Chapter Twenty-One
“So tell me about this doctor. He’s a plastic surgeon?”
Erik glanced over to Chloe in the seat beside him in the waiting room.
“He is. He’s one of the country’s best. He specializes in burn victims.” Doctor Pedro Fernandez had been aligned with the Resurrection project, but only on the periphery.
To the surgeon’s knowledge, the soldiers he’d been helping had been wounded in combat and had volunteered for the bio-robotic prosthetics and upgrades that he’d then covered with skin.
He’d had no idea what the government that had been paying him for his talents was truly up to.
“He does a lot of pro-bono work for children.”
According to the information Erik had gathered on the man, Doctor Fernandez had been in a house fire when he was a child.
As he and his family tried to escape, part of the roof had collapsed.
While they’d all survived, his brother had sustained severe burns, leaving him disfigured.
The doctors had done what they could, but Diego Fernandez’s scars were still significant.
He lived with constant pain, suffered from depression, and was bullied by his peers, all of which eventually led to the boy committing suicide.
In response, Pedro Fernandez had dedicated his life to helping burn victims like his brother.
Chloe snagged his hand, holding onto it, and Erik suddenly realized he’d been rubbing his palm repeatedly up and down his thigh while his heel bounced.
He stilled and tried to take a couple of deep breaths.
He checked his watch. Still twenty minutes left.
They’d gotten here early. He shifted in his seat, resettling his weight.
It felt stifling in here, even though the waiting room was relatively large and no one else but the receptionist behind the desk was there.
Abruptly, he stood. “I think I saw a vending machine just down the hall. Do you want something? A soda?”
“I’m fine.” Chloe gained her feet as well, and Erik looked toward the door as a bead of sweat trickled uncomfortably down his spine.
There was a light tug on his hand, and Chloe said, “Hey, look at me.”
He didn’t want her to see him like this, a hairsbreadth from full-blown panic, but neither could he deny her request.
“Focus on my face,” she softly told him. “That’s it. Just look at me.”
Her hazel-green eyes framed by thick lashes, the delicate bone structure of her face, and as he began to count her freckles, he felt his chest ease as his breathing slowed.
She gripped his hand a bit tighter. “If you don’t want to do this, say the word and we’re out of here.”
Erik swallowed hard and shot her a look of skepticism. “Don’t you want me to do this, though?”
Her face was bewildered. “Why would I?” She cupped his jaw with her free hand. “I love you, Erik Leroux. Scars and all.”
His chest tightened, and his sinuses prickled as emotion choked him. He shook his head, and he somehow managed to force the words out. “You don’t mean that.”
“Look into my eyes and tell me again that I don’t mean it. I. Love. You.”
Tears flooded his vision, and he shook his head again.
His voice broke as he told her, “But I want you to be proud to be seen with me, not have to leave because of me. Last night…” She hadn’t even been able to sit with him and have a coffee because everyone had been staring, wondering what such a beautiful woman was doing with someone so hideous.
Chloe hugged him, and the tears overflowed. He couldn’t seem to stop them.
“I am proud to be seen with you. We left last night because I didn’t want you to be uncomfortable. So if you’re doing this for me, we’re leaving right now. If you’re going to do this, it needs to be because this is what you want. I’ll love you either way, Erik.”
She meant it. She really meant it. Erik swiped at his face, embarrassed by the show of weakness, and let out a shuddering exhale as he leaned away from her slightly.
Cupping her face, he stroked his thumb over the crest of her cheek.
“I love you, Chloe. God, I love you so much there aren’t even words to describe it. ”
She smiled, soft and sweet, and happiness shone in her eyes. “Let’s get out of here. Okay? Let’s go home.” Taking his hand, she went to lead him away, but Erik held back, and she turned to look at him with a question in her eyes.
“I’m ready now.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I want this. For me.”
Doctor Fernandez was fifty-three years old, his neatly styled, short, black hair still free of gray, and he had the lean, athletic build of someone who worked out regularly. There was deep intelligence behind his dark eyes, and an easy smile on his face.
Erik was glad to see the doctor was wearing a set of green scrubs instead of a white coat that would have reminded him of his childhood in the lab and the doctors who’d tortured him.
Despite his desire to do this, there was no telling what the reminder would have done to his conviction.
He should probably let the doctor know about that little trigger.
Fernandez greeted both Erik and Chloe and shook their hands before he led them into an office rather than an exam room. “Have a seat.”
The doctor didn’t take the chair behind the desk, but sat on the edge of it, close to them. Motioning to Erik’s face, he asked, “May I?”
