Page 97 of Lamb

Time seemed to move slower than before, the clock on the far wall ticking in the empty silence.

I wasn’t sure what I had expected Ash to do, but like any other time, she proved to confuse me as her hand began to move. She stabbed her fork viciously into her eggs, nearly sending them off the table before she began to scoop large mouthfuls onto her fork.

I observed the struggle as she fought to fill her stomach, each bite like torture as she forced it down.

I shifted my eyes back to the empty doorway, the sound of Ash’s fork in my ears, and the sound of cogs turning in my mind.

The wall was cool against the back of my head as I let the noises around me fade into the background—machines beeping, metal clinking, and voices muttering; the usual hospital stuff. The clinic was abuzz with people who sat waiting until their name was announced, but overall, it wasn’t a particularly stressful environment. The chairs were small but not uncomfortable and the machine coffee was bland but not bitter.

I opened my eyes, letting them slide to the juxtaposition next to me.

Ash was the definition of stress. Paranoia radiated off her like a chemical spill; head whipping at every noise, jumping every time the door opened, her hand knuckled-white as it squeezed mine so hard that I feared we’d need to surgically separate us.

I pulled her hand into my lap, toying with the fingers digging their way into my skin. “Ash.” I kissed the back of her hand, smelling the soft scent of the drugstore body soap lurking around my club bedroom. For a cheap bottle, one I normally wouldn’t touch, it smelled light on her skin and didn’t drown out her natural scent. “Ash,”I stressed, nipping her lightly.

Ash whirled on me with a flash of fire in her eyes.

“There you are.” I smiled against her hand, reaching my other hand out to tuck away a stray hair escaping from the bun I’d tied it back in this morning. She dodged the gesture in annoyance.

“Why are we here?” Ash hissed, leaning in close enough for a kiss. “Anybody could be watching us. This is not Fellpeak.”

“I hadn’t noticed,” I playfully gasped, unable to hide the smirk on my lips.

Ash glowered. “You know what I mean.”

“And I said what I said,” I countered, letting her hand cradle back into my lap before I decided to take a bigger bite. “So long as you are with me and by my side, you have nothing to fear.”

“Are you an idiot?” Ash growled. “I am genuinely asking.”

“I’m starting to hear that a little too often,” I grumbled. “But no, I’m not an idiot.”

I’d have laughed at Ash’s dubious look if it hadn’t been so genuine.

“Well—”

Before I could defend myself, a woman’s sharp voice rang across the room.

“Christopher Black?” A petite, round woman called out, clipboard clutched between her fingers. Round glasses sat perched on her nose, her ebony skin complemented by the bright blue of the frame.

I stood, giving my legs a well-deserved stretch and earning a sharp glare from Ash while doing so. Still locked onto my hand, she tried to tug me back down.

“Sit down,” she demanded.

“They called for us.” I threw my thumb over my shoulder at the woman with the clipboard, her dark brow rising with impatience.

“Your legal name isChristopher?” Ash’s eyes nearly bulged out of her face.

I rolled my own, returning her tugging gesture as I pulled her off her chair and up to her feet. “Believe it or not, they wouldn’t allowLambon my birth certificate.”

In her shock, Ash’s eyes stayed fixed on my face as I managed to peacefully cart her across the dimly lit waiting room and began trailing behind the nurse—or receptionist, I assumed—into a narrow hallway.

Sense was returning to Ash as we stopped outside of a closed door.

“Dr. Burkitt?” the nurse/receptionist called, leaning her head into the doorway.

“Wait.” Ash’s hands jumped up to my arm, fingers digging into my muscles as she dug her heels into the worn carpet. “I am not—”

“No more waiting.” I ignored her plea, pushing open the door and dragging her ass behind me.

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