Hello, hello, hello! I'm back with a new chapter! What does everyone want to see next?
I own nothing except for Alena!
ENJOY!
…or not…
Somehow, everyone got a hold of where we were heading to.
Because when we arrived at the Baxter Building, adoring fans and paparazzi surrounded it. Fortunately, the police were one step ahead and had barricades blocking them from our path into the building.
"You ready for the spotlight?" Johnny smirked at me.
"I'm more worried about your ego," I retorted with a smirk of my own.
Johnny rolled his eyes as he stepped out of the car after the officer opened the door. Surprisingly, he came round and took my hand as I stepped out of the car.
"Who knew you were a gentleman?" I couldn't help but ask, the teasing tone laced in my voice.
"Only when I'm with you, sweetheart," he shrugged as we walked towards Reed, Sue and Ben.
Johnny stopped a few times to stand there and bask in the glory that was being hailed down to us. Honestly, I just wanted to get into the building and possibly hide for the rest of my life.
"Come on, Ben. Smile. They want to like you. Say hi," Johnny suggested as he pointed to a group of kids.
My heart broke for Ben as the kids – and their mothers – backed away in fear at the sight of him. Well, at least he had a good message to tell them,
"Don't do drugs!"
The three of us walked into the Baxter Building and caught up with Reed and Susan as the elevator came.
"Welcome back, Dr Richards. I have the usual for you," the mailman said as he approached us and handed Reed a stack of mail, "Good to have you back, sir."
"Thanks, Willie," Reed nodded as he walked away.
I looked over Reed's shoulder as he went through the stack of envelopes he was just handed. Immediately, I knew that all of them were bills, and obviously, they were bills he hadn't paid yet. Every single envelope was stamped in red with the words, 'FINAL NOTICE' and 'PAST DUE' that were bolded against the sea of white.
Reed sheepishly turned to Susan and said; "We've had a tough year."
"Yeah, like nine straight," Ben rolled his eyes as he followed Reed into the elevator, the contraption creaking under the weight.
Susan, Johnny and I followed them as Susan hit the button for Reed's floor, obviously having been here many times before in the past. The doors closed, but the elevator was still creaking. Honestly, I didn't even know if we were moving.
"Either we are moving really fast or not at all," Johnny quipped.
No sooner than when he said those words, we heard the sound of the buzzer and the elevator dinning as the doors opened. We looked up and saw the red light flashing the words, 'EXCEED MAXIMUM WEIGHT'. Immediately, all eyes were on Ben as he was the heaviest out of all of us.
"I'll take the stairs," Ben sighed.
If my heart kept breaking, I would eventually die of a broken heart at the sight of Ben losing everything that was once considered his normal. His heartbroken stare was the last thing I saw before the doors shut and we, at last, began moving to Reed's floor.
"How come Ben can't turn it on or off like we can?" Johnny asked.
"That's what we're here to find out," Reed sighed in response.
"If it happened to him, does that mean that eventually we won't be able to turn off our powers?" I inquired.
"That would save time," Johnny remarked.
"You don't really wanna walk around on fire for the rest of your life, do you?" Susan sighed in slight frustration.
"Is that a trick question?" Johnny smirked.
"Grow up," Susan moaned.
"Come on! Am I the only one who thinks this is cool?!" Johnny asked before turning to me, "Don't you think it's cool?"
"Yeah absolutely, I like being on the verge of death if I even go over 10 degrees!" I stated sarcastically, "It's the life I've always wanted!"
Johnny's eyes saddened at my words and he considerably slumped at my words. What did I say? Wait.
Does this have to do with the time I spent in a coma that nobody's told me about?
Before I could ask, the elevator dinged and the doors opened to signify that we arrived on our floor. Reed was the first to step out, tossing the pile of bills onto a table as he spoke to us,
"We should stay here until we can find out the extent of our changes and figure out how to reverse them!"
"Or at least figure out a way to cope with them," I suggested before whistling at the sight of Reed's lab.
"But I have to warn you! It's going be a little crowded in some areas!" Reed called as he walked around his lab turning on lights.
His lab was clean, wide and took up at least two floors worth of space. I wonder how much it cost him to build the lab in the building; and how his neighbours feel about this.
"I don't know, Reed. I think you might be taking your work home with you," Johnny remarked.
Reed just chuckled and said, "Come on. Let me show you guys where you are staying."
"Easy guy," Johnny quipped as he followed Reed to the living area.
We all had different rooms along the hall. Mine was at the end of the hall next door to Susan. Johnny was in the bedroom directly across to me on the other side of the hallway. Reed was next door to Susan on her other side and it was decided that Ben would be next door to Johnny when he makes it up the stairs.
My phone began ringing as soon as I took off the cardigan I was given by the hospital and I sat on the bed. Looking at the caller ID, I cringed. Immediately, I activated an app that Susan had Reed put on my phone before they broke up for protection against Charleston, who has been harassing me since I started my internship at the hospital. Normally, it was illegal to record a phone call without the other party's knowledge or consent. But when it's due to fear for personal safety, authorities tend to be lenient.
