Chapter 10
Marko rubbed circles on Thea’s back. She was plastered to his chest and finally sleeping peacefully. Her breathing had evened out, her fever had ebbed, and her tears had stopped flowing. Thank fuck! Now, still lying in the hospital bed, covered with one thin blanket, he wondered what happened next. He didn’t have to wonder long. A mental nudge interrupted his thoughts, and he allowed the contact. It was Jenny.
“How’s our girl?”
His tone was clipped, but right now he figured Jenny deserved it. “Sleeping.”
“I need to come in and check her vitals, take another blood sample.”
“She just fucking fell asleep, Jenny. Let her rest.”
“I’d like to, but I need to make sure she’s sleeping and not in a damn coma.”
That had Marko’s hand stilling as he lifted his chin from where it rested on top of Thea’s head to look down at her. She looked like she was simply sleeping, but what in the hell did he know? He was an assassin, not a doctor.
“Fine.” He snapped. “You’ve got five minutes.”
As if waiting for his cue, a key slid into the door, and it was unlocked before it quietly eased open. Jenny poked her head in and entered, followed by Stoney. The two women communicated with each other via the mist and allowed Marko access. He listened as Jenny relayed information to Stoney. The nurse put the info into her e-pad, and to Marko’s great relief, Jenny indicated that Thea was in fact just sleeping and that her vitals were back on par. Stoney took the blood sample Jenny gave her and exited, and Jenny spoke to Marko telepathically.
“We’re gonna move you two up to a suite. We need her close, but what she needs only you can give. It’d make more sense to put you two someplace more private. I’ll send up a nurse periodically to check on things and to take more samples.”
Marko frowned, “About that, is it normal that she didn’t wake when you jabbed her with that needle?”
“She’s exhausted, Marko. She’s been fighting all night.”
His eyes thinned to cruel slits. “You should have sent for me.”
“She made us promise…”
“I don’t give a fuck! You’re a doctor, not her fucking friend. You took an oath, and tonight you let her down.”
To her credit, Jenny hung her head a moment before lifting a hand to rub the back of her neck. “You’re right. I was trying to give her what she wanted, not what she needed. Sometimes I get so caught up in trying to prove that we women are just as strong as you men that my ambition blinds me. I apologize to you both. It won’t happen again.”
“No,” Marko agreed. “It won’t and don’t apologize to me. Apologize to her.”
***
An hour later, Marko had Thea tucked into bed in one of the suites on the second floor of the main estate house. Just a floor up from the infirmary and in a suite across from the elevator, Thea wasn’t too far if medical attention was needed. Stepping out into the sitting room, he frowned at Jenny, still pissed.
“So from what I can tell,” Jenny ignored his look. “Her…ailment is coming back in flashes. It’s the damnedest thing. Honestly, I’ve never seen anything like it. The longer it’s in her system, the more the drug should dissipate, but that’s not happening.”
Marko’s mouth fell open. “This…this can’t be permanent?”
“Let’s hope not.” Jenny blew out a breath. “In the meantime, we’ll monitor her. You stay close. I’m confident that this has got to come to an end. No tranq lasts forever, I don’t care how designer it is.”
Marko noted the worry in her tone though, and it had him wondering if the doctor doubted her own words.
“Alright,” Jenny clapped her hands together, folding her fingers together and eyed the room before she pointed at the phone. “Dial zero, one on the house phone to be connected directly to the infirmary, or contact me through the mist immediately if she goes back into heat.”
Marko snorted, “Heat?”
Jenny dropped her hands and arched an eyebrow mockingly. “Well, what would you call it?”
Well, shit. Heat was just as accurate a description as any he could come up with.
“That’s what I thought,” Jenny mocked. “Anything else, before I leave.”
“Yeah. I need to go to my place, grab some gear.” He glanced over his shoulder at the room. “Can you stay here until I get back? I don’t want her waking alone.”
Jenny shrugged. “Sure, but make it quick, I’ve got other patients to attend.”
Marko hurried to the door. “Back in five.”
Jenny waved and eyed the suite. When she was alone, she paced to the window and looked out at the snow-covered landscape. Even the view at the back of the estate revealed the devastation from the recent attack. Several buildings had been damaged, and too many residents had been wounded. Hell, even now they had Walkers, Keepers, and human staff unaccounted for. She shook her head sadly. What a cluster fu….
She felt a mental nudge, and then Stoney was in her head. “Jen, we need you back down here.”
Jenny didn’t bother asking why. Stoney was an excellent nurse and really knew her shit, and if she said Jenny was needed back at the infirmary, then Jenny was needed back at the infirmary. As she made for the door, she demanded, “You’ll need to come up and take my place. I’m watching Thea for Marko. He had to run home and grab some things.”
“Not a prob.”