“I hope so,” she said with a nod before she kissed me on the cheek. “Good luck. I’ll see you later.”
I bobbed my head, wanting to pull her closer and kiss her. I needed that connection, I craved it. But with Nadia hovering over us, I was afraid to look sideways let alone pull her sister into a smooch.
“Thanks. I…look forward to your return,” I said in what sounded like the most awkward way possible. Why was I such an idiot when it counted most?
She hesitated for a moment before she flung her arms around my neck and kissed me.
I stumbled back a step as we parted, still a little stunned that she’d done that in front of her battle ax of a sister.
Before I could react, she spun on a heel and headed toward the door. As she passed, her sister smirked at me, clicking her tongue.
“I really hope you make good on your promise, doctor. Otherwise, we’ll have to have a long conversation that I don’t think you’re going to like.”
I tugged my lips into a grimace as the woman disappeared into the hall behind her sister. She really was scary.
If this relationship worked out, I wasn’t certain I could deal with that woman on a full-time basis.
I twisted to find Stefan standing directly behind me. Freezing, I slid my eyes closed, swallowing hard. “Uhh, mind showing me–“
“Right this way,” Stefan said as he motioned to a door across the room.
I cleared my throat as I followed him, intrigued to see the cryogenic tube that housed Nattie’s father. “So, uh, I thought you always went with Nattie?”
“She has a guard with her,” he answered. “Right now, you are the priority. Or rather, keeping an eye on you. You are not in the circle of trust yet, Dr. Carter. Despite, her highness’s obvious infatuation.”
I held back a grumble, annoyed at the way he referred to me as a passing fancy. A moment of doubt hit me. What if that’s all I was? Was Stefan used to this sort of thing? Did men come and go in Nattie’s life?
“Infatuation? Does she…do this a lot?” I asked as he shielded a keypad and typed in a code before he opened the door and motioned for me to enter.
“I will not discuss her highness’s personal affairs. If you wish to know it, ask her yourself.”
“Right,” I said, my attention drawn to the silver tube in the center of the room.
The metallic sheen of the silver tube caught the faint overhead light, giving it an almost otherworldly glow. My breathhitched as I approached, the hum of the machinery filling the silence.
My eyes widened as I approached it, completely in awe of what I was seeing. Inside that tube, a man–his lips blue–who should have been dead but instead, looked like he was sleeping peacefully. I checked the information on the panel giving me temperatures and more. Impressive.
I stared down at him, wondering if he had the same dark eyes that Nattie did. I hoped to find out one day when I revived him.
“I’ll, uh, need to see his medical files to assess his injury. And also all of the notes about this process,” I murmured, still mesmerized by what I was seeing.
“Of course. I can show you to doctor’s office the moment you are ready.”
I peered at the tube for a moment longer. “Fascinating,” I whispered as I straighten. “Lead the way.”
The man crossed to another door, typing in another code he refused to let me see before he let me into a spacious office with a large desk. Notebooks filled the shelves behind it.
“You should find His Highness’s medical files in the top drawer of the file cabinet. And the previous doctor’s notes on that shelf.”
“Right. Is it possible to get any coffee? I’m still feeling the effects of whatever Nadia injected into me.”
“Of course, doctor,” Stefan said. “I will leave you here to peruse the files while I retrieve it.”
“Thanks,” I said as the door slammed shut behind him. I crossed to it and jiggled the handle, finding it locked. “Of course.”
These people really trusted me. I went to the file cabinet and pulled out the thick medical file, sinking into the soft, leather desk chair. A quick perusal of it showed a bullet wound with a small piece still close to the spinal cord.
Even if I could pull off the thawing process without killing him, he’d need surgery to ensure that piece of bullet didn’t finish him off.
