Cassia's POV

Sometimes I feel like a vampire. Only waking up when the sun goes down and dealing with so much blood all the time. Except I don't feel the need to consume my patients blood and I need vitamin D supplements to compensate for my lack of time under the sun.

Groaning, I sit up in my bed and look over at the clock on my Ikea nightstand. It reads 6 pm. After getting home at 9 am I had stuffed my face with whatever was left over in my fridge before taking a quick shower and then I was out like a light. And now the sunlight was out as I looked out of my small bedroom window with longing. I always missed the warm sunlight on my face being cooped up in the hospital or sleeping through the day like I did today.

With the busy schedule in the hospital I forget to use my lunch breaks to walk outside and sit under the sun for even fifteen minutes. Forcing myself and my bleak thoughts to leave the bed, I go to the bathroom to splash some cold water on my face. My brain knows my schedule is nocturnal, but my body doesn't so it refuses to wake up. After I brush my teeth and cleanse my face, I go around my bedroom and living room to collect dishes I have left around, tidying up the place. Then I put my dirty clothes into the hamper for when I have to go down the block to the laundromat.

After I'm done, I settle on my singular white living room couch and open my phone. I have two missed calls from mom an hour ago despite having texted her before passing out this morning. And another text from my 20 year old sister Olivia.

Opening my mom's number I text out, 'Sorry mom didn't hear the phone. Just woke up, did you need something?'

Then I open Olivia's chat to see her text, 'Sis can I borrow this?' She asks and there is an attached photo of one of my blouses I have left over at my mom's house. Knowing Liv, she has already worn the garment outside before hearing my answer so I type out a quick, 'Sure help yourself' and closing my phone. Before I can set my phone down, it starts ringing.

The caller ID reads Mom and I unlock the screen to answer it. "Hi mom." My voice sounds tired to my own ears.

"Hi honey, just wanted to check up on you, how was your day off?" She asks with a trivia show playing on the TV in the background.

"It was fine, spent the whole day sleeping again." I reply as I rub my eyes and stifle a yawn. I really feel like I need coffee or something high in sugar to wake myself up.

"Did you eat something? You always forget to eat on your day off Cassia." Her voice stern as she questions me.

I laugh at her tone of voice, I'm twenty eight, a doctor with a specialty and she still babies me. And I let her because she loves taking care of me and my sister. It's what she fell back on after my dad passed away from a heart attack three years ago.

"Don't laugh and answer my question Cass!" She chides me.

"Okay okay, you got me! I haven't eaten anything yet, I'm going to the kitchen to make myself something now." I say as I pull my laptop from on top of the table sitting in front of me.

"You're going to make dinner? Right now? Uh-huh. So you're not opening up your laptop to work as we speak?" She asks in suspicion.

"Dammit." I whisper under my breath. She knows me too well.

"Huh, that's what I thought. Up you go missy. Go and get your dinner before you start working. Your brain can't work properly without fuel."

I set my laptop to my side on the couch and laugh into the phone as I get up and make my way for open style kitchen connected to my living room. The whole apartment is small but I like it, it's cozy and it's easier to clean.

"Alright mom I'm in the kitchen now, I'm making dinner I promise." I say as I take out some eggs and toast for a very very late breakfast seeing that my whole timeline is shifted and might as well have breakfast for dinner.

"Okay good." She concedes. "You know I love you." She says her voice going soft at the end.

I still have a smile on my lips as I reply back, "Love you too mom. Say hi to Olivia for me."

"I will honey. Bye."

"Bye." Then I hang up the phone and start cracking eggs on the pan before scrambling them. Then I chop some bananas for a makeshift oatmeal and milk cereal and toast the bread.

After my breakfast slash dinner is ready, I settle down onto the floor of my living room between the couch and the table. I open up my laptop before me, checking my emails and new science journals before settling on reading on the updates for one of the case reports I'm writing with Diana, who is also a doctor who works with me in the emergency department in Hillcrest General.

I read the parts she has altered as I eat, typing out my own adjustments as I go along. When I'm finished with my meal, I rise to put away the dishes and then wash my hands. Drying it with the towel on the kitchen counter. A knock sounds at my door. I look up at the clock on my kitchen wall. It's 8.30 pm, I just talked to my mom and I know it can't be my sister. Who would visit me at this time?

I make my way into the living room and to the door, then I look through the peephole into the hallway but there is no one there. Apprehension climbs my arms in the form of goosebumps.

