Chapter Four

Frowning softly in thought, Luna wondered what this meeting could be about - and with whom. One hand in the pocket of her white coat where the panic button sat, she lifted her free hand and gave a knock, announcing her arrival, before opening the door only to find Alaric Jones was there.
“Doctor Jones.” Luna greeted in her soft, friendly voice.
“Ah, Luna.” Doctor Jones greeted the young woman as she closed the door behind her. “I hope you don’t mind but we need to talk. Take a seat…” he said with a wave of his arm. He took the seat at the head of the conference table as though to assert authority as Acting Chief of Medicine.
“Of course.” She agreed cooperatively. Luna took the first side seat that was closest to him. She wasn’t concerned about who sits where and what level of position they were in. She was more concerned about the problem that has caused a meeting between the two. She could only hazard a guess now that it was Alaric who had called the meeting, and as to what it was about. “I’m assuming this was about yesterday’s altercation?”
“Yes, that is correct. Your driver had no right to lay his hands on me! And certainly no right to be hanging around the hospital with that disease-ridden mongrel. He’s lucky I’m not pressing charges!”
“And I appreciate the kindness you have shown by not pressing charges, Doctor Jones.” Luna said softly, the gentle tone remaining in her voice as she continued on, “But with all due respect, the dog is allowed outside the hospital. He’s healthier than the people smoking in the same vicinity. As for Mr Ryder’s general presence, permission was approved by Mattie and the Board of Directors to give him unlimited access to the hospital. It’s just a precaution for the moment.”
Alaric frowned, this was the first he heard of such a thing! “Precaution, for what?”
Luna inhaled deeply, knowing she had probably already said too much �" considering it was on a ‘need to know’ basis, however she did owe him an explanation after yesterday’s altercation.
“Protection.” She said before emphasising the explanation further, “My protection.” She paused before continuing on, “I’ve received a few threatening phone calls over the course of a week. Mattie hired a bodyguard.”
“Seems a little drastic, don’t you think?”
Luna shrugged softly, “I didn’t have a choice in the matter. Mattie made the decision for me.”
“Why? Like I said…It’s a little too much of a drastic measure for just a few phone calls that can be handed over to the police….”
“The police weren’t overly interested when there was no means of tracing the call. So Mattie took it upon himself. He’s just looking out for his little sister.” Luna said, a fond smile playing on her lips.
Alaric nodded slowly as he processed this information. He took it better than Luna did when she found out she suddenly had a bodyguard by her side!
“How am I expected to run a hospital when I’m not being correctly informed about the additional presence to our staff?” Alaric grumbled, not being appreciated about being kept in the dark on such a big change in the dynamics.
Luna’s brows furrowed into a slight frown at hearing this. It wasn’t his job to run the hospital. That was Mattie’s, and the Boards. She didn’t think too much of his comment though. She knew he worked closely with her Father and shared the same passion and dedication to the hospital. So she understood that he was probably just protecting the hospitals’ reputation. Especially when he quite often stood in as Acting Chief of Medicine.
“Yes, well I do apologise. But it was a strict and minimal ‘need-to-know’ basis. A decision made between the Board and Mattie. I had no say in the matter whatsoever. But considering you and I are to be working closely together, I won’t deny that you should have been informed on the situation too.”
“Rightly so.” He agreed with an air of arrogance, though it went unnoticed by Luna as she was used to this behaviour from him. Alaric was definitely one who held himself in a high regard. “But it doesn’t excuse the fact that he laid his hands on me.”
“No, it doesn’t.” Luna agreed, “And I do apologise for that matter too. But it was a simple misunderstanding.”
“I’d hardly call it that!” Alaric scoffed.
Giving a soft, sympathetic smile, she apologised once more before attempting to start her day at the hospital. “Nevertheless Doctor Jones, I am genuinely sorry about yesterday’s altercation and you being misinformed. This was not how I intended to start my first day with you.” She said, slightly worried that they this had jeopardised her new working relationship with the senior man.
Alaric waved a hand, dismissing her apology in a friendly manner despite already having made a bigger deal out of it.
“Apology accepted. Aren’t you giving a speech soon?” Alaric suddenly asked in an attempt to lighten the mood �" when he really wanted to know a little more detail about her current situation; knowing if he asked outright it would look suspicious on his part.

