Turning Point

Leading the men towards the secure room the hospital had managed to install for their new patient, Gabriella forced a smile. “Thank you gentlemen, I can take it from here.” When they didn’t move, she let the smile drop and nailed them with a harsh stare that had served her well in getting unruly patients and staff under control. “That’ll be all, you can all leave now.”

Patrick smiled and said, “Shouldn’t they stay until I’m locked inside the room?”

“No,” Gabriella said, watching the men re-enter the elevator. “They’re only going to get in the way.”

“You’re leaving yourself very open for an attack, Gabriella.”

The words he whispered blew air on her cheek and she turned to face him, her anger evident. “Stop saying things like that, Mr. Mendell, and get inside your room, please.”

“Do you know that the moon will rise to its full power in exactly four hours and thirty eight minutes? I can feel it, you know.” He paused, glancing out the window wistfully. “I haven’t been outside in such a long time, and now the moon calls to me. Ironic isn’t it? The moon is calling to me, clichéd but so very true.”

Gabriella pushed a chair closer to him and rolled one over for herself. He took it, but placed it inside the boundaries of the new room before sitting down.

Keeping her mind on the task at hand, she picked up a pen and a small notebook before taking the seat she had left for herself. “How is it that it calls to you?”

“No self-interest at all?” he mocked, eyebrow raised. Before she could say anything, he said, “It is a strange tingling sensation. I know the sun is out and the moon is nowhere near its full strength, but it still has my skin tingling.”

She took a moment to digest that, her gaze straying to the window he had looked out seconds before. Four hours was all he had before the transformation began for him. It was hard to think about what he had to go through, let alone that she was the only one allowed to help him. She wasn’t a specialist when it came to weres, and if it weren’t for his stubbornness as well as the hospitals', she wouldn’t be in this situation.

“I can smell emotions, Gabriella. Want to write that down? I can smell the undercurrent of fear you feel; it’s addicting. Maybe you should close the door between us. That smell is dangerous for animals like me.”

Shaking her head, she said, “Don’t be ridiculous, Mr. Mendell. You’re as harmless as a gnat.”

Honey-colored eyes bore into her, and a flicker of something passed behind them, making her shiver. It wasn’t from the cold air coming from the vents, but in recognition of the beast that was waiting to come out.

“Still think that?” he challenged.

Refusing to back down, she nodded. “The only harm you can cause is harm to yourself, and that stems from your deep need to annoy others.”

The sound of his laughter was so unexpected that she jumped slightly off the chair, and the sight of him smiling made her wish she wasn’t the one in charge of him. She knew she was in trouble the day he woke up and called her by her name. How he’d known her name was still a mystery, but it both pleased and annoyed her to hear it come from his lips. It was why she refused to call him by his first name; being unprofessional just happened to be the perfect excuse.

“And why do you think it’s a deep need, Gabriella? It could simply be a hobby.”

“Stop calling me by my first name, Mr. Mendell.”

“Just as soon as you call me by mine,” he countered.

“Why are you so set on me calling you by your first name?”

“For the same reason you’re set on calling me by my last.”

She shook her head again. “You’re mistaken, Mr. Mendell. I call you by your last name because it is the professional thing for a doctor to call their patients by.”

“But I’ve told you this before, Gabriella. I’m not your patient. I’m much more than that, which is why my calling you by your professional name would be inappropriate.”

“But-”

“No,” he cut in. “Regardless of what your superiors have told you, my being here is specifically for research. By the end of tonight, there will no longer be a Patrick Mendell.”

“You’re being ridiculous,” Gabriella said, laughing a little. “Trust me, Mr. Mendell, you’re in good hands here.” The doubt in his eyes stung her, but she couldn’t blame him for it. So far, the hospital had barely tried to keep him comfortable. “That’s why they put me in charge of you,” she continued. “They want you to be as comfortable as possible.”

He snorted. “Yeah, as comfortable as a prisoner having a visitor. I can see what it’s like to be free and how close fresh air is, but have to remain in the same dank place.”

“Are you hungry?” she asked, hoping to lighten his mood a little.

“For the food served here? No thanks.”

“Well,” Gabriella said, her eyes moving back and forth in a conspiratorial manner. “You’ll be surprised to know that I planned for this, and even though it’s against the rules,” she pushed back and the chair rolled, taking her back to the desk. Her hands quickly opened a side cabinet and pulled out a barely warm bag of fast food. “I got you three big burgers, all of them double cheeseburger though because I wasn’t sure what you’d prefer. Asking you seemed a bit risky,” she rambled as she brought it back to him. “I couldn’t bring a drink, but there is coffee.”

