It wasn’t too much later when Lucian gave into Claire’s request to go and check on Eliot once more before dawn. Though after checking on the young man, Lucian couldn’t help a sigh at the fact that his condition had not improved all that much since their arrival. He was now facing a bit of a quandary in regards to how to deal with the young man who seemed to be so very dear to Claire.
After all, he was not actually there in the new world to start his own practice, as he had allowed the crew to believe earlier. That life was behind him. Life itself was behind him, he thought bitterly. He was only there for one reason and one reason only; to claim Claire’s heart and in turn save his sweet Lenore from whatever fate his horrible sire had in store for the girl if he did not do as he was bid.
However the very fact of Eliot’s existence, and the obvious feelings Claire held for this young man; that was problematic. He had very few options before him as he saw it. If he were to simply not continue to treat Eliot as best he could, and just let the boy die, it could very easily lead to Claire hating him before he even had a chance to try and win her heart at all. Or, he could very easily cure all of Eliot’s ills with one simple drop of his own now cursed blood. On that thought, he couldn’t help wondering why Claire had not done so herself if she had cared so deeply for the young man. Or perhaps it was because she cared for him, she somehow thought that her blood would change him in a way she didn’t want to see happen. Though, if the latter was the case, giving Eliot his own blood could also lead to Claire’s fury if she were to discover it.
Then there was the possibility that he could honestly try to continue to nurse Eliot back to full health and return him to Claire just as he had been before the sickness settled into his body. However, if Lucian succeeded, he would be returning her the man that apparently was rooted in her heart now, which was the place he was meant to be, if he wanted to save his child. And if he failed to right the boy’s health and he perished anyway, once again, Claire could end up resenting him, believing that Eliot’s death was his fault after all.
The only option that would ensure Eliot’s survival was for Lucian to give him his blood and hope that Claire would be grateful rather than hateful. Though, Lucian’s hatred for his own blood, powerful as it supposedly now was, did make it hard to believe that she would be very happy about him doing so at all. Just as he had been the farthest thing from happy when he had discovered that his sire had tainted his own child with that poisonous blood of theirs as well. Again, no option was good.
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It was only minutes after waking the next evening that Claire had made her way out of her own room on the top floor of the inn. She and Lucian had rooms there on that upper floor, while all the recovering crew members had been placed in the unclaimed rooms on the ground floor. She immediately began banging on the door across the hall from her, where Lucian had slept that day.
“I realize I sleep like the dead, but was all that noise really necessary?” he asked her as he opened the door to her, still having not even finished buttoning his shirt over the taut muscles of his chest.
She flinched slightly at his wording, assaulted with memories of Eliot having said such a similar thing to her when they had first begun their friendship. “You have to let me see him tonight” was the only greeting she offered in return, once she pulled her eyes back to his face, of course.
“Well, as his doctor, I think I should probably be the one to see him first” he stated tentatively, seeming in no hurry as he took his sweet time buttoning his shirt as he smiled down at her wryly.
“He could have died while we were forced to sleep up here! Are you still trying to convince me you actually care about him... them?” she quickly corrected.
“Relax Claire, I’m sure he’s just fine” he stated gently.
“Oh, so now you are psychic?” she bit out, frustrated with having been kept away from Eliot for nearly twenty-four hours while he could very well be suffering horribly, if he was still even alive at all.
Lucian finally finished buttoning his shirt as he looked down at her with an unreadable expression before speaking again, “you love him, don’t you?” he asked softly, as if speaking to himself rather than Claire right then.
She was a bit taken by that statement from a virtual stranger, and then panicked at the thought that he could be reading her every thought if he actually was more powerful than her. She tried to force enough composure to speak then, “he’s become my best friend in the entire world” she whispered, “and true friendship is so hard to come by... now” she looked down before making herself add, “I’m not ready to lose that yet, not again.”
Noting the red tears welling up in the corner of her pretty eyes, it was then Lucian who needed a moment to compose himself. Seeing such clear pain in her touched what was left of his heart. At the same time it also filled him with terror for his little girl due to the fear that Claire couldn’t possibly be expected to fall for him when she was already so enamored with another; even if it was only a ‘friendship’ that she claimed. It was obvious there was something much deeper there.
After another moment, he found his voice, “go ahead. His room is the farthest to the right” he stated softly as Claire immediately rushed toward the staircase without another look back.
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When Claire did burst into Eliot’s room, her relief was almost tangible. There she found him now sitting up in bed, his color having returned to him. He was hungrily making his way through the early dinner the innkeeper had brought the crew shortly before she had risen that night.
“You’re feeling better?” she asked through a tearful sob as she rushed across the room to his bedside.
“Actually, I am” he smiled up at her as he reached out to receive the hug that she graced him with, nearly falling into his arms as she did. “I’m still a bit tired, but otherwise, I am feeling much, much better, so you can stop the tears” he told her with a smile and a gentle squeeze.
“Have you heard anything about the others?” she made herself ask as she continued to sit close to him atop the bed, her head resting on his shoulder.
