Diagnosis Wolf Read online

  “Do you have to write everything down?”

  “Well, I don’t have to, but since no one will tell me what’s wrong with you, I’m kind of flying blind here. I don’t know what’s significant, so I’m tracking anything and everything until I know more.”

  Caleb huffed out a laugh. “So, Father didn’t tell you anything. No surprise there. He’d like to keep me isolated and this whole thing a secret until it’s resolved.”

  Andrew looked around the dark room. “Seems like he’s doing a good job of it so far.”

  “Tell me about it. Would you mind helping me raise the bed? I’d like to sit up for a while, I think.”

  “No problem.” Andrew crouched at the head of the bed and adjusted the levers until Caleb was raised enough to be comfortable. “How’s that?”

  “Perfect. So where’d Dumb and Dumber get off to?”

  Andrew couldn’t hide his smirk at the nicknames. “I assume you’re referring to Scowly and Scowlier?”

  Caleb burst out laughing just as the door to the bedroom opened and Alfonse walked in. He stood stunned in the entrance when he saw Caleb sitting up and smiling.

  “Hey, Pop.”

  Alfonse rushed to Caleb’s side and cupped his cheek. “My son. You look… better.”

  “No worries, Pop. Laughter is the best medicine, and Andrew here cracked me up.”

  Alfonse sent a look filled with gratitude Andrew’s way before turning back to his son. “Any changes?”

  The smile slipped from Caleb’s face. He shook his head and raised his hand to cover his father’s where it rested against his face. “I know you’re doing everything you can. We’ll figure this out.”

  Alfonse nodded. “Andrew, would you excuse us for a minute?”

  Already feeling like an intruder on the moment, Andrew nodded. He scooped up the soiled linens and backed out of the room, closing the door behind him. Finding his way back to the entrance hall only took a moment, but he had no idea where to go from there.

  Deciding to explore, Andrew opened a random door and peeked inside. Another hallway. Sheesh, did this place ever end? He followed the marble tiles to more doorways and checked each one in turn. Finally, he located the kitchen at the end of the hall.

  Not seeing anyone else, Andrew poked around the room until he found the washer and dryer in a large pantry. He piled the sheets on top and nearly leapt out of his skin when he heard growling behind him.

  He turned around, tensed for an attack, and found two large gray-and-black dogs in cages behind the door. Their hackles were raised, and one bared its teeth and snarled at Andrew. “Good doggie. I’m just going to throw these clothes in the wash, and I’ll leave you alone.”

  Andrew kept one eye on the dogs while he flipped open the machine and stuffed the linens inside. He did a quick search for detergent and dumped some in before slamming the lid shut and starting the wash cycle.

  The dogs continued their threatening noises until Andrew left the room and closed the door behind him. He let out a deep breath and realized his hands were shaking. He wondered what exactly Alfonse did that he required two hulking bodyguards as well as dogs that seemed ready to chow down first, get commands later.

  He couldn’t let that worry him, though. He straightened his spine and went over to the refrigerator to try and find something that might tempt Caleb to eat. He found a bottle of sports drink, some fruit, and a container of yogurt. Grabbing what he needed, Andrew made his way back to Caleb’s room. With a quick knock on the door, he pushed it open while balancing Caleb’s snack. Caleb was alone in the room, his eyes closed. He opened them when he heard Andrew come in and smirked when he saw him trying to balance the drinks and snacks.

  “What’s all that?” he asked over a huge yawn.

  “Something for you to eat and drink. Gotta have your fluids.”

  “Yeah, yeah.”

  Andrew set everything down on the side table and opened the plastic lid on the drink bottle. He passed it over to Caleb, who took a slow drink. “Orange. Blech.”

  “Sorry, that’s the only kind down there or I’d go get you something else.”

  “Yeah, my dad likes this flavor. He keeps it handy.”

  “Well, let me know what you’d prefer, and I’ll make sure there’s some here.” He carried a bunch of grapes into the bathroom and gave them a quick rinse before setting them on a clean towel and carrying them back to Caleb. “Give these a try.”

  Caleb popped one into his mouth and chewed. “I’ll eat the grapes, but I hate yogurt. You can have that.”

