The Doctor Witch (The Ward Witches) (6 page)

Once she plated Leo’s meal, she went back to the chicken and added some extra garlic, onions, and green chilies.  She plated that with some brown rice.

“
Something smells delicious,” Dave commented as he walked into the kitchen again.

“
Thank you. Your portion and Dymphna’s are over there,” she gestured to the table. She wasn’t hungry, so there wasn’t any for her.

“
You’re a saint.” He kissed her on the cheek and proceeded to grab his food as if it were going to go away. “Delightful!” he proclaimed.

“
Thanks.” Now that Leo’s portion was no longer red hot, she carried it up the stairs.

“
The tea was awful,” he started.

“
But don’t deny that it helped.”

“
It did.”

“
Now eat up. Dymphna, take a break and go eat your food as well. Now Leo, I know it’s not the most delicious thing you’ve ever tasted, but I didn’t want to put any extra strain on your stomach.”

“
Hey, it’s better than D or I could do. You have no idea how incompetent in the kitchen we both are.”

“
I can guess based on your previous kitchen equipment. I figure that one of the ways I can thank you for taking me in is to make you food.” She shrugged. “So eat it.”

He did, but he couldn’t eat very much. She took the plate back and watched as his eyes closed. He almost seemed to fight it, but the sleepiness and chamomile took over and he was quickly out. She ran a hand down his arm, feeling guilty that she was lusting after him while he was clearly so weak and so much had happened over the last day or so. With a kiss on the forehead, moving his long hair off his face, Skylar went to find his sister.

Dymphna grabbed her case files and headed up to take her shift.

Skylar turned to Dave. “What’s the plan for his safety tomorrow?”

“
Don’t worry too much.” He sighed. “He’s not due in surgery tomorrow, he’s just seeing patients, which makes it easier. I’ll be in the waiting room all day, reading so I’m not so conspicuous.”

“
Are you alright with all that?”

“
Hey, it’s cool. I’m a Coven agent; it’s what I do.”

“
What kind of magic do you have?”

“
Fire, like you. But, and remember this, while the world knows that witches exist, it’s always better to not rub their noses in it. So while I can kill or maim someone with my fire magic, I always prefer to use a nonlethal method and handcuffs or, if the situation calls for it, my gun.” He showed it to her in its shoulder holster.

“
Makes sense. Well, it occurred to me that with all the work that a popular plastic surgeon has that he’ll want to stay late. You’ll have been on duty all day after having taken the middle shift tonight. When I finish up with my tutoring for the day, I want to see my brother. After that, I’ll come relieve you until he’s ready to go home.”

“
Can you shoot?”

“
Yeah. Selby learned from our dad before he died. He knew our father a lot better. Anyway, he taught me, and we spent a lot of time at the range to have some family time. I got my concealed carry, so I’m clear for all that.”

“
Good. Have Justin give you one of the Coven’s guns, and I’ll be comfortable leaving you there with him. His office is in the Haversworth building, fourteenth floor. Dymphna’s office is in the same building, just on the tenth floor. Let me add both of our numbers, Justin’s, and Seb’s to your cell in case of emergency.”

“
Thanks.”

“
No, it’s my place to thank you. I’ll be able to get back here and get some rest.”

They laughed and went up to get some sleep, she in her room, and Dave in one of the many guest rooms on the cot.

Sure to form, Dave knocked on her door at three precisely.

“
Give me a moment to get ready, and I’ll be there in a minute.”

“
Got it.”

Shaking her head and splashing water on her face, Skylar got into sweats to go relieve him. Dave looked wicked tired, and since he was going to be at the office all day, Skylar was glad to be able to at least take some of the duty hours off his shoulders.

“
He’s been having a lot of nightmares, but I don’t know how to help him without waking him.”

“
I’ll figure something out.”

Skylar got comfortable in the chair and started to read.  She was rereading
Pride and Prejudice
, and she got about halfway through the first page when Leo had a nightmare. She popped out of her chair and rushed to him. He was thrashing about, making pained noises. Her heart went out to him.

“
Hey now, calm down,” she said in a soft voice. She regained her clinical emotional distance from him as she ran her hand up and down his arm. “It’s just a nightmare. Come back to me.” He stilled, and, encouraged, she kept talking to him. “I don’t claim to know what you’re feeling or dreaming of, but it’s going to be alright.”

Inspired, she picked back up the book. A voice was supposed to be soothing even if the other person wasn’t conscious, so she’d try reading to him. “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters.”

