Karen Kelley - The Wolf Prince

Someone cleared his throat. Surlock was hearing that a lot and wondered if there was something in the air. Darcy pushed out of his arms.

“I’ll leave you to change,” she said as she hurried from the room.

Surlock watched her leave, then turned to the tailor.

“Here are the things you can wear now,” Mr. Barnes said hurriedly, then shoved the clothes toward him.

Too many interruptions. He wanted Darcy. She stirred something inside him and he found it harder and harder to restrain himself.

But rather than cause the little man in front of him to keel over dead from fear, Surlock took the clothes. Mr. Barnes fled the room as if demons from the night were after him.

The clothing was much the same as what Ms. Abernathy had brought, and looked as restraining as what he now wore. He examined each piece to see where he thought it might be worn, then dressed. He didn’t like the shoes. He preferred bare feet.

He closed his eyes and could see green fields; he was running through the grass, his feet pounding the ground, breathing labored. Not him, but yet it was. He grabbed the back of the chair as the vision abruptly ended. The humming inside his head grew louder.

Who the hell was he? Where did he come from?

“Are you okay in there?” Darcy’s voice floated to him.

The humming quieted. Her voice had a calming effect on him. A musical sound, much like a finely tuned instrument. It relaxed him.

He walked to the curtains and parted them, standing before her. “Will this do?”

For a moment, she didn’t say anything, then he caught the slight flare of her nostrils, her quickened breathing. She cleared her throat. “Yes, you look fine. The clothes fit… um … nicely.”

“I’ll send the other ready-made clothes out to the estate,” Mr. Barnes said. “There will be one last fitting.” He cleared his throat. “It shouldn’t take long, though.”

“Just call when they’re ready,” she said. She briskly made her way to the door, head held high, shoulders squared.

She wanted him. It wasn’t hard to see, but yet, she would deny them both. He wondered why. Maybe he would ask her about it when they returned to the estate.

They arrived at the doctor’s office a short time later. Darcy breezed up to the glass-fronted wall. There was a nameplate that read RECEPTIONIST.

Darcy strode to the window. The receptionist glanced up. “Dr. Wilson is expecting us. Darcy Spencer.”

Surlock gauged the woman’s reaction. She quickly rose to her feet. “Yes, Miss Spencer. He’s expecting you both.” She hurried to the door that led to the back and opened it. “Come this way.” She took them to a small office. “Just have a seat and he’ll be with you shortly.”

“You’re staring at me,” she said after they were both seated.

“Am I?”

She frowned and he realized how tempting she looked. He wanted to lean across and kiss away her displeasure.

“Yes, you’re staring.” Her frown only deepened.

Odd woman, very complex. He discovered something different each time he was around her. “You’re very highly regarded by people. They give you deferential treatment wherever you go. The tailor did, as did the doctor yesterday, and now this young woman. Are you special in some way?”

Her cheeks turned rosy red. “My parents do a lot for the community,” she finally told him. Then she sighed. “That, and they have money.”

“Money is important.”

“Money will buy you anything you want.”

“It won’t buy my memory. Nor the true worth of a man, I think. It can’t buy a sunset, or a sunrise. It can’t buy laughter, nor dry tears.” He thought about it for a moment. “Maybe this money only means something to a small group of people.” She looked at him as if he’d lost his mind.

“It will be interesting to discover where you’re from and exactly what you do for a living,” she said.

Their conversation ended when the doctor entered the room. “Well, you look better than you did yesterday,” he said as he went behind his desk and sat in the chair. “Your color is back. Twila said you had a good night, too. Vitals stable. Have you remembered anything?”

“Only flashes,” he said. “Nothing of importance.”

“And he can play the piano like a professional,” Darcy spoke up.

“Good.” The doctor beamed. “That’s a start. I’m sure it won’t be long before you remember everything.”

“How long?” Surlock asked.

The doctor leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk. “Let’s not push it. It will come naturally.” He shuffled some papers on his desk. “There is one thing. The X-rays came back with some abnormalities.”

Darcy drew in a sharp breath, the color draining from her face. “What?”

Surlock gripped the arms of the chair.

“Oh, no, nothing like what you’re imagining,” the doctor quickly reassured them. “It was just an odd bone structure. Almost as if there were animal bones mixed with human.” He laughed. “Of course, that can’t be right. I think someone must have x-rayed a family pet and not changed the film. I called the tech and told him to recalibrate his machine and check his plates. Of course, we’ll shoot some more.”

“No, I don’t want more pictures of my bones,” Surlock told Dr. Wilson. Something warned him away from more tests. Why couldn’t he remember? His stomach churned as he tried to draw forth a memory … anything. Nothing came.

“Relax.” The doctor’s softly spoken words reached out to him.

The doctor was right. It would happen when it happened. Trying to force his memory only made his head hurt.

“I want to draw some blood, and do a quick evaluation. It will only take a moment. Then you’ll be free to go.”

Surlock looked at Darcy. She nodded, then came to her feet. “I’ll meet you in the waiting area.”

He didn’t want her to leave, but there wasn’t a lot he could do about it, except watch as she left the room, quietly closing the door behind her. He didn’t like the idea of the doctor taking his blood, but he wanted to be done here. The walls were closing in on him. Letting the man draw his blood seemed the quickest way to escape.

“Have you been experiencing anything out of the ordinary?” the doctor asked as he stood.

“I don’t know what the ordinary is.”

Dr. Wilson chuckled. “Good point. Okay, have you had any dizziness?” He checked the bump on top of Surlock’s head. “Much better.”

“If I stand too quickly or if I have a flash of memory, everything turns upside down.”

Dr. Wilson nodded. “Perfectly normal.” He took an instrument off his desk and bumped it against his palm. A light immediately came on. He shined it in Surlock’s eyes. “What a strange shade,” he murmured. He changed tips and looked into first one ear, then the other. “Any ringing?”

“Humming.”

The doctor straightened. “What kind of humming?”

“Like a voice, but I can’t understand the words.”

“We’ll check your blood count. That might tell us something. Do you swim a lot?”

“I swam this morning.”

“You may have swimmer’s ear.” He went to the other side of the desk again and picked up the phone. “Yes, Marcia, see if I have some samples of eardrops for ringing in the ears. When you come to my office, bring the things to draw some blood. I’ll need a complete workup.”

He walked back to Surlock. “She’ll be here in a moment. After she draws your blood, you’re free to go, but I’ll want to see you next week. You are planning on sticking around?”

“I have nowhere to go.” He realized how true his words were. He felt completely hollow on the inside.

“Don’t worry, son. Your memory will all come back. Give it time. When you get to my age you learn to enjoy life and not worry so much about tomorrow.”