Before the Moon Rises (Ritter Werewolves) Read online

  He kept his smile in place despite his state of undress.

  “Maybe I can explain my, er, situation over eggs Benedict.”

  She was tempted. Even with him dressed in a hospital-issue gown open in the back, she was tempted. “I don’t think so.”

  “Why not? You said yourself I’m good looking, and I know you’re curious about why I ended up here.”

  Janet slid the paperwork she held in front of him and handed him her pen. “Even if I wanted to, I make it a rule not to date my patients.”

  “Humm...” He took the paper and signed his name, then pushed it in her direction. “I’m no longer your patient.”

  Janet couldn’t stop the giggle that erupted. “Listen...” She picked up the paper and noted his name. “Mr. Ritter. I’m flattered, really I am, but I don’t think this would be a good idea.”

  “I suggested breakfast, not marriage.”

  “You’re wearing a hospital gown and a smile.”

  “I’ll change. We can drop by my house so I can get my wallet.”

  Janet narrowed her eyes. “Is this some perverse way to get a free ride home?”

  “I’ll pay for gas.” His eyes locked with hers sending a chill up her spine.

  “Hey, Janet,” a voice called from beyond the closed curtain.

  “I’ve got to go. Day shift needs report.” But her feet didn’t move. Instead, she stared at him, knowing somehow she would give in to his request, and if nothing else give him a ride home. Something she had never done before.

  “I’ll meet you outside, by your car.”

  On a sigh she said, “Yeah, okay.” Janet turned away. “How do you know what I drive?”

  “I don’t, but I’ll figure it out.”

  Before the Moon Rises

  by

  Catherine Bybee

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Before the Moon Rises COPYRIGHT © 2012 by Catherine Bybee

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Contact Information: www.catherinebybee.com

  Cover Art by Crystal Posey

  Publishing History

  Published by Catherine Bybee

  Kindle Edition 2012

  Previously Published: First Black Rose Edition, The Wild Rose Press 2010

  Published in the United States of America

  Dedication

  To Emergency Room nurses everywhere.

  It’s a war zone out there…stay safe.

  Praise for Catherine Bybee ~ Before the Moon Rises

  Nights and Weekends Reviews: Satisfying and suspenseful, Before the Moon Rises has earned the distinction of being one of the top e-books I’ve come across in my journey to find the very best that the Internet has to offer.

  Romance Studio Reviews: Before the Moon Rises has everything, great characters, a gripping plot, and some pretty hot love scenes.

  Long and Short Reviews: The material is well written, provides a dash of humor and spice to keep things interesting.

  NYT Bestselling Author, Caridad Pineiro: A page turning mix of fast cars, sexy shape shifters and paranormal suspense.

  Chapter One

  The radio squealed in her ear adding to the chaos of the busy emergency room at County General. Janet removed a pen from the pocket of her hot pink scrub top and poised it over the run sheet as she hit the talk button with her other hand. “This is County Base, come in 79.”

  The radio squealed and the voice of the paramedic on the line started to talk. “We’re on scene with an approximate 35 year-old-male, about 185 pounds with an altered level of consciousness. He’s unresponsive with a GCS of 13. No visible signs of trauma. His glucose is 112.” The medic continued to ramble off normal vital signs, which Janet jotted down.

  When the paramedic paused, she pushed the button on the radio and spoke into the mic. “79, is there any evidence of ETOH?”

  “Negative. There’s no alcohol on scene, and I don’t smell any on his breath.”

  Janet sat forward and issued orders. “Try two milligrams of Narcan IV push, I’ll stand by.”

  While she waited for the medic to carry out the request, she yelled over the nurse’s station at one of the techs. “Hey Tom, can you have C-2 ready? 79’s coming in with a run.” Tom nodded and walked toward the cardiac bay where the patients who rolled in from the back door normally ended up.

  “County, are you there?”

  “Go ahead, 79.”

  “No response to the Narcan.”

  She tilted her head toward the radio, trying in vain to block out the noise of the department. “Mitch, is there anything pointing to what we have?” The paramedic on the other end was seasoned. He had seen almost everything in the last twenty years.

  “I think he’s psych.”

  “Based on what?”

  “The man’s naked.”

  Janet heard laughter in the background. The men on scene were obviously getting some levity out of this one.

  She tossed her pen down and stopped worrying about giving the wrong orders. Following procedure, she rambled off a list of things to be done with the patient before he made it to the back door. She knew the medics had already completed most of them, making the exercise a waste.

  Finished, she signed off and logged in the run on the computer.

  It had been a bitch of a night. Janet glanced out the back doors of the ER where the sun started to rise. Unfortunately, day shift wasn’t due in for another hour. They couldn’t get here fast enough as far as she was concerned.

  Patients had bombarded the ER nonstop since she arrived at 7:00 PM the day before. Graveyard sucked. Add a full moon to the equation, and it always proved to be a nightmare. So much so, she’d learned long ago to schedule her days off around it. As most good plans go however, she got stuck with a full moon shift when one of her fellow nurses ended up sick with the flu and her boss had begged her to work.