  Andrew shrugged and sat down on the edge of the bed. He opened the yogurt and gave it a quick stir. “Too bad I didn’t think to look for granola.”

  Caleb winced. “That’s even worse. I’d rather have a big steak.”

  “Ah, a meat and potatoes kind of guy, huh?”

  “Yeah, if you hold the potatoes.”

  Andrew shook his head and nibbled on the yogurt while making sure Caleb continued eating and drinking. After a few minutes, his patient visibly drooped. Andrew gathered up the grapes and the drink and lowered the bed. “Go ahead and get some rest. I’ll be here for another few hours if you need anything.”

  Chapter Two

  Andrew trundled up the steps to his apartment and cursed at the lack of light. He’d been meaning to call the office to let them know that the overhead lights were out again, but he kept forgetting. There were too many other pressing issues on his mind these days. His mind drifted back to his patient. Caleb would be in his thoughts for the rest of the evening. He hadn’t woken up before the end of Andrew’s scheduled shift, but his restless sleep and obvious pain had Andrew concerned.

  He shouldn’t have agreed to the three-day window that Alfonse requested. It really was foolish on his part to take responsibility for the care of a patient when he didn’t know what he was treating. He didn’t know what to watch for, other than the obvious.

  The stairs creaked ominously, and Andrew stepped over the third from the top. It was loose and yet another thing that the management company didn’t see fit to repair. With a drawn-out sigh, Andrew started toward his door. He’d get out of this dump as soon as he could. It wouldn’t be soon enough.

  A dark shadow moved in front of his door, and Andrew froze.

  “Hey, Andy.”

  Fuck. Just what he needed. A surprise visit from his brother. “What do you want, Daniel?”

  “I just, you know, was wondering if you could….”

  “You can stop right there. No. I am not helping you. I’ve helped you enough, don’t you think? What with the maxed-out credit card and wiped-out savings account, which you accidentally borrowed?”

  Danny stepped closer and tried to use his pitiful look on Andrew. Fortunately for Andrew, he was immune to it. He’d grown up with the sorrowful glances and “poor me” expressions his baby brother used to get his way. He had put up with it his entire life. No one would say no to poor, sweet Danny.

  “Now, come on, Andy. I explained what happened. I was in real trouble. You had the money. I’ll pay you back.”

  Andrew shoved past him and fumbled for his keys. “I’m not stupid, Daniel. You won’t pay me back, and you never had any intention of it. You stole from me. That money was supposed to be my cushion while I found a full-time job. Now I have nothing, thanks to you. You’re just lucky I didn’t call the cops like I should have.”

  Danny pouted and tried to follow Andrew inside. Andrew held the door and wouldn’t let his brother through.

  “Come on, Andy. You’ve gotta help me just a bit more. This is serious. I’m gonna be in real trouble with these guys if I don’t get them their money.”

  Andrew shook his head and tried to control his temper. “I’ve helped you all I can, Danny. You wiped me out. I have zero savings and a maxed-out credit card with huge interest rates because of the cash advances. I can’t even pay my bills, much less help you get out of this mess.”

  “Andy, please. I’m begging you. As your brot
her. Help me out here.”

  “I swear, Danny! Even if I had it, I wouldn’t give it to you. I just got a job, and you know what my first paycheck is going to? Buying food! Because you took everything, and I can’t even buy groceries right now. It’ll be a neat trick to make sure I have enough to pay rent and keep the lights on.”

  “You don’t understand. I had to take it. This is bad, Andy. Real bad. I need you to find a way. Maybe ask your boss for an advance or something? Come on, anybody who can afford a private nurse has to be able to give you a little up front.”

  “Fuck you, Danny. I said no, and I meant it. I’m not asking Mr. DiMartino for anything. I can’t lose this job. You need to leave, and until you bring me back the ten grand you borrowed, I really don’t want to see you.”

  He felt the slightest twinge of guilt when he slammed the door in Danny’s face, but damn. Getting a call from his credit card company saying he had suspicious activity, and then finding out his entire savings account had been emptied took the little patience Andrew had for his brother and sent it sailing on by.

  Whatever trouble Danny had gotten himself into this time, Andrew could only hope that he found a way out of it. His brother had an addictive personality. You name it, Danny tried it. Not just tried, but went in a hundred and ten percent. Drinking, drugs, gambling. Those were his newest vices.