“I think most are still recovering, but honestly I don’t know that much more than you at this point” he then allowed a small smile, “sounds like a good excuse to talk to that gorgeous doctor again” he teased.
Claire’s head came up quickly at that particular statement, “gorgeous?”
“Well you did see him, didn’t you?” he teased.
“Yes... I just...” her voice trailed off as she just smiled warily, knowing much more about that gorgeous doctor than Eliot likely did.
“What’s that look?” he smiled over at her again, “just because I’ve been making love to a beautiful woman for the last four months, it doesn’t mean I don’t notice when I see a gorgeous man, still” he chided.
She forced another small smile, “it’s not that, it’s just...” she swallowed, “I can’t help being a little wary of strangers, all things considered” she attempted to explain her misgivings without actually explaining the reasons behind them just yet.
“Well, this stranger saved my life” he reminded her with another smile, “so I’m tempted to give him the benefit of the doubt after that.”
Before their conversation could continue, the stranger in question entered the room with another of those smiles he almost always seemed to hide behind. “So, I take it our patient is doing well after all?” he stated, attempting to keep any nervousness out of his otherwise confident tone.
“Thanks to you” Eliot smiled back at him, his eyes openly traveling over Lucian as he spoke, a fact that didn’t go unnoticed by Claire or Lucian.
“Well, that’s what doctors do. They fix people” he smiled again as he busied himself with his bag rather than letting himself dwell on Eliot’s lingering looks, or the way Claire was holding him close still.
“Speaking of, have your other patients recovered as quickly as Eliot seems to have?” Claire couldn’t help asking, trying to keep her tone from becoming too suspicious.
Lucian smiled back at them once more to cover the minuscule crack in his composure then, “I’ll better be able to answer that once I check on them as well. But due to your concern, I decided to check up on your friend first.”
Claire narrowed her eyes at the way in which he stressed the word, but decided now was not the time to address it. Though Eliot’s voice interrupted her continued attempt to try and read Lucian’s aura once more. “Claire love, could you return the tray to the innkeeper while I have my checkup?” he asked her sweetly, accenting the question with a tiny kiss to her cheek.
Claire had not honestly wanted to leave them alone together just yet, but she couldn’t find any valid excuse to ask to stay either, so she made herself rise from the bed and take his tray as requested. Though she did give Lucian one more suspicious look before she left the room once more.
“Do you need me to take my clothes off, doctor?” Eliot couldn’t help teasing in a sultry tone as the door closed behind Claire. It was not that he was honestly expecting the doctor to return his subtle flirtation, but some part of him was truly drawn to Lucian, as strange as that even was, considering their very limited time together, and the state Eliot had been in for most of it.
“Unbuttoning your shirt should be sufficient” Lucian told him as he retrieved a stethoscope and moved toward the bed, still managing to retain his smile. Even though Lucian was completely unaware of Eliot’s existing attraction to men, he still somehow did not seem surprised at all that Eliot now seemed so drawn to him after such a short amount of time in his presence.
“Well that sounds rather boring” Eliot teased with feigned upset as he started undoing the buttons.
“I’d think nearly dying would have been enough excitement, wouldn’t it?” Lucian teased back as he reached the bedside.
Eliot simply smirked at the statement as he leaned back to allow the doctor to proceed with his examination. Eliot flinched slightly at the feel of the cool metal against his bare chest, but soon was distracted by another unexpected sensation. As Lucian examined him, his fingers just barely grazed Eliot’s skin, which caused the younger man to look up at him quickly.
“What’s wrong?” Lucian stated with genuine surprise, “your heart rate just tripled.”
“Your hands....” Eliot stated slowly, not able to drag his eyes from Lucian at all then. Though now he looked at him with something much different than the desire that had been written all over his face only a moment earlier.
“My hands?” Lucian repeated as he raised a brow.
“They’re ice cold” Eliot whispered, warily moving his eyes over the other man then.
“Apologies” Lucian stated, averting his eyes and attempting to hold his smile as he turned back to his bag.
Only a moment later, Lucian was closing his bag and preparing to go check on his other patients. Still watching him closely with a suspicion equal to his desire, Eliot spoke again, “my examination is over already?” he questioned warily.
Lucian stood up more straightly as he allowed the briefest glance back at the young man, “I believe it’s obvious that you have quite fully recovered. Meaning, you’ll no longer have any need of my services.”
Eliot narrowed his eyes at that as his ears caught the sound of another of the crewmen coughing from the next room, "the others are still ill, aren’t they?” he made himself ask, though quietly.
“Some are less fortunate. But you’re a young man who had obviously been in good health before your journey. It’s not that surprising that you would recover more quickly than some of the others.”
“I’m sure that’s it” Eliot replied in a tone that had the slightest trace of sarcasm behind it. His eyes still locked on Lucian, he made himself speak again as Lucian began moving toward the door, “did you do something to me?” he blurted out the question, which did well to stop Lucian’s departure.
Making no move to look back at Eliot, Lucian found a response, “I helped you. That’s what doctors do, isn’t it?” and with that, he left the room before Eliot could make any further inquiries about his sudden and miraculous full recovery after being only a step away from death just one night prior.