"Hello, Dr Charleston," I greeted after I hit the call button to pick up the call.
"Save me the pleasantries, Dr Fraser. Where are you?"
"I'm staying with a friend," I answered coolly, not prepared to tell him where I was staying.
"Where?"
"You may be my employer, but I still have a right to privacy. While it is not directly in the Constitution, it is implied in the First, Third, Fourth, Ninth and Fourteenth Amendments and the US Supreme Court has ruled that privacy is a fundamental liberty that deserves protection," I pointed out.
"Don't be a smartass, Alena."
"Some consider it a flaw. Johnny thinks it's a fine quality," I shrugged.
Concerning my relationship with Johnny, Charleston and Andy were on the same page. They didn't like him. Never knew why, though.
However, I am on the same page with Johnny in terms of our opinion of Charleston.
We both hate him.
"You need to come back into work."
"I'm afraid I can't right now," I objected, "Didn't you hear about the Brooklyn Bridge?"
"Dr Carter told me about the incident and how he saw you immediately afterwards. You appeared well."
"They always did say that you should never judge a book by its cover," I pointed out, "If you must know, I can't get my body temperature higher than 10 degrees without slipping into cardiac arrest. That is the last thing a person needs while they are in the middle of a risky procedure, don't you think?"
"I see you at work tomorrow or you can kiss your job here and at any hospital in New York goodbye, Dr Fraser."
Now that was hitting below the belt.
"You won't fire me," I shook my head.
"I have the power here, Dr Fraser. I am sure I can fire you if I wish."
"I am entitled to a leave of absence, Dr Charleston. Obviously, under the circumstances, it will be an unpaid leave of absence. I have three months-worth of vacation time I haven't used yet. That can be used as a leave of absence," I shot back.
"There is no guarantee that you will return to work at the end of the three months is there, Dr Fraser?"
"Honestly, no. I have no idea what will happen during the three months and whether I will be returning to the hospital or not. I can reassure you that if I definitely know at least three days before my absence is up that I will not be returning to work, you will find my resignation in your inbox," I promised, "However, I am unable to tell you if my possibly resignation will be related to my health and the potential danger I would put my patients in or if it will be due to the attitude and lack of respect I receive from my superiors; particularly my Chief of Medicine who is a discriminating son of a bitch."
"The only job you are good for, Dr Fraser, is a job that involves getting on your back and spreading your legs for anyone with male genitalia. Particularly on my desk and for me."
I took a few deep breaths to contain myself before resuming my conversation with him, "Sir, I should inform you that I am recording this phone call out of fear for my personal safety due to prior incidents not even my fiancé knows about. This alone could help me file a lawsuit against you on the grounds of sexual harassment. And let me assure you, it will not look good for you especially if I convince some of the nurses and my fellow residents to join me in that lawsuit."
Originally, after this call had ended, I intended to email you an official request for a leave of absence and ask you to email me the form for me to fill out and send back. Now, I decided that instead I will be emailing you my resignation which will be effective the moment it shows up in your inbox. And trust me. I have had offers from other hospitals all over the country. Including Baltimore, which, by the way, has a better emergency room than you do. Goodbye, Dr Charleston."
I hung up and pinched my nasal bridge, trying desperately to calm myself. I was in shock. Working at New York-Presbyterian as a highly ranked trauma surgeon has been a lifelong dream of mine and I threw it all away.
I did it for the right reason, but I have been working towards something for so long that it's going to take me a while to find a new dream.
I knocked on the door and waited for the 'come in!' When I heard it, I saw Susan standing there in a dressing gown with wet hair. She had just come out of the shower.
"Hey," she greeted before noticing the look on my face, "What happened?"
"Charleston," I said.
"What did he say?" Susan demanded.
I tossed her the phone and allowed her to listen to the recording. I watched her facial expression change from confusion to shock to anger.
"I'm going work out how to put a force field into that bastard and expand it until he explodes. Better yet: I'll make Johnny burn him alive," Susan smirked evilly.
"He can't know!" I immediately objected.
"Alena, this has been going on since you began your internship at the hospital. He came close to raping you one time!" Susan cried, "You need to go to the police about this."
"What's this?" I asked, hoping to change the subject.
"It's Reed's memories," Susan said.
She opened the book and we began looking through Reed's photo album. The first page we saw was a newspaper article with the caption "Local Boy Takes Top Science Award". The next one was about him taking the International Science Prize and a few other achievements that he did.
The next page was filled with memories from his time at MIT and most particularly, his relationship with Susan. I smiled as I saw the photos of them together. There was this strip, which had four photos on it. Clearly, it was taken in a photo booth.
"God, I was so worried about you."
Susan and I jumped in surprise at the sight of Victor standing in the doorway. When did he get here?
