Chapter 2: A new place
Chase stood in front of the office and tried to stay invisible. At this moment he could understand the slaves bought by Doctor Rowan who were scared out of their minds during their first few weeks in their new owner's house.
Not that he didn't expect this… well, not exactly this, but being sold. After everything that had happened he was surprised to last this long. However he's never expected to just be given away as a gift. Due to Jonas - the oldest slave in the Rowan household -, to be given away for free was the biggest humiliation that could happen to a slave. Despite everything, Chase didn't think that he deserved such a punishment. But maybe his Master – his former Master, he corrected himself – didn't know that this was a humiliation.
The thought that he was in a different country was also very frightening. He had been to Europe and to Japan with Doctor Rowan before but he did the same things in the foreign countries he did at home: helped his Master during his lectures and served him in the hotel. Now though he didn't know what will be expected of him.
A test, Doctor Cuddy said. Chase was sure of his medical knowledge – he had to be if he wanted to keep the skin on his back intact, because Doctor Rowan didn't tolerate mistakes -, but what if Doctor Cuddy wants him to do a procedure that he has never learned? What if things were done differently here? Will he be allowed to do the job he was trained for, at all? What if she won't like what she saw?
The arrival of a female slave distracted him from his thoughts. She was wearing a white collar, probably the same he would be wearing soon. After getting his new collar, the change would be really permanent. She bowed to the assistant before she turned to him.
"Hi, I'm Jay. One of the hospital's resident slaves" she greeted him with a smile.
"I'm Chase."
She was about thirty and would have been quite pretty if it weren't for the long scar on the left side of her face. It started over her eye and ended at the chin. It looked like it was caused by a knife or something equally sharp. Chase wondered how she got that one.
"Doctor Cuddy told me to show you around, get you some clothes, something to eat, somewhere to sleep and a new collar. I guess we should start with a tour and we can make a stop in the kitchen on the way" she explained. "I'm tech support by the way, what will be your job?"
"I'm not sure yet. I was doctors' assistant at my former place."
The woman looked at him surprised.
"Really? The hospital hasn't had slaves in patients' care until now."
"Doctor Cuddy told me the same."
"Doctor Cuddy isn't known for wasting resources" she commented maybe to calm him down (his nervousness had to be obvious), but it didn't really help.
Meanwhile they started their tour, walking close to the wall as it was proper and Jay showed the signs that helped to find one's way in the hospital. It wasn't very different from the hospital in Melbourne. It took some time but they covered all five floors, ending their tour in the cafeteria's kitchen. As far as Chase could tell this was the only part of the hospital where no free people worked.
"Hey, Marcos!"
Jay greeted one of the chefs with a grin.
On their tour Chase found that she was a friendly but very matter-of-fact woman and that everybody knew her around the place. About a dozen people stopped them to ask for some services. He also noticed that she spoke quite casually with the doctors and nurses, she wasn't disrespectful at all, but if Chase spoke to any doctor like this in Melbourne, he sure as hell would have ended up with some bruises. Every time they were stopped, Chase just pulled back and waited for her to finish.
Marcos, who they met now in the kitchen, was a very tall and very muscular man. Chase wasn't short himself but felt small next to the man.
"What's up, babe?" the giant asked Jay with a wink.
"This is Chase. He's new and I suspect that he hasn't eaten in a while. Neither did I, by the way."
"Is there some moment in time when you aren't hungry?" the man asked teasingly.
"You know me! So can you give us something or not?"
"Can't I always?"
"Of course, you can" and she put a big kiss on his cheek.
Something was clearly going on between these two and this was another surprise to Chase. In Australia it was strictly forbidden for slaves to form relationships unless it was arranged by their masters.
"Wait here" Marcos ordered and vanished to the back of the kitchen.
Jay turned back to Chase.
"Marcos is responsible for feeding the hospital slaves. You can come to him any time you want because our rations are really generous. Don't hesitate to ask him, he looks scary but his biggest body-part is his heart" she smiled affectionately after the giant.
After getting a good amount of bread, ham and cheese they went to the basement where there were a few rooms for the slaves who lived in the hospital. Jay explained that over sixty slaves worked for the institute but only ten of them actually lived here. Most of the others lived in the small community not far away from the hospital buildings.
Something like this would have never been possible back home, Chase thought again. A group of slaves living together without proper control? Totally unacceptable.
Chase started to realize that things were quite different here in the US than what he was used to.
Jay pointed out one of the rooms.
"You could use this one. Public showers are at the end of the corridor. The room's full of junk right now but we can clean it out quickly… but before that…" she went to another door and opened it with the master-key that she was carrying on her belt. "Choose a few things."
There were huge heaps of clothes in there, hospital uniforms on the shelves and civil clothes on the ground – clothes that were left here by patients probably. Chase picked up a few scrubs – that was a usual wear for him – some T-shirts and a pair of jeans. It took some time to find some underwear though. Most slaves never got any, but working in a hospital meant that he had to follow higher hygienic standards.
"Not much" Jay commented, after she threw a glance at the meager pack of clothes he carried, when he came out at last. "If you need some more later, just tell me so and I'll let you in."
He nodded. She had left when he started to pick out the clothes and now she had a collar in her left hand.
"You need help with putting it on?" she asked.
"No, thanks."
He opened the clamp on his old collar – the chip was deactivated when the ownership was written over, the handler told him so – and for a few seconds he just stared at the small piece of leather. His life would change irreversibly, now. He looked up and met the sympathetic eyes of the woman.
"It will be okay" she said.
She stepped to him and despite what he had told before she attached the new collar around his neck.
"The chip is activated automatically when the clamps are closed" she said putting a hand on his shoulder and she added:
"Let's go and make your room livable."
"Where are you from?" Jay asked a few minutes later while they were packing out mattresses from his future room. "You have a strong accent."
"Australia."
"I was there once with my old Master. They are quite the traditionalists as far as I can remember. "
"I guess. I never knew anything else" he shrugged. "How long have you been here?"
"Four years. My old Master was in the military. After I got injured" she pointed at her face, "he sold me. I ended up in a computer shop at first but my owner went bankrupt and then the hospital bought me at an auction."
"You know" Chase said hesitantly, "I've only had one master my whole life."
It was true despite the fact that his Master often lent him out to other doctors, so Chase at least had some experience in working for others.
"Why did he sell you then?"
"He didn't sell me, he gave me to the hospital as a gift."
"Oh" she looked at him apologetically. "What did you do?"
Obviously being a present wasn't normal here, either.
"I…" he trailed off. It wasn't something he did but it was still his fault. If anything, it was what he didn't do. It was very complicated and rather painful to even think about.
"You don't have to talk about it" Jay said quickly, seeing his discomfort.
"It's not that… But it's a very long story. To put it simply, though, my Master's second wife hated me."
"That's tough."
"Yeah…"
"You will get along" Jay said encouragingly.
"You think?"
"Sure. Nobody could find a blemish in your behavior, as far as I can tell."
"Thanks."
Things would be different for sure but maybe it won't be all bad here after all, he thought. Not that he had it that well at home. Not lately, at least. He would never even think bad things about Doctor Rowan but since the first Mrs. Rowan died - or more precisely since she got really ill - things had a turn for the worse… maybe he didn't lose so much with being given away. But even if he did, he had no choice but get used to it. He simply had to face the change and try to adapt as best as he could.
