Her Perilous Wolf, Julie Steimle [howl and other poems TXT] 📗

with a silver scalpel—something Dr. McAllister had purchase for him—he cut around the wound, making it larger. He quickly removed the frozen, putrid flesh. Soaking the newer wound in hydrogen peroxide to stop the bleeding, he immediately pressed clean gauze into the wound and wrapped it. If it healed, then they were onto something. If it didn’t, well, at least he chose a wound that was not so deep. His intent was to watch for signs of rot and regression. He told Keith so. Three days so far was the maximum time regression had taken.

Doug set the frozen samples of flesh he removed into Petri dishes for testing.

“When this is over,” Keith murmured from the pain, clenching his teeth in hope. “I’m gonna get plastic surgery.”

“If this works,” Doug said with a nod, putting away the samples in to his frozen transport cooler for Art who would come later, “Then you’ll be able to.” But Doug was sure this would only work for shallow wounds. The deeper ones that connected to blood vessels needed more invasive surgery which he was not capable of. That would take an experienced surgeon. 

“I heard his friend, Mr. Deacon, found out about our project,” Keith said.

Doug paled.

“The guy chewed Troy out, telling him to stop being so reckless.” Keith shook his head. “I was there in Dr. McAllister’s office behind the curtain when he came over. I don’t think he knew I was listening.”

“Mr. Deacon the second or third?” Doug asked, wondering.

Keith tossed his head back in a laugh. “That’s right. I’m sorry. The son. H. Richard.”

Doug inwardly groaned. “Like he can talk. I’ve never met a more reckless man. I treated him when he got in a car accident.”

Keith shrugged. “What do I know? Dr. McAllister says he is super cautious. And he does not want to see anything happen to you, or to your sister.”

Though it was oddly assuring, at the same time it was annoying. Doug shared Troy’s sentiment that Rick was a bit too paranoid. He was also impressed at how level-headed Keith was. He asked, “How much in trouble is Troy?”

To that, Keith shrugged again. “I can’t say.”

“Is the project over?” Doug asked.

“Has he called you to end it?” Keith asked.

“No.” Doug shook his head.

“Then it was just an argument.” Keith pulled on his shirt. “I have a feeling that if Mr. Deacon the Third wanted to end this, he’d speak to you personally.”

Yet when Keith left, Doug waited for that visit.

It never came.

However, he got another text from Troy on Sunday telling him that Silvia, the ‘witch’ whom Audry knew, had an idea for isolating the poisonous blood in the wound… but it would involve witchcraft.

Doug texted back: Keep me out of it.

Troy sent a winky face emoji and a thumbs up.

Keith came back Tuesday to show his wounds to Doug—or rather the healing scars. “It worked!”

“Give it another week,” Doug murmured, peering at them. They were still pink, the flesh slightly irritated.

Sighing, Keith huffed. “That’s what Dr. McAllister said!”

“He’s right.” But Doug hoped that Keith was right. The scars looked mostly healthy.

As he was scanning over an email from Dr. McAllister on Wednesday about surgery tactics, including special tools of different metals, Jean knocked on the door, calling in.

“Your mother has been calling all day, Doug!” She sounded irritated. “I know you are obsessed with this project, but you have to take this call. She wants to talk to you about Audry.”

Blinking at the sentence in the email where Dr. McAllister was mentioning his optimism over a risky procedure where they shunt veins to bypass damaged blood vessels while removing the damaged tissue, Doug rose and went to his door, unlocking it. “What?”

“You shut your phone off. Your mother is desperate to talk to you.” Jean set one hand on her hip while handing her own cell phone.

<< Doug? Is that you? I need to speak to you NOW! >> His mother’s voice never sounded more irate.

 He took it with a peek at his own upset wife. “What is it, Mom? Is Audry hurt?”

<< Yes! She came home from Africa today! I’ve been trying to get a hold of you all day! >>

“Ok… How is she hurt?” He listened intently.

<< That’s just it. When she came home, she insisted on seeing the doctor. But after an examination, he said she had survived yellow fever. She’s got the antibodies, but she is mostly unscathed. He’s ordered her on bedrest, and we gave her a sedative, yet she’s been having delirious sleep. And she brought home a dog! >> She said it as if the dog was the worst part.

Doug stared at the phone. “Ok… a dog. Um, about the yellow fever. Can I get a blood sample?”

Jean rolled her eyes.

<< Actually, yes. We want your expert opinion. >>

That was it. Doug sighed, nodding. “Ok, Mom. I’ll come over. Don’t you worry.”

She also sighed with relief. << Good. Oh, and by the way, pay more attention to Jean and my grandkids. You have been isolating yourself way too much over your weird blood project. >>

He internally moaned. Yet with a peek to Jean, he realized she was right. It had been a hell-of-a-week, and he honestly missed dealing with normal healthy people. “No worries about that, Mom. I think we’ve reached a breakthrough. I’ll be setting this aside soon enough.”

<< Is it life or death? >> his mother dryly asked.

“Yes,” Doug said, with another glance to Jean. “It’s a bad, flesh eating disease.”

