Doctor Wolf’s Human Nurse (Fated To The Wolf #9)

11. Abby

11

Abby

S ean was doing inventory at Howlers’ so Xyla was home alone. Abby headed to their place with a pizza in hand.

Abby eyed the quickly growing belly bump. “Do you have a football team growing in there?”

Xyla laughed and lowered herself into a chair. “No, but sometimes I feel like it. Shifter babies grow a lot faster. I guess that’s because the gestation period is shorter. It’s only six months compared to nine months for a regular human baby. However, they are usually ten pounds or even more.”

Abby gasped and rubbed her own belly. “We both know that the female body can do incredible things, but I’m wondering how you are going to give birth to a child that size?”

“Carefully.” Xyla laughed. “I imagine that the doctor will do a c-section if he has to.”

“Well, I guess women give birth to pretty big babies, too, so it can be done.”

Xyla nodded. “So, how are things between you and Sawyer?”

Abby sighed heavily. “It’s complicated.”

“Uncomplicate it for me.”

“We had sex last night.”

Rubbing her hands together, Xyla smiled and put down her slice of pizza. “Oolala. Do tell.”

“You know that I’ve never been a huge fan of storms. Lightning and thunder were booming and going crazy and then I lost power. I called him and asked if I could sleep on his couch since his place is so close to mine.”

“Mm-hmm. Because our house is so far away, but keep going.”

Abby cast Xyla a wry look and said, “Anyway, we were talking and then he kissed me. One thing led to another and the next thing I know we were in his bed.”

“How was it?”

“Better than in my fantasies. He certainly knows how to make a woman feel right with the world.” She paused for a second. “You know, I always thought that my first time would be with someone I loved and was at least in a committed relationship with -- probably after we were married. But last night, it just felt right.”

“Understandable. That’s exactly how I felt with Sean. Did you sleep on the couch?”

“No.” Abby smirked. “We just changed the sheets on the bed, cleaned ourselves up, and snuggled together. I wanted to stay awake a little longer so I could enjoy the cuddles, but I passed out. I guess it just felt so good and safe to be held by him that I fell straight to sleep.”

“How do you feel about having sex for the first time and it being with him?”

Abby smiled. “I’ve been thinking about it. Whatever happens between us, I’m not sorry. It was a magical experience.”

“How do you feel about him?”

Abby bit her bottom lip and sighed. “I like him – a lot. More than I should. He’s my boss and we work together. Every time I’m near him, I get warm all over and it feels like there’s static electricity in the air. If I’m worried or stressed about a situation, just being near him calms me.”

“I hate to say it, but it sounds to me like you’re falling in love.”

“I can’t be. It’s too soon. Besides, he’s my boss. If we did start a relationship and things went bad, I would have to find a new job.”

“Sean and I fell in love during the couple of weeks we were snowed in.”

“That’s different. You knew him from before and you had a thing for him.”

“I think you should at least be open to the possibility.”

“I don’t think I have a choice. My heart won’t listen to my brain.”

Xyla laughed. “It rarely does.”

“I thought I loved someone before, but look how that turned out.”

“Not every man is like your ex-boyfriend. Most of them have morals. You just happened to pick one who was willing to sleep with the professor for a grade.”

“At least I won’t have to worry about that with Sawyer.” Abby laughed.

The conversation shifted to the baby and the virus affecting the shifters. Then, Sean came home, so Abby hugged her friends and returned to her little cottage.

Abby pulled into the parking lot half an hour early the next morning with a box of donuts for everyone.

A tall woman with dark brown hair and brown eyes approached her as she was getting out.

“Good morning. How are you today?”

Abby eyed her suspiciously. “Good. I hope you are.”

“I’m doing great. My name is Dahlia Rogers and I work alongside my husband at the laboratory on the hill. We’re looking for great medical personnel. We did a background check on you and we think that you’d be perfect for us.”

“You did a background check on me? How did you even know my name?”

The woman smiled and it sent a creepy chill up her spine. “We have our ways. Anyway, we are working on ways to eliminate different stains on humanity, in a nice, humane way. We’ll pay you twice what you’re making at the clinic.”

“What do you mean, eliminate different stains on humanity?”

Dahlia waved her hand as though to brush off the question. “You’ll find out all about it when you join us.”

