All the patients improved, and there were no new cases to treat. Until the haz-mat team that had arrived with the National Guard had examined the homes of everyone in the county and declared the area free of the contaminant, no one was going anywhere.
Fine by him. There was no longer any compelling reason for Faith to stay here in Rockland. She could pack up her findings and take them to a more well equipped lab in D.C. for study, as soon as she was able. She probably couldnt wait to get out of here. Would she even give Carson County a second thought in the months to come? What about him?
Probably not.
Too bad. He really would like to take her fishing, among other things. He had a feelingno, he knew that there was more to Faith Martin than met the eye. He wanted to uncover the real person, the woman she hid beneath the lab coat. Hed never get that chance.
The day had passed too quickly, in that way hectic days can. Luke loitered outside the lab, waiting for Faith to exit. Maybe she planned to stay in there all night. He doubted it would be the first time shed worked around the clock. Still, she was in no shape to work these kinds of hours. Especially not after a night like last night.
He was so intent on the door to the makeshift lab, he didnt see Molly coming until she stood right beside him. Is she in there?
Luke nodded. Yeah.
Molly, who looked much better for her night off, leaned against the wall. Theres something fishy going on here, she observed.
Luke laughed. You think?
Molly waved a dismissive hand. Dont sass me. You might be the doctor around here, but Ive got a few years on you.
Sorry, maam.
She sighed. No, Im not talking about the virus or the National Guard or the quarantine.
Lukes attention returned to the lab door. Then what are you talking about?
First of all, Betsy has been flirting with Dr. White.
Betsy was the Carson County Clinics part-time nurse who had become full-time the moment the epidemic hit. She was pretty enough, though not gorgeous, but she was very shy. Carrying on a conversation, especially with a man, made her visibly nervous. The people who knew Betsy well had learned to live with the fact that every time she opened her mouth there was a chance shed put her foot in it. And shed been flirting? How was that possible?
Are you sure?
Positive, Molly said, not sounding particularly happy. Im glad she finally found a guy she likes, I really am, but Dr. White is not going to stay in Rockland. What if he breaks her heart, Luke? You know how Betsy is. She might never recover from something like that. Why couldnt she have fallen for Michael Franklin or one of the Whitlaw boys?
Maybe its not that serious, Luke suggested.
Molly snorted. I hope youre right. But I swear, it looks serious enough to me.
What do you want me to do?
Talk to Dr. White, she ordered. Tell him if he trifles with Betsy hell have to answer to you.
Luke stared in disbelief at his nurse. Im not her father, Molly. Or her big brother. What she does on her own time is none of my business. I certainly cant go around threatening the men she flirts with.
Mollys expression was formidable. Well, you could have a little man-to-man talk with him.
Luke sighed. Ill see what I can do.
She lowered her voice. And thats not all thats fishy around here.
Great. Had one of the lab nerds made a pass at the Bozeman nurses?
Yesterday a man called for Dr. Martin. Molly moved a little bit closer. Said his name was Jake Ingram. Why is that name familiar?
Faith had asked about Ingram last night. Now Luke knew why. Hes some financial hotshot. Rich guy from Texas. Now that I think of it, didnt he have something to do with that World Bank heist a few months back? Trying to solve the crime, not planning it, he clarified.
Yeah! Molly said in a brighter voice. Thats where I saw his name, in the newspaper. Anyway, he called yesterday, and I think he upset Dr. Martin. Hes called three times today.
Three times?
Molly nodded.
Did Dr. Martin talk to him?
No. He didnt even ask to speak to her.
What the hell did he want, then?
Again Molly lowered her voice. He wanted to know if Dr. Martin was here, and if she seemed okay, and if I had given her his cell phone number like he asked me to. I did give her the number, of course, but she didnt seem interested in calling him. Like I said, I think he upset her.
Youre right, Molly. Fishy.
She snorted. If there was no quarantine, Ingram would be here, Ill betcha. He sounded kinda frustrated over the phone, especially that last time. I think hes expecting Dr. Martin to call him, shes not having anything to do with him, and hes getting antsy waiting for the phone to ring.
Thanks, Luke said, pushing away from the wall and heading for the lab where Faith had worked all day and into the night. Ill take care of it.
How? she asked.
Luke mumbled as he pushed into the lab. I have no idea.
You shouldnt be in here, Faith said as Luke stormed through the door and into the makeshift lab like a tornado. Did he always barge in wherever he went? It certainly seemed that way. Luke Winston was disorder among the order she loved so well. The order she needed.
