Chapter Twenty-Two 7 page

“I’m not the one who almost died. I’m not one of all those people he killed…” Zoe wiped away a tear.

Gianna put her arm around her. “When you physically kill someone, their pain is over, but when you kill someone’s trust, the pain lingers. Maybe forever. You have to deal with that pain, not guilt.”

Zoe felt horrible that Gianna was having to comfort her. It should be the other way around. But because she felt partly responsible, she would be a hypocrite to think she could make anyone feel better. She pulled away from Gianna and stood. “Is she the friend you told me about?”

“Yeah.”

“She looks rather bad,” Zoe whispered.

Gianna smiled. “She’ll be fine. We all will, thanks to you.”

Zoe turned away from her, unable to look into those sincere, understanding eyes. “I don’t want gratitude. So please don’t.”

“Stop it, Zoe.”

“You almost died,” Zoe shouted, not caring if the other woman could hear. “And I can’t stop feeling responsible. So stop trying to make me feel better.”

Gianna didn’t say anything.

“I don’t know what I would’ve done if you’d died. I can’t stand to think about it.” Zoe wiped her eyes and turned to Gianna, then, inexplicably, she laughed. She felt almost manic from the mere thought of losing Gianna. “It’s crazy. I mean I hardly know you, but I can’t imagine existing in a world without you in it.”

“I’m here, Zoe.”

“And I can’t look at you without hurting.”

“You don’t have to. I’m here…for you, and I’d do it all again if it meant saving you.”

How could this woman show so much understanding and look at her with so much… Zoe wasn’t sure how to describe that unfamiliar-to-her look, but it melted her heart and made her marvel at this woman’s greatness.

Zoe walked over to Gianna, but before she got a chance to say anything more, a woman with strawberry blond hair and a brunette burst into the room. The shorter one, with the reddish hair, pulled away the curtain that enclosed the other bed.

Allegro paced in the sealed-off waiting room, feeling confined and edgy in the cumbersome Hazmat suit. Though she wasn’t allowed to move past that one room, everyone in the AMRIID patient facility had to wear the protective gear anyway.

“Feel better?” she asked Hayley as she emerged from the attached restroom. She’d left a few minutes earlier, feeling nauseous.

“Yes. It’s nerves. Don’t worry about me,” Hayley said as she took a seat on the couch.

Allegro had arrived more than nine hours earlier, recalled suddenly and without explanation by Joanne Grant. Hayley had arrived the night before and was permitted to see Luka briefly. Her grave assessment of Luka’s condition was disheartening. Time was not on their side.

Allegro tried to see her, too, but was denied access, despite numerous loud threats to all hospital personnel within earshot. Her tirade did bring Monty to the waiting room. He’d told them about Fetch, and that the woman she’d rescued—Zoe Anderson-Howe—could be carrying the cure.

Fetch had been put in the other bed in Luka’s room, and Monty said that for the moment, because of the battery of tests being conducted, not even he was allowed to see them.

So she and Hayley had passed the intervening hours in the waiting room together, leaving only to eat some tasteless cafeteria sandwiches on the roof, the one place they were allowed to remove their helmets.

“I wish they could do this blood test faster,” Allegro said.

“Why won’t they tell us anything?” Hayley frowned. “She can’t die, Misha. Not now, not ever.”

“I know.”

Hayley looked up at her. “When will they know if that woman they brought in has the cure? It’s been hours. I can’t take this anymore.”

“Just a while longer.”

“What if she doesn’t…” Hayley broke down, crying.

“Hayley, please don’t do this to yourself, or me.” Allegro knelt before her. “She’s my best friend. My only friend. The thought of losing her makes me…” She pounded her fist on the empty seat next to Hayley, trying to purge her rage at the unfairness of it all.

“It can’t happen,” she said, and dropped on the floor in front of Hayley, lowering her eyes so Hayley wouldn’t see her tears. She needed to be strong for her.

“I love her so much,” Hayley said, sobbing.

“I know.” Allegro was crying as well. “Me, too.”

A man entered the room—one of Luka’s doctors—and Allegro shot to her feet. He’d removed his helmet and was smiling.

“For real?” Allegro managed to choke out.

“Your friend will be fine,” he said.

Hayley got up and they hugged, then Allegro turned to the doctor. “Let me see her,” she said as she took off her helmet.

Hayley did the same and drew a deep breath. “And not later. Now.”

