Chapter Three

I arrived a few minutes later than the GPS said due to a little wildlife. I never thought I would see actual wolves but the size of the one I just saw looks like something otherworldly. It was huge, as big or bigger than one of those mastiff type dogs. Like wow how can wolves be that big. I swear this place just get weirder by the minute, anyway after I slammed on my brakes to stop before hitting him, I don’t know why but I just know it a boy wolf, but as he crossed and the road and almost causing me to hit him he just stops right in the middle of the road. It was a good thing I was driving slower and braking in time. the little shit just sat there and stared at me with his head tilted and you he was hanging out until I heard a growl-like bark that felt like a warning, which made the large black wolf turn his head and run off into the woods. I started driving after a moment of looking into the woods where the wolf disappeared then drove on toward Altur Clinic. I don’t even remember how I made it because all I could think was that it was real. No, I was definitely fling insane from lack of sleep due to those dreams and jet lag. Yupp!!! That must be it. I have lost my mind and that wasn’t massive wolf dog wasn’t real.

Soon as I parked it was no more than 2 minutes until I saw a woman and man come outside the building and straight for my car. Weird, he didn't have a guard uniform. The woman was tall and thin but physically fit with taught muscle, short wavy black hair, and russet eyes. She looks to be in her mid-40s like my mother. She taps on my window which makes me jump a little but the window is tinted so she can’t see me so I open the door and then she says, “Emmy I’m sorry if I startled you” While reaching to give me a hug after I stepped out of the car.

Tara steps back and that is when a massive man comes closer. Like dude really?? He is huge, reminds me of one of those lumberJack men from the romance books. Tara laughs clearly amused by my reaction to him. “Emmy this is your personal guard, Lincoln Belmont. He will be your personal security guard while you work here. It was a safety measure requested from your mother.” Of course she would. Seriously a shaking my head kind of moment. Lincoln was a man the same age as my mother and Tara but he has an Alpha male aura to him that says he is not one to mess with. He had the rough outdoors male with his gruff bread, gray eyes with silver flecks and russet messy hair with a little gray. He was the type that if I was into older men he would be on my bucket list. He was all muscle with his leather jacket and biker boots. He is basically one of those country rugged men who you see on Hallmark movies that make a woman from the city fall in love. He held out his hand and it took me a moment to come back to myself and take his hand to shake. As Tara and the guard steps back, I open the car door further to get my purse then I close and lock my car. I follow behind Tara while she keeps talking to me and the guard behind us. “Lincoln will be the guard on your shifts but if he cannot be here for some reason his next in command will come which is his nephew. I personally know him since we were kids, we both spent a lot of time with your mother before you and her moved away. He will ensure you get safely to your car and that nothing happens. This is a day clinic but a few years ago a corporation bought the building and insisted that the clinic be open at night but not open to the public, it is open to those who are unsavory so you will be protected but someone is needed at the front desk for check ins and to help Doc with records and to help keep him organized which will be your job to check in the patients and to ensure all their files are enclosed in the Altur night cabinet only. Lucian is the physician you will be working with. The man is not very pleasant, but he is a damn good doctor and once he gets to know you it becomes easy to work with him. Just don’t talk him to death, which from what your mother says y’all will work perfectly together.

Hearing her tell me about the night clinic I got a foreboding feeling but pushed it in the deal with the late file. Tara, once she was done with her night clinic speech, she walked me over to the side door and said, “This is the only door in and out at this time of night.” The side door she points at leads into a hall that leads to other businesses in this building.

“You will be let in by the guard on duty which unless something happens it will be Linc. I will give you a key just in case you get here early, or something comes up and you have to let yourself in or lock up for Doc.” She said as she showed me the back of the building and the corridor where all the businesses are.

She grabs my attention by touching my shoulder and says, “this corridor should not be occupied by anyone but you, Lucian, and Lincoln since only the clinic is open at night. Except for the basketball court that is off of the end of the left corridor through that door that can also lead to the outside on the other side of the court.”

“So, the corridor is locked and only me, Linc, and the Doc have a key?” I asked to confirm. Lincoln gave a weird smile when I called him Linc. I guess he liked me calling him Linc so it showed I ensured trust in his ability to protect me. I just don’t like to say much and it is easier to shorten people's names.