Neither should you. He stopped a few feet from the door, crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her. She felt that glare from the tips of her toes to the top of her head.
The contagion was safely contained, so that was not a problem. Still, no one wanted to get too close to the virus. No one but her.
Is everything all right? she asked, wondering why Luke had come barging in with that cheerless expression on his face. So far the antibiotic was doing its job. The only thing that could make this day any worse was the news that one of the victims of the virus had taken a turn for the worse.
The patients are all doing well, if thats what you mean, Luke assured her. Since theyre improving, the nurses have each been able to get more rest, so theyre doing well, too. The haz-mat team thats been searching for more of your greenish-yellow powder hasnt found any more, thank God. So yeah, for the most part everything is all right.
For the most part?
He shook his head. Youre dead on your feet, Faith. Am I going to have to drag you out of here every night?
Only until I leave Carson County and you behind me. She should argue with him, tell him that she was an adult who was perfectly capable of setting her own work hours.
But she was tired. Tired and bewildered. Ive accomplished all I can today, she admitted. I dont know why Im so fatigued. In the past Ive worked longer hours than this without any ill effects. And he was right. She was dead on her feet.
You didnt sleep well last night, Luke said, a kind softening to his deep voice.
Remnants of a nightmare came back to her, and she shuddered as she pushed the memory deep. No, I guess I didnt.
It was more than the nightmare that had bothered her throughout the day. She fingered the crumpled sheet of paper she carrie
d in her lab coat pocketJake Ingrams cell phone number, retrieved from the trash can. Was there any truth at all in his fantastic story? Questions she did not want to ask filled her mind, distracted her from her work. Nothing ever distracted her, and yet here she wasLuke on one hand, a mysterious caller who claimed to be her brother on the other.
The caf delivered some food a little while ago, if youre hungry, Luke said.
At the suggestion, her stomach growled.
We can eat in my office.
It was an offer she could not refuse. As she and Luke walked down the hallway, side by side, Faith shoved her hand into her pocket and touched the wrinkled piece of paper that had been calling her since the moment shed dug it out of the trash. She didnt know if it was yesterdays phone conversation or the nightmare, or a combination of the two, but all day her mind had been spinning.
She had never remembered anything of her life before going to live with the Martins. No warm or frightening childhood memories teased her, and no flashes of the past intruded on her day-to-day life. Her memory was excellent, and always had been, but her life before ten was nonexistent in her mind.
Until today. In fragments of memory that were clear and sharp she remembered the smell of fragrant flowers and the patter of warm rain, a smiling woman, children. There were other memories that were less pleasant, memories of being afraid. Of hiding. Of deep, salty water that threatened to drag her down.
The most vivid recollection was of a boy helping her to the surface, pulling her from that salty water. He was much stronger than any child should be, and yet if her memory was correct, he had saved her. She still couldnt see his face, not clearly, but she knew it was Mark. The brother who yesterday, and again this morning, she had insisted she did not remember.
Her neat little world had been turned upside down. She wanted to convince herself that everything Jake Ingram had said to her was a lie. She didnt know why he would tell her such an outrageous story, but it had to be a lie.
Try as she might she could not convince herself that what hed told her was false. In fact, as the day had passed, shed been more and more sure that hed been telling her the truth.
All her life, Faith had realized she was different. She knew it, and so did everyone else. The people who loved herNash and their parentssaid she wasnt odd but special. Gifted. An extraordinary woman. But that wasnt quite right, was it?
She was a freak. A genetically engineered experiment, not unlike the manufactured virus shed been studying all day. She was a product of science, not nature. No wonder she had always felt different. She was different, in the most horrible way.
Her occasional glimpses of a potential normal life in her future were fantasy. There would be nothing resembling normalcy in her coming years. No husband, no childrenno family at all. Who in their right mind would want to be associated with a freak?
The smell of food assaulted her as Luke opened the door to his office. The aroma almost knocked her off her feet. Her stomach churned, and she swayed on her feet.
Whoa. Luke grabbed her arm and steadied her. Youre in worse shape than I thought. He led her to the nearest chair, the one at his desk, and continued to hold her as she sat. There before her, bigger than life, sat his telephone.
The foods in the other room. He nodded toward the open door to the anteroom where she had slept a few days ago. Where Luke had caught her wearing nothing but a towel. Ill make you a plate and get you something to drink, and then well see about
Luke, she interrupted. I needI have to He stared at her, waiting. I need to make a couple of phone calls, she said softly. Do you mind?
