“Everything will be just fine,” I said, and the conviction in my voice surprised me. Based on the conversation with Valerie, I had my doubts, but it was something under our control and it was my turn to be strong.
I leaned forward and planted a kiss on her forehead, smoothing her hair back with my free hand. She closed her eyes and leaned her cheek in my palm in that endearing way that squeezed my heart.
The door opened and a different nurse stepped inside. The way she glanced into the hallway and shut the door, prickled my nerves. When she turned full toward us, I knew we were in trouble.
“Where’s the other nurse,” Naomi asked, her eyes dropping to the tray the nurse set on the counter. The needle and glass vials were expected, but the glistening scalpel was not.
Her red-eyed glare snapped to both of us and she reached for the knife, but I was faster. I slapped my hand down on the corner of the tray, sending everything across the room in a loud clatter. The only thing between this demon and Naomi was me and she stepped forward, her face transforming into an angry growl.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she snarled.
A sound behind her drew her attention and her expression transitioned to embarrassment for the benefit of the head nurse now standing in the open door.
“I was just about to ask you the same question,” the head nurse asked. She glanced beyond her subordinate without any of the attitude she had given me earlier. Instead, her underling looked down at the mess on the floor and back in her direction.
“Isn’t this the room for the D-and-C?”
“We don’t have a D-and-C patient today, Clara,” the nurse said. There was a clear warning in her tone and her icy glare landed on the younger nurse. “This isn’t the first time you’ve made that mistake.” She crossed her arms.
Clara sent visual daggers in my direction before glancing back at her superior.
“Please leave,” the head nurse said in a tone that left no negotiation.
“But, Leticia,” Clara started but Nurse Leticia pointed toward the exit.
“Now.”
I stepped closer to Naomi, still buffering her from the inept demon and for a moment, I thought the bitch was going to lash out at Leticia. Her fists clenched and she shot a glare in my direction before stomping out of the office.
Leticia sighed and stepped inside. “I’m sorry about that. Clara is new and she’s been a disaster since she started.” She squatted to pick up the syringe and the vials and hesitated when her gaze fell on the scalpel. A dark shadow crossed her features and she shook her head, picking up the instrument with her thumb and forefinger, like it carried a nasty disease.
She sat back on her haunches and the crease between her eyes grew. She glanced up at me before standing. I still blocked Naomi, but when the offending knife and needle dropped into the sharps container, I stepped aside.
“I’ll need to get a clean syringe and vials,” she said and slipped out of the room, leaving the door open.
I took the opportunity to glance at Naomi.
“What the hell was that?” she whispered.
“A demon,” I answered and the remaining splotches of color in her cheeks faded.
Naomi’s hand slid over her abdomen in a protective gesture and I stepped closer, reaching for her hand.
“How’d you know?”
I smiled and glanced over my shoulder at the door before answering. “I’ve been around a lot longer than you, hun.”
She nodded and her gaze moved behind me.
“Okay, let’s see if I can get some blood for those tests the doctor ordered,” Leticia said and I yielded, letting her approach Naomi. She gave me a nod of approval and I locked my gaze with my wife’s.
“Are you okay?” I asked. She still hadn’t regained any color and when she shrugged, I followed her gaze to the needle. Reaching out, I turned her chin toward me so she didn’t have to watch the drawing of blood. It didn’t bother me in the least, hell it actually made my stomach growl and I offered her a slight grin when she tilted her head in a silent question.
The nurse finished and left the room.
“Are you serious?”
I laughed and gave her a shrug of my own. “What’d you expect?” I asked. “I’m still freaked by sunshine, so it’s not odd that the sight of blood still makes me hungry. Twenty-five-hundred years of conditioning.”
“You are too funny sometimes,” she whispered and pulled me to her lips.
I didn’t want to dampen her light mood with what I anticipated waited for us outside, but I also didn’t want Valerie to be hit in the crossfire. After Naomi pulled away, I crossed to my coat and dug my phone out of the inside pocket. I typed a quick text that I was sure would draw a tremor of fear through Valerie, but she had the sachet on her, so the demons might not take notice of her.
“Valerie?” Naomi asked when I turned and dropped the phone in my shirt pocket.