When Erik nodded, the doctor leaned in, examining the scarring, and Erik raised his chin so the man could see better.
With a nod, Fernandez settled back. “After speaking with Sam Isaac, I received your file from your commanding officer. I must say I’m intrigued.
” His eyes skated to Chloe before he asked, “Can I speak freely?”
Right. Before he’d been sent the file, he’d had to sign non-disclosure agreements. He wouldn’t want to discuss potentially sensitive information in front of Chloe. “Yes. She’s aware of the circumstances.”
“Well, then. I’m intrigued by your healing ability, but it also introduces another variable into the procedure. An unknown.”
Shit. Erik’s gut clenched as he braced for disappointment.
“With your commanding officer’s permission, I’ve spoken to the other doctors and scientists at Black Bay, including the geneticist on base.”
Erik stiffened. He’d spoken to Doctor Dietrich? Had the general let her out of the brig?
“She seemed to be the most knowledgeable, and assured me there’d be no issue with your hybrid genetics, but I don’t like unknowns on my operating table.”
Erik had to forcefully unclench his teeth to say, “So you won’t do it?” That would teach him to get his hopes up.
“I didn’t say that. However, before you agree to this, I need you to be aware of my shortcomings.
I am considered an expert in my field. If you were, for lack of a better way to describe it, a typical man, I could tell you exactly what to expect and in great detail.
But I am not an expert when it comes to your abilities.
This is new territory. As such, I feel the need to educate myself further. ”
“What do you need?”
“Access to Doctor Dietrich. When I spoke with her on the phone, she made it clear she wouldn’t leave Black Bay.”
Couldn’t was the better term, Erik mentally corrected. If the Beasts had anything to say about it, the only way she’d ever leave Black Bay was in a body bag.
“But I am willing to go to her,” Fernandez continued. “I wish to speak with her at length before the procedure. I would also like her to be available during the procedure to assist.”
Ever since Jackson, Chloe had become overly sensitive to other people’s moods, and she could feel Erik’s tension as he drove them home.
It was so strong, it practically vibrated the air around her.
She reached over and squeezed his knee as a reminder that she was there with him, that he could talk to her, lean on her if he needed her.
She didn’t know who this Doctor Dietrich person was, but as soon as she was mentioned, Erik had gone cold.
It was subtle. Doctor Fernandez didn’t even seem to notice as he detailed the steps of the procedure and how Erik’s ability might affect things.
But Chloe noticed. She’d expected that at any moment, he’d stand up, say ‘to hell with this,’ and walk out.
He hadn’t. Instead, his tone had been carefully modulated as he assured the doctor he’d get him what he needed, then insisted he take whatever photos or scans he required as well as the biopsy so that all the pieces would be ready when the time came.
Once that was done, he’d then very politely thanked the doctor and ushered Chloe out, the whole time, his face like stone.
She wanted to beg him to talk to her, tell her what was wrong, say something. But some instinct had her holding her tongue. At least while he was driving. Once they were home, though, they’d talk. Whatever was poisoning him, he needed to let it out.
She’d told him she’d loved him, and okay, maybe the waiting room of a doctor’s office wasn’t the most romantic place to have THE moment, but he’d needed to hear it, and he’d said it back.
This should have been a happy day. They should have been celebrating, or at the very least, demonstrating that love in bed.
Instead, it felt like a storm was brewing, leaving her wanting to squirm in her seat.
Chloe had never been so happy to see her apartment building. As soon as they parked, she unclipped her seat belt and grabbed for the door handle.
Erik snagged her arm. “Wait.”
Right. Protocol. He needed to check in with Jayla first; she would be monitoring the feed and be able to tell them if the area was clear.
God, she couldn’t wait to be done with this.
She wanted things to be normal again. Or, at least normal-ish.
She supposed being in love with a super soldier hybrid had shot her out of bounds of true normal, but she longed for the day when Erik no longer felt he needed to guard her twenty-four-seven.
When there wasn’t a threat looming, and they could just be a couple.
Once they got the confirmation, Erik escorted her up to her apartment, and as she was unlocking the door, she asked, “Are you hungry? I could make us something.”
He shook his head. “I have some calls to make. You go ahead in. Jayla’s in there. I’m heading up to her place.”
He was shutting her out. She could feel it.
As surely as if he’d slammed a physical wall down between them, and it hurt.
She wanted to hold onto him, keep him from leaving, tell him everything would be all right.
But she didn’t know if that was true because she didn’t know what was wrong. So in the end, she said nothing.
As soon as the door closed behind her, she marched over to Jayla and demanded, “Who is Doctor Dietrich?”