Page 80 of Minding the Minotaur

SAMMY

The man who introduces himself as Doctor Petronis takes hold of my wrist and feels my pulse. He looks to be in his early fifties, with a lean face and salt and pepper hair, and he exudes an air of quiet confidence. Expert impersonal hands examine me, then he takes my chart from the foot of the bed and makes some notes.

“Well, Samantha,” he says finally. “You have made a good recovery by the look of things. How are you feeling?”

“Remarkably well, thank you.” I smile politely, feeling at a disadvantage in this ugly green hospital gown, my hair disheveled, when he’s so nicely decked out in a smart dark suit under his white coat.

It’s true though, I do feel fine. Maybe a little disoriented still, but with everything I’m trying to make sense of, I guess that’s to be expected.

He looks down at the chart again, his expression inscrutable. “There is one more test we need to do.”

A spike of anxiety hits my stomach. “What kind of test?”

“A blood test. Nothing to worry about.”

Is he being evasive on purpose?

“Yes, but what are youlookingfor,” I persist.

He purses his lips. “We found some unusual enzyme markers in your blood results. We just want to check that they’re not still elevated.”

My thoughts tumble wildly inside my head. Enzymes. That’s what the humans wanted from Arlo’s sperm. Could it be they’ve found them in me due to our… our…

My jaw hangs slack for a moment.

“Probably just a result of yourmisadventure,” Dr Petronis adds.

“M-misadventure?” I squeak.

“Yes, when you slipped down the rim of one of the portals. Cleaning, I believe—wasn’t that your job?”

“Oh yes, yes,cleaning.” I laugh nervously. “My memory of the event is still er, a bit patchy.”

“That’s to be expected with such a major trauma.” Dr Petronis gives me a penetrating look. “If you don’t mind me saying, you don’t look like a peripheral.”

“What exactly should a peripheral look like?” I say lightly, but I can feel my heart thumping against my ribs.

He pulls a face. “Sorry, that sounded judgmental, and we try not to judge in Sparkle. It’s just, with your respectable family background and a good employment history, until recently…”

I tinkle out a laugh. “I guess you might have heard of my almighty faux pas, arresting Ronald DeVine’s niece. It was all over the press a few weeks back.”

“Hmm. Yes, I may have read something about that.”

“I got sacked for it. But I still had to pay my rent and entertainment levy. Beggars can’t be choosers and all.”

He nods. “Well, maybe get a safer job next time.” My heart hammers even harder as I remember Mom telling meMarsha had a role for me. No way will I ever go back to work at DeVines.

Dr Petronis stands up. “Well, young lady, we’ll check you out to see if those enzyme levels have dropped. Hopefully there has been no unlawful contact.”

“H-how do you mean?” I stammer.

He glances at me and sighs. “Let me put it this way. Monsters have no moral scruples. They can take advantage of… situations. And the portal rims are a known place for miscreants to lurk. A young woman unconscious and unable to defend herself would be easy prey.”

Shit! Do they already suspect I’ve had relations with a monster? Could this potentially link me to Arlo? I compose myself quickly, “Oh, I don’t think so…”

“Let’s hope not, Samantha. But we’ll run those tests and go from there. The nurse will be in shortly to take your blood.”

“When will I get the results?”