Drawing in a deep breath, Kara reached for the package on the corner of her desk. All morning it had been a constant source of both distraction and motivation. Her eyes kept drifting away from her computer to wonder what the lumpy envelope held, but she refused to give in to temptation until she was finished with her work. Now that her last patient was dealt with, she could indulge the curiosity eating at her.
She glanced at Byrd one more time. Should I wake him for this? There was no doubt in her mind that the package contained information on Noah Dove. Probably a complete physical and his last psychiatric evaluation. If she were in luck, whoever had put the packet together had included some other insight into Noah’s life, as well. If nothing else, a next of kin or emergency contact information. A family visit could be helpful. She stopped and considered that thought for a moment. Yes, a visit with someone familiar could help, but if they weren’t very accepting, it could do more harm than good. She pushed that prospect off until later in his treatment.
Kara agonized over waking the sleeping dragon for another minute before ripping into the paper without disturbing him. Leaving him asleep would give her a chance to familiarize herself with the information. Besides, Byrd wouldn’t be interested in the professional jargon, and Noah would already know what was in his file. Lifting up the end of the envelope, she slid the contents out on the table. In addition to the file she had expected, there was a wallet and a ring of four keys. Moving the keys and wallet back, she picked up the file and flipped it open to find exactly what she’d expected—medical records.
The picture pinned to the top of the page surprised Kara. It wasn’t a very flattering image, but it was nothing like the crotchety old man whom she’d expected to see. The handsome face staring out couldn’t have been more than twenty-five or thirty years old, but it was hard to gauge his age due to the white streaks in his short red hair. Kara glanced up from the file to the dragon. How old is this photo? She looked back down at the small picture. It looked like a photo used in their identifications, and those pictures were usually taken right after boot camp… and weren’t always updated as often as they should be. She scanned over the paper, looking for Noah’s date of birth.
Kara had to read the date twice to believe her math. The photo wasn’t that far out of date! Noah was much younger than she’d expected him to be. She quickly read over the rest of his file to verify the information Daniel had given her. The fact that he was such a high-level mage at such a young age was an outstanding achievement. No wonder he had made it into the ranks of Elite.
Closing the medical records, Kara opened the psychiatric evaluation and poured over it. The results were fairly standard, given his position. Noah was a highly focused and driven individual who had shown exceptional abilities in the fields of magic and problem solving. She scanned over the file before flipping it closed and going back to the medical records. Confusion creased her brow as she searched the files, not finding what she was looking for. There was no emergency contact information listed.
Closing the folder, she looked back over at Byrd. Don’t you have any family? Kara shook her head and pushed the thought away. There were numerous reasons why a next of kin could have been left out. It was probably an oversight in his paperwork. They could get it sorted out later.
Pushing the files back, Kara picked up Noah’s wallet and flipped it open. The official files had given her a glimpse of the type of person she was dealing with, but they were too formal to give her a real feel for Noah as a man. She shuffled through the contents of his billfold, hoping to find something more enlightening.
You could tell a lot about a person by the things they kept in their pockets. Unfortunately, Noah didn’t have a lot in his wallet. There were a few credit cards and the usual rewards cards from the local grocery store and gas station, but there were no pictures or keepsakes. There was a small amount of cash tucked in the back, but nothing to shed any light on his personality. She poked through the pockets one more time and came up with a lone condom. Her dragon growled in discontent as she tucked the prophylactic back into place. It didn’t like the idea that Noah might have a girlfriend where he would have need for such a thing.
“He’s allowed to have a girlfriend,” Kara said, trying to hush her dragon. It curled in irritation before settling back down. A wry grin curled the corner of Kara’s mouth as she tucked Noah’s wallet and keys into her purse. This wasn’t the first time her dragon had shown an interest in one of her patients. There was something about a dragon in distress that kicked her protective instincts into overdrive. And Noah was definitely a dragon in distress. She was just going to have to proceed with caution in this case. It wouldn’t do to let herself, or her dragon, get any more attached to the man. Once he was better, he would be going back to Daniel and whatever life he’d had before. And that was a very depressing thought.
Letting out a sigh, Kara shut her computer down. There was nothing else she could do here. Now that her other patients were taken care of, she was free to concentrate on Byrd.
Getting up from her chair, she went over to the sleeping dragon. “Hey,” she called, rubbing her fingers down his back.
Byrd rumbled in his sleep but didn’t wake up.
“Byrd,” she called again.
Cracking an eye, Byrd rolled his head and looked at her with one dark pupil.
“It’s time to get up.” Kara patted his shoulder once more before moving back.
A huge yawn cracked Byrd’s jaw as he unfolded himself from the couch.
Kara smiled as she watched him uncoil. “I’m done here. How about we go and do something fun now?”
Byrd blinked at her several times before nodding his head. Hopping off the couch, he stretched his front legs out and gave his wings a good flap before folding them down along his back.
Kara grinned as she gathered up her things. “How would you like to give those wings a proper stretch?” she asked as she held the office door open.
A rumble of agreement came from the dragon as he led the way out the door.
Taking one more look around her office, Kara closed the door and locked it. A note of finality touched her heart as she turned away. With Byrd as her sole patient, she wouldn’t see her office for a while. His treatment would be a full-time endeavor, so she wouldn’t need the familiar space for meetings or appointments. And Daniel had specifically instructed her to file all of her reports directly to him, which she could do from her computer at home. There was no telling how long it’d be until she saw the place again.
Following the little dragon to the lobby, she waved goodbye to Beth before hitting the button on the elevator. It felt weird leaving without knowing when she would be back, but she shook those thoughts away and concentrated on the rest of the day. The tedious part was done. Now, she was free to take Byrd out and do something relaxing. And, boy, could she use some time to relax.
7
“We’re here!” Kara said as she pulled the keys from the car.
Noah looked out the front window at the park. He could feel Byrd’s excitement rising as he wiggled around in the seat.