Sergeant Rose crossed his arms and sighed heavily. “Not good. He’s barely said two words to me.”
“Really?” A year ago, that would have been normal. Now, I knew Davin considered Sergeant Rose a friend. For Davin to be closing himself off to me, Sergeant Rose, and Sara meant things were worse than I’d thought. “Will you help me suit up?”
The guard jumped from his stool and opened the containment room door. We were about to enter when Davin’s voice sounded through the watch room speakers.
“There’s no need for you to come in, Meghan.”
I jumped. Sergeant Rose seemed startled too.
On the other side of the glass stood Davin. He’d moved at his speed which meant it looked like he appeared out of thin air.
I frowned and turned back to the control panel. Clicking the microphone on, I leaned down. “Not come in?” Davin had always welcomed me into his cell.
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
Swallowing tightly, I approached the glass. “Are you? Sara and I are worried about you.”
Davin’s gaze was steady, but tense lines tightened his mouth. “You don’t need to be. I’m fine.”
Sergeant Rose and I shared a look. The guard cleared his throat. “I’m going to grab a cup of coffee. I’ll be back soon.”
When it was just me and Davin, I sat down on the stool and leaned forward. “Davin, you’re not going to the reservation. We’ll find a way to fight this new law so you can be free.”
His brow furrowed. “I thought I told you to not worry about that.”
“Do you honestly believe that I’m going to listen to you? Do you really think I’d give up that easily?”
An emotion flickered in his gaze, but just as quickly, it disappeared. “You have your own life to lead, Meghan.”
My heart pounded in my chest. I could feel the crack on the sidewalk widening. It was exactly as I’d feared. He was pushing me away.
“Are you really going to give up?”
“I’m not giving up. I’ve simply accepted that some things will never be.”
“But it doesn’t have to be that way! This isn’t the end. I’ll return to D.C. There are a lot of people who will fight for you. We’ll keep trying. Just give it a chance!”
He shook his head tightly. “There’s no point in arguing. It won’t matter what you do. They’ll keep me locked up.”
“You don’t know that!”
“Yes, I do.” He stepped away from the glass, his jaw tight. “Can you open the back door panel?”
I hesitated. More than anything, I wanted to grab his shoulders and shake sense into him, but he didn’t want me in his cell. He wanted to leave.
“Of course.” With stiff movements, I pushed the button on the control panel.
Before the back door had fully opened, Davin turned into a blur and was gone.
I sat in silence on the stool, staring into his empty cell. Maybe he just needs time to process it all. In a few days, he might turn around. I clung to that hopeful thought as I bit my lip. That’s probably all he needs. I’ll come back tomorrow and try again.
But my stomach still sank as I stood and walked away.
I RETURNED THE next day, and the day after that, and the day after that, but none of it mattered. During the next two weeks, nothing changed. Davin continued to push me further and further away.
No matter what I did, the rift between us grew. Just like I feared it would. After a week of my daily visits, he was either distant or left as soon as I appeared. The crack in the sidewalk was now at least a yard wide.
Worst of all, I had no idea how to bridge the gap between us. The normal, happy Davin, who always had a smile for me, had vanished. Now, he was distant and withdrawn. In his mind, we’d already been separated. Like so many people in his life, I was as good as dead.
To make matters worse, the few times we actually had conversations, he encouraged me to pursue Mitch. Never mind that I wasn’t interested. Never mind that dating between co-workers was against MRI policy. My words fell on deaf ears.
Amy eventually noticed the toll it was taking on me, despite me trying to hide it. Mitch and Charlie noticed too. I knew it had to be bad if those two picked up on it.
“Why the sad face, Megs?” Mitch asked one day after lunch. It was just the two of us in our lab. “I don’t think I’ve seen your smile all week.”
I made myself smile at him, but I knew it didn’t reach my eyes. “Sorry, I’ll have to work on that.”
He just frowned. “How about we get a drink after work? On me.” His expensive smelling cologne filled my nose.
