Chapter 6
1131 Words
Discharged? My eyes widened. How was that possible? “Are you sure, Claire?” I asked again, confirming her words. My eyes clouded over as I recalled how his stitches had been. Could he have recovered so fast from that?
“Wait, could there be a mix-up?” Claire looked up from the computer finally, catching sight of my expression. Her fingers moved rapidly across the keypad, clicking keys. “This is the patient?” she asked, turning the screen toward me. “Mr. Jobraska?”
“No,” I sighed in relief, seeing it wasn't Max's info that was displayed. “This isn't the one,” I shook my head. “But what happened to this patient though?” I asked, staring at the face once more, it wasn't a familiar face.
Claire’s face became strange, “He came in bleeding this morning. He had some tears on his skin. He said an animal attacked him in the woods,” Claire looked unsure. “He didn't even agree to wait for a Tetanus shot,” Claire adjusted her hair as she spoke. “They've been an awful lot of attacks the past few days. We even ran out of tetanus shots.”
“Animal attack?” My eyes narrowed as her words sank in, my thoughts instantly went to those werewolves that'd come to find Max. Was it all related? It couldn't all be a coincidence, could it?
“Is something wrong?” Claire stared at me, her words snapped me out of my thoughts.
“Nothing,” I startled, adjusting my expression. I forced a smile, “It's nothing,” I turned to leave. My hands felt sweaty as I headed toward Max's ward, he knew something, he did. Werewolf activity in town, animal bite incidents, all after his appearance, he definitely knew something.
My cell phone buzzed, drawing my attention. Guilt gnawed at me when I saw Jason's name flashing on the screen, I'd completely forgotten I'd agreed to meet him for coffee. I took a deep breath before picking up the phone, “Hello, Jason.”
“Sophie,” Jason's voice felt forced, “You're at home?” I could hear some noises in the background, he was probably at Starbucks. My breath caught in my throat as I silently racked my brain, trying to come up with an excuse.
I paused just outside the ward, “I…” I hesitated, “I… there was an emergency at the hospital,” I lied, my face flushed. I continued, “We ran out of tetanus shots and there was another emergency, so I had to head to town to get the shots.” Claire, herself confirmed it, so I wasn't completely lying, not like it made a difference.
The line went silent for a while but I could feel Jason's distrust seeping through. “How's the patient?” he finally asked, the warmth in his voice gone.
“He…” My heart skipped a beat as I spotted a tiny movement from the corner of my eye. I glanced behind, a man was striding down the corridor. My skin prickled at the sight of him, there was something about him. Suddenly a pair of hands clutched me, pulling me into the ward, I almost screamed, but my breath caught in my throat when I realized it was Max, his hand gripped mine tightly.
“You're late,” His eyes scrutinized me closely, a smile tugging at his lips. My heart thudded in my chest as I went into a daze, my eyes fixed on him.
“Sophie?” Jason's voice spoke over the line, his voice sounding impatient, startling me. I'd forgotten I was still holding the cell phone to my ear. “You there? Are you with someone?”
My face flushed, “I'll call you back,” I ended the call before he could say something and I glanced away, avoiding Max's stare. “Let go,” I whispered, My heart pounded, and I tugged my hand free, my skin prickling under his intense gaze.
Max didn't say a word. His eyes made me uncomfortable, and I shifted nervously on my feet. I opened my mouth hesitantly, wanting to speak but he beat me to it. “You're beautiful,” his voice was barely audible. “So beautiful, Sophie,” His hand held my chin softly.
What! My words lodged in my throat, and hips words stunning me. How did he know my name? I wondered my thoughts in a mess. And then there was the way he stared at me, with total focus, as if he was enthralled by me. I turned away, my cheeks burning, “I don't know you,” I whispered and I took a step back.
“You know me, Sophie. You know who I am,” Max didn't move, his eyes searching mine. “You know who I am to you,” a faint smile tugged at his lips and his eyes glinted with a knowing glint.
My breath caught in my throat as he spoke, the hidden meaning behind his words could not be any more clear. I recalled the strange feelings that'd bubbled up in me ever since I saw him, he was reading me like a book.
“Don't deny it, Sophie,” Max took a step closer, his eyes never leaving mine. “You can feel what I feel,” an emotion I couldn't quite place filled his eyes. “The connection,” he whispered, “Of course you understand the feeling.”
My eyes widened as I stared at him, his gaze pinning me in place. “No, no, no,” I stammered, shaking my head, it couldn't be. It couldn't. “I don't even know you,” I ran a hand through my hair, the weight of his words weighed against me.
“I can…” Max tried to hold me but I flinched, evading his gaze.
“Don't!” I snapped, my chest rose and fell with quick breaths as I stared at him. “You… why are you here? Why are all these…” my voice lowered to a whisper. “Werewolves, why are they after you?” I stared at him, observing his every reaction.
Max's eyes narrowed, the atmosphere in the ward suddenly thick with tension. “The less you know, the safer you'll stay,” he finally spoke, his lips thinning into
a grim line. “If you knew something,” his eyes chilled, boring into mine. “You'd be dead,” His words sent a chill through me and I shuddered, goosebumps bursting all over my skin.
My pulse quickened as I stared into his eyes, Max's visage was serious. He wasn't joking around. What was going on?
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