Page 4

Luckily, I arrived right before my next patient appointment and had managed to eat the burgers from the drive-thru. They weren’t really enough, so I inhaled at least a dozen dumplings later before reloading the steamer for my staff.

Gerald intercepted me on the way to Ellie’s office after I was done with work. “Can you talk some sense into her that I need to speak with her stepmother? I wasn’t asking for the code to your condo, just what unit number and—”

“Whoa, take it down to like a five,” I said firmly, giving him a look that I wasn’t kidding. I made the motion for deep breaths in and out as I took them.

He rolled his eyes but did it, nodding that he heard me. “I’ve got a lot on my plate, and people here are not taking Ellie’s new declarations and press presence well. Now it’s out that you guys are a couple—I’ve got like forty balls in the air and she won’t let me protect her.”

“It all just went down, Gerald. Give her a moment to breathe, mate,” I replied with a sigh. “And Aurora Reed is—she’s not used to shifters. Like at all from what I can tell. I terrify her.”

He sighed. Heavily. “And you’re not terrifying at all. I’m loud and overbearing. Okay, I get it.”

“I actually went in hot and with my power out to scare her and protect Ellie,” I confessed, nodding when Gerald seemed shocked.

“I thought evil stepmother, and—this isn’t the time for Ellie to take another fucking hit.

I was a git.” I gave him a moment with that.

“But Aurora Reed is a victim of everything even if Ellie is her victim.”

“I got that much from Ellie and something has changed,” Gerald muttered. “She said her stepmother isn’t who she remembered.”

I scrubbed my hand over my head. “I get the feeling she was being abused in other ways for hundreds of years being locked up by her family. She’s malnourished big-time.

Like not just down on the tank but damage done to her body.

I smelled it better when we were in my vehicle alone.

I was going to tell Ellie that I think she needs medical care. ”

“Okay, well, Alexis is the better call then, but—Kenneth isn’t going to take it all lying down.

” He growled when I tried to brush him off.

“Listen to me. I’m good at my job, Clark.

I did my fucking homework. That man is petty and vindictive .

I don’t care what he signed, he will do everything he can to take Ellie down.

I want ammo and information to shield her. ”

“I agree,” I cut in when he seemed ready to ramp back up. “I just don’t know that there’s anything for him to use. He hasn’t even seen her in fifty years. It’s been centuries since she lived under his roof.”

“You’re not wrong,” he agreed, giving me an inch.

“I might be complete overkill here.” He leaned in a bit.

“But I might not be. So really, it’s a question of do we want to take that risk that he has some sort of ace in his pocket as her father that could destroy her? I don’t want to take that risk.”

“Nor do I,” I agreed. “Nor does Ellie. You’re just moving too fast. Normally, she does too, but whatever Aurora said when they met—Ellie was fine when I went in, but then it was like it sank in and she was shocky.”

“Yeah, okay.” He let out a slow breath. He did a double take at whatever was on my face. “I’m not trying to use this or get between you two.”

“You’re not? You’re pushing pretty hard,” I hedged, not sure what I was getting from him.

A small growl slipped out. “You are not the only youngest who is despised in their family for being strong. I’m considered the family fuckup and I’m a successful attorney.

But I’ve never handled something as big as the whole legal situation of ASH, and they are getting into trouble left and right.

The person who runs it—I don’t handle this type of law and I—”

“Fish out of water,” I offered for him.

“For lack of a better way to say it,” he drawled.

“But I also wasn’t locked up in Ellie’s office with her to flirt no matter where your pup head went off.

We were buried, Clark. Redoing all of those contracts and people pulling shit and getting the board detangled and, and, and .

I’m exhausted. Like I went to shift last weekend and my lion slept. ”

“You need to talk to Dr. James and get a physical,” I said firmly, a thrill of fear racing through me.

“I’m fine and—”

“Hey, don’t be stupid when you’re here to shield people,” I snapped. “That’s a serious symptom of too much and could be something way more serious than exhaustion. Do it or I tell Ellie and worry her because I will not sit on that.”

Rage filled his eyes. “Great, I try to reassure you that I’m not after your lover and you’re using it against me.”

“I’m worried for you, git,” I growled and shoved at his chest. I frowned when he stumbled too easily and I hadn’t pushed hard. I didn’t hide my concern as I met his gaze. “Gerald, you need to get checked out. Now.”

He lost his anger and realized what I’d just done, glancing down as well. “Shit, I shouldn’t have been off-balance like that.”

“Come on. I’ll get you worked up in an exam room in the emergency department somewhere quiet,” I told him, already texting Ellie that I could meet her in the parking garage in a bit or at home.

