“Do you always heal this fast, Miss Slater?” the doctor asked, stunned.
The way he said that, I felt like he was unto us. There as a tiny, wry smile on his face.
John glanced at me. He looked confused.
I squeezed his hand reassuringly as he watched Dr. Spencer continue to remove the bandages.
The doctor looked lost in thought.
We all shared puzzled looks. I wondered if I’d made the wrong decision trusting him. Maybe we should make a run for it?
Don’t overreact, Miss Belle. We’ll take it slow, John silently comforted.
“Why do you say that, doctor?” John finally asked, leaning over him with an unreadable expression.
Dr. Spencer looked unsure, as if he doubted himself. His mind was going through the method a step at the time; I saw him performing the surgical procedure in the operation room with another surgeon.
John’s mind merged with mine. He could see the same details.
“Her surgical cut is gone. It’s nonexistent.” Dr. Spencer peered closely, perplexed. He couldn’t be wrong, though; the proof was right in front of him.
He glanced at me. I didn’t know what to say and how to hide the fact that the surgical wound was completely healed. I wasn’t even sure how it had happened.
Dr. Spencer kept looking for the incision he had made. His mind was sorting through notes, medical observations, and returning to medical books about the abdominal cavity. There was no doubt something was happening that didn’t make sense.
“This is impossible. It can’t be right.” he muttered to himself.
I felt an electrical current grow from John. It raced through his veins. He was ready.
John, don’t. I clutched his hand.
He eased off, but I knew he was ready if it came down to that. He was always ready to protect me.
“Is she ok, Dr. Spencer?” John snapped impatiently.
Dr. Spencer mumbled something, but I could hear what he was telling himself. Mentally, he was a wreck. He had too many questions.
“We should keep her for observation,” Dr. Spencer suggested quietly.
Something about the doctor’s words rubbed John the wrong way. “What for?” he growled.
He couldn’t give John a good reason.
It’ll be alright, I tried to assure him. Poor Michael would surely object about all this, but he wasn’t here; in fact, he knew nothing of what was happening.
We should leave, John’s said to me. I should call Joseph. Get him involved, just in case we need his assistance.
John began texting a message to his guardian.
Dr. Spencer was quiet for a moment.
John finished and faced the doctor, grabbing his coat by the sleeve. “Can we leave?”
He looked confused but said, “Yes, everything is perfect. She's good.” He regained his perky attitude and smiled. “Aaron, you’re overreacting,” he thought, “Get a grip. But I did the procedure myself … yet there’s no surgical cut … I have to bring this up to Dr. Martinez.”
John caught the thoughts racing through the doctor’s mind along with me. When the doctor moved near the window and reviewed the notes on his tablet, John grabbed my arm. He motioned for me to rise.
We scurried out before Dr. Spencer could say anything.
As we entered the hallway, I took a quick glance back and caught sight of Dr. Spencer; he seemed to be in a trance as he stared blankly at the tablet. His thoughts worried me.
John pulled my hand. Our thoughts merged and he sensed what troubled the doctor. The next thought I caught troubled me more than anything else—and it wasn’t the first time an image of the man’s face had popped into his head.
John pulled me away with him. We hurried down the long hallway toward the exit.
Dr. Spencer had stepped out of the room and sighted us, calling for us to stop.
John and I continued to hurry towards the exit.
“Mr. Slater! May I have a word with you?”
“Maybe I’m wrong,” I said to John as we hastened into the daylight.
John’s Jag was waiting.
“Baby,” he said, opening the door quickly, “you saw what I saw. He knows. He can’t be trusted; he will take you to him. We need to get away!”
“But, John, I like him. He’s not bad. I didn’t feel any malice in him, only curiosity.”
“Curiosity is enough to make someone change sides. We don’t know anything about him.” John ushered me into the car.
I hesitated.
John smiled. He caught sight of Dr. Spencer, who stopped when he noticed John facing him. The gold in his eyes was dancing, making them glow. It seemed to be one of the reasons why the doctor stopped.
John, don’t.
He has to be afraid … this is what I do now, Miss Belle. I protect you. I won’t let anything happen to you.
I kissed his lips.
He exhaled and kissed me deeply.
“Who are you people?” Dr. Spencer whispered, but it was the thought that I heard loud and clear.
John closed the door and began to drive.
“Everything okay? Should we worry, John?” I asked as he pulled out of the parking lot. I glanced back at Dr. Spencer, staring at our vehicle as we pulled away. He appeared intrigued.
Curiosity, Claudia, is dangerous, John said, easily slipping into our silent communication. You saw him in his mind. I don’t know how they’re connected, but he can’t be trusted.
He’s a nice person. I can’t understand how he could be involved with Dr. Nicholson.
I’m not sure, but I don’t want to find out, John answered my thoughts. “Everything will be alright, Claudia,” he said out loud. “There’s nothing to worry about.”
I peered over John’s shoulder … I was worried.