She continued to read her favorite book to him, even after he had stilled from the nightmare. He didn’t have another nightmare for the rest of the night.

Skylar had long since lost track of time, and so when his alarm blared at six thirty, she was startled. Not to mention hungry and thirsty. Her mouth was so dry from all the reading out loud, even though she had been drinking plenty of water.

“
Hey sleepyhead, it’s time to wake up.”

He opened his eyes groggily. “What’s going on?”

“
You slept a lot last night. Today is Monday, and you said you have a lot of appointments today.”

“
That’s right.” He wiped his hand over his eyes. “What time is it?

“
Six thirty. You have enough time to get dressed before seven thirty. I’d also advise a shower.  All that tossing and turning didn’t do much for you.”

“
I remember... the pain. Then nightmares, though I couldn’t tell you much of what I saw, despite the fact that I’ll need to make a full report of them later. Then for some reason I started dreaming about a spunky girl named Elizabeth.” She blushed. “Do you have anything to do with that?”

“
Let’s just say that you don’t need to put that part in your report.”

“
No really, what happened?”

“
You were having nightmares all night during Dymphna’s and Dave’s shifts. Then I started reading
Pride and Prejudice
, a personal favorite, to you, and you didn’t have any more disturbances. I suppose Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy got into your dreams.”

He kissed her hand, “Thank you.”

She blushed, not wanting to admit that she felt a strong connection to him. “Do you feel up to breakfast? I’ll scramble some eggs. Or do you like them over easy? How do you like your eggs? Or would you rather have French toast or pancakes?” She was clearly ranting, even to her own ears, but she couldn’t help it. He knocked her off balance.

“
Two eggs, scrambled, with a bit of cheese, if you don’t mind.”

“
Not at all. Dave will be in your office waiting room all day for your protection.”

He grumbled, but nodded.

59

CHAPTER FOUR

While she was gone, Leo availed himself of the shower, enjoying the restful wash of the water against his body. His back and neck were tight, clear signs of the strain he had been under. The worst part was that it didn’t all come from last night. He had been pouring himself into his work more than he needed to. It seemed like forever since he had had a girlfriend.

It just didn’t seem worth it. He knew that eventually his magic would line up with someone and that she would be worth waiting for. He wasn’t old, precisely, but he was ready to find her, even if she was a non-witch. The problem then was that if his magic had lined him up with someone, he wasn’t sure if it would work.

Many couples, like his own parents, were magically aligned and loved each other to distraction. His mother, a powerful water witch by all accounts, drowned herself in her shame from believing that her magic was evil. His father never really recovered. No wonder Leo was so afraid of meeting anyone whose magic would align with his. He wanted to settle down with some nice woman who he would never have to risk falling in love with.

60

THE DOCTOR WITCH

He’d looked around the hospital, but either the women were too nice to deceive that way or they weren’t nice enough to trifle with. Really, all he wanted was someone to marry and come home to. He didn’t need or even want to love someone like his parents did.

Skylar presented a problem. Their magic was aligned and he could already tell, meaning that if they ever acted on it, there was a good chance they would fall in love. God knows he wanted to kiss her and more. She was gorgeous and sexy, and he knew that it would be great between them. He needed to find someone, by which he meant someone else. There was that one physician’s assistant that seemed interested. She might work.

With new resolve, Leo climbed out of the shower to find his breakfast, already in his room and still steaming hot. Not to mention delicious. The woman could certainly cook.

On the way to his office, Leo asked Dave “What is your plan for today?”

“
If I remember your schedule today, you have one client after another coming in to find the skillful plastic surgeon that you’ve made yourself.”

“
Yes, that’s about right.”

“
I’ll be in the waiting room with my Kindle so I’m not obvious to your clients. Besides, I’ll be well armed, and there’s no reason to advertise that unless it is necessary.”

“
Agreed.”

“
And I have lunch too. Skylar made sure to pack something for us that goes in the fridge as soon as we get there. It was awfully nice of her.”

“
Yeah.” He really didn’t want to talk or think of her right now. But his thoughts kept straying to Skylar, and what she was doing right then. She’d be starting her training today. She was so kind, beautiful in her own delightful way. But if he slept with her, their magic alignment would become so much more. He had to remember that he should never act on his attraction and the draw she had on him.

No, he’d better think of his patients and how to make their visions of themselves come true. They certainly paid enough for the privilege.