He hesitated. Are you sure youre all right?
She nodded, and after a moment Luke reluctantly left her alone in his office. She had a suspicion he was waiting just outside the door, and if she needed him all she had to do was call his name. Silly notion. She didnt need him or anyone else.
Her first call was to her brother, Nash. Her real brother, the one she remembered. The brother whod come into her life when she was ten and he was twelve. She breathed a sigh of relief when he answered the phone.
Nash? she said, her voice much weaker than shed intended.
Faith! She could hear the smile in his voice. Im so glad you called. I missed your phone call when you got back in the country, and then I saw you on the news, andEverything there is all right, isnt it? I tried your cell a couple of times.
I dont get a signal here, she explained.
Thats what you get for working in the boonies all the time, he teased. So, are you okay? You sound tired.
Im fine, she said. In truth, she wasnt fine and never would be again, but there was no time to explain her turmoil. Besides, how could she ever tell Nash the truth about herself? I just have a minute, but I wanted to ask you a question.
Shoot.
Faith took a deep breath. When I first came to live with Mom and Dad and you, did I say anything that struck you as odd?
Nash laughed lightly. You didnt say anything at all for weeks. Mom said youd been traumatized by your parents being killed in the car crash, so I cut you some slack.
Nash had done more than cut her some slack. He had always been there for her. Always. Their personalities were as different as night and day, and always had been. She was a scientist who appreciated order and concrete answers. He was a sculptor whose work struck her as anything but conventional. She needed control. Nash was likely to take off at a moments notice without telling anyone where he was going or when hed be back. Theyd been just as dissimilar as children as they were as adults, and yet they had been close.
So, I was quiet, she said.
More than quiet, you were very withdrawn. Almost catatonic. Nashs voice had become more somber. I remember Mom being worried that youd never snap out of it, but you did. Eventually. Whats this about?
She couldnt tell him the truth, not now, not over the phone. Maybe not ever. Just wondering, she said absently. I cant wait to see you, she added quickly, before Nash had a chance to ask again why she had found a sudden interest in her past. As soon as the quarantine is lifted, Ill fly down and pay you a visit.
Great! he said. Ive missed you.
Ive missed you, too. It was the truth. Diverse as their personalities were, she and Nash had bonded at an early age. They had been as close as any real brother and sister could possibly be. See you soon, she said. Love you.
Love you, too.
Faith severed the connection before she could say more. And then, before she could lose her courage, she took the piece of paper from her lab coat pocket, laid it on the desk and flattened it with the palm of her hand, and dialed another number.
A mans gruff voice answered, Ingram.
She took a deep breath, Mr. Ingram, this is Faith Martin.
Faith. Im so glad you called.
Ive been thinking about what you told me yesterday, she said. Her heart pounded, her blood pressure rose markedly.
Did our conversation spark some lost memories? he asked.
Yes.
His sigh was one of relief, or so it seemed. I tried to get clearance to fly into Carson County, but
No! Faith interrupted. Dont come here. It was more than worry for anothers health that
made her order him to stay away. She wanted these last few days of normalcy, before her life changed forever. She wanted, for a few more days, to be Faith Martin, woman, before Jake Ingram turned her life inside out and she became Faith the lab experiment. Its not safe, she added, so he would not know where her mind had taken her.
I can get clearance. Itll just take a few more hours to cut through the red tape.
No, Faith said again, more forcefully this time. Mr. Ingram
Jake, he said. After all, I am your brother.
She knew that was true, knew it without a doubt. But she didnt feel it. Would she ever?
Jake, she began again, I have a few questions.
Ask me anything.
Eight
F aith had made her phone calls, and afterward shed eaten a little bit. Luke couldnt help but wonder if one of those calls had been to Jake Ingram. She hadnt said, and he didnt ask.
Again tonight he drove her to the motel. Shed protested once that she needed to work a few hours more, but she had not protested long or hard. That was good, because he was prepared to toss her over his shoulder and carry her out of the clinic, if need be. When had this desire to take care of her grown so strong?
Abby had a place of her own; he was her father, she was his little girl. Caring for her was a responsibility and a joy that went so deep it could never be shaken. He took care of patients every day, and he tried to keep an eye on Molly and Nelda, women who were so busy watching over everyone else they occasionally forgot about themselves.
Family Secrets: Books 5-8 Page 80