I didn't understand why people were against the idea of making sure that anyone who needed a transfusion could get one safely and swiftly. But reading most of their signs, it was clear that they weren't objecting tohumansgoing into the center.
They were protesting the center serving blood to sangamar.
Making my way into the building, every step was making me more and more irate. How the hell could people be so prejudice? I didn’t understand why certain people were so keen on repeating areas of the past that were now unsightly and just down right wrong. Why did the world go through with accepting Orbs if they were just going to protest against them later on? It made absolutely no sense. I had a personal stake in this claim now, through my connection with Kroven, but in spite of that, the thought of people wanting to get the center closed down, when it also benefited humans just as much as Orbs, threatened to consume my inner thoughts.
As soon as there were enough of us early shift people in the building, word had gotten around that Babs was going to hold a staff meeting. No sangamar had dared to even enter through the waiting room on the Orb wing thanks to the protesters outside, so those of us on the Orb wing didn’t have any patients to tend to. Apparently though, this was big enough to warrant an impromptu meeting.
After a few minutes of gathering everyone in the main lobby of the Orb wing, all of us waited for Babs to appear from her office to address us. We all stood surrounding the station, and Babs just walked in so that she was both the center of attention and so she could see everyone all at once.
“I’m sure everyone’s seen our newfansacross the street,” Babs wasted no time getting down to business. She rolled her eyes. “Unfortunately, none of our patients here in the Orb wing feel comfortable enough to seek consumption.”
“So what’s going to happen?” This came from Ronnie, my fellow attendant over here in this wing of the center. I really needed to try to make more friends. But after Kroven’s abrupt appearance here last time, I was pretty sure that being friends with Ronnie was off the table.
“A representative in affiliation with the center is going to speak with the protesters, to see what they want. To see what their goal is by stalking the center. In the meantime, we’re going to have to cut back on some hours.”
“That’s not fair!” Someone yelled from behind us.
“I know it’s not,” Babs said with an anchor of a sigh. “But there’s not enough patients in the human wing to warrant the staff we have now between both wings. The bastards outside are scaring away human patients too. Those of you that normally work in the Orb wing will alternate shifts in the human wing, so that everyone can get as many hours as possible. That’s the direction I’ve been giving until the representative arrives.”
Murmurs erupted from the staff, and someone from the human wing gave me a stabbing look. “What the hell?”
I just gave him a nod. These pricks were affecting our work now. I had this gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach that this wasn’t just going to affect the present. I had a really bad feeling about the future.
“Ronnie, Bradford, Lauren, Bas, Schuyler,” Babs said, eyeing each of us as she spoke our names. “You guys can go home forthe day. You’ll swap with a different group of attendants that usually work in the Orb wing tomorrow. I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”
I scoffed, the others making grumbling amongst the crowd as well. “What the hell am I supposed to do with my day now?”
Ronnie, clearly feeling like she knew something that others didn’t, chuckled. “I can think of one thing.”
I felt my cheeks flush at the insinuation. So she had thought more about the encounter between Kroven and I when he had shown up here yesterday. I guess I could see if Kroven was busy. What exactly did he do, anyway? Guilt ran through me like an electrical current. Why hadn’t I bothered to ask him that last night? I didn’t want him to think that I was only after his body. Maybe I could take the bus to his place again and see if he wanted to go on a proper date. Assuming he was comfortable enough to be seen out with a human to do that sort of thing.
Was I? Could I handle the stares that were waiting for us if we went out somewhere together? Humans and Orbs rarely mixed, like Thayer had mentioned before. But dating? I don’t think that it had ever been done before. At least not to the point where people were aware of it.
I shook myself. Of course I could handle it. I just wanted to learn everything I could about Kroven, anything he would allow me to know about him. Plus, being off work now, it did give me the perfect opportunity to talk with Kroven about where we stood going forward. The idea of going by to see Kroven started to sound like a better and better idea.
Chapter 11
Takingthe bus had taken even less time than after work yesterday, thanks to the fact that there was considerably less traffic given that it was hours before noon. I wondered what Kroven might be up to. Would he be tending to his house or working on some type of interesting hobby? My belly spun as the idea dawned on me that he might actually be working somewhere and he wouldn’t even be home.
When I got to Kroven’s place, I felt a wave of jittery butterflies doing acrobatics in my stomach. What would he think about me showing up announced like this? More importantly, would we talk about the sexy encounter we’d had the last time I was here?
My hand shook with eager anticipation as I knocked on his door. I waited, but Kroven never answered. I waited a couple minutes, but I didn’t even hear the rumblings of someone inside.
“We can’t do that!”
It was a faint voice, but I heard it enough to make out what words they were saying. The only trouble was that it didn’t sound like it was coming from the house. I could still tell that itwas Kroven, and he seemed angry. Curious, I started walking along the side of the house. Hoping I’d at least spot him so he knew that I was attempting to visit him.
The side of Kroven’s yard was as well looked after as the inside, and it caused a grin to shift comfortably on my face. The side of the cobblestone house had ivy dripping down between the cracks of it, whimsical and lavish. I could see the backyard was a decent size, a line of rose bushes along the part of the yard that was closest to my approach.
As I neared Kroven’s backyard, I heard his voice plummet low and determined. “The humans are getting bold.”
He sounded irate, and it inspired a flicker of fear in me. Would Kroven be mad that I was here now, having overheard the disdainful way he had saidhumans, like he couldn’t wait for it to leave his mouth.
“Are you sure Watson can help?” This was a foreign voice, one that sounded almost like they had water in their mouth, or they were trying to speak through something getting in the way of their words. “You’re absolutely positive that you can trust him?”
“As sure as I can be, given the situation.” Kroven sighed, and I could hear his footsteps as he began to pace. “Exo trusts him but I just wish he didn’t expect me to help handle this.”
This was starting to sound more and more personal as it went on, and there was a part of me that was beginning to feel guilty that I was eavesdropping. I cleared my throat, moving out from behind the rose bushes that were obscuring my presence, and I saw two heads whip in my direction.