“I’ll give the list of tests, and—I’ll handle it with the staff so we can rule out the big stuff.

That makes treatment easier to start this weekend, but you need a real physical. ”

“I’ve never had one before you ask and then yell at me,” he grumbled as he followed.

Well, at least he followed.

I met up with the on shift attending and told him what I knew and wanted to start. I opened my mouth to apologize for overstepping, but the guy gave me a tight smile and a whole lot of hostility.

“Didn’t take you long to get too comfortable being Ms. Reed’s lover and using her authority, huh, Clark?” he asked with a sneer.

“Shifter health is my specialty, and Dr. James will need the additional tests to rule out several things specific to lions or powerful shifters,” I answered evenly.

“I am sorry for overstepping, but Gerald is involved with several pressing matters Ms. Reed needs him for that I do know about. That’s why I dragged him down here immediately. ”

“He’s saying she’s going to hear that I’m here because she knows all and he wants to make sure to be able to give her good answers before she can worry when too stressed,” Gerald surmised, nodding when I did but then frowning.

“Can you not do any of what you just did normally? I thought any attending could bring down someone to the emergency—”

“It’s not directly to the attending on a Friday night, and it’s clear I’m walking out the door instead of staying,” I cut in, not wanting Gerald to get in trouble for trying to defend me.

“I was still an ass,” the attending sighed.

“Sorry. Rough day and—I let the rumors get to me. I apologize, Clark. You did a lot for us and trauma during the disasters. I shouldn’t have listened to the bullshit.

I know better than to do that, and you didn’t get your job here by sleeping with Ms. Reed. ”

I blinked at him for a full minute before bursting out laughing. “She was completely against hiring me originally. The board pulled a fast one on her—do people have such short memories? It wasn’t years ago but months ago.”

The attending looked properly chastised.

“I honestly never heard what happened. I didn’t really care.

It’s been a fucked day.” He handed over a clipboard to me.

“Give me your cell and I’ll text you updates and results.

I’ll give him the full workup plus what you wanted.

Let me know if you think of anything else and we can loop in Dr. James. ”

“I appreciate it, mate. Really. This isn’t being—”

“Lions are one of the shifter species that can damage their bond and they lose their ability to shift,” Gerald spelled out.

“Their animal falling asleep after changing forms is one of the first signs. Clark is being careful. I’ve done it before because of exhaustion, but he’s right and I shouldn’t be flippant. ”

“Okay, good to know the most concerning possible issue,” the attending said as he took the clipboard back from me and jotted a few things down. “All over it. You go help Ms. Reed with what she needs.” He rolled his eyes when Gerald snorted. “Not what I meant.”

“He wasn’t being dirty either,” I admitted. “I think he meant more it’s hard to know what she needs right now.”

“Yeah, that,” Gerald confirmed. “I’m more professional than cracking locker room jokes with someone I’ve never spoken with before.”

“Glad to hear it,” the attending muttered, still writing more. “We’ve got things here. I’ll update you.”

I took the nudge and left, checking my phone to find that Ellie replied saying she’d meet me at my vehicle. She felt too shaky to drive home at the moment and I was proud of her to admit that.

“I think I need to do something about Gerald,” she muttered when I reached her. “He was so—”

“I just forced Gerald to the emergency department for tests,” I interjected, nodding when she did a double take. “I’m not defending him, but we talk—let me fill you in on the way home. What do you want to eat for dinner?”

“Sushi,” she sighed, thanking me when I opened the door for her. She sighed again as we drove off and I filled her in. “Okay, that explains a lot, but—he wasn’t hearing me to back off and let me breathe. It was very disconcerting and…”

“I know.” I reached over and took her hand, my heart hurting when she sniffled. I wanted to gut the lion for upsetting her. “We’ll kick his ass and ground him after he’s better, okay? Full over my knee spanking.”

She snickered, which had been the goal, so I was glad it worked.

Then she chuckled and it built into a laugh.

“You are such a shit. Seriously. Sometimes—I can’t get over you.

” Ellie let out a long, exasperated sigh with absolutely no malice in it as she gave me a loving look.

“I really do need you in my life, my sweet kimchi. It’s so much better with you in it. ”

I blinked at the road and almost missed the light change, braking harder than I should have given the time I’d had.

I muttered an apology before turning and kissing her deeply.

“Yeah, you do need me just like I need you. Don’t ever forget this moment.

Don’t let me go, Ellie. I wouldn’t survive losing you. ”

I cupped her face and didn’t hide that I was worried.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she promised, knowing this wasn’t normal relationship fears and that I saw she was drowning.

Good thing I was an excellent swimmer then.