“You’ll have to wait a while. She’s still too weak to—”

Allegro grabbed Hayley’s hand and pushed the man aside. “Run!” she told Hayley, and they took off down the hall.

The doctor ran after them, shouting, “You’re not allowed in there.”

Allegro paused and turned as he caught up. “Stop me, and I swear I’ll shoot you.”

The man stepped back and raised his arms in defeat. Allegro grasped Hayley’s hand again and they continued through a set of double doors past a nurses’ station. The nurses and everyone around them had either removed their Hazmat helmets or taken off the suits altogether. Three doctors down the hallway were congratulating each other and smiling.

Hayley led the way to Luka’s room and hurried inside ahead of Allegro. She pulled back the curtain around Luka and rushed to her, kissing her forehead and taking her hand. Luka, looking pale and tired, smiled up at her.

Allegro approached the bed. “Thanks for taking care of my girl,” Luka said, holding Hayley’s hand.

“Yeah, well, you know me. I live to serve you.”

“And it only took a near-death experience for you to admit it.” Luka grinned at her.

“Don’t ever pull this shit on me again,” Allegro said gruffly.

“Crying is bad for her rep,” Hayley said.

Luka pretended to be shocked. “She even cried over me?”

Allegro felt herself blush. “Yeah, whatever.” She quickly looked over to the other bed. “Hey, is that you, Gianna?” Gianna was facing away, talking to an attractive brunette. When she turned, Allegro said, “Whoa. What ran you over?” and walked over for a closer look.

Gianna merely smiled.

Allegro offered her hand to the attractive stranger. “Misha Taylor.”

“Zoe Anderson-Howe,” the woman replied in a British accent.

“As in the cure,” Allegro said.

When the woman didn’t answer, Gianna jumped in. “Looks like.”

“Thank you for saving her life,” Hayley said from behind them. She, too, walked over to Zoe and embraced her. “For saving so many lives.”

“Please, it’s the least I could do.” Zoe replied and hugged her back. “Especially since—”

“No, Zoe,” Gianna said. “None of this is your fault.”

Hayley released Zoe and stepped back with a puzzled expression.

“What’s going on?” Allegro asked.

“Guys, not now,” Luka said, and they turned to her.

“It’s a simple question,” Allegro replied. “What’s not her fault?”

“Let it go, Taylor.” Montgomery Pierce had materialized in the doorway. “We’ll talk about this later.”

A doctor shoved past Pierce and entered the room with a cart, breaking the tension. He was the one she’d threatened to shoot if he stopped her and Hayley. “Everyone who hasn’t been vaccinated needs to get a shot now.”

Allegro walked over to the glaring doctor and rolled up her sleeve. “You had to go and interrupt the unfolding drama,” she told him as he injected her. Then she stepped aside for Hayley. “You’re up.”

She took a few hesitant steps, then stopped. “I don’t know if I should…if it’s safe.”

“Of course it is. They’re not using us as guinea pigs.” Allegro looked at Pierce. “Right?”

“Stop being your usual irritating self,” Pierce replied.

“It’s not that. What I mean is…” Hayley faced Luka. When Luka smiled and nodded, Hayley turned to the others. “I’m pregnant.”

“What?” everyone except the British woman and the doctor said in unison.

“I’m six weeks pregnant.” Hayley took Luka’s hand. “We’re going to have a baby.”

Luka was grinning. She looked over at Allegro. “I can’t believe I’m about to make this lunatic a godmother.”

Allegro grinned. “That’s right, folks, you heard it here first. I’m the chosen one.”

Montgomery Pierce walked briskly from the patient center to the temporary office space they’d been given and found Joanne watching CNN’s latest update on the pandemic. He’d already called her with the news that the antivirus had worked and Domino and Fetch were out of danger, but he wanted to deliver the latest update in person.

“What it is?” Joanne asked.

“Hayley’s pregnant.”

Joanne hugged him. “Oh, that’s wonderful!”

“Yes. A day for good news,” he said, embracing her back. “Now, I want you over there to get inoculated. I’ll call Cassady at the hotel and get her over here, too.”

“And the rest?”

“They’re putting together a shipment of the antivaccine right now. We’ll expedite it to the campus and have Arthur send everyone to the infirmary.”

Joanne put a hand on his cheek. “And Jaclyn?”

How did Joanne sense what he was thinking? “I’ll leave that to Cassady. She’ll make sure it gets to her.”

Chapter Thirty-Three

Hampton Inn

Date: 2015-01-11; view: 746