  Andrew hadn’t realized how bad Danny’s addictions had grown until the money had come up missing. He’d known right away what had happened. Danny had crashed with him for a couple of days, and the next week, the money was gone. And so was his brother.

  He dropped his duffel on the floor by the couch and headed for the shower. His neck and shoulders were killing him. If he didn’t get some of the tension out of them, he’d have the headache from hell tomorrow. And tomorrow meant another day of double time at the mystery mansion. He couldn’t afford to miss that paycheck.

  Caleb was more than just a paycheck, though. No matter what Andrew’s financial situation was, Caleb really needed his help. The analytical part of Andrew’s mind began to make a checklist of possible medical issues.

  “What could be wrong with him?”

  Andrew mumbled Caleb’s visible symptoms to himself as he stripped and dropped his scrubs into the dirty-clothes basket. He knew just enough to know he had no idea. Surely Alfonse had brought in a doctor for his son. The man certainly seemed to care for him a great deal.

  Well, two more days and Andrew would know. Or he’d be out of a job. One way or another. Andrew wasn’t quite sure which way he would prefer. He ran the water as hot as he could stand it and stood under the spray. He bent his neck forward and let the water pound directly on the most tender spots. One thing he’d give this place credit for was the great water pressure. Sure, the tank only held about five minutes of hot water, but Andrew hoped that would be enough to soothe the knots in his neck.

  He’d take a few aspirin afterward and get some rest. Well, maybe he would check out a few of his schoolbooks first, see if anything jumped out at him that might help Caleb.

  Why the other man stayed so fresh in his thoughts, Andrew didn’t know. Okay, that wasn’t entirely true. He did know, but he didn’t want to acknowledge the fact that he found his very ill patient attractive. What did that make him? Some sort of freak?

  The poor guy was three shades of gray and in obvious pain, and all Andrew could think about was how handsome he would be when he got well, and how long and lean his body would be pressed to Andrew’s. Sick and wrong, man. On so many levels.

  He stopped the shower as the water began to cool and dried himself off. Caleb probably wasn’t even gay. With Andrew’s luck, any advance would be rebuffed by one of those gigantic bodyguards. The guys after Danny would probably go easier on him than the Scowly twins.

  Nothing he could do about the attraction but pretend it didn’t exist. Andrew grabbed a book and went to lie in bed. What he could control was how he helped Caleb get better. He adjusted the pillows behind him and read until the words began to blur on the page.

  The limited information he had made his job more difficult. Fatigue, body pains, and elevated blood pressure were signs for multiple illnesses. Anemia and mononucleosis were on the top of Andrew’s list based on what he’d witnessed, but until he had more details, he wouldn’t rule anything out.

  Day two of Andrew’s trial period began in much the same way as the first. Jed, aka Scowly Number Two, opened the door for Andrew when he rang the mysteriously quiet-on-the-outside doorbell and led him to Caleb’s sick room. His patient slept restlessly, as pinched and pale as he was the previous day.

  Andrew checked Caleb’s pulse and blood pressure as unobtrusively as he could. Still higher than Andrew wanted to see. Adding the notes to his makeshift chart, Andrew frowned. Both numbers were higher than the day before, and they’d been high enough to cause some concern then. Andrew tapped his pen against the notebook. In any other circumstance, he’d request calling in the doctor at this point. That probably wouldn’t go over well with Alfonse, though.

  Caleb groaned and began to curl up on the bed. The muscles in his arm rippled in a way Andrew had never seen before. He ran his hand over Caleb’s bicep and jerked it back when the muscle flexed and bulged under his grip. Caleb’s eyes opened. They glowed. And not in a weird trick-of-the-light kind of way. His eyes were literally glowing. An amber yellow. Andrew took a hurried step back and swore. Caleb reached out his arm and grabbed Andrew by the wrist.

  “Holy shit!” Andrew tried to jerk away, but Caleb’s grip tightened. And then claws dug into Andrew’s skin. “Fucking hell!” Andrew tried to unfurl the claws from his skin, but Caleb squeezed harder.

  The door opened, and Alfonse rushed into the room. Caleb growled.