Skylar was having similar trouble keeping Leo out of her thoughts as she drove to the Coven House. It was even more impressive than when she first arrived and had been hit with so much distressing news. The wings were still terribly mismatched, but it was gigantic.

Suzy opened the door again. “You’re here for Seb, right?”

“
Yes.”

“
Seb’s in a meeting with those New York people.”

“
I was expected at nine.”

“
It is indeed nine,” Suzy admitted. “Let’s get Justin.” She turned around and hollered for him.

“
Good god, Suzy, you’ll disturb the whole house.” A man who looked remarkably like Seb came in the entryway. His eyes were slightly sleep clouded, but his crooked smile indicated that he wasn’t really annoyed. “Who is this?”

“
I’m Skylar. Your brother wanted me to come here to learn to use my magic.”

“
Ah yes, he did mention something like that. Come now, and I’ll at least get you started while we wait for Seb.” He winked at Suzy, thinking that Skylar wouldn’t notice. “So how much do you know about magic?”

“
Hardly anything. My father was a fire witch, but he died when I was younger. My mother and her sister Linda were normals and very against magic. They disciplined me anytime I tried to use it or ask about it. When I was about thirteen, I went looking for someone to tell me more, but when my mother found out, she locked me in my room for three days, not even letting me go to school.”

“
Sounds remarkably like my own mother. Except that when she died, my father brought us into the Coven House where we learned what we needed. We’ll start from the beginning then. A great deal of magic involves clarity of mind and purpose. So we practice meditation. Have you ever done that?”

“
Yes. I would clear my mind and do my own sort of meditation to prevent my magic from shaming my mother.”

“
I’m sorry you had to do that, but it explains why you haven’t had a flare up that hurt someone or something. At least now that witches are publicly recognized, we don’t have to worry so much about hiding who we are in the larger arena. But we’re always on the lookout for people who might have a flare up. We don’t need any bad publicity.

“
Now, until Seb arrives, I want you to just meditate. But instead of trying to suppress your power, try to look for it. Most people can find it in their chest, right around the heart area. I’m a water witch, so don’t worry about harming something.”

“
Thank you.” She began her meditation, cleansing her mind of all thoughts. But as he said, there was some kind of wall around her chest. Without opening her eyes, she told him as much.

“
That’s where you’ve hidden your magic. You won’t be able to undo what has taken you a long time to build up in a day. For now, just try to put a chink in the wall. Try it, you won’t hurt anything.”

She tried, and she felt a little bit of it become unstable. But even just that little bit left her tired.

“
It’s hard,” Justin said, as if he could read her mind. “I could heal you, but I can’t do anything for exhaustion. The payment for accessing power is that it makes you tired. When you first start, like today, it takes more energy than when you’ve been doing it for a while and your body is used to it.”

“
God!”

“
That’s about right. I’m going to try to find Seb. It’s been about an hour and a half; he should be out of his meeting by now.”

“
It’s been that long?”

“
Time feels like it’s moving differently when you’re accessing magic. Sometimes it will feel like a lot of time as passed, and other times just a little.  Now get some rest on that couch until I return.”

“
Thank you Justin.”

“
No reason to thank me yet.” He grinned. “Besides, I got to have a beautiful woman on a couch in front of me for an hour and a half. Not precisely a chore.”

When he returned, his twin was with him. They looked so similar, yet there was quite a bit to tell them apart too. The main thing was that Seb looked so serious, with almost a frown on his face. Justin seemed to see the world as part of a larger joke.

“
I see Justin has exhausted you with your first time accessing your magic. He told me a lot about it. Now I’ve got a couple candidates for your teacher, and I’ll have them all come and meet you so you can choose.”

“
That’s so nice of you.”

“
But you’re clearly too spent for today, and I’m not going to suggest anything magical. I would suggest a good rest.”

“
I’d like a short nap. Can you wake me up at noon?”

“
Certainly.”

“
I’ve got some things to do after magic class anyway, and if I can started early, that would be better.”

“
Consider it done. Meet back here at nine, and I’ll introduce you to your potential teachers then.”

“
Wicked.”

After lunch, Skylar drove to the hospital since her brother hadn’t been released yet. She was grateful to see that he was in a private room since they could never have afforded it without the Coven’s help.

“
Hey Selby.”

“
Skylar!” He made her feel guilty for not visiting until then with his enthusiasm. “It seems like forever since I’ve seen you.”

