Doctor Abbott Read online

  Lúta turned back to him and picked up some garments to fold as she introduced her brothers. “The tall one is Avery, and Bjorn is actually my eldest brother. Pay them no mind. I will be sure you are well before they put you to work. Of course you will have to earn your keep here. Do you have a name?”

  “Yes, I’m Benjamin, but you may call me Ben.” Ben had a ton of questions to ask but opted for silence and listening instead. He was dying to know where he was and who or what these people were. However, asking too many questions, especially about being a slave; can make one look defensive and at the moment, he found himself quite defenseless. Observation would clearly lead to more understanding at this point. He put on his shirt and turned to Lúta, “Which way to the facilities?”

  Her expression was a bit blank, as his question clearly confused her, “I am sorry?”

  “When you relieve yourself where do you go?” He replied.

  That comment won a better response from her. “Oh yes, sorry, Bjorn could you show Ben to the outhouse?”

  A growl rolled off the tongue of the creature with the goatee, who had just sat down. “Perhaps you are right, he is already a lot of work.” His comment was directed to his brother. He reluctantly stood up and threw on his armor again before gesturing to Ben to head out the door.

  The moment they stepped outside Ben was dumbstruck. They were in some sort of village and every single person there looked exactly like his captors. The house he was in, was situated practically in the middle of a bustling square. Just like Bjorn and Avery, all the males were incredibly enormous. Lúta was rather short for her species as most of the women even were his size or taller, but nothing still, in comparison to their giant male counterparts.

  Bjorn came up behind Ben and shoved him on his way. “Come on now, I want to finish my dinner and return to work. I do not have all evening.”

  They rounded the building to a large outhouse and he went in, thanking the heavens that it was winter and that the smells were somewhat restricted by the temperature. “Dear God, now I know I’m awake!”

  A few moments later, he found himself back in the cottage shaking off the cold and returning to the bed he had just gotten out of. He sat on it and pawed through the backpack he had taken from the boat to assess his supplies. A small first aid kit and a Swiss army knife were in there as well as his medical field journal and an empty canteen.

  Finally he came across what he really wanted, a flask. He opened the container and took a swig. Leaning back against the wall, he enjoyed a couple more while listening to the beasts’ converse at the table. For the most part they spoke English, with only an occasional foreign tongue thrown in. Whatever language it was he could not make out. Clearly, they were having a discussion about him, but he was not meant to be part of it. It wasn’t long before one of them noticed what he was doing. “What you got there, human?”

  “Liquor. Do you drink?” Ben cursed himself silently fearing that if they didn’t, that they may find the strong tasting liquid offensive.

  “What do you mean do I drink?” Avery eyed him suspiciously.

  Benjamin stood up and crossed the room offering the flask to the creature for examination. “It’s alcohol.”

  Avery reached for the container and gave it a sniff then took a swig off it and smacked his lips. He let off a low growl before standing up and grabbing a jug off the fireplace mantle. “Here, human, try that. Should warm you up a bit more than this water you are drinking.”

  He took a sniff of the jug and decided it smelled like vodka before taking a quick swig. He found himself clearing his throat over the heat of it and sat down to get his wind back. Both of the warriors erupted in hearty laughter. “Hey, Bjorn, I think I like him after all. We will keep him.”

  Bjorn stood up and bent down, getting into Ben’s face with the intent of intimidating him. The predatory warning growl that vibrated the beast’s chest did just that, “Yeah, human, you are safe as long as you can earn your keep. Can we trust you not to do anything stupid?”

  Instinctively he held the creature’s gaze, knowing full well that his life would end now should he even flinch wrong. He responded humbly, “It appears I’m at a strong disadvantage in that I have no clue where I am or whose company I keep. You have my word that my only intention is to ensure I earn your respect.”

  Bjorn straightened up chuckling and rubbed Ben’s hair, “That is good human, rest up. You start earning your keep tomorrow.” The two brothers packed themselves back into their armor and each grabbed a roll of bread off the table.

  As soon as they left, he got up and quietly went over to the washbasin where Lúta was scrubbing pans. If he had any hope of figuring out where he was or finding his way home it would be with her. He reached for the rag she was holding and she snatched it back and paused to look at him, confused by his action. “What are you doing?”

  He replied, “I’m sorry, Madam, I prefer to earn my keep now. Why don’t you go relax while I take care of this for you?” He tugged the rag from her hand and reached into the soapy water for the pot she had just dropped. Her jaw hung open. In all her years not one time had her brothers ever washed a single dish.

  Lúta retorted, “That is nonsense, you should be resting. They will not be kind to you tomorrow, I promise.” She put her hand on her hip and watched him work for a little while before grabbing a dry rag and going after the dishes as he finished each one. Within a few minutes, they had finished all the evening chores together and were starting on a few tasks for the next morning. He didn’t stop until she finally sat and relaxed declaring there was nothing else to do. He sat on the makeshift bed and gave the flask a final swig before pulling the covers over his head and dozing off.