  “Fuck me sideways!” Andrew screeched and continued to try to pry his blood-slicked wrist out of Caleb’s hand. The dark pointed nails were embedded in bloody trenches in Andrew’s skin.

  Alfonse grabbed Andrew and held him still.

  “Quiet now,” he muttered against Andrew’s ear. He reached out and grabbed Caleb’s wrist and gave it a quick squeeze. “Caleb. Release him.”

  Caleb whimpered, his claws tightening in response to the command. Andrew hissed as blood began to flow more quickly down his arm from the wounds.

  “Caleb, don’t make me ask again.” Alfonse’s voice deepened, and Andrew shivered. His tone brooked no disobedience. Caleb released his hold, and Andrew took a few frantic steps back. Alfonse stepped closer to his son and leaned in close. Andrew couldn’t make out the mumbled words, but they didn’t matter.

  He was getting the hell out of here. Stat.

  He made a quick grab for his bag and took off for the bedroom door. Jed and Monty stepped in his path. Andrew tried to dodge around them, but the mountains moved to completely block the way. And then they growled. The same menacing growl that he’d heard the day before. The same that he’d just heard from Caleb. And their eyes glowed as well.

  “Oh fuck no. No. No. I’m still asleep. This is a dream. Right. That’s all this is.” Andrew looked down at his still-bleeding wrist and acknowledged the pain emanating from the deep scratches. “Okay, well, I don’t need to pinch myself. Maybe I do. Fuck.”

  “Andrew.”

  Alfonse’s voice came from directly behind him, and Andrew yelled and spun around to put his back to the wall.

  “Look, sir. I don’t know what the hell is going on here, but I am leaving. You need to get Scowly and Scowlier out of my way. Now.” Andrew furrowed his brow and tried to look as menacing as the bodyguards.

  No one moved.

  “Um, please?” They stared at him with their weird amber eyes and didn’t move. Andrew had never felt like prey before, but right now? Yeah. He was. No doubt about it.

  “Come back into the room. Caleb owes you an apology.”

  “Uh, that’s okay. Not necessary. I’ll just head on home now.”

  “No, Andrew. You won’t. Come back inside.” Alfonse grabbed Andrew
’s arm and dragged him into the room. For a small man, Alfonse was built like an oak. Andrew had to follow or he’d fall on his face.

  Caleb was sitting up in the bed, his head hanging down. He glanced up at Andrew as Alfonse pulled him toward the bed.

  “I’m sorry, Andrew. I… I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  Alfonse ran his hand over Caleb’s head. “You always have been a rascal.”

  Caleb winced at the childish endearment and met Andrew’s eyes. “I really am sorry.”

  “Th-that’s okay?” Andrew couldn’t keep the question from his voice. So many questions rolled through his mind that he couldn’t begin to gather his thoughts enough to ask them.

  Alfonse lifted Andrew’s injured arm for Caleb’s inspection. Caleb made a strange little growly grumble and ran his unclawed fingers over the bloody marks. “Damn. I really did hurt you.” He pushed himself up to his feet. “Come on, I’ll help you clean this up.”

  Alfonse gave Andrew a little push from behind. He glared over his shoulder at the older man, but allowed Caleb to lead him into the bathroom. Caleb turned on the water in the sink then opened a drawer to remove a washcloth and first aid kit.

  As Caleb wiped away the blood, Andrew tried to rationalize what had happened. Okay, so there were claws and yellow eyes. It could happen. Andrew whimpered, more from his own thoughts than the sting of the peroxide Caleb poured over the scratches.

  Caleb gave him a sympathetic look and blew on the bubbling antiseptic. Andrew shivered under the touch. From terror. Yeah. Total terror. That would explain the weak knees, wouldn’t it?

  Caleb added some antibiotic ointment before covering the wounds with a bandage.

  “Caleb, what on earth is going on?” Andrew’s voice trembled through the question as much as his knees had wobbled through Caleb’s soft touch.

  Alfonse cleared his throat from the doorway, and both men turned to look at him. “Come back into the bedroom. I’ll explain.”

  Caleb stumbled, and Andrew grabbed him by the waist. He’d lost what little bit of color he had through the exertions.