A Seacat's Love (Oceanan Trilogy Book 1) (15 page)

He hoped she had heard and understood him enough to stop him, for this was going to be hard to do. Alas, her lashes remained
lowered. His jaw tightened. With hands that refused to stop trembling, Rick began to unbutton her blouse.

One button…two buttons…

His heart pounded erratically.

Three buttons…four buttons…

Rick could not catch his breath. Droplets of perspiration formed on his forehead and ran down the sides of his face.

Fifth button…last button…

Rick was so aroused it pained him to remain inside his zipped pants. He was ashamed and disgusted for not showing the self-control he had always prided himself of having—another prime example of his inability to control his senses around this woman.

I’m pathetic
. He chided himself.
I should be shot and put out of my misery
.

Instead of that happening, Rick parted Leonora’s blouse and exposed two full mounds. His mouth filled with moisture. He felt like a starving, dirty, old hound dog, salivating over his next steak meal. While her breasts tempted him to do more than just look at them, his morals kept him from doing so.

Rick dipped the cloth in the water and used it to wipe his face. “Okay, now. Relax,” he mumbled.

He passed the cool cloth over Leonora’s torso, all along struggling to ignore his need for her. When he finished, he buttoned Leonora’s blouse and left her to rest. Entering the bathroom, Rick turned the shower on, ice-cold water all the way. He got in fully dressed.

Another hour passed, and Leonora’s fever was still high. Rick began to pace. “If I don’t try something, you might die,” he mumbled to himself. “If I try giving you more of our medicine, I might kill you. What other choice do I have?”

Absentmindedly, he placed a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Before he exited her bedroom, he took one last look at her. “Please, Lord, watch over her.”

Rick quietly entered the small, privately owned veterinary clinic. The greeting area seemed more like a medical office for humans than for animals with areas sectioned off for well and sick patients, bookshelves filled with books and magazines, and a small television set placed in one corner. It was also the best-smelling clinic around.

He walked up to the reception desk and saw a middle-aged woman inputting data into her computer. She appeared to be in desperate need of help and a vacation. Rick could see the dark circles under her eyes. Strands of her hair escaped her lopsided bun, and she had a stain on her blouse that he did not want to guess at. Next to the keyboard was a pile of manila folders he assumed were patients’ medical records. Rick called her attention by clearing his throat.

The woman glanced up from her screen and was surprised to see him. “How did you get in here?”

Rick arched an eyebrow and pointed with his thumb to the entrance. “The front door.”

“It was locked.”

“No it wasn’t. Besides, I have a six o’clock appointment with Dr. Ranger.”

She shook her head. “Sorry, but we’re closed.”

“Perhaps you didn’t hear me. I have a six o’clock appointment with Dr. Ranger.”

“I wasn’t informed about any six o’clock appointment, sir. So if you don’t mind,” she gestured to the door, “we’re closed.”

Rick inhaled. “Listen, miss, you look like you had a hard day. I know for a fact I had a hard
three
days. So let’s make this easy on both of us and tell Dr. Ranger I’m here.”

The receptionist stood from her seat. Leaning over the counter, she searched the area around Rick’s feet. “Where’s your pet?”

“I have none.”

She sat back down. “Then please leave.”

Rick glared at her. “Notify her, or I will.”

The woman remained where she sat and returned his stare.

“Very well then.” Rick headed to Dr. Ranger’s office.

“You can’t go back there!”

“Watch me.”

“All right! I’ll tell her!”

Rick paused in his steps and faced the receptionist. She had to lean over the front counter to see him.

“Your name?”

“Tell her it’s Rick. She knows who I am.”

“Your last name.”

“Just Rick,” he replied, just as impatiently.

The receptionist looked him over more seriously. “Very well then,” she clipped. She reached for the telephone receiver and pointed to the seats spaced along the walls. “Take a seat. I’ll tell her you’re here.”

