Page 8 of Dragon's Unwanted Love
“I’ll draw up a schedule, you boys eat your lunch,” Hattie said, shaking her head. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.”
They devoured the food in only a few minutes, cleaned up the mess, and then went their own separate ways for the rest of the day. After finishing his unpacking, Jackson decided to treat himself to a nap and lay down on his bed, but the instant he closed his eyes, Abby’s face popped into his mind. A little thrill rushed through him when he thought about her, but he quickly shut it down, a bit shocked by the feeling and the wave of warmth that came with it. He finally fell asleep reciting the muscles in the hand silently in his head, but soon began to dream about the petite blonde and her flashing blue eyes.
***Abby***
Abby sat nervously waiting for Jackson outside the dissection lab, her stomach a jumble of knots, a notebook with all the lab procedures open on her lap. It was silly to be so anxious, but she knew that there was a lot riding on the next few hours, and there was a little part of her that was afraid she wouldn’t be able to handle what they were about to do. As much as she didn’t care for Jackson, it would be nice to have someone standing by her side as they made their first foray into the workings of the human body.
They’d managed to avoid each other for the most partover the last week, sitting on opposite sides of the classroom and putting as much space between their chairs in biology as possible. They seldom spoke unless it was necessary, keeping their conversations short, and she was glad. Those few interactions always left her slightly off balance with a vague sense of longing that she couldn’t explain.
Realizing that her thoughts were headed in a direction she didn’t want them to go, she looked down at the notebook in her lap and began to read through everything again, hoping it would distract her. A few minutes later, the rest of the class began to show up, crowding the little hallway in front of the double doors that led into the lab, and she put the notebook away.
Jackson was the last one to arrive, slightly out of breath, his hair slightly out of place where it looked like he’d been running his fingers through it. A burst of attraction rushed through her and she groaned, inwardly cursing her body’s reaction to her handsome lab partner. Pushing it away, she looked a little closer at him, relieved to see he looked just as nervous as she was.
“Well, this is it, the big test,” Jackson said, sitting down next to her. “Are you as nervous as I am?”
“I’ve never seen a dead body,” she whispered. “Have you?”
Jackson shook his head. “No, I haven’t,” he said. “I hope I don’t do something stupid like pass out. That would be humiliating.”
“Well, there won’t be any blood. That’s a trigger sometimes,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “I bet you’ll be just fine. We both will be, we kind of have to be.”
“Don’t remind me,” he said but smiled at her, making her stomach do strange things.
Before she could recover, Dr. Simmons pushed his way through the double doors. “Hello everyone,” he called,instantly quieting the chatter in the hallway. “We’re ready, if you all would like to come inside.”
One by one, they filed into the lab and gathered in the front of the room, the sheet-draped tables looming largely now that they weren’t empty. She couldn’t suppress the shiver that ran through her when she looked over at the shrouded bodies and prayed that she wouldn’t embarrass herself when the time came. When Jackson stepped up next to her, she felt his body heat immediately and realized that it was cold in the lab, the temperature just warm enough to keep her breath from fogging in the air.
“Before you put on your protective equipment, which I hope I don’t have to remind you is required anytime you’re in this room, I have a few things to say,” Dr. Simmons said. “This is a turning point for all of you. Today, you’ll know if you’re cut out to be a doctor or not. We’re going to take it slowly today, and work on exploring the musculature of your subjects to give you a chance to get a feel for the scalpel in your hands before we start making more demanding incisions.”
He paused, looking around the room, then focused on her. “Some of you may feel a little faint, some of you may become nauseous, especially if you’re a little squeamish,” he said. “If you think that you’re going to pass out or embarrass yourself in any other manner, leave the room. I don’t want one of our subjects contaminated by your bodily fluids.”
“I think he’s talking to you, Abby,” Tom called from the back of the group. “He doesn’t want you to puke on one of our dead guys.”
“That’s enough,” Dr. Simmons said. But he’s right, Ms. Stewart. Are you sure that you’re up to this? Women tend to be…sensitive, and no one will blame you if you leave right now.”
Barely containing her anger, she gritted her teeth for asecond until she got control. “I’ll be fine,” she said. “I’m not the least bit sensitive or squeamish, but thank you for your concern, Dr. Simmons.”
“We’ll see,” he said, turning away from her. Get your protective gear on, and then I’ll introduce you to your subjects. They all have very different histories, and I expect you to learn their details by heart before you start cutting.”
Covered head to toe in their protective gear, she and Jackson studied the card next to their subject, neither looking at the cloth-draped body, both so nervous their hands were shaking. “I just want to get this over with,” Jackson whispered. “All this waiting is just making it worse. I think Dr. Simmons is doing it on purpose to see who will crack.”
“Well, it’s not going to be me, I can promise you that,” she said. “If I even look like I’m going to pass out or worse, do something, I don’t care what. I won’t give that man the satisfaction.”
Jackson laughed. “I have a feeling you’re going to be just fine,” he said, his voice muffled by the plastic hood he was wearing. “But the same goes for me.”
When Dr. Simmons finally made his way over to them, they rattled off the man’s statistics without missing anything. With a flourish, he pulled the sheet off the body and then stood watching them both. She could see his disappointment when she just stood there, waiting for instructions, and he finally walked off with a grunt.
CHAPTER 5
***JACKSON***
Jackson felt none of the negative feelings he’d expected as he looked down at the body, only sadness that the man had died and a profound sense of respect as well as gratitude that he’d been kind enough to give them this opportunity. Stealing a glance over at Abby, he saw that she too was grappling with some strong emotions, and smiled at her when their eyes met, knowing somehow that she was thinking the same thing.
“It’s not gross or scary,” she whispered. “This man has given us so much even though he’s dead.”
He nodded, “I was just thinking that same thing,” he said. “I think we owe it to him to make the most of this opportunity, and learn as much as we can from him so that his sacrifice means something.”
Abby nodded and then took a deep breath, but Tom’s voice rang out over the room before she could speak. “What’s the matter Abby, feeling a little woozy, think you might pass out?” he called. “Maybe we should get you a chair. We wouldn’t want you hitting that pretty head of yours on the floor.”