Maybe some kid has done a ring and run? Or maybe some homeless guy is trying to get into the apartment building by buzzing every doorbell? It happened more often than not. Mr. Fitz is actually a regular alcoholic and drug addict homeless that comes to me for treatment in irregular intervals. I never turned him away or pressed him to seek out further medical help down at the hospital, knowing from earlier exchanges that it never went well to press him for more.

Maybe he was the one buzzing everyone's doorbells? It wasn't that late at night so it was a possibility. I could go down and check it. Putting on my shoes, and grabbing my keys, I unlocked my door and stepped into the hallway. I closed the door behind me and as soon as I turned left, I jumped back because there was a man standing there leaning against the wall.

"Finally an appropriate reaction out of you milaya." The deep russian accent said in an amused voice. Willing my increased heartbeat to calm down, I looked up at Ilya Mironov's handsome face. He was the last person I was expecting to see at my door at 8.30 pm.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" I asked automatically before I could stop myself. He raised a perfectly sculptured brow in response and his smile broadened.

"Always on the clock aren't you?" He said with a laugh ingrained in his words.

I closed my eyes briefly to get a hold of my thoughts. Reopening my eyes I looked up at his crystal blue eyes willing them to not distract me. "How did you get into the building?" I asked as I looked behind him to the empty hall like I could find an accomplice there. "Actually, forget that. More importantly, how did you know where I live Mr. Mironov?" I asked as I took a tentative step back, he was standing very close to my door and I had to unlock my door in order to get inside. Precious seconds that I would waste while he could incapacitate me.

His blue eyes took on a predatory look as he seemed to enjoy my nervousness. Was this his twisted way of paying me back for drugging him? I had dealt with my fair share of psychotic patients and stalkers before but none of them had appeared in front of my door before. I wasn't about to apologise for my treatment methods, maybe they were a tad bit unconventional yes but the evidence of their effectiveness stood alive and breathing right before my eyes.

"Social media has evolved a lot over the last few years don't you agree?" He asks in a casual tone as he leans on the hallway wall with his shoulder in a nonchalant way but it doesn't fool me. I know it's just for show. I squint my eyes at him.

"I don't use social media." I reply suspiciously.

"Oh my bad, I probably meant to say employment forms down at the hospital." Ilya says as he runs a casual hand through his silky hair. The motion distracts me for a minute before I digest his words and the meaning behind them.

"How did you access my information from the hospital? Those are supposed to be classified." I ask, still not as terrified as I probably should be. If I was more prone to having better survival instincts, I would've started screaming for my neighbours about the stalker who has come to murder me like ten minutes ago.

Ilya Mironov just shrugs, the black tailored suit rising with his movements at the gesture. "When there is bleeding involved, I take liberties."

Those are the exact same words I'd told him when he came into the emergency room yesterday. I look over his body from top to bottom, looking for any injuries or obvious bleeding to make sense of his words.

"It's not me." He says, all trace of humour gone from his face now as he stands up from his laid back position against the wall. "I have a different patient for you." He says.

I look up at his face to see if he is lying or hinting at something else, the clean handsome features of his face are expressionless, barren but I see nothing that troubles me in there. I pride myself in being a good judge of character and seeing as I'm still alive to utter that statement, I stand by it.

"Okay where is the patient?" I ask, going into doctor mode in the blink of an eye. I watch as a flicker of surprise appear in Ilya's eyes before it's gone.

"He's not here. He's not well enough to be transported. You're going to have to come with me." He says.

All of this sounds like stuff that should ring alarm bells inside my brain because this is how people get abducted and then we hear about how their body has been chopped up into sixteen different parts and found buried in Central Park but I always were too trusting in people. You could probably lure me into a shady van with a hurt dog.

I just nod and move to my door, turning the key, I open the door. Before I can step in, Ilya's arm blocks my way holding the door open. I'm staring up at his face which is very close to mine and a few strands of his black straight hair is falling across his forehead. My heart picks up speed like a treadmill and his masculine clean shaven smell washes a dizzying spell over my senses.

"You're not going to slam the door in my face are you milaya?" He asks me in a low voice.

I look up at his light blue eyes and shake my head without breaking eye contact. Then I open the door to my apartment all the way before I step aside allowing him to pass in. He takes a step inside to the threshold barely inside and stands there, so out of place in my tiny cozy apartment in his expensive suit and good looks.

"I'm just going to grab my med kit and supplies." I explain as I move to my bedroom where I keep the emergency bag. Grabbing a hoodie to toss over my head as well, I walk back into the living room to find Ilya standing exactly where I've left him. "We can go."

Four chapters in two days?! Whaat?

We are off to a strong start. Hope I can keep up lol.

Crossing my fingers that you like the story so far!

💙