Rick sat in the nearest chair. It was not long before he wondered what was taking Ranger so long to see him. He glanced at his watch and grimaced. Only five minutes had passed.

“Mr.
Rick
, Dr. Ranger will see you in her office,” the receptionist informed him in a sarcastic manner. “Third door to the right.”

Rick jumped from his seat and headed for the office before she finished. He knew which door it was. He had been to the clinic many times before, after hours. He had no pet, but he needed none. The door was ajar. He stuck his head inside. The one he sought sat behind a mahogany desk writing away.

He smiled. “Hi there.”

“Rick.” Dr. Ranger stood from behind her desk and greeted him with a kiss on the cheek. “Have a seat.” She padded the back of the chair in front of her desk.

The office was small but cozy, not claustrophobic. The accessories, kept to a minimal so not to clutter the space, were chosen by Ranger herself. Rick felt they were tasteful. In fact, many of her gifts decorated his beach house.

Rick sat down. “Thanks for meeting with me at such short notice, Lynn.”

“It sounded urgent.” She retook her seat. “Besides, what are friends for?”

Rick grinned.

“You said over the phone it was business related. What sort of business can I help you with?”

His smile vanished. “The sort you must never speak of again.”

Lynn stared at him for a second. Her eyes grew big, and her sun-kissed cheeks lost some color. She sat forward in her seat and asked, “Is my cousin in trouble?”

Rick raised his hands and quickly answered, “No, relax, it’s not Brian.”

“Thank goodness.” She sat back in her seat and frowned. “Then who?”

“Promise?”

Lynn stared at him some more, this time for a minute. Without a word, she picked up the phone’s receiver and pressed a button on the base. “Vikki, you and Carl can go home now. I’ll close the office. Yes, I’m sure. Yes, everything is all right. I’ll see you in the morning. Thank you.” She hung up.

Rick was about to speak, but she motioned him to wait.

“If I know my assistant Carl, he’ll be knocking on my door in just a bit.”

Rick nodded his understanding. A minute later, they heard the expected knock.

“Come in, Carl.”

Carl poked his head in. “I wanted to make sure you were all right.” He entered and immediately scrutinized Rick.

Carl appeared to be older than Rick by a few years. He had green eyes and black hair. Rick felt the man’s need to size him up was laughable. Apparently, Lynn had an admirer.

“I’m fine,” said Lynn. “There are no more patients waiting, so there’s no need for you to stay late. I’ll lock up as soon as I’m finished here.”

“Are you sure? I can stay longer. I have plenty of work to do in my office,” he offered, while still regarding Rick.

Lynn stood from her chair. “Excuse me,” she said to Rick.

Rick bowed his head.

Lynn walked up to Carl, took a hold of his elbow, and escorted him out of her office. “I think I can manage locking the front doors without you, Carl. But thanks for offering.”

A few minutes later, Lynn reentered the room. Rick smiled at her. “I see someone has an admirer.”

She lifted a hand. “Don’t start. Brian has given me lip already.”

He laughed.

Lynn plopped in her seat and rubbed her face. “It’s been one of those days,” she mumbled.

“Tell me about it.”

“Anyway…” She exhaled. “Now that they’re gone, what’s this all about?”

Rick reached inside his blazer and pulled out the CD he made. “Long story short…ET.”

Her brows drew together. “Come again?”

Rick handed her the disk. “I don’t have much time. Take a peek at this. But remember it doesn’t exist.”

“What’s this?” Lynn turned to her right side and slipped the disk into her computer’s CD drive.

Rick went to stand at her right. And although there was no one in the clinic, he lowered his voice. “A problem your specialty can help me with.”

“Rick, I’m a veterinarian. The last time we spoke, you didn’t have a…classified information?” She curiously regarded him.

“Very classified.” He pushed the enter key. “Read, please.”

Pictures of the five Oceanans, followed by short bios, appeared on the screen one at a time.

“I don’t understand.”