Patrick stared at her, remaining silent as she went back to her chair and sat down. When her gaze nervously met his, he looked down, unable to believe that she’d gone through the trouble of bringing him something decent to eat.

“Oh,” she said, her face turning a brighter shade of red. “I forgot, here, let me go warm it up for you.”

He began to protest, wanting to tear into the food as the smell surrounded them, until he saw the microwave not too far from her desk.

“You were obviously prepared for this,” he commented, getting up and walking towards her. She didn’t reply, keeping her back to him as she stared at the microwave while it heated the food. Her scent mingled with the food had his mouth watering until he couldn’t tell which was more alluring.

The elevator door chimed, signaling someone had arrived and he swung around with a snarl. The same four men had returned, this time carrying small guns he was sure were loaded with either silver bullets or tranquilizers. Both would do him no good if they managed to hit him, and he growled, standing in front of Gabriella.

“Step away from the doctor, Mr. Mendell.”

Gabriella stepped around Patrick and glared at the four men who had drawn their weapons. “Stand down!” she yelled. “He’s not a werewolf, yet, you have no reason to treat him this way. He’s not threatening me or anyone, so put your damn guns away.”

“No can do, Dr. Cruz,” one man said. He had a crew cut and hard, unforgiving blue eyes. “We were told that he is to remain in his room until tomorrow morning and is to be considered dangerous until then. He is too close to you. Tell him to get back into the room or we will force him back in.”

“This is ridiculous,” she cried. Walking around Patrick, she strode towards the men and swatted at their hands. “You’re acting like greenhorns fresh out of training.”

“It’s fine,” Patrick called, glaring at the men with such anger that she was surprised the men didn’t wither on the spot. “I’ll go back to my ‘room.’”

Five sets of eyes watched as he walked back to the room she had led him to earlier. An air of arrogance surrounded him, and she wasn’t surprised when he turned and stared at her. “This is what I meant, Gabriella. I’m not a patient, I’m a prisoner.”

“That’s enough out of you,” one of the men sneered, striding angrily to his room and slamming the door closed.

“No, that’s enough out of all of you,” Gabriella said, turning to face the group of young men. “I want you out of here, and if you don’t leave I’ll make sure you’re never hired anywhere else for the rest of your young years.”

“We’re just doing as ordered, Dr. Cruz. We can’t leave.”

“Who gave you these orders?” she demanded, about ready to shove them into the elevator to get them out of her sight.

“The administrator,” the blue eyed man said. “Rossdale told us to stay here until this is done and the patient is stable enough to take back upstairs.”

“If you don’t get in the way, I won’t mind as much. Just wait in the other room,” she said, pointing to an empty room a little farther down the hall. “I’ll yell if I need anything. There’s cable TV in there,” she added, hoping to persuade them. “More than one, actually.”

They looked at each other, as if deciding, but the frown on the face of the man with blue eyes told her exactly what he thought of her idea. She didn’t care, though. This was her assignment and she wasn’t about to let greenhorns like them boss her or her patient around.

“We’ll keep the door open,” one man said. “And he stays in his room the entire time.”

“Fine,” she conceded. “He’ll stay in his room.”

Nodding, the men slowly strolled down the hall. Her eyes remained on the weapons on their belts, wondering what they were loaded with.

She heard the TV turn on and breathed a sigh of relief before walking back to the microwave to retrieve her patient’s meal. Regardless of what they wanted, she’d gone through enough trouble smuggling this food in for Patrick to just leave it there to rot.

Tapping softly on the door so as not to be overheard, she opened the door a little and peered inside. Swallowing a scream, she backed out of the room and faced the wall, waiting for her heart to stop hammering as loudly as it was. His laughter flowed out into the hall, making her cheeks burn with embarrassment.

“Sorry, Gabriella,” he said, still laughing. “Did I stun you so much that you became mute?”

“More like blind,” she muttered under her breath. “I brought you the food.” Closing her eyes, she turned back towards his room and held out the bag. “Since you decided to be so indecent,” she continued, “I’ll leave you alone while you eat.”