“Yes, in a few days.” She said with a soft smile, “If that’s all, shall we begin our day then?” She asked, not wanting to sit around any longer than necessary and put on more of a workload for them due to tardiness from the sudden meeting.

“Of course.” Alaric said as he got up from his chair and walked out of the conference room, not bothering to hold the door open and wait for the lady to exit first. Luna didn’t mind his lack of gentleman skills. It wasn’t like she ever expected every single man to act chivalrous. In fact, it was almost typical behaviour of Alaric to assert himself as authority figure wherever and whenever he could.
She followed after him as they began their day with rounds of their pre-op patients.

 

While Luna was in her meeting, Dean used this time to take a quick look around her office for any type of suspicious evidence. Having signed a confidentiality agreement upon being assigned to a young Doctor, he had the correct clearance to go through her office whilst maintaining the doctor/patient confidentiality (meaning he wouldn’t look through patient’s files etc. unless it was deemed absolutely necessary). As he opened the door, he was immediately greeted with a generally tidier office than what he would expect from medical professions. Shelves were full of textbooks and journals that were neatly stacked, a thriving plant sitting by the window and files neatly stacked on her desk. The only evidence of anything personal in the office was a photograph that sat in a frame on her desk. He picked it up and studied it; a typical family photo. He placed it back down and began looking around, checking the vents, under her desk, between files and books, inside her desk lamp…anywhere that someone might have hidden something to spy on her.

But he found nothing.

 

Just as he was about to turn and leave, he saw a dash of red in his peripherals and his eyes focused back to what had caught his attention. In the wastebasket, sitting by Luna’s desk, were two half-wilted red rose petals. His brows creased into a frown and his green eyes darted around the room to search for a bouquet of roses he had missed, but when he found none sitting on her desk or elsewhere in her office, he picked up the two petals and studied them, thinking it odd that it was in her office without there being any other evidence that it was attached to a bouquet. It could have fallen off from its original plant as paperwork was brought in to Luna, but after the note he found attached to the gate with the cryptic message and now the two wilted rose petals; one for Matthew, one for Luna, he felt this could be more than just a simple coincidence. His eyes glanced around the room once more before he carried the rose petals out and locked the office door behind him, leaving her office undisturbed as he had found it.

He went to the floor below him and asked a nurse for a zip-lock bag. All she had available was a plastic medical zip lock bag, so she crossed out the printed medical form on the bag with a permanent marker so it couldn’t be tampered with and gave it to Dean without question before she went about her duties.
He placed the petals in zip-lock bag for safe keeping and placed it in the inner pocket of his jacket to use as evidence when he brought the new findings to light with the Rosewoods.

 

Having no idea where Luna was, he asked a nurse of her whereabouts and was told she could be found in surgery, unfortunately even under his the hospital clearance, this was one of the places he didn’t have permission to enter unless his client’s life was in danger. Instead, he was given the opportunity to watch from the scrub room where he had a window view looking in to the operating room. Luckily he was used to a lot of blood and gore, so witnessing an open surgery wasn’t something that could make him squeamish.
As he followed the directions that the nurse gave him, it wasn’t long before he found the scrub room.

His gaze immediately focused on Luna and Alaric, both had their head bowed as they focused on their task at hand, occasionally asking the nearby nurse for specific instruments.
He had no idea what the patient was in need of surgery for, but it seemed like a routine surgery for them with their relaxed mannerisms. Occasionally Luna would glance up at Alaric as he spoke, nodding in agreement or understanding, but this was all Dean could assume as the intercom between the scrub room and operating room was switched off.

 

He watched as Alaric said something to Luna, who nodded and watched him leave before continuing on with her task at hand. His eyes narrowed, why was he leaving? Obviously not be able to hear him ask Luna if she was fine to close the patient up (a very routine procedure), he was left to believe that this guy whom he had an immediate disdain for had left his client, whom he seemed slightly more protective of than usual, to do his dirty work.

 

Standing with his arms crossed as he watched Luna’s arm move in a rhythmic motion as she weaved the stitched through her patient, his head turned at the sound of the double doors opening as Alaric strode in. There was a deadly silence between the two as Alaric rolled his eyes and made a disgruntled noise with a click of his tongue at Dean’s presence.
“Can’t believe they’re letting you in here.” The annoyance was evident in Alaric’s voice as he pulled off the face mask and deposited in the bin before pulling at the strings behind him that secured the surgical gown to him.
“I’ve been given clearance.” Was all Dean said as his eyes turned back to Luna.

