Chapter 28

Tatiana

Zeke led her through the bustling streets of Saint-Tropez. It was beautiful there, it truly was. The sky was clear, allowing the sun to shine brightly down. The sea was a brilliant blue and the coast was full of different kinds of pedestrians and tourists from all around the world.

After Zeke left the bedroom, she returned to the walk-in closet and picked out a simple, pale blue button-down sundress that draped gracefully around her frame.

Zeke, with an arm wrapped around her waist, took her to a small and quaint vibrant little village with cream brick walls and beautiful archways.

"We're close." Zeke remarked. They were now walking down a small alleyway. It was quieter here compared to the noise of the crowd they had gone through, with little to no people milling around the surrounding area.

As they walked, it was apparent that they were walking into a lesser known part of the village. The walls were no longer a vibrant cream but a more dull beige, unkempt plants and shrubbery mounted on each side.

"Does the doctor we're meeting have a legal license to practice medicine?" Tatiana asked him worriedly as they slowly trudged down the alleyway.

"He used to." Zeke bit his lip, glancing down at her. "He got into trouble with the chairman of the hospital he used to practice with and got his license taken away. However, he's a skilled doctor and a trusted friend of Vincent's for years so you have nothing to worry about." He assured her.

Tatiana only nodded and they continued on. Zeke slowed them to a stop in front of a tall burgundy door that looked surprisingly sturdy and had a well-kept surrounding when compared to the rest of the area.

Zeke stepped forward and knocked. Moments of silence followed before they finally heard footsteps from the other side of the door. They heard the click of locks being freed before the door swung open to reveal the beautiful yet impassive face of a young girl probably in her late teens or early twenties, with flowing brunette hair and striking hazel eyes.

"May I help you?" The girl asked with a blank expression.

"I'm Zeke Vasiliev." Zeke said and the girl's face lit up with recognition before they dulled back into impassiveness. "We're here to see Dr. Caron."

The girl nodded, opening the door wider and gestured them inside. "Come in." She said in a clipped tone.

They walked into a small but quaint little living space. It was obvious from the furniture and little decorative ornaments that whoever lived here had money to spare. From one of the archways that led away from the room came a man in his late 40s with greying hair and was dressed smartly in a button down and slacks.

"Dr. Caron." Zeke said in greeting.

"Mr. Vasiliev." The man came forward, lifting his hand in a handshake to him while introducing himself to Tatiana. "I'm Dr. Caron, but you can call me Geoffrey." He smiled at her kindly before turning back to Zeke. "Your uncle already called ahead, we've been expecting you."

Zeke nodded, shaking his hand. "This is Tatiana, my... fiancé." He gestured to her nervously, giving her a glance. Tatiana bit her lip. They haven't exactly discussed their relationship ever since they found out the true arrangement of marriage.

A beat of silence followed by a moment of hesitation on everyone's face before Tatiana gave Dr. Caron a wide smile and shook his hand as well.

"Yes, I'm Zeke's fiancé." She said, grasping his hand firmly.

"Congratulations." Geoffrey congratulated them with a small smile before gesturing to their side where the girl from earlier stood. "This is my daughter Eloise." He said. "She is my assistant, if you will. She is a great help to me and a very good nurse as well." He proudly stated, making Eloise turn a slight shade of red in embarrassment.

Tatiana gave the girl a small smile before Geoffrey motioned to them into another room.

"This is my office." Geoffrey said as he led them through a sturdy oak door. They entered a room that contained a large mahogany desk, a hospital bed, and various drawers and cabinets that she could only assume contained important files and documents concerning other patients.

"Please, take a seat." He gestured to the two seats situated in front of the desk. "Would you like anything to drink? Coffee, juice?"

Tatiana merely shook her head. "Water is fine, thank you."

"The same for me." Zeke said while placing an arm on the back of the chair she sat on, his fingers gently brushing through her hair.

"Eloise." Geoffrey prompted, making her leave the room and return shortly with two glasses of water before she left, closing the door behind her.

"So," Geoffrey began. "What is the matter? Vincent didn't share any details, just asked for an appointment."

"It's... complicated." Zeke said monotonously. "Please just do an overall check on her."

Geoffrey nodded. "All right." He stood. "Ms. Tatiana, please take a seat here." He gestured to the bed.

She gently squeezed Zeke's hand before moving it away from her shoulder and standing up, going over to the elevated bed and taking a seat, placing her bag next to her.

Geoffrey proceeded to his examination, asking her a few questions while checking her pulse and heart rate.

"Any serious illnesses?" He asked as he slipped her arm through a sleeve connected to a blood pressure monitor.

She shook her head. "None."

He strapped the sleeve on securely before starting up the machine. "Breathe slowly, in and out." He instructed her.

She calmly sat there for a few moments. Zeke, who couldn't keep still, got up from his seat and stood next to her, grasping her hand and playing with her fingers. Geoffrey merely looked on, amused, while he continued his assessment of her.

