Till Death Do Us Part

A New Beginning

Author's Notes: 

Thanks a lot for everything! :) I'm really sorry for not updating for a long time! I'm really busy because of school. :/ Well, I want to thank FireEater for the really amazing letter she posted on my message board. :) As a bonus (since I've not updated for awhile), I'll be posting THREE chapters! That's right! THREE chapters! Enjoy! :)

Chapter 8- A New Beginning

Dr. Luke Castellan pulled up to the curb of the airport precisely at the moment Annabeth's plane was touching down. He showed a special pass to a policeman, who nodded and promised to keep an eye on the car. Even the policeman smiled at the doctor. Luke was a man no one could ignore. He had an almost irresistible charm, and a strength that showed through everything he did.

He wove his way into the airport lobby and spoke rapidly to a ground supervisor. The man picked up a phone, and within moments the doctor was ushered through a door, down a flight of stairs, and into a tiny airport vehicle, and then rushed out to the run-way, where he saw the ambulance standing by and the attendants waiting for the patient to be taken off the plane. He thanked his driver and hurried to the ambulance, where he quickly checked inside to see that his orders had been carried out. They had been, to the letter. Everything was there that he needed. It was hard to tell what kind of shape his patient might be in after the flight, but he had wanted her in San Francisco immediately, so he could keep a close eye on things. He had a lot of planning to do, and work would begin in just a few days.

The other passengers were held back a few more minutes while Annabeth was carried out through the hatch. He liked the look of the nurses. They were young but competent, and they seemed to work well as a team. That was what he wanted. They were all going to be part of a team for the next two years, and everyone was important. There was no room for incompetence. Everyone had to be the very best they could be, including Annabeth. This is his special project. It's not everyday that banking icon Paul Blofis asked him for his service. But it's not really the money that mattered a lot to him but the love for his work. Surgery was his life. He took pride in the metamorphosis of things when a new creation comes out so good, so perfect after the treatment and leading a happier life. Yes, Annabeth will be better than she was before. He would see to that. She was going to be the star of this show. He watched her being carried toward him and waited until the stretcher had been gently set down inside the ambulance. He smiled at the nurses but said nothing, and held up a hand gesturing them to wait as he eased in beside Annabeth and sat down on a seat next to her. He reached for her hand and held it.

"Hello, Annabeth. I'm Dr. Luke Castellan. How was the trip?" he asked so casually as though they were long time friends, as though she was someone, not just a faceless blob. She could feel relief wash over her at the sound of his voice.

"It was okay. You're Dr. Castellan?" She sounded tired but interested.

"Yes. But just call me Luke. Dr. Castellan sounds too formal for people who will be working together." She liked the way he said it, and if she could have, she would have smiled.

"You came out to meet me?"

"Wouldn't you have come out to meet me?"

"Yes." She wanted to nod, but she couldn't. "Thank you."

"I'm glad I did. Have you ever been to San Francisco before, Annabeth?"

"No."

"You're going to love it. And we're going to find you an apartment you like so much you'll never want to leave here. Most people don't, you know. Once they dig in their heels, they want to stay here forever. I came out here from Chicago about fifteen years ago, and you couldn't get me back there on a bet." She laughed at the way he said it, and he smiled down at her. "Are you from the Philippines?" He was treating her as though they had been introduced by friends. But he wanted her to relax after the long flight. And a few minutes without movement would do her good. The nurses were also glad of the opportunity to stretch as they chatted with the two ambulance attendants. Now and then they glanced in to see Dr. Castellan still talking to Annabeth, and they liked him already. He exuded warmth.