  Chapter 2

  The next morning he was awakened by a mug of water was tossed in his face. “Get up human!” Bjorn laughed heartily at Ben’s expense. “We have much to do today and you are going to have to prove you can pull your own weight.”

  He sat up, throwing on his shirt. “Oh great, I thought yesterday was a complete dream. Luckily it wasn’t.” He was mumbling to himself but both of the male beasts turned to him with a quizzical look. Clearly, his sarcasm was lost on them. He reminded himself that he needed to dial back that kind of behavior until he was sure what sort of temperament these creatures really had.

  The first part of the day was splitting and stacking wood, something he was familiar with as he had done it as a child. The quaint farm he had grown up on in England was always in need of wood. Admittedly, he was quite out of practice and his head was still throbbing from the blow he had taken the day before. The frigid weather and excessive amounts of snow making the work all that much harder. However, he told himself it was all for the good and muscled through it.

  As the day went on, he found himself cleaning out goat and sheep stalls as well as gutting a few chickens for dinner. He was dragged to the next chore, with the chickens he had just finished, still in hand. “May I bring these to your sister for dinner?”

  Avery nodded and smiled. “Of course, we need to eat tonight.”

  He went inside, carefully shaking off as much snow as he could and kicking off his boots to prevent any extra work for the woman he was trying to befriend. She was sitting at the table humming softly while peeling potatoes by hand. He smiled as he addressed her. “Where would you like me to put these?” She responded by motioning towards the kettle hanging over the fireplace. He dropped them in and turned to offer her a warm smile as he asked conversationally, “How has your day been?”

  She was surprised by his question and paused from her work to answer it, “Very unusual so far. Why does it matter?”

  He pulled one of the potatoes off the table and flicked out his pocketknife. In a few quick turns, he left a long coiled peeling on the table and a clean potato. “Because you matter. Don’t you?”

  His reply caught her completely off guard, she had never mattered before, not to anyone else. Why did she matter to him? Such a curious creature,
she thought to herself.

  He went to the door throwing on his boots and coat again before selecting a second potato and taking a bite of it on his way out. The rest of the day, he spent skinning the hides of the animals the men had gathered on their hunt. Both of the beasts stood for several minutes admiring the work he had done on the carcasses. The blood was drained properly and when he gutted the carcasses, the work was clean and neat. His medical back ground came in handy for this type of chore.

  By the time, Ben and the two warriors made it back home he was thoroughly exhausted and the food smelled so good. He was grateful to know this time he was eating chicken, especially after discovering his last meal was wolf meat. This was not something he was comfortable eating and the thought of having to make another go of it was not a welcoming one.

  This time the food was served with warm ale, after the day he had he was grateful for it. As soon as they finished eating he popped up off his seat, fetched the bowls off the table, and quickly started washing them. Both of the brothers looked at each other and burst out laughing. Avery stood up and slapped Benjamin on the back, “This is woman’s work human. We have plenty more for you to do outside.”

  He finished scrubbing the bowl he had in hand, “Well since I’m here now, I might as well do what I can. When you are ready for me to go back out I will do so.”

  Bjorn walked over gulping the last of his ale and dropping the mug into the water basin. “I say we let him finish while you and I meet the guys at Olaf’s tavern.” The comment won a grunt from Avery. Bjorn slapped Ben on the back again, “Have fun human.”

  A few minutes after they left Lúta rounded the table and pulled out her rag to dry the dishes, “Are you not tired from your day of labor?”

  He looked over his shoulder at her casually while his hands worked rag in the washbasin. His weariness hung in his warm eyes. “Of course I’m tired, but you too have been working hard all day. My work won’t end till yours does.” Her response was only a curious smile as Ben feverishly finished the dishes and followed her to the next chore.

  When they finished he was ready to collapse on the bed again and pulled out his field journal to add some notes about his day. Lúta poured him a shot off the jug over the fireplace and sat next to him to look over his shoulder, “Tell me what it is, please?”

  Having taken the time to acclimatize with his surroundings as he did chores earlier he found himself a bit bewildered at the large amount of books the cottage sported. Some in English, some in other languages, most of which Ben knew. One language he had never seen before. It stood out against the others because the writing was all symbolic and from what he could tell ran backwards across the page. There were also scrolls of various nature, everything from letters to news posts around the house. All stuff he made a point not to linger on too much. Lúta seemed to watch over everything he did and he was not ready to ask her too many probing questions.

  Despite her fascination with him, her trust was not earned yet, and to earn it would take some work. Ben took a sip off the shot and sat up a bit to make room for her. “Can you read?” he asked. She responded by shaking her head no. “Well where I’m from I’m a doctor and this is a medical field journal. I have it for my work in the camp I was supposed to meet up with earlier this month.”

  “You never met up with them? They were your people? Humans?”

  He folded the book and answered her. “Yes they were. Unfortunately when I got out to the camp they were already gone. The group left without ever being able to communicate to me they were moving. I meant to return to my home to take a new assignment but the boat I was on sank. Some of us made the lifeboat in time but I was knocked out and when I came to, I was the only one left in the boat. I believe I left it on a beach near here.”

