Four days later, at precisely six o’clock in the evening, the elevator bell rang on the top floor of the apartment building where James lived. He glanced at the gold Rolex on his wrist and smiled. He liked subordinates who were punctual. Celeste stood next to him with a file folder of papers. The doors slid open, and Brynne Garvey stepped out into the opulent surroundings that made up James’ personal domain. He noticed the prominently displayed silver cross at her throat and chuckled to himself. She stepped forward extending her hand.
“Mr. Lee,” She said, shaking his hand. “I appreciate this opportunity to learn more about your culture and your needs for our service.” She turned to Celeste before he could answer. “Miss Teal? I think we have talked on the phone making arrangements for my visit.” Celeste took her hand. James noticed the corner of her mouth quirking up in a smile. It no doubt amused her seeing the way the human woman deflected her employer’s attentions.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you in person, Miss Garvey,” Celeste purred in a smooth southern drawl. “I’ve heard a great deal about your talents from Rudolph and Mr. Lee. Won’t you come this way?” She turned and led Brynne down the entry hallway, through open double doors and into a large open area of the penthouse, with multiple living spaces created by the different furnishings around the room. Brynne glanced around as she was led to a large desk backed by windows that looked out over the lights of the city below.
James moved around to stand in front of them, taking back control that had temporarily been wrested from him. He offered them a seat in one of the two high-backed leather chairs in front of his desk while he walked around to sit in the large padded chair behind the desk.
“Brynne,” He paused and then continued. “I hope you do not mind me calling you that, we are on a first name basis here.” Brynne nodded, and he went on. “I’m glad you accepted our offer of this internship. It is my hope that you can help us build a broader understanding between the human and Unusual community here in Elk City as it pertains to the emergency medical services you and your team provide.”
He nodded at Celeste as he continued. “Celeste here does have some standard paperwork that I will need you to sign to begin this project. It is essentially a series of non-disclosure forms for you. Should you learn anything vital about my business ventures, they will ensure your discretion and confidentiality.” The secretary seated next to her offered the newly opened folder and a pen to Brynne. She looked down, back up at him and then back down at the pages in front of her.
“Ok, just give me a second to read through them,” Brynne said. “My father taught me never to sign anything without reading it first.” She began to scan the documents in her lap. James looked over at Celeste where she looked back with a grin that said, “I told you so.”
“Brynne, there’s no need to be concerned,” he assured her.
“Mr. Lee. I mean, James, I appreciate that you think that, but I need to read through these documents to make sure I understand them before signing them,” Brynne said. “If that is a problem, I can leave, and we can arrange someone else to help out with this project.”
Celeste turned and was staring intently at something outside the window without looking his way. She was enjoying this. “I understand your concerns, Brynne. I assure you that everything in those documents is straightforward and just as I described. Please take as much time as you need. We’ll wait.” He leaned back in his chair, adopting what he hoped was a pose of relaxed impatience. Based on the look Celeste shot him, he wasn’t succeeding.
After a few minutes of reading and turning pages, Brynne picked up the pen in her left hand and signed the three pages requiring signatures before closing the folder and handing it back to Celeste.
“I’ll email you scanned copies of these for your records, Brynne,” Celeste said, rising and turning to James. “If that’s all, sir, I’ve got quite a pile of reports and emails to get back to.” He nodded, and she left the two of them sitting there facing each other across the desk.
The silence continued for at least a minute before James spoke up. “Brynne, I wanted to apologize for offending you by offering you that Jeep. I come from a different world where I am expected to reward people lavishly for doing their jobs well. I should have thought about it from a more modern, uh, human perspective.”
“That’s quite alright, James,” she said. “I think I responded in an inappropriate fashion myself. I should have realized that our cultural differences were getting in the way. I assure you that a sincere thank-you is all I require for my services. I like what I do, and hope that enjoyment shows through in the effort I put into my work.”
“It does show, and your hard work is appreciated,” James said. “I have heard from several members of our community about how pleased they are to be able to access your services when they need medical help. It’s one of the reasons I reached out to Dr. Spirelli about connecting with you on this internship. It is my hope that you will be able to better understand the people you are treating by living and working among us for a time.”
“I look forward to that,” Brynne responded. “I’m curious on how you would propose we begin?”
“There are different gathering places around Elk City where we congregate,” James offered. “I think our time will be best spent going to some of these gatherings over the next several nights and meeting the Unusuals there. They are just as interested in learning about what it is that you do as you are about them. We have never had what you would call open access to high-quality health care services.”
“Before our program here in Elk City, what did you do for care?” Brynne asked.
“We had some human doctors who worked with us, usually for greatly inflated prices. There were also a limited number of Unusual healers and physicians, but they were few and far between. Most of us who needed such services relied on their own folk medicines, what they could get at a local drugstore, or simply their own healing powers, if they had any.”
“Do many of you have ‘healing powers’ of your own?”
“Only a few of us are what you might refer to as resilient when it comes to injury. Vampires and Lycans are the ones you’ll most likely encounter like that. As with Rudolph the other night, if something doesn’t rapidly kill us, we can heal ourselves of most injuries, given enough time,” James said.
Brynne nodded. She likely already knew that much, but James could sense she wanted to know more. That was, after all, why she was here in his home. James rose from his chair gesturing to Brynne to do the same.
“I think we should go to the first of those gatherings I was referring to,” James said coming around the desk towards her. He smiled as he approached. “Did you bring a change of clothes as requested? Your uniform will make you stand out and make if harder for you to mingle and mix with the crowd.”
“I did,” She answered. “I have several options with me. Where are we headed tonight?”
“I thought we’d take in a dinner club,” He said. “They serve unusual dishes for Unusuals’ tastes. I thought it would be a low-key way to offer you a look at many different members of our community without too much pressure to interact right away. I would say business casual attire is suitable for this location. Nothing too dressy is required.”
“What will you be wearing?” She asked.
“I have appearances to maintain,” He said, chuckling to himself. “I’ll be wearing a black sports coat over this shirt and slacks.” He gestured to his own shirt and pants.
She looked at him for a moment and then picked up her shoulder bag. “I have a few things in the car downstairs. Is there a place I can change?”
“Yes, I’ll have Celeste go with you. She can show you to an apartment with an office I’ve made available to you while you are working with me on this project. Feel free to use it for work, and as a crash pad if you need it while you’re here.”
Celeste entered the room from a nearby hallway. “Did I hear my name?”
“Yes Celeste, please take Brynne down and g
et her settled in the apartment we arranged for her. She’s going to get a change of clothes from her car for tonight’s endeavors.”
“Brynne?” Celeste said, leading the way to the elevator. “If you come with me, I’ll help you pick out something from what you brought that will be perfect for tonight. I’m sure he wasn’t much help in that department.” She shot James a glance with a smile and led the paramedic from the room to the elevator and downstairs.
CHAPTER SIX