I smothered a shrill laugh. Wouldn’t Davin love that.
I shrugged Mitch’s offer off. “You really don’t want to see me drunk. Alcohol and I don’t mix.” I’d learned that the hard way the first time Amy had taken me to Sean’s Pub. It was the one and only time I’d ever been intoxicated.
“Whoa.” Mitch put his hands up in surrender. “Who said anything about getting you drunk? I wouldn’t want to be charged with taking advantage of you.”
I cocked my head, meeting his gaze. Mitch had to know that dating me could get us both fired, but like other MRI employees, he didn’t seem to care about the policy. Amy and Ben certainly didn’t.
And then Davin’s words came back to me. You should be with Mitch. You have your own life to lead.
So the words flowed from my lips against my better judgment. Maybe it was frustration. Maybe it was anger at how easily Davin gave up on me. Whatever it was, I said, “Um, yeah, okay, whatever. A drink sounds fine.”
He grinned. “Two beers only for you, though, little Megs. You’ll probably be unconscious under the table with more than that.”
I rolled my eyes, but a genuine smile streaked across my face. Mitch was always teasing me about my small frame. “Yeah, fine. Two drinks only.”
Mitch winked before ambling back to his bench.
Forcing myself to focus on my latest project, I did my best to concentrate, but as the minutes passed my thoughts inevitably drifted to Davin, like they had every day since the president’s address two weeks ago.
I couldn’t help it. Despite agreeing to a date with Mitch tonight, a date I didn’t really want to go on, I missed Davin. Terribly.
It was as simple as that.
He was my best friend, and now, he was gone.
Just like that, he was gone.
Tears stung my eyes, but I blinked them back. Sighing heavily, I pulled up analysis data on my computer. Thank goodness for work. Sometimes, it was the only thing that kept me going.
I WAS ABOUT to wrap up for the night, when the phone rang at the end of my lab bench.
“Dr. Forester?” I immediately recognized Sergeant Rose’s voice. “I think you better come down here.”
With a snap, I closed my laptop. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“Uh… Just… can you come to the Inner Sanctum?”
Puzzled, I nodded even though I knew he couldn’t see it. “Sure, I’ll be right there.”
I ran into Mitch on my way out of the lab. “Where you headed?” He glanced at the clock. “It’s almost seven.”
“I know. I’ll be back in thirty minutes, or if you prefer, I can meet you at Sean’s.”
“No, I’ll wait.”
With a quick nod, I hurried through security, my mind a jumble of reasons for why Sergeant Rose had summoned me. He’d never done that before. Ever. Not to mention he was still here. His shift ended at five. He was two hours into overtime.
There had to be a reason.
When I finally reached Davin’s hall, I was relieved to see Davin unharmed sitting on his bed. His back was propped against the headboard, his legs stretched out in front of him. He was breathing. In other words, he was alive and fine.
“What’s up?” I asked Sergeant Rose when I stepped into the watch room. He and the night guard both stood there, watching Davin.
“Well.” Sergeant Rose rubbed the stubble on his cheeks. “That,” he sa
id, pointing at Davin.
I peered into Davin’s cell again. “What do you mean? He looks fine.”
“Meghan, he’s been sitting like that for four hours. He hasn’t moved once. Not even when I’ve spoken to him. It’s like he’s not there anymore.”
My eyebrows knit together in a tight frown. “Have you tried anything to get his attention?”
“Yeah, we’ve flashed the lights, played music, spoken to him repeatedly, everything we can think of. But no matter what we do, he doesn’t move.”
I was already halfway to the containment room, my heart pounding. “Help me suit up, will you? I’m going in.”
Sergeant Rose let out a relieved sigh. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
7 – EXPOSED
When I entered Davin’s cell, he still sat on the bed. He didn’t stand or greet me or help me to his chair. Granted, since he’d distanced himself he’d seemed to do those things out of politeness, but at least he’d still done them.
My heart rate increased the closer I got. His chest rising and falling was his only movement.