"Hmm..." Geoffrey hummed when the monitor finished taking her blood pressure. He took the sleeve off her arm and placed it back on top of a small drawer before producing a small clipboard from behind his desk and writing something down.

"Do you feel pain anywhere?" He asked, turning back to them. "Any recent injury, bruising, wounds..?"

Tatiana bit her lip. "I was shot in the hip a few months back and got a fractured ankle a couple of weeks ago." She began, feeling Zeke's hand in hers clench tightly. "And I might have some bruised ribs from last night." She ended nervously as she glanced at Zeke, his face darkening in anger.

"May I?" Geoffrey asked, gesturing to her ribs. She nodded in response.

He stood next to her as he prodded on her sides, making her hiss in pain when his fingers jabbed a particularly sore area.

She breathed sharply. "On a scale of one to ten how painful is it?" The doctor asked as he kept prodding her ribs.

"Seven?" She answered in a questioning manner, downplaying the pain so that Zeke wont freak out.

"We should get you an x-ray on this." Geoffrey finally declared after a few moments, retreating back and writing something down on the clipboard he had set aside earlier. "I'm not sure how extensive the damage might be, it's best to play it safe and be sure." He concluded.

She nodded in acknowledgement.

"Will we have to get them from a different facility?" Zeke asked regarding the x-rays. She was curious as well, since she doubted there'd be a full set of hospital equipment for it in Geoffrey's home.

Geoffrey gave them a small smile in amusement. "There's no need. My house is very equipped for everything a doctor with my credentials needs." He said. "Well, credentials I used to have at least." He added with a sad smile.

"Eloise will help prep you for your x-ray." Geoffrey continued on despite the sudden awkwardness in the atmosphere. "She'll also be the one to do the x-ray."

He walked towards the door to his office. "Eloise!" He called out to her.

They heard footsteps approach from the hallway. "Yes?" Eloise materialized.

"Please prep Ms. Tatiana for an x-ray. I'll leave you to conduct it as well." Geoffrey stated before retreating back to his desk.

Eloise merely nodded. "This way, Ms. Tatiana." Eloise said. "Please follow me."

Tatiana gave Zeke's hand in hers a small squeeze before releasing her hold, getting off the hospital bed and following after Eloise, shutting the door behind her.

"Here, change into this." Eloise handed her a white flimsy hospital gown with small blue patterns on it before leaving her to change in a small dressing room.

Eloise had led her down the hallway and down the stairs to their basement. The space was in keeping with the warm brown tones of the floor above, with warm brick walls and decorative ornaments in various shades of coffee, beige, and burnt sienna. Through the corridors Eloise had opened a door that contained equipment that she was familiar with from the numerous times she had previously gone for an x-ray.

She stripped off her clothes before putting on the gown. This reminded her of the many times she has done this before, when she had to put on similar gowns and get hospitalization and x-rays from broken ribs and beaten up organs.

She bit her lip, holding the memories back before stepping out of the dressing room. She found Eloise standing behind a computer of sorts.

"You know what to do?" Eloise asked in a detached manner.

"Yes." Tatiana nodded in reply. She just had to stay still. She walked up to the machinery and laid down where she should. After a few moments, the machine wired to life and slowly moved down the length of her body, hovering over her and scanning her bones.

"Eloise, can I ask you something?" Tatiana spoke hesitantly, eyes looking sideways to her right as the low whir of the machine continued.

"What?" Eloise questioned absentmindedly as she typed away on the computer.

"Have we met before?" She asked.

She saw her eyebrows furrow. "No, what would make you think that?"

"Nothing, really." Tatiana replied. "I was just wondering if we may have wronged you in some way before because of your obvious... animosity towards us." She tried to broach the subject with delicacy.

Eloise stilled, glancing up at her before continuing on what she was doing.

"I don't mean to be." She began. "It's just that I don't approve of who you and your fiancé are. Your reputations precede you, especially that of your lover."

When the machine finally slowed to a stop and moved off her body, Tatiana slowly sat up, mindful of her ribs. "What do you mean?" She asked, speaking as if she had no idea of what she was talking about.

Eloise rolled her eyes, pushing away from the computer once she was through and leaned against a table filled with various instruments she was far too scared to know the names of due to their sharp blades and what they could possibly be used for.

"I'm not stupid, you know?" Eloise raised an eyebrow at her as she walked around to grab a small tablet that contained her x-rays. "I know who you guys are. You're dangerous people and I don't approve of your lifestyles."

"I tried my best to convince my father not to take your appointment." She continued. "Danger knocks on the doors of the people who have any sort of involvement in your line of work. I don't want my father going anywhere near your lot lest we continue to risk losing everything we have worked for once again." She ended in a resentful tone before turning around, tablet in hand, and walking towards the door to leave and slamming it shut.

She exhaled slowly, tension high in the air. Continue to risk losing everything? She wondered to herself, worried. Just what has happened to them?

She sighed in exhaustion. While various possibilities ran through her mind, she got up and walked back towards the dressing room, changing back into her clothes and leaving the room the same way Eloise left.