She continued muttering under her breath as she walked back to her desk, glaring at the microwave. “Stupid, indecent pig.” Taking a breath, she turned the coffee machine on and waited for it to heat, using the time to calm herself down. When it was ready, she poured him a cup and a couple of sugar packs before returning to his room.

Standing outside the door, she straightened her back, before knocking again.

“You can come in,” Patrick called. “I’m wearing the damn gown again.”

Smiling a little, she pushed the door open and placed the cup of coffee and packs of sugar next to the food he had almost finished devouring. “There’s milk to add, if you want.”

“Sit,” he said around a mouthful. “I’m wearing this for your sensitive needs.”

“Thanks,” she said wryly. “But I just-”

“So you fought those men and argue with me, bring me food and what you call coffee, but refuse my offer to sit?” He shook his head. “You are a very stubborn woman, Gabriella.”

“I am your doctor, Mr. Mendell, not your family member or girlfriend. I just wanted you to be comfortable.” She licked her lips before adding, “And those men have no right to tell me or you what to do. I’m the one in charge here, not them.”

“You don’t deny the stubbornness?” he asked, adding four packs of brown sugar into the black coffee.

“That would be lying,” she answered with a smile.

Taking a sip of the hot coffee, he motioned for her to sit. Again, she refused, taking a step back towards the door.

“Don’t leave,” he whined, his voice like that of a petulant child.

“Mr. Mendell,” she began, rubbing the bridge of her nose in an attempt to prevent a headache from coming on. “Stop acting so childish.”

“Fine,” he said, standing up so fast she didn’t even see him as he stopped a few inches away from her. “Then I’ll act like what I truly am.”

“A man with ketchup staining his chin?” she asked, trying to calm down. This was what she wasn’t prepared for; and his earlier warning flashed in her mind again.

“No, a werewolf caged inside a hospital that doesn’t want him yet doesn’t let him leave.”

“You’re the one who decided to stay here rather than going to a hospital who had specialists,” she countered, annoyed at the way he continued to blame the hospital she worked in. “You even denied having any specialists come over from a different hospital.”

He laughed then, a menacing sound that caressed her skin and raised the small hairs on the back of her neck.

“Do you really believe that, Gabriella? I have money, yes, but to fight to stay here? Never.” At the stricken look on her face, he said, “While I don’t mind the job you’ve been doing, I’d have had a specialist come over immediately. Mr. Rossdale, however, wants me to stay here. He’s made it so that I have no option, because if I leave, he’ll tell those goons of his to kill me.”

“You’ve lost your mind,” Gabriella said, her blood running cold at the thought.

“No, not yet I haven’t.” He peered over her shoulder, and said, “Those men are here to make sure I don’t leave.”

Gabriella laughed, the sound coming out a bit hysterical. “I’ve spoken with the administrators, Mr. Mendell, and they’ve told me how you threatened to sue them should they try to transfer you to a different hospital.”

“Damn,” Patrick said. “I almost had you.”

She raised an eyebrow at that. “You lost me the moment you started saying they’d kill you under the hospital’s orders.”

He smiled, and shrugged before walking over to the small bed and sitting on it. “It was worth a shot.”

She wanted to ask, what the real point was, but thought better of it. If he didn’t want to explain, she wouldn’t push him. His sense of humor was something she wasn’t sure was all too safe, and for that same reason, walked out of his room.

A loud scream had Gabriella shooting to her feet and running to Patrick’s door, ignoring the shouts of the four men telling her to stay away. Her hands trembled in fear as the door separating her from Patrick shook with such force that she was surprised it didn’t crumble.

“Please, Doctor, stay away from the door and any walls near the wolf’s room.”

“It’s supposed to hold him,” she whispered, unable to take her eyes away from the door as it was continuously assaulted from the inside. “I can’t sedate him,” she said to herself. “His body wouldn’t handle it.”

“Doctor,” the man with blue eyes warned. “Step away from the door. Now.”

Amber eyes focused on him and her anger rose. “How dare you try to boss me around while that man is screaming in pain. Don’t you realize that I’m the one responsible for him?”

“Regardless,” he said, waving a hand to stop her from saying anything. “You need to move away from his room until the sun rises.”

Snarls could be heard a second before the door shuddered, this time budging a little.

“It’s not gonna hold,” one man said, his eyes widening in fear. Three of the men reached for their guns and aimed at the door.

The blue eyed man wrapped a hand around her arm and tugged her to the side as the door creaked.

