Ch 2

CH 2
    His story checked out. Both the Humane Society and the pound said they'd received phone calls from an anxious young man inquiring if they could come retrieve 'a large lizard'.  Amanda thanked them and hung up with both without  informing them exactly what kind of large lizard he'd meant.
    She allowed herself the luxury of putting her head down in her hands and saying a little prayer for strength.  Praying was something she rarely did, partly in reaction to growing up in a religious orphanage, but some days she felt she just really needed the help. Today was going to be one of those days. And it had started off so nice.
    Sighing, Amanda stood and ran a hand through her short dark hair.  Despite the current crisis, she found herself wishing for a mirror so she could check her appearance before facing the young man again. She blushed at the thought, then tried to force the blush down. Straightening her shoulders, she opened the door to the office and stepped out into the hall.
Out in the waiting room, all was quiet. She saw a dozen pair of eyes trying to avoid her gaze. The young man- she realized she didn't know his name- was hovering  protectively near the cage, but not, she was glad to see, too near it. It didn't matter that he'd brought the animal in. Once it was on her territory, all it took was a single bite. She'd never had a lawsuit placed against her or the clinic. She didn't intend to start now.
    Stepping up to Lily's desk, she picked up the list of scheduled clients and asked Lily to call a couple of the assistants out of the back.
    "Tell them to bring gloves," she said quietly. "The heavy leather ones." Lily nodded and stood, darting to the rear of the office.
    Amanda slowly approached the cage again, making eye contact with the dragon, who had calmed considerably.
    "Your story checked out," she said aloud, not looking up at the man. "Mr.-?"
    "Robles." She could hear the same broad smile in his voice. "Markus Robles."
    "Well, Mr. Robles, I have some assistants coming out who are going to move this dragon into the back room. Then, later, I'm going to call the New York Zoo and see if they have room for her." The dragon's dangerous clawed foot held something pinned to the floor of the cage and she was ripping large chunks from it with her teeth. Amanda suspected it was the steak Markus had mentioned. She finally looked up and met Markus' eyes. "Any objection?"
      His grin was still plastered on his soft-featured face and she could see the relief wash through his eyes. She thought she saw something else there as well, a ripple in the blue like indirect sunlight on a placid river. "Oh, no," he blinked and the illusion was gone. His eyes were still a startling deep shade of blue but not hypnotic. Amanda had to keep herself from shaking her head to rid herself of the image. Instead, she turned to the two white-coated assistants, clad in leather gloves the density of cowhide.  She gestured to the cage and each took up a position at opposite ends.
      "Into the back, if you please." They nodded and gingerly plucked the cage from the floor by the wire mesh. Though the dragon was a female, and a juvenile female at that, Amanda guessed she was nearly five feet long and likely close to 200 pounds. The timid hold the assistants had on the cage quickly turned into strong two- handed grips, and she could see them straining a little under the load as she followed them back into the hall.
    "Dr. Hadden?"
    Amanda pivoted, nearly running into Markus. The smile on his face was a little muted by the seriousness in his eyes. He held out a scrap of paper. She reflexively took it from his hand. It held a phone number and his name in a shaky script.
    "Dr.- would you call me?"
      Amanda felt her eyes widen and watched as Markus blushed, his grin back full-force.
    "I mean, when you find her a place? At the zoo or wherever." The hypnotic rippling was back when he met her eyes again. "I'd like to know that she's safe." One eyebrow popped up, making the sweet face mischievous. "And that everyone else is safe from her, of course." He shrugged and looked down at his worn gray sneakers. Amanda was finally able to blink.  She nodded before she realized he wouldn't see it. "I would just really appreciate it."
      She let out a pent-up breath. She said "Sure, no problem," and tucked the paper into the pocket of her scrub top.  She wanted to duck to catch another glimpse of those eyes, but restrained herself. He flashed her another grin and with it another look into his eyes, just blue again, tucked his hands into the pockets of his faded jeans and sauntered out the door of the clinic, into the bright morning sunshine. She could hear him whistling as the door swung shut behind him.
      Reluctantly relinquishing his number to the depths of her pocket, she pulled out her hand and turned, mightily hoping the day held no more surprises.