Dragon Man
Chapter 4 – Common ground
"I want to see who is bloody well in charge and I want to see them now!" Charlie shouted down the welcome witch behind the desk.
"I'm sorry sir, but due to the outbreak of Dragon pox, you cannot enter the hospital except in a case of life or death" The witch was starting to sound desperate.
"It will be a case of life or death shortly, you self important little sh" Charlie was brought up short by a blur of robes and a short effect stunning spell hitting him in the chest. He swayed a little on his feet, and blinked as he felt his body become unresponsive. He tried to reach for his wand to defend himself, old habits die hard, but found that he had been totally taken by surprise and progress was slow. The next thing he knew he was bound and being held face down on the floor, a rather pristine floor for an entrance hall he noticed obscurely.
"I suggest you stop struggling and allow the spell to wear off mate" a gruff voice informed him. Charlie was by this point absolutely livid; however the effects of the spell ensured that this could not be communicated to the two wizards who restrained him. He deduced correctly that they were security and had probably been alerted when he started shouting the odds at the desk. The action in the hall went on around him, he apparently went unnoticed. He watched many pairs of feet walk hurriedly past, some pushing wheels in front of them. He had been in the hospital several times before but could not remember it ever being so busy before. It then dawned on him that the welcome witch had told him that there was an outbreak of dragon pox.
Charlie started to groan as sensation and pain enveloped his body as the spell wore off and the security wizard officers helped him to his feet.
"You got a nasty gash there mate" observed a one of the officers.
"Really?" Charlie said, his voice dripping with sarcasm "Wow, is this the hospital? Isn't that somewhere you go when a dragon has chewed on your leg to get it fixed?"
"The hospital is closed sir" the welcome witch said from between the security wizards, earning herself a glare from Charlie.
"So I gather" he growled "How am I supposed to get this fixed then?" he indicated his leg, where the trousers hung in tatters and blood seeped from angry looking wounds.
"If you give me your name and dorm number, a healer will be dispatched to you when one becomes free" The welcome witch was starting to feel safe with the security wizards still holding Charlie by each arm.
"You already told me that and as I told you, I can't afford to sit around on my arse while there is work to be done!" Charlie's patience was wearing thin again.
"Sir, that is the only way you will get treatment today, go back to your dorm and await the attentions of a healer"
"Look, it's very simple, get me a healer and get my leg fixed, here and now and then I go away" Charlie spoke to her as if she were a child "I win – I get my leg fixed and I can go back to work. You win because I go away and stop annoying you, and by the way, I am a team leader I have a cabin, not a dorm"
"How dare you!" None of the assembled had noticed the assistant matron enter the entrance hall. Charlie looked at the high ceiling, noting the delicate glass work above them that filtered the Romanian sun this way and that onto the marbled floor. He took a deep breath and prepared to meet her eyes, ready to be well and truly reprimanded for his behaviour.
But when he did look, Juliet was glaring at the security wizards and the welcome witch, not at him. It was a nice change to not be in trouble.
"How dare you stun and assault a patient in need of treatment in this hospital?" She demanded her blue eyes cold and angry.
"Ma'am, you gave specific instructions that no one who didn't have suspected dragon pox was to enter the hospital!" The welcome witch had become a lot less cocky all of a sudden Charlie noted with pleasure.
"That does not mean you can restrain a patient who is already injured, possibly putting his life at risk" she had managed to control her tone, but the eyes said it all "You are not trained medical staff, and a patient who is obviously in considerable pain, with a bleeding leg wound is classed as an emergency, you should have called for a healer immediately"
"But Ma'am you said…." Juliet cut the welcome witch off sharply.
"I am well aware of what I said, but I expect my staff to exercise a little common sense. However, this is neither the time nor the place to have this discussion, I will speak with you later" she then turned to Charlie, who could not contain the smug smile on his face, he felt ridiculously pleased with himself "Charlie, I apologise for the behaviour of the staff, if you would like to follow me, I will deal with you personally, now"
She lead the way across the large entrance hall, to a large oak door near the main entrance that had a 'private' sign drunkenly hung over the handle. Charlie took a few seconds to admire her from behind as the security wizards and the welcome witch melted back behind the desk, glowering at Juliet's back.
"Hear that mate?" Charlie gloated to the nearest security wizard "A beautiful woman is going to deal with me" he raised his eyebrows suggestively at him "Personally" he added with more than a little self satisfaction, before sauntering after Juliet, rather hindered by the tattered trousers and gashes in his leg.
He shut the door behind them, taking in the chaos of the room he had just entered. Files were strewn across a large desk that was also littered with coffee cups and plates with food in varying stages of decay. The curtains hung at strange angles at dirty windows making the room a lot darker than it otherwise might have been and the carpet was beleaguered by screwed up pieces of paper, discarded sweet wrappers and general debris.
"Nice office" Charlie observed, a note of surprise in his voice, he had expected someone so in control to keep her office as neat as his mothers kitchen, not like this.
"It's not mine" she said her back still to Charlie as she cleared what he was now able to identify as a healing couch "This is matron's office" she finished, turning to smile at the look of incredulity on his face.