  Now beat, she rubbed the back of her neck, urging the muscles to relax, and counted the minutes to when she could leave.

  Less than five minutes later, Emergency Medical Technicians wheeled the patient-laden gurney into C-2 with the paramedics in tow.

  Janet nodded to them, grabbed a triage sheet, and walked behind the curtain.

  “Anything change?” she asked, then set the papers on the overcrowded crash cart.

  “He’s responding to pain a little more. But he’s still completely out.” Mitch tore off his paperwork and handed it over.

  Janet grasped a set of EKG patches and started placing them on the man’s chest. Lucky for him his torso was free of hair. Otherwise, she would have had to shave the unconscious man.

  Surprisingly, the man was rather well-groomed considering he was most likely some psycho off his meds. His flawlessly shaped bronzed chest caught her attention and his arms appeared as if they lifted weights on a daily basis.

  He wasn’t homeless. That was a given.

  So why was he naked in the busy streets of LA? Not that it mattered; it didn’t change what she needed to do. Figuring out what he was doing prior to being in the ER might shed light on what his problem was. An outsider often thought a nurse’s job was simply technical skills. In reality, half her job was related to psychology and sociology.

  Those skills were put to the test every hour of every day
.

  “Is LAPD coming in?” she asked the medic.

  “They were on scene and took a report. They’ll come by later for a follow up.” A series of beeps told them both he had another run. Mitch reached for his radio. “Man, tonight is never gonna end.”

  “You can say that again,” Janet agreed. “See ya in a few minutes.”

  Janet watched as he high-tailed it out the doors.

  With her attention back to her patient, she started pressing buttons on the monitor and studied the different leads on his EKG.

  Normal.

  Yanking the stethoscope off her neck, she quickly checked his lungs and heart.

  Normal.

  She placed a knuckle to his sternum and gave a deep turn.

  He grimaced but didn’t wake up.

  Looking around first, Janet picked up his arm, placed it over his head and let it drop. Down it went, right on his face.

  Damn!

  “Humph.” Janet studied the man’s face for the first time. He had deep-set features with a firm jaw. His five o’clock shadow was more like a 7:00 AM shadow, but hell, it was almost 7:00 AM. She opened his eyelids and checked his pupils. When she did, she found the deepest midnight blue eyes she had ever seen.

  His dark hair, somewhat long, was well-kept. His even tan made her wonder if he spent most of his time on the beach.

  No, he definitely wasn’t homeless.

  Even his skin held the scent of some exotic cologne. It wasn’t something she could point out, but it certainly wasn’t ‘Eau de Street.’

  After checking to make sure his IV ran freely, Janet searched out one of the ER doctors for a consult.

  “Let’s start with a CT and a full set of labs. Drop a catheter in him and get a urine analysis and a serum drug screen. We’ll see what we get then.” Dr. Miles followed the same triage assessment she had done before moving on to the next patient.

  Within minutes, John Doe’s blood was on its way to the lab and radiology wheeled the man into CT before loading him onto the x-ray table.

  Janet stood in the wings waiting for the test to finish.

  Jack, the radiology tech, talked through the entire exam. “Damn, did you see the last guy?”

  “Yeah, he was completely FUBAR,” Janet said while watching John Doe’s monitor.

  “What’s FUBAR?”

  Jack glanced over at his trainee and then started to laugh. “Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition.”

  The kid’s face turned green.

  Janet had to admit, the scene was really grotesque. Right out of a horror novel. The half dead man arrived after something had fed on him. The memory turned her stomach.

  “Do you think it was an animal attack?”

  Janet glanced up from her paperwork and shook her head. “Had to be, but I’m not sure what kind of animal.”

  “Looked like a dog to me. Probably a Pit.” Jack tapped buttons on the massive keyboard in front of him. Black and white images of John Doe’s skull appeared.

  “I don’t think it was a dog. The bites were deeper and more vicious. Besides, if he’d been mauled by a dog I would have started sneezing the minute he came in.” Everyone in the Emergency Department knew about Janet’s allergy to dogs. Whoever worked triage understood not to give her patients who had run-ins with biting dogs.

  Jack scanned the pictures on the monitor of John Doe and shrugged. There was no obvious sign of inner cranial hemorrhage or shift of his brain from one side to the other. “I don’t see anything.” Nothing obvious anyway. They’d have to wait for the Trauma doctor and radiologist to view the films and render their diagnosis.

  “Let’s move him back to his room. I need to get a Foley in him before day shift arrives. I don’t need them bitching about me leaving work for them.”

  The three of them wheeled the gurney down the hall and around the corner back into the curtained cubical that stood as John Doe’s room.

  Alone with her patient, Janet removed the catheter kit from the supply cabinet and placed it on the bed. She closed the curtain to insure privacy. Not that he would complain; he was still completely out.