“Yes,” the door to the clinic through the corridor is open during the day but at night only the three of you will have a key.” She said matter of factly.

She leads us back to the clinic and as Linc unlocks the door Tara puts her arms over my shoulders and says, “Okay let's get inside and you settle before the start of your shift.” I look around the clinic as I step back inside, and it has a dreary looking waiting room like any doctor office with a professional décor theme. I’m still in my clothes after I arrived as I was stepping off the plane except for the coat I wore but have take off since walking into the office.

“I don’t think I'm dressed for work” I said pointing at my attire as I stood in the lobby of the clinic.

“Sweetie you can wear whatever you wish as long as you're comfortable and don’t mind blood or other bodily fluids getting on your clothes or you can use the scrubs that are in the office which are new and your size.”

“You can thank me later” she says as she walks out and shuts the door to the office behind her leaving me with Linc and the empty office.

I decided to opt in for the scrubs so I went to the office to pick up the scrubs from the locker that had my name on it and went into the bathroom to change. Once I came out of the bathroom which was a very nice and clean one with a glass shower and a vanity with shelves for supplies. I went back into the office, and I put my street clothes and my purse in the locker but kept my phone in one of the front scrub shirt pockets.

After about 2 minutes of putting my things away I came out of the office in black scrubs and who I assume to be Lucian talking with Lincoln in a language I have never heard. Soon as I shifted my foot, they looked over at me and Lincoln then waved me over. I walked over to the two men. The one that must be Dr. Lucian is an older man, probably in his early 50s. Lucian is just a slender man with fair complexion, white hair, and icy blue eyes. As I walk up to them standing there talking I can feel the old man feeling already exacerbated with me just by the sound of the sigh when I come to stand in front of them. It looks like it is going to be a long night.

Doc doesn’t speak to me, he turns to Linc and says, “How about we get the new girl set up so I don’t have to do two jobs.”

“Luc go sulk in your office. I will help Embyrson get set up.” Linc said with a shake of his head.

“Yeah”, is all doc says waving his hand in the air as he walks off into his office.

Linc walks over to the storage cabinet that is next to the doc now closed office door and says, “Okay Emy here is the file storage you will be working with the key is on the same ring as with the outside and office door key that Tara handed you earlier.”

I take the key and open the storage cabinet so I can access it the rest of the night and then stick the keys back into my pocket. We walk over to the reception counter and sit in the chair while Linc reaches for a sticky note that was left on the computer screen and hands it to me then he says, “The computer you will use is the one in front of you that has two screens attached to it, just log in with the username and password which is on the sticky note that I just handed to you. You will get an email with your work email and inside your work email will contain your welcome packet which includes your ID badge which is only needed to access the building off the corridor at night. You will not have to wear one since this is a small-town night clinic but make sure you print it over there on the ID printer tonight.”

He does not speak after that, just walks away and goes to the door. Doc comes out and says he has a house call then leaves. Linc just stands at the door until I get a notification on the computer saying someone is buzzing in. He heard the notification and then left out the door without a word. In an email I read while sitting alone in the office it says “ no one can enter the building at night without an escort to and from the building.”

“The computer once you log in will have a direct connection to the service text that allows someone to text for entry for medical care via Dr. Lucian. Once the notification sounds you let Linc or Doc know and they will walk the patient into the office.”

The sender of the email was [e-mail] it also had no signature so I my guess is this automated new hire setup for the administrator. This setup feels mobish, Which makes me also think that it is why Lincoln must take me to and from my car. I get this feeling this town is going to change my life in more ways than one if I stay here. I don’t have much choice and it pays well and it is something I really needed so I can save up as much as possible. I want to be able in my second year to get a place off campus but I have a feeling that will be hard in a small town like this.

After Doc came back, we had a few patients lead in my Linc setting in the waiting room waiting to be seen after a fight broke out at a bar across town. It was quiet most of the night. I finally finished the night/morning which was 5:00 am when I headed back home to my dorm. It was eerily quiet except for the howling in the woods that went off out past the Hades dorm.