The Tide: Breakwater (Tide Series Book 2) (26 page)

Divya took a plastic hose used to suction the excess blood and inserted it where Peter pointed. The blood drained, but more pooled in its place.

“You were right,” Peter said, pointing to another small, purplish organ. “She’s got renal hemorrhaging.” He indicated another vessel. “Internal bleeding. Hemostat.”

Lauren clipped the hemostat in place. She’d recognized the shadows she’d seen on the ultrasound. And given the location, she’d guessed it was a combination of kidney damage and internal bleeding caused by the chelation therapy to combat the Oni Agent in Kara’s body. She couldn’t shake the fact that she’d been the one to develop the therapy. She’d even argued with Peter and Sean that the side effects of the therapy were definitely no worse than letting someone suffer from the Oni Agent. But now Kara was bleeding out, and it was all Lauren’s fault.

She desperately wanted to fix her mistake, but it was up to Peter now. His fingers worked, delicately suturing a torn vessel. “Suction.”

Divya responded by placing the suction tube back into Kara’s abdominal cavity. This time it took longer for the blood to fill the volume. The bleeding was slowing.

“Hemostatic gel,” Peter said.

Sean tore open the sterile packaging. He handed the open packet to Peter. The surgeon sprinkled the small, clear particles from within it over the ruptured vessels and kidney. Blood around these particles immediately coagulated in response to the chemical factors within the gel.

“Suction.”

Again, Divya removed the blood. Far less flowed in. Peter probed the site of Kara’s internal injuries with a laparoscope. He exhaled slowly behind his surgical mask. “I think we got it.”

Lauren watched Kara’s blood pressure rise to a normal level. The EKG reported her pulse had returned to an acceptable rhythm. Peter began to stitch the wound with precise, small loops. When he finished, he laid his tools on a surgical tray and caught Lauren’s eye.

She waited for him to say
, I told you so. I told you the therapy was dangerous
.

Instead, the expression in his eyes turned warm. “I think she’s going to be fine. We caught the bleed in time.”

“Right,” Lauren said. “We’ll need to watch if there’s any permanent renal damage.”

“Definitely, but with your quick thinking, we identified the problem soon enough that I think her kidneys are going to be okay.”

Lauren nodded. All at once the physical and emotional toll of the past few days seemed to catch up to her as Divya and Sean wheeled Kara out of the OR and back to the patient room. Lauren followed Peter out of the OR, and they removed their masks and gloves.

Peter looked hard at her while he washed his hands. “You think you’re responsible for what just happened, don’t you?”

“Of course,” Lauren replied. “It was my therapy. You warned us about the side effects, and Kara proved you right.”

“I know what I said, but you were the one that was right. If we wasted our time and never tried the chelation treatment, Glenn would be a Skull right now. Divya would be a Skull right now. Kara would be a Skull.” Peter started to dry off his hands. “Lauren, you were right. We didn’t lose Kara, and we
won’t
lose her. And it’s because of your work. It’s because you convinced me.”

Lauren stood, silent for a moment, and then said, “Thanks, Peter. I appreciate it.”

“You got it, boss.”

Lauren shook her head. She peeked into the patient room to see Divya holding back Maggie as Sean told Sadie that her sister would be okay. She knew her presence wasn’t needed there, so she went to see a former patient she’d neglected over the past few days.

She made her way to the crew quarters. She should have been checking with Chao to see their progress in identifying viable neuro research labs. But she also needed to take care of herself; she needed a breather, a respite from the demands of helping save the world.

The door she was looking for was ajar. She knocked on the frame and nudged the door open.

Sitting on his bed, Glenn looked at her from behind a thick textbook. His lips cracked in a wide smile. “Howdy, Doc.” His grin evaporated. “You look like you’ve come to deliver bad news. Got something to tell me?”

“No, you’re doing fine.” Lauren sat at the foot of his bed. “I’m betting you’ll be fully recovered from the chelation treatment and good to go on your next mission.”

“And is that what the glum face is about?” He swung his legs over the side of the bed and sidled up next to her with the textbook in his lap.