“So I’ve heard.”
“You’re lucky I’m not pressing charges.” Alaric said as he dropped the white gown in another separate bin before leaning over the sink and began scrubbing down, knowing if he provoked Dean and the annoying prick hit him, then he’d certainly have a lawsuit on his hands and Alaric would be the one walking away with a successful outcome.

Dean didn’t say anything, knowing if he did; it would end badly for all parties involved.
‘You’re lucky I don’t punch your teeth down your throat.’ He thought to himself but didn’t voice his opinion as he forced himself to keep from acting upon his personal threat.

 Switching the taps off, Alaric reached over for a clean towel that was neatly stacked in an open cupboard and began drying his hands and arms off. “Perhaps it’s just as well that you’re under the protection of our ‘Rosewood Angel’” Alaric said in a heavy sarcastic drawl at the nickname that Luna had earned herself at the hospital. Something Dean wasn’t currently aware of.

Dean’s head turned sharply at Alaric’s comment about the ‘Rosewood Angel’; whatever the hell that meant; it certainly didn’t sit right with Dean. To him, it sounded like Alaric was almost taunting Luna. His eyes had narrowed dangerously as he glared at the man who was oblivious to the sudden change in his quiet demeanour.
“But we’ll see how our Angel fares tonight. Unless the devil come and taketh away.” Alaric said as he walked out of the scrubbing room on the opposite side that lead into the hospital hallway.

His eyes turned back to see Luna standing there, watching the nurses wheel the patient out. A hand on her hip and the other hand resting on her forehead; either tired or stressed. Or both.

What the hell did that prick mean, calling his client the Rosewood Angel and how she would be faring tonight? She wasn’t even on duty tonight! And the Devil? Was this a threat? Damn, he really wished he had the extra security installed at the Rosewood Manor as soon as he arrived. It would help alleviate any potential threat.
Seeing Luna exit the Operating Room, he quickly followed in Alaric’s footsteps, as promised to keep out of her way as much as possible.

 

Luna had absolutely no idea she was being watched by Dean throughout surgery so she had absolutely no idea what had gone down in the scrubbing room. She de-gowned herself and went through the routine of scrubbing her hands and arms down before drying herself off. She glanced up at the time to see it was nearing lunchtime. She had better get a quick bite to eat and check her emails before the next round of patients.

She made her way down to the cafeteria and greeted the middle-aged woman behind the counter,
“Hello Shawna.” She said with a soft smile as Shawna greeted her back in return.
“Hello my dear. The usual?” she said as she automatically retrieved a container of fruit salad for Luna.
“Yes please. And a chocolate custard tart too, please.” Luna politely asked.
“About time you got some meat on those bones of yours, love.” Shawna said as she placed the chocolate custard tart next to the fruit salad on the counter.
Luna laughed softly as she handed her credit card over to Shawna to pay for her items.
The chocolate custard tart wasn’t for her but she didn’t feel the need to correct the kind woman before her, nor was she the type to openly state her good intentions. But this was part of the reason as to why she was dubbed the Rosewood Angel; the custard tart was for a patient who she was seeing this afternoon and she knows they were feeling a little bit under the weather for being at the hospital for so long. It was the least she could to help lift their spirits with a favourite treat amongst the typical hospital food. With a smile and another soft word of thanks, she took the two containers and left the cafeteria to eat in her office. She’d normally sit in the cafeteria and mingle with some of the interns or other residential colleagues but with the graduation speech coming up in a few days, she preferred to stay on top of all her paperwork �" and see whether the Board has approved her speech or made edits to it.

 

Dean watched from a distance as Luna left the cafeteria with her own lunch, satisfied that he could take a pause in his duties to attend to his own lunch break and, of course, Chief too. He made his way outside of the hospital, taking in a deep breath of fresh air that welcomed him from being couped up in such a sterilised environment, and over to his car where Chief was visibly happy to see him again as he wagged his tail furiously at the sight of him. He opened the boot and pulled out a scoop of biscuits for Chief to munch on. He placed it in the bowl on the ground and let Chief out, the dog barking his appreciation before noisily hurrying in to his food. Dean watched him until a voice caught his attention.
“Excuse me?” A small voice sounded off behind him; making him spin around quickly and half reach into his jacket before realising there was no real threat. ‘Need to be less jumpy, Dean’ he mentally scolded himself.
A middle-aged woman dressed in pink scrubs and a messy tangle of blonde hair forced back into a ponytail stood before him. Crow’s feet were deeply set into her tanned skin. “You’re the one who confronted Doctor Jones yesterday, right?” she asked.

