Page 7 of Wolf Bane
“Is it highly communicable?”
A longer pause now.“Probably.”
“Is it airborne?”
“I don’t know.”
We played twenty (thirty, forty, fifty) questions for another minute or two until I gave up.“So, it’s highly communicable, found mostly in the rural communities, no clear indication of any connections between the communities, and so far there aresomedeathsattributed, but you can’t say how many or what specifically caused the deaths.”
Ethan sighed.“Yeah, pretty much.I’m sorry I don’t know more here, Lan, but I’m not exactly in the inner circle.And even if I was…”
“I get it.I really do.We both have things we can’t share about our work.You’d think there’d be some exception for this, though, considering I technically work for the same people.Theydoown the clinic.”
Ethan’s yawn was jaw cracking, loud over the connection between us.“I’ve only heard a little bit about this going around, Lan, but it sounds like a problem.A lot of closed-door meetings and shit going on in levels I’m not permitted.Cullen might know more but good luck getting him to spill.”
“You’d think a doctor in their literal employ would be on the need-to-know list,” I muttered.
“How’s the clinic going, anyway?All I’ve done is ramble about what I’m doing up here in Chicago.”
“You’re terrible at changing the subject,” I teased lightly, settling back against the headboard.My leg gave an annoying throb, reminding me the day had sucked, overall, but I gritted my metaphorical teeth and told Ethan a half-truth.“It’s not bad.Weird, having patients who talk back now, but mostly fine.Just getting used to a new way of doing things.”
“Hopefully medical school’s like riding a bike and you didn’t forget everything.”
“I’m sticking my tongue out at you, just so you know.”It had taken a lot of state-mandated retraining to be able to step into the role of GP at Sterns Bayou Clinic—more time, headaches, and feeling like I was an idiot than I’d anticipated.But I’d passed the testing and successfully achieved recertification in time for the clinic’s opening.Which was both disconcerting and exhilarating.
Ethan’s tone was warm, wrapping around me in an embrace when he spoke.“I’m proud of you, you know.And so damn happy that you decided to stick around.”
“Where else would I’ve gone?”I murmured.The fact Ethan knew I’d considered just saying fuck it and leaving more than once—nothim, not really, just… everything.The town, the weres and shifters, my own history here—it made me feel guilty and uncomfortable.Cowardly.In my heart of hearts, I knew I’d never just bail on Ethan or Belmarais, on anything that was going on now, but… the daydream was there sometimes, on my worst days.“Tell me about Chicago.I haven’t been there in years.Is that hot dog place still on Maxwell Street?”
“Hot dogs.”Ethan’s grimace was audible in his voice.“Those are just lips and assholes.Why would I go all the way to Chicago to eat a hot dog?There’s this place on Swift, though.Have you ever had falafel?”
I closed my eyes, shifting onto my side and letting his voice seep into my veins.Hours and hours later, when I woke up to the shrill of my alarm, I had a sore throat.
ChapterTwo
By Thursday, my sore throat had gone fromwell that’s annoyingtoI’d like to just die now please.It wasn’t painful, not really, but itlingeredand everything tasted weirdly of pennies.Reba eyed my mask and gloves as I reviewed the first patient file for the morning.
“You know, you could call Doc Sellers from Mettings to come in and cover.He’s only a year into retirement.I bet things haven’t changed that much since he stepped down from his practice.”
“Sellers didn’t retire, he was forced out because he was prescribing himself opiates,” I muttered, not bothering to glance up as the door chimed, admitting my first patient.“And I’m good.Just a little scratchy.Blood work came back clear, throat culture was good.Probably just allergies.This is a new build and all, so likely just construction dust or something.”Or maybe a werewolf plague.Because why not.That would be par for the course at this point.
Reba pursed her lips, giving me her patentedbullshitglare.“Maybe it’s peanuts,” she added, raising a brow.“Or maybe it’s an allergy to telling the truth?”
“Or ragweed,” I suggested cheerfully.“Send Mrs.Gibbons to room one when she’s signed in.
It wasn’t ragweed.I’d been tracking my symptoms since I woke up with the sore throat on Wednesday and it definitely wasn’t ragweed.Low grade fever, dull aching joints, the sore throat, above-normal levels of tiredness… and negative for everything I could test myself for.Reba suggested stress, and in my heart of hearts I knew she could be right.But with everything that had gone down in the past year and a half… My brain couldn’t accept it as a possibility.It had to be the worst-case scenario, the damn thing insisted.Because that’s how my luck went.
So far, the only patients who’d come in with anything similar were the Clemens kids.My morning patients were a handful of humans with general complaints, a few vaccine visits since the nearest vaccine clinic was over an hour away, and one physical for a kiddo whose mom was worried they hadn’t started showing signs of shifting yet.I’d had to refer to the notes provided by Ethan and Tyler for that one; as someone who’d had no idea what constituted normal werewolf puberty, making sure I had at least some sort of resource was saving my bacon with the younger patients.Assuring them that thirteen wasn’t delayed shifting in most werewolves, they’d agreed to come back in six months for some bloodwork if nothing had changed and we could go from there.
If you’re not presenting with an increased urge to chase things and turn into a large wolf by the time you’re fourteen, let’s talkwas never something I’d thought I’d say as a doctor.
I was able to take a breather after they left, honestly needing a few minutes in my office to wonder what the hell I was doing, but there was no rest for quasi-werewolf doctors, apparently.
“Walk-in patient,” Reba said as she knocked, opening my office door at the same time.“It’s a doozy.You sure you’re okay?”
I nodded, glad she couldn’t see my grimace behind my mask.“Just tired.Late night.”
“That’s right, Ethan’s still out of town, isn’t he?”she tsked sadly.“Well, long distance is always difficult at first.”
