Page 17 of Doctor Wolf's Human Nurse

After taking a bite of her food, Abby pointed her fork at Xyla. “How do you guys do it? Sean is always at the bar. When do you see each other?”

“He’s cut down the time he spends there and tries to go in only when I’m working. He finally broke down, listened to Jade, and hired another manager. The new manager has been there a long time and knows the ins and outs of running the place. He’sthere tonight because they are meeting about some issues with the shifters.”

“I might know what that’s about. I guess I can tell you, without breaking the HIPAA laws that we had a couple of shifters come in who had lost the ability to shift. They had some type of virus that was quickly replicating itself. Sawyer had no idea what it was. He hadn’t seen anything like it before. The two patients reported going to a lake the previous day and walking by a couple who smelled like they had doused themselves in some kind of cologne.”

Xyla’s eyes got wide. “Oh, no. Do they think it has something to do with that new lab?”

Abby rubbed her eyes and sighed. “I don’t know, but it’s possible. It is interesting that the shifters suddenly acquired this virus soon after that place was operational.”

“That’s terrifying. If they can find a way to prevent shifters from transforming, there’s no telling what else they might come up with.”

“I know. Sawyer called in Beth, Taryn, and Savvy, but they couldn’t help the shifters. Taryn said that she could tell the virus was manmade and that it was suppressing the magic that allowed them to shift. She also said that the virus wouldn’t stop growing until it had taken over.”

“What if they had found a way to change all shifters into mundane humans?”

Abby’s heart sank at the thought.

They ate in silence for a few minutes and then Xyla asked, “What do you think about Sawyer?”

Abby wiped her mouth with her napkin and put it back into her lap. “I think about him too much. That’s what I think.”

Xyla laughed.

“We’ve gone out to dinner a couple of times, as friends or colleagues. Last night I invited him into my place afterward andwe talked a little more. I’m pretty sure he was about to kiss me when his mom texted him.”

“Leave it to a mom to ruin the moment.”

Abby held up her hands and laughed. “I know, right? But seriously, I’ve had so many fantasies about him. I’m constantly thinking about him. It’s driving me crazy.”

“Sounds like love to me.”

“It can’t be love. He’s my boss.”

Xyla laughed. “I don’t think Cupid cares about technicalities like that.”

“I guess not. Look at you and Sean. He caused an avalanche just so you two could hook up.”

“So, it was Cupid and not Mother Nature who caused us to get buried in several feet of snow?”

“Yep. He shot his arrow into the right spot on the mountain in the middle of a weak spot and it all came crashing down on you. It didn’t let up until you two realized you were made for each other.”

“I guess that’s one way of looking at it.” Xyla laughed.

They talked for another hour about this and that, until Sean got home.

Abby jumped up from the couch. “Oh, my goodness. It’s getting late. I have to get home, shower, and get some sleep. I love my job, but it does wear a person out.”

She hugged them both and drove home. Abby did what she said she was going to do.

The alarm went off way too early the next morning. She shut it off, put her arm over her eyes, and groaned. Then, she forced herself to roll out of bed and plod into the kitchen for her morning cup of ambition.

Sawyer asked her to go into the supply closet and get a box of Wellbutrin for a kid who was recently diagnosed with ADHD. She looked at the supply sheet and noticed a box of the drug wasmissing. Her heart skipped a beat and she checked a couple of the other drugs. A box of Adderall was also missing.

After Sawyer gave the drug to the mother, with instructions on how to dispense it, as well as a prescription for more, the woman and her ten-year-old son left in silence. Neither of them liked the idea of having to take medications for the condition.

“Can I talk to you for a minute, in private?”

Sawyer raised his eyebrows and nodded. They stepped into his office and Abby told him what she had discovered.

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