Noah knew that a team without a doctor was just a group of people waiting to die. He'd seen it happen a hundred times in his first life—people surviving a monster attack only to die two days later from a simple infection.
He couldn't let that happen again.
The rain was pouring down, making it hard to see through the windshield. Noah sat in the car, his eyes locked on the exit of the big hospital downtown.
In the back seat, Lena was wiping down a piece of gear. She looked frustrated. "Noah, we've been sitting here for two hours. Mason is falling asleep, and I'm hungry. Who are we even waiting for?"
"A lifesaver," Noah said shortly.
"We have first aid kits," Mason added, rubbing his eyes. "Can't we just watch a YouTube video on how to stitch a cut?"
"You can't YouTube how to fix a collapsed lung in the middle of a war zone," Noah replied. "Just wait. She's coming out now."
A woman in blue hospital scrubs walked out of the sliding doors. She looked like she hadn't slept in a week. She was carrying a cardboard box of her personal stuff—pens, a stethoscope, a few books.
"That's her?" Lena asked. "She looks like she's about to pass out."
"That's Claire Whitman," Noah said. "In about five minutes, two guys are going to try to ruin her life. We're going to stop them."
Noah knew the story. The hospital was blaming Claire for a mistake a senior surgeon made. They wanted her to sign a paper saying it was her fault so the hospital wouldn't get sued. If she didn't sign, they were going to make sure she never worked as a doctor again.
As Claire walked toward her car in the dark parking lot, a black SUV blocked her path. Two men in expensive suits stepped out. They didn't look like monsters, but they were the kind of bullies who used lawyers instead of claws.
"Dr. Whitman," one of the men called out. "You forgot to sign the settlement."
"I told you," Claire said, her voice shaking. "I'm not lying for the Chief. It wasn't my mistake."
The man stepped closer, cornering her against her car. "Look around, Claire. You have no job, no money, and no one to help you. Sign the paper, take the cash, and leave the city. If you don't, we'll make sure you're blacklisted everywhere."
He reached out and grabbed her arm, trying to force a pen into her hand.
"Let her go," Noah said, stepping out of the shadows.
Mason and Lena followed him. Lena looked bored, but her hand was resting on the heavy flashlight in her pocket. Mason looked nervous, but he stood his ground.
"Who are you?" the man in the suit barked. "Get lost, this is private."
Noah didn't waste time talking. He looked at Lena. "Handle the loud one."
Lena moved fast. Before the guy could even blink, she stepped in, twisted his arm behind his back, and shoved him against the SUV. The other guy tried to step forward, but Mason held up his crowbar.
"Don't even try it, man," Mason said, his voice surprisingly steady.
Noah walked right up to Claire. She was staring at them like they were aliens.
"They're going to take everything from you, Claire," Noah said quietly. "Your career is over the second you sign that paper. And even if you don't sign, they'll break you."
"Who are you?" she whispered, clutching her box.
"I'm the guy who's going to give you a real job," Noah said. "In four years, nobody is going to care about hospital boards or lawsuits. They're going to care about who can stop the bleeding. I have a base, I have medicine, and I have a team. But I don't have a doctor."
Claire looked at the man Lena was holding down, then back at Noah. "You're crazy. You're all crazy."
"Maybe," Noah admitted. "But those guys in the suits? They don't care if you live or die. We do. Come with us, and you'll never have to worry about people like them again."
The man Lena was holding started yelling about the police. Noah ignored him. He looked Claire in the eye. "The world is changing, Claire. You can stay here and drown with them, or you can come with us and learn how to swim."
Claire looked at her old hospital, then at the three strangers standing in the rain. She saw something in Noah's eyes—a kind of certainty that made her feel safe, even though he looked like he hadn't slept in years either.
She walked over to Noah's car and climbed into the back.
"Lena, get in," Noah said. "Mason, let's go."
As they drove away, leaving the two lawyers shouting in the rain, Claire sat in the back seat, still holding her box of books.
"So," she said, her voice small. "Where are we going?"
"To the house," Noah said. "We've got a lot of work to do. And Claire? Welcome to the team."
Lena smiled at her. "Don't worry, Doc. We're the good guys. Mostly."
Noah finally has his doctor. Now the house is full, and the real training begins.