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Colton was sitting at the island, copying his list so he could give one to Slate and Dr. Luna. In the background,his roommate was baking something causing his mouth to water. “What are you making? It smells fantastic.”
“Steak Tampiquena.”
“What’s that?”
“Mexican Steak. An old wolf taught me how to cook a number of Mexican dishes when I was here several years ago. This dish has steak, roasted green chili peppers, garlic, onion, and Monterey Jack pepper cheese in it. It’s one of my favorites.”
“Wow, my brother Dakota would love to make that. He’s the chef in the family.”
A knock at the front door brought an immediate change to Slate’s demeanor. “I’ll get it. You stay here.” Slate moved cautiously towards the front door, sniffing, then suddenly relaxing as he quickly strode toward it, unlocked it and yanked it open. “Hey Juan, good to see you. Come in.”
Colton stood up, nervously twisting his hands behind his back. Here was the man who insisted Slate hire him for Frontline Doctors.Shit, what if, after meeting him, Dr. Luna changed his mind.Oh fuck. Crap. Shit.Colton remembered Jackson telling him he could do this. Yeah, his big brother was always encouraging them to follow their dreams even when they were little kids. He squared his shoulders, standing proud. After all, this meeting did not make or break his dream. He was good and he knew it, so now he just needed to showcase his abilities.
Colton studied Dr. Luna as he stood talking to Slate. Tall, well-built with muscles but not as big as Slate’s. Dark-blond, shoulder-length hair tied back with a leather string, almost black eyes and a short tight beard, no, maybe more of a scuff covering his square jaw and dimpled chin. As Colton’s thoughts turned to getting inbed with him another sharp pain stabbed his chest. He put the wayward pain aside as Dr. Luna walked over with his arm extended.
Reaching out and shaking his hand, Colton said, “Hola, Dr. Luna, Buenas tardes.”
“Hola, Colton. Hablas español?”
“No, not yet. I just started my Spanish lessons.”
“Good. Knowing different languages will be very useful if you want to work with Frontline Doctors.”
“I recently came to the same conclusion.”
Dr. Luna turned to Slate. “What did I tell you? This one’s a keeper.”
Colton could feel his ears turning red at the compliment. Uncomfortable, he remained silent, hoping Slate would come to his rescue.
“Juan, lunch is ready so have a seat at the table with Colton. I’ll bring it in. Have you guessed what we are having?”
“Sí. My favorite. You are too good to me. Has Slate told you how he learned to cook this dish?”
“Yes, an old wolf taught him.”
“Bullshit. Old wolf indeed. My grandfather taught me and I taught him.”
“Technically what I said is true,” Slate chuckled, “I just left out the middleman,” Then he set steaming plates of delicious smelling steak in front of them, saying, “Buen provecho.”
Colton took his first bite and nearly groaned out loud.Oh, my gods, he had to give this recipe to Dakota. Maybe he could find a Mexican cook book for him while he was here. He dove into his meal as did the others, enjoyinglistening to the talk between the doctor and Slate. Sitting back, he took a break while he thought about his experiences so far. And the more he reflected, the surer he felt this life was meant for him. Jarring him out of his post-meal contentment, he felt Slate nudging his foot.What? Shit, he missed the doctor’s question.
Slate covered for him. “Colton, I’dalsolike to know if you have any questions or comments about the hospital and clinic.”
Oh fuck, he owed Slate one for saving his ass. “Actually, I made a list of points I wanted to cover with you, Slate. Do you want me to go over it now?”
“Sure, it’ll save time. Do you have the time, Juan?”
“Sí.”
“Okay,” Colton began. “The first thing is that the patients’ rooms are missing drapes, pictures, chairs…like recliners…and they need to be painted in soothing colors. It’s always tough for anyone to be sick enough to be hospitalized and it’s even worse for a shifter. If every room could remind the patient of home, they would heal faster, and it would be less traumatic, especially to the family.”
Slate looked at Juan and then slammed his fist on the table causing Colton to jump. “Why didn’t I see that?”
Juan chuckled. “Because you aren’t in the frontline of patient care as Colton is. Well done, what other ideas do you have?”
“Well, in remote locations like this, it’s hard to find nurses who want to relocate so I propose a training program for shifters…male or female…located in isolated areas so they can get a two-year nursing certificate by working under a group of medical professionals such as yourself, Dr. Luna. The program would ensure every pack has at least a nurse to provide medical care and keep track of issues that pop up.” Colton paused, before adding his final point. “And the program would fit in with Dire Enterprise’s mandate of providing steady jobs for shifters.”