  She perked up, “That explains a lot. There was a boat on the north face of the island. The warriors were fighting over some of the contents. It must have been yours.”

  “Yeah, that was probably it. Amazingly, I was out there for days and never saw anyone. I came inland looking for help. I honestly thought I was going to die when you saved me.”

  Lúta pulled her claws through her hair and fluffed it up leaning forward, she was absolutely fascinated with his story, and with him. This creature came from a world where he learned to respect women. He was beautiful and so alien at the same time. While she had heard stories about human men, she had never actually seen one. Now here he was, and he was her slave. “So tell me what is a doctor?”

  “Well, we help sick people. In my homeland, I’m a very valued member of society. Doctors are both wealthy and educated. I hope to continue my work someday, because I love helping people.” The comment was intentionally thought out to plant the seed in her head that he actually belonged somewhere else.

  “I think that is wonderful. We have sick people all the time, it would be nice to have someone to help with them.” She either dismissed his insinuation or just didn’t catch it. Ben couldn’t tell which and it took a few seconds for him to realize that the proximity between them had closed dramatically.

  She smelled of jasmine and he found the scent intoxicating. Her long lashes had her big brown eyes looking utterly amazing. His jaw dropped for a moment at the thought that he might be attracted to her, but as quickly as the thought entered his mind, he dismissed it. To the point that he had to sit up and shake it off. He looked back at her and referenced the book again. “Would you like to learn to read this?”

  Lúta pressed her lips together and snatched the book from him to paw through the pages. Perhaps this book held secrets of her mysterious new comer, and he was offering to share them with her. He could see that her mind was working through whether or not to accept his offer, and he wondered if women were even allowed to read here. Although Ben was sure he had not been thrown back in time, the civilization here was primitive at best. He was starting to wonder if she did not want to take such a risk, then her strawberry blond fur warmed to a golden hue as a smile lit up her face. “You would do that for me? Even my father never taught me to read.”

  He leaned towards her and turned the book the right way up, opening it to the first page. “Of course I would, you’re smart. You should be reading in no time at all, perhaps even learn a thing or two about medicine. Would you like that?” She nodded eagerly as a spark lit in her eyes. He started to sound out the words with her, feeling like he won a small battle in securing his return home by befriending her.

  The next morning Ben beat his captors to the first of his chores. He had most of the animals fed and stalls cleaned by the time Bjorn stormed into the barn with his machete in hand. The creature rumbled a short growl at his discovery of the human doing what was expected of him, “I thought you had escaped.” Bjorn sheathed the weapon and let off a laugh as turned to leave. “This is good human. You are proving your worth and quickly. I am impressed.”

  For the rest of the day he found himself making repairs around the tiny barn and house. The tools were limited or far too ancient for him to understand, but if he needed supplies they were given to him, no questions asked. He made quick work of many of the chores using a small hand axe and some old fashioned engineering.

  When he got back to the house the only thing he could think of was food but what he found was a tub of water and a bath sheet on his bed. Lúta poured in the last of the water and pointed to a tray on his bed with some soaps and a scrub brush. “I have to help a friend with something. Relax for a bit before my brothers come back, you have earned it.” She smiled warmly as she left.

  Her efforts to give him some privacy were charming. It took him all of a few minutes to find something to shave with. He meant to jump in the water but thought on testing it first just in case it was hot. To his shock, it was ice cold. Something that baffled him, but he eased his way in and washed up. Not more than an hour later, he had the tub empty and cleaned. He finished what he could of the evening chores and when Lúta returned he was waiting for her at the table with a book. He s
et up some exercises for her and worked on her dinner chores as he coached her along.

  After dinner, the two of them worked on her lessons late into the evening practically cuddled up on the makeshift bed as he read to her. They repositioned themselves a few times to get comfortable before Ben found himself having to sit up. She smelled amazing and her proximity had had him fighting off his male urges.

  He meant to apologize but before he could speak, she was kissing him. Her lips were so soft and sweet it took him a few seconds to realize his tongue had even made its way into her mouth. His wits flew back to him quickly and he shoved off of her lips, “Oh God! Your brothers are going to kill me!” He wiped his mouth and turned away from her, mortified by his own actions.

  She drew his face back around with one claw, until she knew she had his full attention. “Why do they ever have to know?” She kissed him again.

  That reply was not reassuring for him. He was hoping she would have said, “Oh they will be just fine with a human making moves on their sister” or “Don’t worry they will get a good laugh out of it.” but the thought of being skinned like the pelts he had cleaned earlier sobered him right up.

  “I’m sorry my dear, I may have given you the wrong impression.” His complexion paled from panic as he plead for her understanding. “I like you a lot, it’s just that your brothers are so enormous and the whole big hands and long scary nails thing.” he waived his fingers about to emphasize his point.

  She cut him off, “Listen, you just do tomorrow everything you did today and they will never be the wiser. They like you, I like you and I promise I will not be foolish enough to put you in danger. I know humans are fragile.” She chuckled as she scratched at his chest.

  He scoffed and clutched her hand, “I beg your pardon? I am not fragile! In my world I’m actually a bit large and maybe even a little domineering.”