Abby shook her head. “I don’t think so. I have a pretty good idea of what you’re up to. It’s evil. I also know who you are and what you did, and there is no way I could work with someone who would steal from people so desperate for health care.”

Dahlia lost her composure and her smile turned into a snarl. “You shouldn’t listen to lies spewed by people like Sawyer Cooke. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll get far away from him. Otherwise, you’ll go down in a pool of blood just like he’s going to.”

Abby watched as Dahlia turned tail, stormed over to an olive-drab jeep, and flew out of the parking lot, leaving skid marks.

“I’d say that went well,” Abby said. “I wonder how much of their budget is spent on new tires.”

She pulled the donuts out of the back seat, and with a heavy sigh, walked into the clinic, hoping that her meeting with Dahlia wasn’t some kind of evil omen as to how the rest of her day was going to be.

Maybe I should just go home, pull the covers over my head, and try again tomorrow.

Sawyer came in a few minutes later.

“Good morning. How are you?”

His smile faded when he saw the look on Abby’s face.

“What’s wrong?”

Abby told him about the encounter she had with Dahlia that morning.

Sawyer sighed and called the chief of police, who he was friends with, and had Abby repeat her story.

“Unfortunately, there’s nothing that we can do. We can’t arrest someone for making a threat. However, I’ll make a report of the incident so we have documentation in case this becomes a stalking or harassment issue. I suggest you document the situation as well.”

“Thanks, Chief,” Sawyer said.

He looked at Abby with concern. “I’m so sorry that she threatened you because of me. I hope you aren’t going to leave.”

“No way. I’m not going to leave because of her. I don’t allow bullies to control my life.”

Sawyer smiled. “I’m glad.”

They stood up and he hugged her. A spark of electricity exploded inside of her when their chests pressed together. She moaned a bit in the back of her throat as the memory of their naked bodies moving together flashed through her mind.

The two of them hastily broke the hug when Martha and Cindy came into the lounge. Cindy simply giggled, but Martha gave them a hard look.

“I brought donuts this morning,” Abby said, pointing to the box.

“Ooh, you got my favorite,” Cindy said, reaching for a cream-filled chocolate long john. “I’m so grateful for the automatic coffee maker.”

She grabbed a cup of coffee and headed up front.

“Let me know if you have any other issues,” Sawyer said quietly, as Martha busied herself putting her lunch in the fridge. “Hopefully, she won’t bother you or any of the other staff again.”

“Hopefully not.”

Sawyer left the room and Martha turned around to glare at Abby. She put her hands on her hips and pressed her lips together. “What exactly is going on between you two?”

“Nothing. Someone from the laboratory on the hill offered me a job and then threatened me when I declined. It was a little nerve-wracking.”

“Do you think that I’m an idiot? I can see the chemistry between the two of you every time you’re in the same room together. It’s unethical. He’s your boss. He’s the doctor and you’re the nurse. Your job is to assist him with patients, not keep his bed warm.” Martha’s tone was very harsh.

Abby drew herself up and stared straight into the older woman’s eyes. “His best friend is married to my best friend. Sawyer and I are friends because of them. I assure you that I’m well aware that he’s my boss.”

Martha got a know-it-all look on her face. Her head moved back and forth as she said, “Mm-hmm. Tell me another one,” before she pranced out of the room.

Looking at the older woman with dislike as she pranced out of the room, Abby exhaled a huge breath out of her mouth and rubbed her face. “Yep. I should have just dropped the donuts off, gone back home, fell back into bed, and called it a day. And we haven’t even gotten started yet.”

Groaning, Abby put her lunch in the fridge and went to her desk to look at the day’s patient list, hoping against hope that the rest of the day went a lot smoother.

The morning passed by quickly. However, that afternoon, Sawyer asked her to get a box of anti-depressants out of the supply cabinet to give to a patient as a free sample. She did a quick count and noticed that two boxes were unaccounted for.

After the patient left, she told Sawyer about the missing drugs. His shoulders drooped and he hung his head. Abby felt bad for him as he dejectedly said, “I’ll report it to the DEA agents.”

She couldn’t help the tingle that shot through her as their shoulders touched when he passed by her. Abby wanted to hold him and tell him that everything would be okay, but she felt Martha’s eyes on her. Shaking her head, she walked away.