Jean pulled a step back from him.

“But it’s only contagious through blood transfusion… oh and bites,” he added.

<< You be safe then, >> his mother muttered. << I don’t need you contracting a disease either. Audry claimed a snake also bit her, but the wound is hardly there. >>

Doug raised his eyebrows. “Wow… well, uh, I’ll see you later.”

He hung up the phone. “Sorry, Jean. I didn’t realize how, uh, overly absorbed I was being. I can clean up and put this away for now.”

“How close are you to the end of this research?” Jean asked peering over at the computer. The email was still there.

Heaving a sigh with a shrug, Doug said, “I’m not exactly sure. But this doctor I am working with has a brilliant scheme planned. I’m hoping it works. It’s a rare blood condition, but I think we may have stepped in the right direction.”

He walked over to his computer and closed the files.

Once he logged off and shut off the computer, joining his wife at the door, she said, “We need to start setting some boundaries on how much time you are spending alone in here. I’m starting to wonder if you are watching porn behind closed doors.”

Doug colored. “Jean!”

Yet she shrugged, “Just saying… you alone in here is sometimes suspicious.”

He followed after her. “I am handling some poisonous substances. I don’t want Skyler or Maris walking in on me while I’m working with it. It’s for their safety.”

“Or so you say,” Jean replied. “It could just be an excuse.”

Doug came in closer to her. “What are you saying? That I’m being cold to you? Am I acting like a guy who has changed his affections?”

She shrugged a bit. “Well… you haven’t exactly been the romantic lately. It makes a woman wonder.”

He sighed. The last thing he wanted was to make his wife suspicious. So, he kissed her on the cheek and whispered into her ear, “When I get back from my mother’s, I will show you how much you are still the love of my life.”

Jean smiled and kissed him on the nose. “Ok then. I’ll be waiting.”

Doug kissed her more generously on the lips, then grabbed his keys and jacket, also taking his small medical testing kit. With a wave to her, he rushed off to his car, his heart thumping in his chest.

Yeah… It was about time he spent more of it with his wife and children. There truly was such a thing as an unhealthy obsession.

*

Audry hated that her mother had given her a sedative, but the doctor had insisted. She decided after a restless sleep that she did not like that doctor and she wanted a different one. The sedative had given her bad dreams, and she had a feeling she had talked in her sleep. Her mother had also been unhelpfully irritated over Darth, whom she called ‘the dog’ while her father immediately took Darth out to play. For him, it was love at first sight.

Fact was, Audry had to get out. When her father had returned back to the house with Darth, Darth had fallen asleep at the end of her bed, much to her mother’s objection. But her father, thankfully, urged her mother to leave the room and let them alone. But as soon as they had, Audry got out of bed, grabbed her backpack, and loaded it up. She then got the leash for Darth, grabbed her wallet, and opened the window—taking off the screen the same as she used to when she was sixteen and dating Robert Owens—and climbed out. Darth followed her.

There was one thing she did manage to get back before she snuck out. Her mother had finally set her cell phone on the side table, arranging an alarm for when she should wake for dinner. So Audry took it and cancelled the alarm. When she was out, putting Darth on a leash, she quickly dialed Jessica Cartwright’s phone number.

<< Cartwright residence. >> But it wasn’t Jessica’s voice who answered.

“Uh,” Audry paused to think, her heart thumping heavily in her chest. “Is Jessica there?”

<< One moment please. May I ask who’s calling? >>

Nodding to herself, catching her breath, Audry replied, “This is her friend, Audry Bruchenhaus. I need to talk to her.”

<< Audry? >> The woman who had answered the phone sounded intrigued. << I’ll get her for you. >>

Audry could hear the echo on the other side of the phone. The conversation was mostly unintelligible, but when Jessica finally came to the phone, the babbling of a baby with her, Audry’s heart rose in her chest.

<< Audry? Wow. It’s been a while. How are you? >> Jessica sounded well. So did the baby who was saying babyish words which almost had meaning.

Taking a breath, Audry said, “Did Rick tell you he showed me what he really was?”

Jessica drew in a breath. << No. When did this happen? When did he do this? >>

Closing her eyes briefly, Audry continued to walk toward the nearest bus stop. “I need to see you now. I don’t want to have this conversation over the phone. Is this a bad time?”

<< For me? Uh. No. I have nothing planned. Mostly just dinner. Andrew is on a night shift, so he won’t be home. >>

That sounded good to her. Nodding, Audry said, “I don’t have my car, so I’ll be there later than expected.”

<< You don’t have your car? Where are you? >>

“I’m escaping my parents’ place. Long story.” Audry then peeked to Darth who was happily walking with her. “Oh, and I’m bringing a dog. Will that be ok?”

Jessica laughed. << Are you kidding me? Ivy loves dogs. >>

Nodding, Audry hurried on, wondering if the bus would allow her to bring Darth on, or if she would have to pretend he was a service dog. She said, “See you then.”

<< Alright. We’ll wait up for you. >>

They hung up. Audry rushed to find perhaps an über. She looked on her phone for the app.