“Davin?”
He didn’t respond. Not a look. Not a twitch.
Nothing.
“Davin?” I reached his side and bent down as best I could in the damned suit.
He didn’t appear injured, but again, he gave no response.
My heart thumped painfully as he stared, unseeing, unmoving. Something’s wrong. Really wrong.
“Should I call medical?” Sergeant Rose asked through the speaker system.
“Yes!” I tried to stop my rising panic as I scanned my memory for any medical reason that could explain this. Stroke? Catatonia? Paralysis?
Nothing I came up with helped me feel better. “Davin.” My voice rose. “Davin, please, look at me!”
I thought I saw a faint twitch in his cheek. Straightening, I shook his shoulders, but the damned suit made that difficult. “Davin!”
Nothing.
I shook his shoulders again. “Davin!”
Still nothing. I stared down at him, my heart pounding so hard now I thought I’d faint. “Davin? Please, talk to me!” My voice broke.
Do something!
I needed to get through to him. I needed to help him. Do something, Meghan!
And then something happened that had never happened before.
It was like a distant part of my brain took over. The instinctual, animalistic side of my mind that was normally kept under lock and key. The side everyone had but only accessed in extreme circumstances.
The side that ran purely on instinct.
It felt like I watched above as I unclicked my gloves and stripped them off. Warming alarms sounded in my hood as my wrist light flashed red.
I barely noticed.
Yelling sounded in the speakers all around me. The guards. Their voices grew thick and heavy, like muffled sounds traveling under water.
I twisted my hood and it unclicked.
Air from Davin’s cell entered my mouth. I inhaled. Makanza particles flooded my lungs.
I reached down, unbuckling the rest of my suit, letting it fall to the floor. I stepped out of it and reached for Davin, touching him on his chest.
Finally, touching him.
How long have I dreamed of this?
“Dr. Forester, stop! Please!” the night guard yelled.
I ignored him and crawled onto the bed beside Davin. Wrapping my arms around him, I put my head on his chest. His heartbeat was strong and steady. Thank God. I quickly assessed the rest of him, paying particular attention to his head. There were no bumps, abrasions, or injuries that I could find.
“Davin,” I whispered. “Please, come back to me.”
I gazed at his face. Tears filled my eyes. This can’t be happening.
Davin was my rock. He’d been the one, solid thing in my life since becoming my friend. Regardless of how he’d acted during the past few weeks, I would still do anything for him, and I knew he would do the same for me, even though he’d been pushing me away.
I searched his eyes for recognition. Nothing.
I called to him again.
Nothing. Just blankness.
He still stared unseeing at the bottom of his bed. I placed my hand on his cheek. Rough stubble, like coarse sandpaper, grazed my palms. I inhaled. I could smell him. Soap, a hint of aftershave, and a tang that was all Davin. He smelled so good.
“Davin,” I said again. “Please, come back to me.”
He flinched, then blinked.
“Davin?”
He looked up, his hand resting on my palm as his eyes widened. His large palm easily covered mine.
“Meghan!” His head snapped back, focus clearing his gaze.
“Davin, thank God!”
He looked around, panic coating his face. “What the hell are you doing here? Why aren’t you in your suit?”
I cried in happiness at his very authoritative, very-Davin-like tone. “You’re okay,” I whispered. “You’re okay. Thank God, you’re okay!”
“Yeah, I’m okay.” He scrambled back. “But you need to stop touching me! You need to wash your hands and hose yourself off. Now!”
His response took me a minute to process. When I finally did, I said softly, “Davin, I’ve been vaccinated. I’ll be fine.”
He shook his head, panic evident in his expression. Looking around, it was like he realized where he was for the first time. “Meghan, you need to get out of here! You don’t know that you won’t get it. You could get it, and you could die!”
I’d never heard Davin as anything but in control. Except for the few times Dr. Roberts had been able to goad him into a reaction, Davin had always been in control, but now, he looked on the verge of a breakdown.