“Keep reading and you will.”

Rick moved over to scan the area outside the office window, giving Lynn the time to read. The parking lot was empty. The lights in the surrounding offices were off meaning they closed for the day. All was clear and peaceful. Rick hoped all was clear and peaceful back at Cobra’s safe house.

“Is this some kind of joke?”

Rick glanced back at his friend. “If it was, I wouldn’t be here asking for your help.”

“But, Rick, according to this report these people are aliens from a world named Oceana.”

Rick chose not to answer and let Lynn read on. He concentrated on the area outside the clinic. Each time he spotted a car passing by his heart leapt in his chest.

“Is this for real?”

He looked at her.

“Are they really from another world?”

Rick nodded once. Wide eyed, Lynn returned to her reading.

Minutes later, she exclaimed. “What?” She met his eyes and pointed to the monitor. “Did our government actually experiment on them?”

“I’m afraid so. And the two survivors are extremely ill. That’s why I’m here.”

“I see. What are their symptoms?”

Lynn ripped off a piece of paper from the small notepad she kept next to her telephone. She placed the paper on the solid wood table. She did not want to leave an invisible imprint on the notepad. Rick listed Tigif’s and Leonora’s symptoms, and she wrote them down. She then carefully reread the data collected on the aliens.

“I don’t think I can help them, Rick.”

“You have to, or they’ll die, like the others.”

“But I don’t know anything about their biological structure.” She pointed to the monitor. “These results came from experimentations, cause and effect. No real tests were conducted on them. This was all guess work.”

“And?”

“
And
, if I give them any medications it would also be guesswork.”

“Then guess correctly.”

“Rick, they’re weak. Any mistake on my part can kill them.”

“Don’t kill them.”

“That’s easy for you to say.”

“Lynn, please. There’s no one else I can turn to. Because your Brian’s cousin, you know the sort of job Brian and I have. Our skills don’t include medicine.”

“I’m a veterinarian—an animal doctor, not a human doctor.”

“Which is why I need your help. They’re felines.”

“Not entirely. If I were to make my own conjecture from these files, I would say there’s some common ground between humans and Oceanans.”

“So, what are you saying?”

Their eyes locked. “What I’m saying is that I need to conduct more precise tests before I can administer any medication.”

Rick shook his head. “No more tests. Besides, we don’t have time. The army is looking for them…for me.”

“Does Brian or the rest of the team know?”

“Not from me. But Lance suspects me.”

“As usual.” Lynn shook her head. “Rick—”

Rick spun her chair and placed his face directly in front of hers. “Lynn, I need your help to save them. I’ll keep them safe until they can leave this world, but I need you to keep them alive until then.” She did not answer. “Please.”

Lynn looked at the monitor, at the picture of a humanoid tiger. Rick read the doubt that crossed her features. He had to try a different approach. “What would Seeker want you to do if he was here?”

Lynn took a deep breath. “That’s a no brainer. Brian would want me to help, of course.” She removed the CD and returned it to Rick. “Wait here.” She exited the office.

Rick placed the CD in his blazer’s inside pocket and went back to the window. He wished he did not have to involve his colleague’s relative. When Brian found out, he was sure to confront Rick. Once his temper cooled, Rick was certain his friend would understand why he did it, though.

Lynn returned with a paper bag. “Here you go.”

Rick opened the bag and found vials of medicine and syringes. He listened carefully to Lynn’s instructions on how to mix the medicine and the correct dosage to use for each feline. Rick snatched a
piece of notepad paper from her desk and wrote everything down. Like her, he was careful not to leave an imprint of what he wrote anywhere on the desk.

“Give them two shots a day for two weeks. If they don’t die after the first dose, then it’s safe to assume they’ll live.”

Rick slipped the written instructions into the bag. “Lynn—”

“It’s the best I can do, Rick. I’m sorry.”

He reached for his wallet. “Take this as payment.” He handed her a hundred dollar bill.