With casual grace, El slipped the bag off Lian's shoulder and slid it onto his own. Dark eyes glanced around the hall as he led Lian past doorway after doorway as if they were traversing a complicated maze. Lian wondered if El was looking for someone the way he carefully searched before crossing each intersection.
"You have a room by yourself. All the doctors do. Everyone else bunks in twos and threes." El stopped before a door, one among a hallway of white doors, and flashed Lian a smile. "See," he pointed to a small brass plaque with the words Dr Lian Blythorpe stamped on it.
Lian thought it a rather elaborate nameplate for someone who would only be there for a few months.
"Here you are." El waved Lian forward.
Upon entering, Lian found a small room with a bed, a dresser, and a desk. It didn't scream luxury but he'd stayed at worse places. Relief filled him when he saw his bags lined up neatly along one wall.
"I'd suggest you wait to unpack. I'll take you to Bourne right away. He doesn't like to be kept waiting." El's tone indicated horrible repercussions if they were late.
"Lead the way." Lian didn't want to start out on Bourne's bad side. He had a feeling the other man would hate him enough when Lian finished bringing to light Bourne's poor medical practices.
As they walked down the hall, Lian didn't see anyone else around. Where were the patients? Maybe the sterility of the place scared them off.
El stopped suddenly outside a pair of carved oak doors. "A word of advice. Don't upset the big man. Bourne's an ass but he knows his stuff. Mostly."
Nodding, Lian followed El through the doors and straight to a large rectangular table where a heavy-set dark-haired man sat with four other people; three men dressed like medics and a red-haired woman with cold black eyes. Lian had no doubt who ran the place. Bourne oozed authority.
A large array of food covered the surface. More food than some people ate in a day on many of the planets Lian had worked on. The waste made Lian ill.
"Dr Ellerby, who do we have here?" The big man yelled across the room, his voice all but rattling the glasses before him.
Since Lian knew the man expected his arrival, he wasn't impressed with the show, obviously designed to put him at a disadvantage while the others tried to stare Lian down. Lian had worked at some of the toughest clinics in the galaxies. No one intimidated him without bringing a weapon to the fight.
"Dr Bourne, this is Dr Lian Blythorpe, our newest medic. If you remember he's a touch healer and is studying dragon fertility."
"Excellent." Dark flat eyes stared at him with a chilling intensity. "We look forward to hearing about your findings. Of course, as the main medical facility on the planet, we can't afford to have someone just sitting on their ass doing research. We expect you to pitch in. Since I just received communication about your actions earlier today, you can be assigned the dragon fields. They need a new medic."
Bourne's companions chuckled.
Lian kept his silence. He wouldn't feed into the situation, but he'd definitely be talking to Maurek later about keeping things quiet; the man had failed spectacularly. Bourne knew the medical association had already funded Lian's research. Apparently Bourne thought he'd get some free medical assistance while Lian was there. Lian wouldn't rock the boat until he left. Once he had documented proof Bourne didn't live up to his oaths, he'd have the man's license revoked.
"I'd be happy to help out," Lian said smoothly. "As long as I get afternoons for research."
Bourne's companions laughed. A sharp-eyed redhead smirked in Lian's direction. "Haven't the last three healers been eaten?"
"Yes." A slim man purred with obvious enjoyment. "Dragons don't like medics messing with their riders and the natural shifters don't like to be poked around with."
"Very proprietary." Another man that looked similar to the first one gave Lian what he more than likely thought was an enticing smile. "I bet our new healer is man enough to handle the job."
Ick.
Deciding to ignore the comments around him, Lian focused on Bourne. The others were just decoration. He knew the type, yes-men and women who clung to anyone with power. He'd seen plenty of them during his travels. They weren't worth his time or attention.
"Report to Maurek tomorrow, mid-morning. Enjoy your evening, medic," Bourne ordered.
"Thank you, sir." Lian would enjoy having Bourne fired.
He had no doubt the problems at the medical facility started with that man. He'd talk to Maurek about having set office hours except for emergencies.
As the doors closed behind them he exchanged a look with El.
El gave him a wide smile. "You heard the man, let's go enjoy our evening."
* * * *
Nevair scowled at his assistant. "You're supposed to be on my side, Tres."
