Professor And The Feisty Human

Hospital

Willow

“What on Earth have you done?” Chloe, my sister, whispers in a sharp tone before shifting her attention to Doctor Brown, practically burrowing a hole in his back until he is out of sight.

“What do you mean?” I ask her.

“Huh?” she says absentmindedly.

“You can stop staring. He is gone.”

“That guy is out of your league," she scrunches up her nose. "How did you manage to get him and Liam?”

I glare at her before storming off and hurrying to the private waiting room on the third floor.

I stop in the doorway, watching mom, who is crying and staring at her phone. I take small, careful steps, almost afraid that if I walk fast, I’ll distract her from what I think she's staring at. I sit silently next to her and steal a glance at her phone. As expected, she is looking at my brother’s picture. Tears stream down my face, and before I know it, I'm sobbing.

“It’s all your fault. You told me to leave, and I couldn’t say goodbye to my son,” she says quietly, her eyes filled with rage.

“I didn’t know that he would...” I trail off.

“I have a feeling you sneaked in and smothered him because you were jealous of how close we were.”

“Mom," I gasp. "I love, loved Marcellus,” I say defensively as I get up.

"Really?" she chuckles. “This is your fault. You drove him to this overdose with your bragging about your success and the university. How could you?”

“Marcellus was a successful model,” I protest.

“He was a recovering addict. Do you know when he last landed a modeling job?”

Marcel avoided talking about his jobs in the past few months and I didn't want to be pushy by insisting that he tell me. “It was...” I falter.

“I thought so,” she mumbles.

“Mom...” I say guiltily.

“You never bothered to ask, because you never cared,” she interjects.

“Mom, please...”

"You killed my son. You were supposed to help him, not brag to him.”

“I was trying to encourage him to open up to me by telling him about my professional life, and he is the one who asked me about grad school.”

“He asked you because he put other people before himself. I will always blame you for not letting me be there for my son during his final hours.”

“Mom...”

“You are not my daughter anymore!” She screams.

“You heard her, smarty-pants,” Chloe chimes in. “You always act like you are better than the rest of us, but books are all you have. You can’t even hold a decent conversation if it’s not about academics.”

“Chloe, will you stop talking?!”

“Chloe is right,” my mother sniffles. “And right now, I don’t want to see your face.”

I walk out to avoid more words that would break my heart. The rain is pouring outside, but I stand on the sidewalk and let it soak me. A cab stops without my attempting to stop it, and I ask the driver to take me to MSP airport.

********************

I regret my decision of letting myself stand in the rain when I discover that the next available flight would be leaving on the next day at 05:00. I look down at my wet clothes that are stuck to me like glue.

I take a seat and almost try to count hours, but decide not to torture myself because the time is 09:00. On the bright side, my clothes will be dry by the time I leave.

I browse for hotels and decide to use the money that I was going to use to buy food for the upcoming month. Fortunately or unfortunately, all the nearby hotels are booked, but going home is not an option.

My teeth chatter while I also wipe tears that silently stream down my cheeks. I'm cold, hungry, and I miss my brother.

“Looking for a room?” A voice next to me says, and when I turn, I immediately frown at Doctor Brown.

“I’m going to get you arrested. Can’t I have ten minutes to myself without you showing up?” I ask in a shaky voice.

“I can ask the same about you,” he grins, which surprises me again, because I'd never seen him smile until last night on campus. “I really need you to stay away from me. Why are you at the airport that I’m at?” He raises an eyebrow.

“I’m not in the mood for your humor.”

“I know, I just wanted to let you know that we can share my hotel room. It is big, and I can sleep on the couch.”

I knew it from the get-go, the forced smile, the stalking, Lucy sent him to kill me. He could be her brother or something, and as much as I hate to admit it, they are both very attractive. “Why?” I eye him suspiciously.

“Okay," he shrugs. "You can sleep on the couch.”

“How much will I owe you?”

“Nothing," his jaw tightens.

“Why are you doing this?” I ask him.

“Just come to the hotel,” he sighs. “I will feel bad if you sit here in wet clothes while I sleep on a comfortable bed.”

“Just go, you will get over it.”

“Or I can sit here and bother you,” he grins.

I glare at him. “I’m not a killer. You know me, and there are security cameras everywhere. There is no way I can ever abduct you or anything like that."

"I don't know you, not really."

"You are shivering,” his voice is laced with concern.

“I can try to find a lounge right here. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“Good luck,” he sighs, almost as if he’s bored.

I get up and grab my backpack. He places his coat around my shoulders without saying a word. As much as I hate him, the heat emanating from the coat is irresistible, so I just mumble my “thanks” and walk away.

The airport turns out to be swarming with passengers whose flights got delayed, and I end up having no choice but to go back to my seat.

I find Doctor Brown still sitting, eyes on his phone, and the moment I sit, he glances at me. “Are you ready to go?” he asks, his face unreadable.

I nod in response, then he holds out his hand for me to give him my bag.