Page 9 of Dragon's Unwanted Love
When his lab partner wheeled a chair over and placed it behind her, the entire room erupted into laughter, but she ignored it, gritting her teeth. Disappointed that he didn’t get a rise from her, Tom looked around the room, then started laughing and pointing at her.
“I know what’s wrong with you,” he called. “I bet that’s the first naked man you’ve ever seen, I bet you’ve never seen a Talley Wacker that big, I bet you’ve never seen one at all.”
There wasn’t as much laughter this time. A few of the other students pretended they didn’t hear him, and Dr. Simmons stomped over to him. “We treat these subjects with respect, Mr. Andrews. They were people once. I’d suggest you tone it down.”
“Yes, sir,” Tom said, but he didn’t look the least bit sorry. “I guess I got carried away.”
Jackson looked over at Abby. Her face was bright red, her eyes were snapping with anger, and he knew she was using all her control not to lash out at Tom. “How about we just pay attention to our own business,” Dr. Simmons said, then pulled the sheet covering Tom’s subject off. “What can you tell me about this man?”
Tom opened his mouth but then looked down at the body on the table in front of him; his mouth opened and closed a couple of times as he tried to form words, and then his eyes rolled back in his head. He hit the ground with a thud that echoed through the room, and the silence that followed went on for a long time before his lab partner scrambled around to the other side of the table to check on him.
Dr. Simmons looked down at Tom, then shook his head, “Get him out of here. It’s always the loud ones who go down first. I could have predicted it if you’d asked,” he said, shaking his head and turning away. “And someone put that chair back.”
Jackson looked over at Abby, who looked shocked, but itquickly turned to amusement. “Serves him right,” she whispered, a smile on her face. “He should have kept his mouth shut.”
A few minutes later, Tom’s lab partner slipped back into the room, but there was no sign of Tom, and he couldn’t help the little smile of satisfaction that spread across his face. He had no patience for bullies and disliked anyone who used other people to make them feel superior. The man had gotten what he deserved. He just hoped it had taught him a lesson, although he doubted it. Tom would probably come back at Abby even harder, and he’d have to keep an eye on him even though his lab partner seemed perfectly capable of defending herself.
Looking over at her, her face full of concentration as she listened to Dr. Simmons give them instructions, a wave of respect washed over him, followed by a thrill that left him a little breathless. Forcing the feeling away, he reminded himself that she was off limits, that any woman was right now, that he needed to concentrate on school, and that romance was off the table for the foreseeable future, no matter how much he was attracted to her.
Back in control, he forced himself to concentrate on what Dr. Simmons was saying, ignoring the feeling of loss that had settled over him. When it came time to make their first cuts, Abby picked up the scalpel and looked over at him, her face full of uncertainty. He mirrored her movements, embarrassed that his hand was shaking as much as hers was, then took a deep breath.
“We’ll do it together,” he said. “Ready, one, two, three…”
When the sharp blade began to cut through the cold flesh, he wasn’t sure he liked the feeling, but he pushed through, watching Abby’s hand out of the corner of his eyes. The first incision complete, they moved on to the second; this time, the feeling wasn’t quite as unnerving, and he kept going,aware that across from him, Abby was completely focused on what she was doing as well.
After the last cut was made, she looked up at him, her eyes shining even through the plastic guard that protected her face. His gut clenched, the cadaver separating them almost forgotten. The urge to kiss her roared through him, waking the dragon inside him, and he staggered back a step as his magic came to life, a response he hadn’t expected.
“This is amazing,” she whispered. “I didn’t think it was going to be this cool. Let’s keep going.”
Taking a deep breath, he stepped back up to their subject, doing his best to clear his head so that he didn’t do something stupid like cut himself. With a monumental effort, he forced himself to focus on what he was doing, the need rushing through him faded away, leaving him feeling a little empty inside. He realized only a few seconds later that he might have a big problem and promised himself that in the future, he’d be more careful and keep as much distance between them as he could. If he was lucky, the attraction would fade away, it just might take a little time.
***Abby***
Abby could hardly contain her excitement when they walked out of the lab. It bubbled up from deep inside her and spilled over. “That was so cool. I thought it would be harder than that. I mean, that was a person we were cutting up in there, but once I got used to the idea, it wasn’t so hard,” she said. “It was amazing to see everything for real; I mean, we’ve seen pictures and drawings, but nothing compares to seeing for ourselves. I can’t wait to go back. I wonder how long it will be before Dr. Simmons lets us go deeper; maybe I’ll be a surgeon after all.”
“Don’t you think that you’re getting a little ahead ofyourself?” Jackson said, a grumpy look on his face. “We’ve only been in the lab for one day.”
She was surprised by his reaction because she had thought that he’d enjoyed it as much as she did, and the smile faded from her face. “I’m sorry, I thought you…well…if you didn’t like it, that is okay, she stammered. “I mean, it’s not like we’re going to be cutting up our patients when we’re doctors.”
“It was fine, it didn’t bother me or anything,” Jackson shot back at her. “I just think that maybe you enjoyed it too much, it doesn’t seem…I don’t know, normal.”
“Well, excuse me for being excited to learn something so valuable,” she said, instantly angry and annoyed with him, especially since she’d thought they’d shared something important. “Unlike you, I have to take my education seriously. I don’t have the same guarantees that you have, and I’m going to have to work for my spot in medical school. I’m sorry my enthusiasm bothers you so much, but it’s not going to change, so you better learn to ignore it.”
“I keep forgetting that you know nothing about me,” Jackson spat at her. “And you never will.”
“Fine with me,” Abby said. “I already know all I need to know about you.”
As soon as they came out of the front doors, she went one way, and he went the other. It took her the entire walk home to calm down. Yvonne was sitting on the couch in her usual spot studying when she walked in but shoved everything to the side as soon as she saw the look on her face.
“Oh, no, was it awful?” Yvonne asked, rushing over to her. “You didn’t faint, did you?”
“No, I never even felt the slightest bit dizzy,” she said, shaking her head. “In fact, it was amazing, but I guess I’m a weirdo for thinking that.”
“Wait, what do you mean?” her friend asked. “Who said that?”
“My wonderful lab partner,” she said, then sighed. “I was just beginning to think that we’d be able to get along, then he basically said I wasn’t normal because I enjoyed today.”
“Don’t listen to him, he’s a jerk,” Yvonne said. “I can’t wait to get into the dissection lab, I don’t think you’re weird at all. I bet it’s going to be an amazing experience.”