“Not exactly.” Lauren brushed a hand through her hair before catching sight of the book. “Molecular bio? Where did you get that, and why are you reading it?”

Lauren thought she detected the former Green Beret’s dark skin turn a hushed shade of red. He was always full of surprises, always thirsting to learn something new. It was one of the reasons she admired him—why she’d always enjoyed his company.

“The book’s from the medical library,” Glenn said.

“Didn’t realize you had joined my team.”

Glenn grinned again. “Lauren, you know I’ve always been on your team.”

“Too much, Glenn, too much.” Lauren patted his knee. It was corny, but she admitted she liked hearing him say it. She left her hand on his knee. “But what are you really doing with it?”

“I wasn’t sure how long I’d be out of commission as a Hunter. I wanted to make myself useful, so I was trying to see if I could learn anything to help you out in the lab. Maybe I could just wash petri dishes.” He put his hand on hers. “If there’s anything I can do, I want to be there for you.”

Lauren knew she should pull away. After all, they’d agreed not to pursue a relationship. They worked in too close of quarters on the
Huntress
. Neither wanted their mutual feelings to get in the way of their professional duties.

But did any of that matter? Skulls roaming landside, governments falling, science turned upside down. Screw convention and professionalism. Tomorrow was no longer a guarantee. All they had, all that was certain in their lives, was this moment. This
now
.

She didn’t say a word to Glenn but leaned in close, pressing against him and laying her head on his thick shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her.

“Lauren...” he started.

She didn’t let him finish. Instead, her lips met his. She pushed the bulky man back into his bed and kicked his door shut in one motion. He pulled one hand through her hair, something he knew she loved, something he clearly hadn’t forgotten.

A brief worry flashed through Lauren’s mind. Maybe they should go slowly. Maybe they should let the dying embers of their previous relationship ease back into the flames they once were.

But as her flesh pressed against his, as their tongues met and she traced one hand over the muscles bulging across his chest and abdomen, she knew their feelings for each other had never died. They still burned for each other, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

She slipped her shirt over her head and then pulled his off. He tossed aside their clothes. With Glenn, she could let herself relax into the warmth and passion they shared. It was a release she needed more than she could ever imagine. Each passing second shielded her from the grim realities that would face her once she left his bed.

His hand traced down her back, pulling her closer, reminding her to leave her thoughts behind, to give in to the moment and let the world outside slip away.

––––––––

N
avid squeezed Abby’s hand and then brushed away the tear rolling down her cheek. He glanced at the scratches on her wrist again. “You’ll be okay. It’s small, and we’ll find help, all right?”

She bobbed her head. He could see she wanted to believe him, but her expressive blue eyes told him she wasn’t hopeful.

“Come on, kids,” James said, peeking back out into the conference room. “We don’t have all goddamn day.”

The door and the makeshift barricade shook. The crazies’ growls sounded just as loud as when Navid and Abby had first sought refuge here.

“We’re coming.” Navid stood and held out his hand to help Abby. She took it, hoisted herself up, and wrapped one arm around his shoulder. “We’re going to be fine. Just got to make it until help gets here.”

Again, she nodded, her long blond locks bouncing on her shoulders. She hobbled forward; her sprained ankle clearly still bothered her.

“If I do turn,” she whispered, “promise you won’t kill me, okay?”

Navid pulled her into a hug. “Never, never, never.” He pulled her against his chest and brushed the back of her head.

The voices of Sandra, James, and Geraldo from the office were growing louder and more anxious.

“Let’s get out of here,” Navid said.

As they made their way to the office, he spotted the first aid kit that they’d used earlier to find pain medication. An idea struck him, and he tore through its contents. He poured the gauze and pills and bandages out until he found the antibiotic spray.
Maybe...

He took Abby’s wrist and sprayed the antibiotics over the wound. The spray hit the scratches, and she winced.

“Just in case,” he said. “Want to make sure the scratches are clean, right?”

“Right.”

Navid slipped the spray into his pocket, and they entered the office. Geraldo and James were moving a heavy desk from the door leading to the hallway. Sandra moved a few boxes full of books. The smell of ripe meat and copper hit Navid, and he almost gagged.