“Davin,” I said slowly. “Do you know what you’ve been doing for the past four hours?”
He came off the bed and sailed across the cell so fast he was a blur. He positioned himself against the wall, as far from me as possible. “Meghan, please. Stop touching my things, and whatever you do, don’t touch your face. Please, Meghan. Please!”
Slowly, I pushed to standing from his bed. I’d never heard him like this before.
“Davin, I’m fine. I’ll be fine. But I need to know if you remember the last four hours?”
He stood against the wall, his confused expression growing, as the medical team arrived. They strode into the watch room. One of them did a double take when he saw me without a suit on.
Sergeant Rose appeared again in the watch room window, on the heels of Dr. Fisher, the lead physician. The guard leaned down and spoke into the microphone. “Meghan, what the hell is going on?”
I met his gaze sheepishly. “I had to get through to him. I didn’t know what else to do.”
I didn’t hear him sigh, but I saw it. “I’ll have to tell Dr. Sadowsky you’ve been exposed.”
“I know.”
“He won’t be happy.” Sergeant Rose glanced at Davin. “Is he okay now?”
I shrugged helplessly. “I honestly don’t know. He doesn’t seem to remember the past four hours. He needs to be checked out.”
Sergeant Rose nodded. “Both of you go to the Experimental Room. Since you’ve been exposed, you might as well join him.”
“Right.” I glanced at Davin who was listening to the entire interaction as if he didn’t know what planet he was on.
“Come on, Davin.” I approached him slowly and held out my hand, like he was a wild animal who could be easily spooked. “Let’s go.”
DAVIN INSISTED ON walking several feet away from me. I wanted to tell him that it didn’t matter. My skin and clothes were coated with every germ, cell, and particle that had been on his body. Makanza virons were already inside me. Nothing could be done to change that.
But I knew that was the last thing he needed to hear, so I did as he requested and walked a yard to his side.
“Meghan, what’s going on?” he asked as we drew nearer to the Experimental Room. We walked in the back curved ha
llway behind the cells.
“You really don’t remember anything that’s happened in the past four hours, do you?”
“What do you mean?”
I explained how Sergeant Rose had called and told me his concern while I was working in the lab. “I came down to the Sanctum right away and entered your cell, fully suited up, but it was like you weren’t there. You didn’t see me. Your look was blank. You wouldn’t respond. You stared unseeing at nothing.”
“I did?” His brow furrowed.
His answer chilled me to my core. I stuffed my shaking hands into my pockets. “Yes. So, I did what I needed to do to get through to you. When I touched your cheek, with my bare skin, you finally snapped out of it.”
“So it’s my fault you’ve been exposed?”
“No! It’s my fault. You didn’t make me do anything. And besides, I never would have taken my suit off if I actually thought harm would come to me. I’ll be fine. You’ll see, but in the meantime, we need to do a few tests on you. To make sure you’re okay.”
“Hmm.” The guilt on his face told me the last thing he cared about was himself. I knew, in the extremely unlikely situation, if anything were to happen to me, he’d never forgive himself.
“Come on, Davin, let’s get you looked at.”
He just followed me, his frown growing deeper.
We entered the Experimental Room. For the first time, instead of being in the large watch room with its floor to ceiling windows overlooking the room, I was in the room.
The Experimental Room consisted of four medical beds with robots around each one. The robots were like giant, spidery octopuses. Their arms stretched and extended with hinges like synovial joints. When Kazzies were back here, the robots took samples and did whatever work a human would normally do.
I looked at the large windows. I could see the control panel in the watch room. It stood at waist height and ran the length of the room. It put the control panels in the Kazzies’ watch rooms to shame. It was filled with so many buttons, levers, touch screens, and switches that a dozen technicians were employed to run it when all four beds were occupied.
A dozen chairs sat behind it, most of them empty at this late hour. Only two of those chairs held technicians. I waved hello to Marsha and Andrew. Their responses were mouths agape.
Reservation 1: Book #2 in The Makanza Series Page 7