a sad man. Thanks
to Brian Canagan, Jack’s father, however, there was a much happier,
unofficial sequel to his official biography. I’ll tell you one
day.”

After that, he offered me coffee and told me
about his and James’ latest fishing catches: two trophy-sized
northern pikes. “We didn’t have a scale with us, but both were over
20 pounds, although James’ was a bit smaller,” he said. I nodded
and smiled. James had told us his fish was slightly bigger.

Dr. Falkenstein then told me about the
position he was offering me. “You might find it quite different
from your previous jobs. At first, you probably won’t do so many
complicated surgeries. With our new colleague and you here, I’m
hoping to attract orthopedic patients from the entire region, and
maybe make our Center a well-known orthopedic institution. For the
time being, however, you’ll work in the ER two nights and
occasional sub shifts to cover sick days, vacations and such. If
you prefer day shifts, that’s fine too. It’s twenty-four hours in
total, and it’s up to you how you are going to work them. I should
know your schedule a month in advance, and then the next month you
can choose some other shifts to work. Whatever suits you.”

I realized being Ellida meant not only more
responsibilities but also privileges, like a flexible schedule.
“Thank you, Dr. Falkenstein. Especially for being so open with the
hours and shifts.”

He smiled. “We are very happy to have you
here. Our new colleague—”

Oh, I was tired of this game. “What is his
name, Dr. Falkenstein? Do I know him?”

I saw a mischievous glimmer in the corner of
Dr. Falkenstein’s blue-gray eyes. “Well, Dr. Vandermeer, I believe
you know him indeed.”

At that precise moment, there was a knock on
the door.

“Come in, please,” Dr. Falkenstein said,
still not revealing the name of my mysterious fellow colleague.

A tall man, who seemed to be in the vicinity
of thirty years of age, stepped in. His smiling face, strong and
impressive with dark wavy hair, amber eyes, a wide, sensual mouth
and square chin, was completely unfamiliar. His scent wasn’t and,
although I’d never paid attention to it before, my sub-conscious
had memorized it.

A wide smile spread across my face. I stood
up and threw myself into his outstretched arms.

“Good to see you again, Dr. Duplant.”

“Likewise, Dr. Demmir!”

“I KNEW it was you! Astrid said with a wide
grin. “It’s only that I’ve left a fortyish, grey-haired man behind
in Rosenthal, and look at you now!? Is that your real look?”

“Yep, that’s the original,” Ahmed said. “I
worked almost twelve years in that town, so I had to age myself
somehow.”

Dr. Falkenstein stood up. “You two have lots
to catch up with. Feel free to use my office. Dr. Vandermeer, thank
you for coming. I’ll contact you with the details of your job. Dr.
Demmir, I’ll see you on Monday.”

“Thank you.” Astrid smiled at Dr. Falkenstein
as he left his office. She turned to Ahmed. “Now start from the
beginning.”

Ahmed pulled out Dr. Falkenstein’ chair for
Astrid and sat across from her. “The moment Tristan stepped into
Rosenthal hospital, he recognized a werewolf scent. That was a bit
of a surprise for him. He certainly didn’t expect any of our kind
there. So, after a short yet thorough ‘investigation’ conducted by
his wife, Tristan realized I wasn’t a threat to your safety. He
told me why you’d come to Rosenthal, and why he and Livia were
there with you. He scheduled us to work together as much as
possible.”

“I thought it was because I asked him to do
that. After the few first surgeries we did together, I realized you
were the best anesthesiologist I’d ever worked with. I asked
Tristan if you could be on my team.”

Ahmed laughed, “And because he always granted
your every wish, we ended up working together most of the
time.”

“Did he ask you to keep an eye on me?”

“I offered it. It wasn’t really necessary,
with two Tel-Urughs watching your back, but then an extra pair of
eyes didn’t hurt either.”

Later, when Jack came to Rosenthal to stay
with Astrid, Tristan introduced the two men. Although satisfied
with Liv’s assessment, Jack wanted to know more about a werewolf
who’d decided long ago to live outside a pack and among humans.

“It was the first time in many decades that I
told my story to anybody,” Ahmed said. “You know, I’d been a loner
since I was turned. I became tired of that kind of life. I lived
among humans, or sometimes among werewolves, but never with them.
Jack offered me the chance to come to Red Cliffs. I was ready for a
change so I decided to give it a try.”