"Victor," Susan began as I shut the album and placed it back in the drawer before shutting it, "I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to call."
"Please, no apologies," Victor laughed slightly before nodding at me as a form of greeting, earning one in return, "I've arranged to have your things moved to one of my condos. You'll have round-the-clock care."
"Thank you. That's very generous of you," Susan smiled, "But I think I should stay here with my brother until we get a handle of things."
"Susan, I think you should let one of my doctors look at you," Victor pushed.
I struggled not to roll my eyes. I knew what he meant by having his doctors look at her. Johnny and I used to play 'doctor' all the time with him being the 'doctor' and me being the 'patient'. I knew his ulterior motive. (AN: Should I write a special smut for that one?)
"That is not to doubt the abilities of Dr Fraser. When will you be returning to New York-Presbyterian?" he inquired.
"I won't be," I announced, surprising Susan, "I've resigned effective immediately. I will begin job hunting as soon as I am capable of controlling my powers."
"I have held a position open for you since I first heard from Johnny how talented you are. Say the word and the job is yours," Victor reassured me.
"Victor," Reed began in surprise as he stood in the doorway with some linen towels in his hand, "What are you doing here?"
"I was beginning to wonder the same thing," Victor answered, glancing at the two of us before asking, "How much do you know about what happened to you?"
"Not much," Reed admitted as he placed the towels on the chest of drawers.
"We'll need to run a series of tests to determine the extent of the exposure we've had from the cloud before we can even try to formulate a cure," I piped in.
"Well, let me know what I can do. We're all in this together now," Victor decreed before nodding at Susan and I before walking away.
Reed immediately went to follow him. I felt that I should stand by the door and listen just in case something happened between Reed and Victor.
Reed may need a witness.
"Victor, wait!" Reed called, stopping him from leaving, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry that the mission didn't go as well as planned."
That caused Victor to whirl around in hardly contained anger, "Didn't go as planned? It was a catastrophe! You ruined the lives of five people!"
"With all due respect, we're both to blame. I told you to abort," Reed pointed out.
Somehow, I'm not surprised about Reed's statement about him telling Victor to abort. Something that I noticed throughout the training sessions leading up to the trip was that Reed was the person who was the most concerned about our safety and ensuring that the experiment went well without endangering everyone whereas Victor was more concerned about making himself look good and getting all the credit for Reed's hard work.
"Abort?! I put my name, my company, billions of dollars on the line! You will not make me look like a fool!" Victor objected.
"If we can understand this," Reed began.
"I DON'T WANT TO UNDERSTAND IT!" Victor roared, the ceiling lights flashing above them, "THIS ISN'T ONE OF YOUR SCIENCE PROJECTS! I JUST WANT TO FIX IT! FAST!"
I furrowed in confusion at the action of the lights that returned to normal when Victor's anger dissipated. What was up with the lights today?
"Is there a problem?" Ben asked as he appeared in the hallway, having finally made it up the stairs.
"No. No problem, Ben," Victor sighed, not wanting to go up against Ben as the elevator chimed to signify its arrival on our floor, "Just pay your damn electricity bill and get to work on finding a cure."
With that, Victor walked away and disappeared into the elevator.
"Is it just me or does he seem more uptight than usual?" I asked as I stood next to Reed.
"Victor has always been a passionate guy, Alena," Reed told me, "Even in college."
"Passion doesn't always get people anywhere, Reed. He may have fame. He may have fortune. But he'll never have what you have," I decreed.
"Victor has everything. What do I have that he doesn't?" Reed scoffed.
"A heart and a conscious," I answered calmly.
"Was that Victor?" Johnny asked as he came out of his room and lent against the door.
"Unfortunately," I muttered darkly.
Something that hasn't changed between when I first met him and the storm was my hatred of Victor von Doom. The only thing the storm did was intensify my hate for him, considering the attitude he has held and the actions he has taken since we got back to Earth.
"Johnny," Susan began as she appeared in her doorway in a tracksuit, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
Johnny nodded and walked across the hallway to her bedroom. The two of them shut the door behind them, indicating that the two wanted privacy.
"Is the shower free?" I asked Reed.
"Yeah," he nodded, "I'll grab you some fresh towels. Do you have anything fresh to wear?"
"Thanks," I said gratefully, "And no, unfortunately."
"NYPD is swinging by your place to pick up some of your clothes. They'll be here tomorrow. For the time being, I'll see if I can swipe something from Sue for you to wear. There's a robe in there too!"
"Thank you!" I called as he walked away.
I walked into my room to get a fresh pair of underwear (something that I had at least) when I realised something horrifying. Having been distracted by everything going on with Victor, I left my cell phone in Susan's room. What made things worse was that Johnny was in there right now having a conversation with Susan!
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In case you're wondering what Alena said at the end there, that is the f-bomb in Russian. I know I've had her swear before. But I thought I would acknowledge her half-Russian heritage.
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