She was with Marta who threw deadly glares my way.
“I can see you’re done.” Guinevere turned to me. “Ms. Monroe will take it from here.”
I followed Marta out of the ward, curious to know what was next.
“Before you get accepted, we’ll have to test you.” She hit the elevator button. “It’s standard procedure. We’ll see how well you perform, which would determine if you get to join us or not.”
She took us to the ground floor, into a surgical ward. I found a doctor inside and three others standing and watching from outside.
“What’s going on?” I asked in a tone only Marta could hear.
She shrugged casually. “You claim to be so good at what you do. I’m sure you wouldn’t have a problem proving to the team how good you are with surgery.”
My jaw dropped. “What? But I never told you I was good at surgery.”
“But you kept hinting at the fact that you’re better than me. Besides, I already told them you’re a pro at surgery, Lyric. It’d be disastrous if you told them you couldn’t do it now. Believe me, they’ll kick you out without second thoughts.”
My heart skipped a beat. This was a set up. She was looking for a way for me to give up myself.
She smirked as she walked into the ward. I glanced at the people watching from outside, staring at me with beady eyes. They looked like the kind of people that would look out for your failure rather than your success.
Taking a deep breath, I went in with Marta.
“And just so you know,” she tilted her head to my side so me alone could hear her. “He’s sick with Moonlit Affliction. It’s at its terminal stage, which is why a lot of us here have been unwilling to help him. No one wants the blood of someone as powerful as him in our hands.”
Him?
I looked at the unfamiliar face of the old man asleep on the bed. “Wh-Who’s he?”
“Alpha Zarek’s father.”
What?
I looked at her with disbelief. It’d be very bad if the retired Alpha gets to die in my hands. I didn’t even know what Zarek’s deal was with me yet.
The doctor in the room came up to me with a nurse beside her, holding some materials.
“Mrs. Dreadmoor. We’ve been expecting you,” the doctor said with a warm smile.
I noticed Marta roll her eyes when the woman called me by Jaris’ name.
The nurse handed me a coat and some surgical gloves.
“Doctor Monroe tells us you’re very good at this,” the nice doctor said.
“Y-Yeah.” I guess.
Gods, I was so nervous. I’d never operated on anyone before. And the man’s condition seerned serious.
Marta was evil. She was setting me up for failure so I’d never get accepted.
The nice doctor went ahead to brief me on the surgery.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be here to guide you. Just in case things go, you know, haywire.” She concluded with a smile and a tap on my hand.
“Thanks.” I managed to smile back.
When I looked back at the window, doctor Guinevere had joined the others watching me.
There were so many eyes now. I couldn’t fail in front of them. I’d lose this job.
Marta came closer to me, as if to reassure me. She whispered in my ear. “Now, show them how much of a loser you are, Lyric.”
LYRIC
I flinched from her words. If there weren’t so many eyes on us, I’d have yelled at her to fuck off.
She smiled as she stepped away from me, going out of the room to join the rest of the doctors watching me.
Inhaling for courage, I went closer to the patient. The moment I touched his hand, I knew what to do. What could help him. It was going to be a complex surgery, but I think I could do it.
OUTSIDE THE ROOM.
“I hope this isn’t a bad idea, Marta. You should’ve given her something easy to start with,” one of the doctors watching aired her concern.
“It’s called a test for a reason, doctor Meredith. Besides, don’t worry, I’m sure she can handle it. She’s quite good.” Marta smiled.
And between them, there was that unspoken relief hanging in the air: At least, if anything happened to the old man, his blood wouldn’t be on their hands.
An hour into the surgery.
The man’s vitals still looked stable. So far, Lyric hadn’t done a mistake to set off the alarms.
“She looks like she knows what she’s doing,” Someone remarked.
“Yeah. She’s handling it quite well.”
Marta’s throat became scratchy.
No. There was still time. Time for Lyric to fail. No one had been able to treat Moonlit Affliction. Lyric wouldn’t be the first.
But another hour into the surgery and Lyric was done. The assisting doctor in the room gave the ones outside a thumbs up, she too, looking surprised.
“She did it!” One of them gasped with relief. “By the moon, she did heal him!”
The man’s vitals looked way better than they were before the surgery. He was going to be fine!
“How did she do that!?” One of them shook her head.
In their whole years, they’d never seen anyone successfully carry out this surgery. How could the woman before them be capable of this?
Marta was as pale as a ghost. She wished for the ground to open and swallow her whole.
“Mrs. Monroe!” Guinevere chuckled. “You have no idea how happy I am that you brought her to this ward. You’ve done a really great job! We’ve found a gem!”
**********
LYRIC
I did it!
This had to be the best day of my life since I returned to the werewolf world. I was brimming with so much excitement I feared my heart would burst out of my chest.
The doctors were extremely happy and congratulated me for getting the job. Afterwards, Guinevere took me to her office where we discussed my payment. What she was offering was quite huge-more than what I’d expected. But I was more interested in the fact that I’d get to save more lives like the man in there.
Xylon was right. There was too much suffering in the hospital, and someone with my gift shouldn’t be in hiding. As long as I don’t poke my nose where it does not belong, I won’t get into trouble like the last time.
We concluded I’d resume fully in three days. It’d give me enough time to get prepared.
On my way out, I found Marta lurking outside the office. Had she been eavesdropping on our conversation?
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.