Bound

Five

“It’s time for you to learn how to kill.”

Ananke glanced down to find a course guide opened to “Emergency Medical Services”, the headline highlighted. She laughed.

“Isn’t that a little contradictory? Or did you forget that Emergency Medical Services is about saving lives?”

“In order to be a proficient killer, you have to understand the human body and the human mind.” Frank smiled into his strawberry milkshake. “To turn an old adage, you cannot harm if you cannot heal.”

Frank’s explanation did nothing to decrease Ananke’s amusement. On the contrary, the young woman had a wide smile as she sucked on her chocolate malt with apparent relish.

“We’re moving to…” Ananke flipped back to the cover and grew wide-eyed. “Thousand Oaks, California? Ma—Frank, that’s off the hunting trail!”

“You are moving to Thousand Oaks. I’ve called in some…favors…to set you up in an apartment and ensure your tuition. I am not content to leave you alone, but my…contacts…assure me you will not be left unsupervised.

“Bear in mind,” he continued, after another sip of milkshake. “If I hear of the slightest misconduct, I will fly to California and retrieve you personally. I will also come down to check you at the completion of every westbound segment of the hunt. You will never be truly alone.”

“Only one problem,” she replied, snapping the guide closed and passing it back. “All my academic records are still in The Netherlands. And we will be in Thousand Oaks in less than a week.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Frank smirked.

He was the first one she saw when she walked in that night. She was floored by his endless milky brown eyes, his windswept chestnut hair and the shy smile that said, “I want to introduce myself, but I don’t know if I dare.” She returned the smile and quickly made for the desk on his right.

“May I sit here?”

“Sure,” the young man said breathlessly.

She unpacked her satchel, smiling and pretending not to notice he was watching her when she settled in a moment later.

“Cody Foster.”

“Clare Williams.” She shook his hand.

“Where in England are you from?”

“Coventry. I came over five years ago.”

They chatted for a while before the professor called the class to order. At the last moment, Cody leaned over and whispered,

“Want to get a drink later?”

Ananke smiled.

More than a year passed before Ananke was forcefully reminded of her previous life.

Thanks to Clare’s sparkling academic record, Ananke was able to finish her program in a few semesters, most of which put her into Cody’s classes on a regular basis. The days that weren’t spent holding hands through lectures—and more than a few labs—usually culminated in dinner somewhere far from campus.

Whether by sheer luck or by a matched set of dazzling references, Ananke (who preferred to think of herself as Clare) and Cody were hired as paramedics at the same hospital. Though they weren’t partners, Cody and Clare often found time to snatch a quick kiss and a few words in the breakroom before their next run. More importantly, their days off frequently coincided, allowing for rollerblading, long walks and the occasional trip to the beach. They had been dating since the first day of class, but Clare had never been tempted to tell Cody her secret.

~*~

Though she was in the middle of a rare three-day weekend, Clare found herself helping her coworkers at a park on a crisp fall afternoon several months after graduation. After an hour, she no longer remembered what caused the incident, but it scarcely mattered—as long as the patients were stabilized and shipped off at regular intervals, her work was getting done. The team was so efficient that Clare didn’t notice the dwindling numbers until there was only one rig left.

“Where’s Aleesa?”

“She went with Greg and Tammy.” Cody snapped off his gloves. “Said something about helping Tammy keep the patient stable.”

Clare didn’t think very much of Aleesa leaving her partner behind, but said nothing as she repacked her jump bag.

“Thought this was your day off?”

“You know me…when duty calls…”

Her boyfriend smiled and settled onto the ambulance’s bumper. “You should’ve been a nurse.”

“Then I never would’ve met you.”

“I think we would have found each other eventually.” Cody smiled.

“You’re not going to say something mushy, like ‘we were meant for each other’, are you?” Clare sat down and Cody put his arm around her.

“Not unless you want me to.”

More was said, but Clare heard none of it; not even her own words. Everything fell away from her mind in a heartbeat when he started kissing her. Minutes passed, perhaps hours before the real world intruded.

“You need to get back to work,” Clare gasped.

“And you need to get back to your day off!”

They shared one more brief kiss, then hugged upon rising.

“When are you off again?”

“Saturday.”

“Saturday,” Clare repeated. “Until then…”

Cody snatched at her hand, trying to bring her in for yet another kiss, but Clare pulled away and waved goodbye. He blew her a kiss instead and hopped into the cab as Clare slipped through the trees. When Cody was gone, she stopped and knelt in front of Frank, wordlessly presenting her wrists for cuffing.