“It’s supposed to hold,” Gabriella repeated, unable to believe her eyes. “It’s his first transformation, he shouldn’t be this strong.”

“He’s not a ‘he’ anymore, Doctor. It’s a werewolf inside, and one that’s about to break out. I need you to call for assistance and tell them what’s happening.”

“What are you going to do?” she asked, afraid of the answer. She ran to her desk and dialed for help, informing them of the situation.

When she ran back to them, the blue-eyed man said, “If he comes out before help arrives, shoot him.”

“What’s in those guns?”

“Tranquilizers.”

Chewing on her lower lip, she let out a small scream when the lights shut off and the emergency alarm went on. The lights came back on at the same moment Patrick broke through the door. Gabriella knew he wouldn’t recognize them in his current state of mind, just as she knew that the scent of their fear would make him attack. All she could do was watch as he lunged at one of the men, taking him down before tearing his throat out. He never got the chance to scream.

Three guns fired simultaneously as round after round of tranquilizer hit the werewolf. None of them seemed to affect him as he turned and launched himself at another man, his muzzle snapping around his torso as he shook the body back and forth until his victim stopped screaming.

The guns clicked empty and what little hope Gabriella had that this would stop, faded away. With two men dead and the werewolf turning to face them, she knew this wouldn’t get back under control. The chances of any of them escaping were so slim it wasn’t even plausible, and she doubted help would arrive in time; if it even came at all.

Patrick leaped and the blue-eyed man threw himself in front of her, saving her life while sacrificing his.

Terrified and in shock, Gabriella fell to the ground sobbing. The last man made a dash for the stairs, but his sudden movement caught the werewolf’s attention and it ran after him, catching him way before he touched the doorknob.

The man screamed and punched at the werewolf, but it did little to stop it from tearing into his arm. He continued to scream, the blood pouring out of his arm. The werewolf howled, but staggered away from the body. It stumbled down the hall, towards her and Gabriella scrambled backwards.

Limbs shifted, lengthened, and bones rearranged themselves until the werewolf was gone and Patrick lay in human form. He was shivering, coughing up blood, his eyes closed by the time he returned to his human state.

Gabriella hesitated a few seconds before running towards him, rolling him onto his back, and checking his heartbeat. It was still beating, but it was weak and his breathing was ragged.

She knew he didn’t deserve to die from the overdose of tranquilizer they had shot him with, even though he had killed all the men and had tried killing her, too. Her instinct told her to run and leave him there, while she had the chance, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

“Run,” he coughed, blood leaking from the corner of his lips.

“Sh, Mr. Mendell, conserve your energy.”

Running back to her desk, she called for emergency assistance and was told they were on their way up the stairs. She hung up and opened the cabinets and drawers surrounding the desk, pulling out all sorts of supplies; her mind competing with her heart for speed, her body moving too slowly for either one.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed when she could find nothing that could help him. "Mr. Mendell, please focus on me." Her hands reached out and slapped his cheek with just enough force to rouse him from the sleep he was falling into.

A mocking smile formed on his lips as tears continued to roll down her face. "Now, Gabriella, you know we're not supposed to be so formal with one another."

She shook her head, fighting back tears as he started coughing. Lightly moving his head into her lap, her lips curled into a determined smile. "You're right, Patrick. Now, watch as I break the rules for you."

Taking off her coat, she laid it out as a pillow and placed his head on it before running into the rooms on that floor. Finally she found an IV and dragged it back to where he was, bringing a drawer filled with medicine.

Werewolves had a stronger immune system than humans, which was why Patrick hadn’t died, but also why it took longer for drugs to affect them. Unable to carry him, she dragged everything to where he was; determined to keep him alive.

“Gabr-” he was cut off by another coughing fit and a bit of white foam came out with blood.

“Relax, Patrick, I’m here,” she said, hooking him up to the machines while she examined the shots she was going to inject him with. She wasn’t sure if they’d work, but it would at least counteract some of the tranquilizer flowing through his system.

The stairwell door burst open and security rushed in, their guns aiming at them almost immediately. “No!” she yelled, even as she heard the guns go off. Bullets tore through Patrick’s body and he screamed in agony, his body convulsing.

“Stop!” she screamed, putting her body on top of his in an attempt to protect him from any more bullets. Her actions were in vain, however, as they continued to shoot, hitting her as well as him.

A bitter smile curved her lips as Patrick stopped breathing. Moments later, she did the same.