“
It’s been two days. The accident was Saturday, and it’s Monday now. Now I’ve ensured that the nurses won’t be listening because what I’m about to tell you is of the highest secrecy.”

“
Do tell. I know there’s something going on here that no one has been willing to talk about.”

“
It’s true. The witches, you know, those of the Coven, found me at the hospital and realized that I was like them. They said I needed training before my magic ran loose and hurt someone.”

“
I’ve told you the same thing you know. Just because I’m not a witch doesn’t mean I don’t know things.”

“
Keep the level of I-told-you-so to a minimum please.”

He nodded. “But I did. I mean, I did tell you so.”

She continued as if he hadn’t said anything. “The witch who found me, Seb, has a brother named Leo.”

“
Seb? That’s an interesting name.”

“
Short for Eusebius, and Leo is short for Panteleon. The same Pantaleon Ward who is listed on your chart. You see, they told me that I needed to start an intensive six month training program. I needed to quit my job and move into a place near the Coven House.” She held up a hand when Selby tried to talk. “In exchange, not only would I be trained and no longer be a liability, but Leo would oversee all your reconstructive work and personally do the facial plastic surgery. The Coven would also pay all your medical bills and keep up with the bills that I can’t pay without my job.”

“
Wow. They must want you badly.”

“
They do. But Selby, I’ve been so worried that I’m abandoning you at this critical point.”

“
They’ve told me that I’ll be here a while before I’m moved to a longer term facility. Sounds like I really hurt myself this time.”

“
You did.”

“
Look, don’t feel guilty. You didn’t sell me up the creek or whatever. You’re not only getting the training you need, but you’re helping me too.  All I would ask is that if you get some time, come visit me. Even if it’s only occasionally. I have my Kindle, and I’d also love it if you’d keep me stocked up on books.”

“
I will.”

“
None of that murder mystery stuff you like so much either.”

“
I know what you like: good hardcore science fiction. I’ll pick you up some since you wouldn’t be able to use wireless around here.”

“
You’re the best.”

“
I try.”

Feeling like a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders, Skylar proceeded to the Haversworth building’s fourteenth floor. Goodness that was high up, and the building itself went higher. The whole place had that smell of money, from the fancy entryway with its security guard to all the shiny decorative metalwork.

The glass doors that proclaimed Dr. Ward’s Renewed Beautiful looked into a waiting room with modern decorations, all of which looked too sterile and white for Skylar’s taste. The woman at the reception desk looked her over and immediately decided that Skylar’s reasonably-priced outfit meant that she was not a customer.

“
I’m here to see Dr. Ward.”

“
Do you have an appointment?” If it were possible to look down at someone while seated, the receptionist would have been doing just that.

“
Not quite, but can you tell him I’m here?”

“
Look honey, he gets requests like yours a lot, and he gives plenty of money to charities. If you’ll leave your pamphlet or whatever, I’ll give it to him at the end of the day.”

“
Or shred it,” Skylar murmured only slightly under her breath.

The expensively dressed and notably older customer chuckled.

“
Alright honey,” Skylar mocked her tone of voice and everything, “I’ll just wait here until he’s done.”

The receptionist got to her feet. “I’m calling security!”

“
Go for it. Right after you tell Dr. Ward I’m here.”

Dave chose that moment to walk in. “Good god. I go to the bathroom and when I come back you two are about to start brawling. This is neither the time nor the place.”

“
Dave!” Skylar rushed over and hugged him.

“
You can thank me later. Now Grace, be a doll and use that high tech equipment to tell Dr. Ward that Ms. Kincaid is here. We can wait until after Mrs. Simmons’s appointment of course.” He nodded to the other woman who smiled back at him.

“
I will mention it. Later. He has important people to see.”

“
Seriously Grace.”

“
One moment please.” The buzzer sounded, and the receptionist ushered Mrs. Simmons back to the office with a false smile. Apparently Leo couldn’t even come and get his own customers. Not a good business practice, that. But then, someone who hired Grace to be the first person people saw when they came to his office wasn’t particularly smart either.

“
Now Grace, let’s not make a scene. We both know that Dr. Ward takes his lunch break from two to three. Before you object, I am aware that he usually uses that time to catch up on his paperwork and whatever bullshit that doctors do when they’re work-obsessed. So I’m going to put it this way: tell Dr. Ward that Ms. Kincaid is here or I will make you miserable for the rest of the day. How’s that?”