"You're kidding?!" he exclaimed "The dirty old bag!"
Juliet chose to ignore Charlie's jibe at her superior, she finished clearing the couch and ran a cleaning spell over it, turning away to a cupboard that contained salves, taking out the things she would need. Despite her calm exterior, Juliet was keyed up on the inside. Most of her thoughts recently had been occupied by the man who stood bleeding behind her, she had found herself wondering about him, asking others about him and generally realised that he was taking up a lot of her time without actually being there. It made what she said next a double edged statement, and apparently Charlie was the king of double entendre.
"Please take off your trousers, what's left of them, and lay on the couch" she said to somewhere above his head.
"On a first date?" he quipped "You could have at least bought me a drink first"
Juliet could only hope that she wasn't blushing like a teenager "Do you want me to fix that leg?" she asked, her face schooled into the picture of innocence "Or would you rather I sent you back to your cabin and let you bleed until a healer can deal with you?"
Charlie had been removing his trousers as she spoke and he swung himself up onto the couch as she stood by waiting to assist should he need it, he leaned closer towards her a naughty grin on his face.
"I'd much rather you dealt with me, Ma'am" he said cheekily, winking at her.
Juliet did not answer as she was muttering spells to clean and soothe Charlie's leg; he took full advantage of the situation which she was learning was something of a Charlie trademark.
"You know, I've been wondering how I've missed someone as lovely as you all the times I've been in here" he said "I mean you've been here a while now, and I'm a frequent visitor and I've definitely never seen you before because I would have remembered" he watched her for a reaction, slightly non plussed that there was none, nothing visible anyway, so he continued.
"You said that you worked nights though, so maybe that's why. I must say you do look good for someone who has worked permanent nights; I wish I looked like you when I've finished a week of nights. They're killers, although at least it gives me a break from sitting alone in my cabin, reading my mum's letters" he paused again, looking for the smallest sign that she had registered his not so subtle reference to the fact he was single. Her face deadpan, Juliet was desperately trying to ignore his flirting and get on with healing his leg; her concentration was being stretched to the limit.
"I was thinking that maybe I'd have another little get together on my days off, three and a half weeks on again so I think we all deserve a break" he stopped again "I can't believe it's been three and a half weeks nearly since you rescued those trainee's from themselves that night, seems like a lot longer actually. Anyway, it would be nice if you'd come to the party, I mean you could keep a proper eye on your 'charges' as you put it and you would definitely add a touch of class"
Juliet's focus snapped and she looked at him, regretting it immediately, seeing him so close, she was thrown off her stride and for once could not think of a suitably caustic reply.
"I'm not sure that it'd be a good idea" she said quietly.
"Why not?" he demanded "It's no good for you cooped up in here all the time, you need to let your hair down and have some fun"
"A party with a load of drunken and lecherous healers, trying to control a bunch of over sexed trainee healers does not sound like fun to me" she replied, turning away to the cupboard again, reading labels on bottles of salve before choosing three.
"Then what does?" he asked "Come on, you have a gorgeous, if humble man" he laughed at his own joke and Juliet was glad that he couldn't see the smile that crossed her face "Flirting like mad and asking you out, on a date of your choice, anything you want"
Juliet straightened her shoulders, this was getting rather heavy all of a sudden and she needed to lighten the atmosphere, before she said or did something she might regret.
"Do you flirt with all the healers or am I a special case?" she asked her tone light.
"No, you are definitely very special" he said, his face sincere. Juliet was sure that it was a look that he had perfected over the years to get what he wanted.
"Ok" she said unsure where to take this now, she wanted to go out with him, a lot. But she certainly didn't want to fall at his feet.
"Ok what? You'll let me take you out?" he pushed the point.
"I'd really like to see around the reserve" she smiled slightly as she saw a fleeting look of surprise on his face "And I don't mean the silly tourist tours that run, I mean see it properly"
"I like a woman that can surprise me" he said "You're on, meet me for breakfast in the canteen on Saturday morning and I'll show you around; the official, unofficial tour"
"Eight o'clock?" she asked slyly "Or will you still be partying?"
"Party's cancelled" he grinned "I got a better offer, and I want a clear head"
"You can put your trousers on now" she said, turning away shyly.
"I liked it much better when you asked me to take them off" he replied saucily, jumping down from the couch and pulling the blood stained and ripped trousers on.
Juliet put the three bottles of salve on the couch he had recently vacated "Mix a little of these together and put it on the affected area three times a day" she ordered "Any problems, come back, tell the welcome witch to fetch me"
"Does that mean that if I have trouble putting on the salve that you will do it for me?" he asked, from behind, somewhere close to her left ear.
"Don't push your luck" she said smiling, her expression not betraying the rate her blood pressure was climbing, she walked over and opened the door for him "Good bye Charlie" she said pointedly.
"Until Saturday" he said, smiling at her again "And thank you, my leg feels great" this time she did blush as he kissed her lightly on the cheek, grateful that he was walking away from her and couldn't see.
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