“Yeah.” Dean replied hesitantly, unsure of what to make of her query. The lady, whose name badge read Nurse Kelly Roberts, took his hand in hers, causing Dean to recoil slightly as she begun to shake it. “I just want to say thank you. We’ve had to put up with that man for years with almost no one standing up to him…and the way you made him cower? Well, it really made my day!” she said with the biggest of grins.
“I don’t recall you being there when it happened.” He frowned as he queried the unknown source of presence yesterday.
“Oh one of the orderlies filmed it on his phone. Quality stuff. The whole hospital has seen it. And just so you know, I’m not the only one who’s thankful. Make your way down to the cafeteria and see Shawna behind the counter.” The nurse smiled and bid him farewell before making her way back inside the hospital.
“Well…I didn’t expect that.” He muttered as he glanced down at Chief who had finished his bowl of biscuits. The dog looked up at him with a wag of his tail. “Alright, come on.” Dean said with a pat to his thigh, a silent command for Chief to follow Dean as he took him for a quick walk around the block before putting him back in the car. “Stay. Guard. Good boy.” Dean commanded as he shut the door after ensuring that there was a bowl of water in the car and the windows were down for fresh air.

Dean made his way to the cafeteria, his eyes scanning the crowd for any familiar faces. He thought that Alaric might be here but then he was sure someone as stuck up as him wouldn’t be caught dead mingling amongst the ‘lower class’. He made his way up to the counter and was greeted by the same woman that had served Luna earlier. Her name badge read Shawna Bron; so this was who that Nurse Kelly was talking about.
“Glad you could make it honey. Here, let Shawna take good care of you.” She said as she started piling up food on the tray for Dean. Not bothering to ask him what he’d like or dislike. She was more focused on fixing him a good meal to more meat on his bones. Being a bigger lady herself, she believed that everyone was borderline anorexia �" and whilst she wasn’t trying to make them as big as herself (heavens no! She did that to herself, she knows this), she does however prefer a lot of the skinnier ones to have a little extra meat on their bones!

“I made my famous surprise casserole today.” Shawna said as she lifted a ladle full into a bowl before placing a hot muffin-looking-roll (Yorkshire pudding) on a plate beside it.

Dean looked at the other choices and had to be honest, the casserole did not look like the most appealing dish but out of polite courtesy, he didn’t decline the offer. He felt his stomach groan and unfortunately Shawna heard it too, looking at him with slight disbelief.
“Oh honey. You need to eat more. Listen to that stomach of yours! You gon’ get a extra helping.” She said as she slipped a second ladle into his bowl.
“So what’s the surprise in the surprise casserole?” Dean curiously asked as he watched Shawna pick up a slice of chocolate cake from the dessert section and placed it on his tray.
“Oh honey if I told you that, it wouldn’t be a surprise now would it?” she said with a small knowing smirk.
Dean shrugged his shoulders and raised his eyebrows in a ‘makes sense’ kind of way. He reached into his back pocket to retrieve his wallet, only to have his hand slapped away as he held up some notes to pay for his meal. “Oh, no, honey. It’s on the house. It’s about time someone put that no-good sexist entitled pasty-a*s man in his place.” Shawna said, referring to Dean decking Alaric in the parking lot of the hospital.
He smiled sheepishly and tucked the wallet back into his pocket, muttering an awkward thanks.
“Oh honey!” Shawna quickly grabbed Dean’s attention just as he lifted the tray off the counter. “A bone from the casserole for your dog.” She said as she handed him aluminium foiled wrapped package that she picked up from beneath the bench.
Balancing the tray against his body with one hand, he reached over and took the wrapped package from Shawna, holding it up in a gesture of thanks with a small smile before walking away and taking a seat at a deserted table.

 

He had only managed to grab a few bites to eat when his phone rang. His brows immediately creased into a deep frown, knowing there would only be a select few who would be calling on the private number, he pulled out his phone from his inner pocket to see who the caller ID was.

His heart raced in his chest at seeing the name flash on the screen.