In the corner, a curtain had been torn off one of the windows and placed over something. It wasn’t until Navid saw the speckles of blood on the wall that he realized exactly what was causing the smell. It was Kaitlyn, the woman the other three had talked about—the one who had gone crazy. He resisted the strange urge to peel back the curtain and make sure she was actually dead.

“Come on, kid,” James said. “Help us out here.”

“Sorry,” Navid said. He helped Abby into a chair so she could rest her ankle. “What do you need me to do?”

“Get this shit away from the door so we can make an escape if we have to,” James said. “And if we’re running for it, you can help your little girlfriend. We aren’t slowing down because she’s hurt.”

Geraldo frowned. “Speak for yourself, James. We ain’t leaving anyone behind.”

“Christ,” Sandra said. “Let’s just get this done and talk about our next plan.”

They heaved the office furniture out of the way. With no air conditioning, the small room quickly grew humid and hot, adding to the putrid odor of death hanging in the air. Navid was almost ready to leave with Abby due to the oppressive smell and temperature alone. Certainly, without water, they wouldn’t last much longer anyway.

“We need to get the hell out of here,” James said.

Sandra rolled her eyes. “That much is obvious. You got a way to do that without getting devoured by those things?”

James huffed and folded his arms across his chest but said nothing else.

“I got an idea.” Geraldo picked up his pipe, the only weapon among the group. “We run upstairs. Head to the roof. There’s a heavy steel door up there. Hard to tear down.”

“How the hell do you know that?” James asked.

Geraldo’s face flushed red. “During the day, I need a smoke break.”

“And you’re too good to join all the nurses with their cigarettes out by the dumpsters?”

“No, it’s just that...I’m not smoking cigarettes.”

“Christ!” James said.

“Come on,” Sandra said. “Focus, focus.”

“I think Geraldo has a point,” Navid said.

“And what do we do on the roof? Jump off? End it all on our own terms?” James looked incredulous.

“No,” Navid said. “We call for help. Like, make an SOS sign or something.”

“Bull—”

Geraldo cut him off with a stern look. “Boy’s right. They were doing work on the sixteenth floor. Painting some new offices. We grab a can, bring it to the roof, and then we paint our SOS.”

Sandra sighed and leaned against the wall. “That’s a nice thought, but what if no one sees it? You’re banking on a flyover or someone paying attention to some satellite imagery or something. That’s a big gamble. What do we do if no one shows up to rescue us?”

Geraldo shrugged and then looked at James. “I guess if you really want to jump, you can jump.”

“Great, this is just great.” James started to pace.

Navid rubbed Abby’s hand. He let his mind wander back toward a Friday two weeks past when she’d suggested they take a weekend trip together. She’d said they needed it. They’d been working too hard in the labs, spending too much time on their research and not enough time together. She’d even pulled together a list of places in Vermont they could visit. Bed-and-breakfasts, lodges near pristine hiking trails. Just a quick escape, she’d promised. Work can wait.

But he’d been stubborn, adamant that work was what was important right now. After they graduated, after they got a post-doc or industry job and did that for a bit, then they could afford to spend time and money on weekend trips.

Now he realized how foolish he’d been. He kissed her cheek. “I’m sorry. You were right.”

She shot him a puzzled look.

“We should be in Vermont right now. Hiding out in a cabin together, far away from this madness.”

Her lips trembled before she spoke. “Maybe next weekend. Promise me, when this blows over, we’ll do that?”

“We’ll go all over the US. I’ve never been to Portland. Maybe we’ll go there. And then after that, Seattle.” He could feel a wet sheen form over his eyes. “The Redwoods in California. Always wanted to see them. South Dakota, the Needle Mountains. Heard pretty things about the Black Hills, too. We’re going somewhere every weekend, Abby. I promise.”

She interlaced her fingers in his. Her touch was cold, clammy. “I can’t wait.”

“Time’s ticking away,” James said. “If you don’t give us something to work with, you won’t see any of those places. We’re all going to starve to death in here.”

Geraldo and Sandra lifted their shoulders noncommittally. The banging against the conference room door persisted, and Navid shut the office door to muffle the noise. An idea came to him.