Chapter 5
“Mr. Fleming, if you could just come away.”
Cal looked at Eldritch, a skeptical expression embedded on his face. Didn’t the fat man see that the girl had wrapped herself around his legs?
He peered down at her. She was beyond pretty, maybe beyond beautiful, with her deep blue eyes and raven hair. She tucked her head against his knees, then started babbling.
“Fleming. A crater on the moon. A borough in Alexandria, the home of the pharaohs. John Ambrose Fleming. Alexander Fleming. Ian Fleming. Clan Fleming.”
Cal froze.Ian Fleming. That was the pseudonym he was currently masquerading under. How had she ferreted out that piece of information? He’d taken his name from a book on Territhian history. He liked to tailor each name to the planet on which he was claiming identity. And this name was associated with spy business, a little tip of the cap to a culture long since forgotten.
Except it hadn’t been forgotten by the little lady fastened to his legs.
She probably saw it on the sign-in sheet in the guard shack, he told himself.No need to give into paranoia, even if this place feels like the appropriate place to do so.
“I can think,” she shouted, hugging him tightly. “I can speak!”
“And you can quiet down,” the hulking nurse said, stabbing a needle into the girl’s arm.
In only a few moments, the pressure around his legs loosened. Gemmaline collapsed backward onto the floor, her face stricken. “Why?” she whispered. “Not the fog.”
“Help me get her to her room,” the nurse said, jerking her head at an orderly. They pulled her up, lifting under her arms, and started carrying her off down the hall, her feet dragging beneath her. She looked back at him, her eyes sad.
“I do apologize for that little bit of unpleasantness,” Eldritch was saying, touching Cal on his shoulder. “Occasionally, our residents act out, but we always take care of things rather quickly.”
“I’ll say,” Cal replied, his eyes narrowing.
“We only have the patient’s best interest in mind,” Eldritch said reassuringly. “We resort to medication for their benefit. Believe me, if you’ve seen one of our residents in a full-blown episode, you’d see the need for medical intervention as well.”
“Speaking of medical intervention, isn’t it about time I met the doctors who run this place?”
Eldritch’s eyes widened in surprise. “Uhh, as I said, it’s more common for us to make an appointment with family members after our new residents have been fully assessed.”
“That may be more common,” Cal countered, “but I just don’t think my parents would approve of me leaving my little brother in the care of someone I haven’t even met.”
“Well, that’s as may be, but—”
“It’s all right, Eldritch,” came a smooth voice from the corridor. “I’ll take over from here.” Cal watched as a broad man in a white coat entered the rec room. He was bald, his skin a dark brown but with eyes that were a blue so light that they bordered on white. He extended a hand to Cal. “I’m Dr. Grimm, the head doctor here at Red Planet Sanitarium.”
The man’s grip was firm. On his face was a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. There was something about him that put Cal on edge, but he couldn’t put his finger on what exactly that thing was.
“I hear your brother is thinking about joining us here at RPS. Isn’t that right, James?”
Juston nodded, a lost look on his face.If he’s acting, he should win an award. Cal didn’t think his brother was that skilled, so he must be unsettled as well.
“The jury’s still out on whether we’ll settle on this place,” Cal stated, for some reason bristling at the doctor’s chummy demeanor.
Grimm nodded. “It’s an important choice, and not one to be taken lightly. I’m more than willing to answer any of your questions, if you’ll just follow me to my office?”
Cal gave a glance to Eldritch, whose function as tour guide had just been usurped. He smiled, motioning with a wave of his hands that they should follow the doctor. With a glance at Juston, who shrugged in reply, they set off down the hall, following Grimm.
They reached a door and the doctor opened it, heading inside. Cal followed, noticing immediately the woman seated on the desk. She was tall, striking, her dark hair pulled up in a severe bun, her white coat doing little to disguise a supple body. But her midnight-black eyes radiated a coldness that would have caused Cal to shiver if he hadn’t suppressed the reaction
He saw his brother start beside him, staring at the female. Cal knew that look and immediately hoped it wouldn’t throw a wrench into their works.
“This is Dr. Dunkel. She assists me in my initial assessments.” Dunkel nodded, and Dr. Grimm motioned toward the empty chairs in front of his desk. Taking a seat behind it, he steepled his fingers and waited for them to get settled.
Cal took a seat and pulled Juston down into the chair beside him. He again wondered if his brother were acting or if he was really as mesmerized by the long swinging legs of the female doctor as he appeared.Gods help us if he’s not acting.