  She tossed back the covers and took the time to dress the man in a hospital gown. The stranger was built. Tan, muscular and good lord his package was something to be reckoned with. Janet didn’t make a habit out of really noticing her patients ‘packages’, in fact, she couldn’t remember ever really looking before. Okay, maybe she looked, but she never ogled. This man was well worth ogling.

  Embarrassed over where her eyes landed, she opened the Foley catheter kit and prepared to insert the tube into his penis to collect his urine. Good thing he’s out. She’d hate to be caught staring at the man’s assets. How unprofessional.

  Gloved up, she lifted his penis and lubed the end of the catheter tubing. Out of habit she murmured, “This is going to hurt you, more than me.”

  A strong voice from the top of the bed stopped her mid-stride. “Don’t you think I should know your name first?”

  Shocked, Janet let out a little shriek. Her grip tightened on the man’s penis, her eyes shot up to his face.

  Deep blue eyes swirled and sparkled with a hidden smile, yet his lips remained in a thin line.

  She opened her mouth to speak but words failed her.

  “Well?” he asked, his voice was thick and drawn out like a hot summer day.

  “The doctor needs a urine sample,” Janet blurted.

  John Doe’s eyes traveled to his private parts. In that second, Janet felt his penis twitch and start to harden.

  “Oh, God!” She jumped back, dropping his erect penis in her haste. Heat rushed to her cheeks.

  Her face turned red so fast, Max thought she might spontaneously combust right in front of him.

  She was utterly frazzled, it took every effort for him not to bust out laughing. She couldn’t be more than five-feet-six, her body shape hidden by the outfit she wore. Small but mighty, he thought. Obviously, she wasn’t used to being caught off guard.

  He’d awoken in some crazy places, some outrageous situations. But this was a first. “I’m in a hospital?”

  “Yes, County General.” Her eyes refused to meet his. They did, however, scan his body.

  Unable to control the reaction to her open stare his body responded. Her succulent scent filled his brain. He stifled an audible sniff, but he smelled her nonetheless. Her eyes hid her desire, but her musky scent didn’t. Women, and men for that matter, released a pheromone when they were attracted to the opposite sex.

  This delicious-in-pink nurse was definitely attracted.

  Frazzled, but attracted.

  Another familiar scent filled the odiferous air of the Emergency Room that brought his skin to alert, but he couldn’t place it.

  He shook his head, attempting to scurry the fog in his brain.

  She started clearing away the catheter tray with a steady hand. In a casual gesture, she covered his exposed frame and tossed her supplies in the trash. “You can give the doctor a sample, now that you’re awake.”

  “A sample of what?”

  “Urine.”

  “Oh, yeah.” Max sat up and removed the patches from his chest.

  “Hey, what are you doing?”

  “Leaving.”

  “You can’t do that.”

  Max continued to dislodge the medical equipment, ignoring her words. “I’m not sick. I don’t need a hospital.”

  “You were unconscious a minute ago. And have been for at least a half an hour. I think you should have a workup.”

  Max stood and the cold hospital floor met his feet. Half an hour? How the hell did that happen? He peered through a small slip in the curtain, which gave him a view of the busy emergency department. The air smelled foul. It was then he saw him, off in a corner in deep conversation with another patient.

  Gorman!

  Instantly on alert, Max stepped back out of view, his mind raced for an escape. He took a glance at his naked knees and bare feet. He needed clothes. “Is there
an extra pair of scrubs I can borrow?”

  The nurse cocked her head to the side and took a step closer. “Do you remember your name?”

  He tore his eyes from his enemy and settled his gaze on her. “What’s your name?”

  “I asked you first.”

  His chuckle caught him by surprise. Her scent made his body ache. Damn afte effect of the change. This time it seemed so much more powerful. “Max. My name is Max.”

  “Do you know why you were unconscious, Max?”

  Something about this woman drew him in and he moved close enough to feel the heat of her skin. He lowered his voice. “I think you need to tell me your name.”

  Her eyes drifted to his chest, her lower lip sucked in. “Janet O’Brien.”

  Max reached out and placed her left hand in his. He brought it to his lips and kissed the back of it.

  Her pulse jumped. She didn’t wear a ring. “Thank you for taking such wonderful care of me, Janet. But I really need to be on my way.”

  She was blushing again, this time a smile laced her features. “You’re going to have to sign out against medical advice.” She removed her hand from his. “I’ll go get the paperwork.”

  She started to move from the room, but Max stopped her. “Miss O’Brien?”

  “Yes?”

  “Don’t forget the clothes.”

  She nodded, pivoted, and left his side.

  His cheek twitched. Her cute little butt swayed in rhythm with her hips as she walked past the nurse’s station and disappeared from sight. His eyes drew to thin slits. Gorman’s steadfast stare followed the hot pink uniform as well.

  She emerged with an armful of clothes. Then, quick as a snake, his rival’s hand shot out and stopped her in her path.

  Every muscle in Max’s body tightened.

  Gorman kept his grip on Miss O’Brien’s arm while he spoke with her. When she backed up, Max saw her unease.

  He could smell her fear.

  She ended her discussion and turned Max’s way.