I trusted Cai with my life, quite literally, as it turned out. I hadn’t even thought twice when he told me that he had a potential cure for the infection. I volunteered to be the test subject, and I hadn’t let him see for one second how scared I was.

By Monday night, the blood tests showed that the antibiotic cocktail Cai had given me was doing exactly what he’d hoped, and then it was given to the others. I didn’t know any of that, though, because I’d fallen asleep shortly after he’d come to see me, and I didn’t wake up until Tuesday morning.

Cai was sitting in the chair next to my bed when I opened my eyes. The first thing I noticed was how much easier it was to breathe. The second thing was that Cai wasn’t wearing his hazmat suit.

“Cai, what are you–?”

He held up a hand and smiled, his expression weary. “You’re not contagious.”

“I’m not?” I looked down at my arm where the intravenous tubing continued to pump in what I assumed was more of the cocktail.

“Have you ever heard of tularemia?”

I glared at him. “You’re seriously giving me a pop quiz?”

He chuckled. “It’s an infection that is contracted in different ways and has various manifestations.”

“Ulcers, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, difficulty breathing, coughing.” I listed off several of the symptoms.

Cai nodded. “When you stepped on that pile of detritus out at the cabin shed, it released the organisms in aerosol form. That’s what you breathed in when Pansy pulled out your air hose.”

“That’s how the kids got it too. They were in the cabin.”

“Some of it got on their clothes,” he continued the explanation. “When Nurse Diaz packed up their things, she inhaled the same thing you did, maybe a little less.”

“And the others?” I asked.

“The men came in direct contact with the contaminated animal or animals.”

“And the second wave of patients encountered the animal or animals after the hunters brought them home,” I finished.

“Exactly. Once I was able to pinpoint how Nurse Diaz was infected, everything fell into place.”

“Does that mean everyone else is okay?” I glanced toward the curtains pulled around the other beds.

“They will be,” Cai said. “You were the last one infected, so it worked faster on you than it will on them.”

“Does that mean we can go home?”

He gave me a sorry look. “Not yet. You still must go through another round of bloodwork, so we can make sure the infection is completely gone. The rest of the team is taking care of the cabin and the shed, then they’ll return to Atlanta. I’ll be staying here until you’re discharged sometime tomorrow.”

He was staying here with me?

I didn’t want to read too much into it, but something told me that he wouldn’t have been staying with any of the other doctors. I wasn’t sure that meant anything more than us being friends, but it was something.

* * *

I was beyond ready to get out of the hospital. I’d never been a fan of being a patient, but this was worse. I had nothing to keep me busy, and I kept feeling like I should be up working even though Cai kept reassuring me that there wasn’t anything for me to do.

We’d spent most of yesterday talking. I’d dozed off a time or two, but he’d always been there when I woke up, reading a book or making notes. It was odd, I knew, for someone I barely knew to make me feel as safe as he did, but it shouldn’t have surprised me. After all, I’d felt safe with him at the club when I hadn’t even known it was him.

“Are you ready to get out of here?” Cai said as he came into the room. “I have your test results, and you’re all clear.”

“That’s great.” I tried not to let my relief leak into my voice.

“You’re going to have to take some time off.”

I stared at him, thrown by the sudden change of topic. “What was that?”

“It’s part of your contract,” he said. “I’m guessing that means you haven’t read it since you remember everything you read.”

“Are you purposefully being a pain in my ass?” I immediately clapped my hands over my mouth. “I am so sorry.”

He laughed. “It’s all right. I wasn’t exactly explaining things well.”

“No, you weren’t.”

“Let me try that again.” He leaned against the wall. “If we’re ever exposed to anything while in the field, we’re required to take a few days off, the number to be determined by the supervisor.”

“You’re the supervisor,” I pointed out.

“I am,” he agreed. “And you’re going to take the rest of the week off.”

I shook my head. “No.”

“Yes,” he insisted. “And for today, at least, I’m going to make sure that you rest. I’ve already had our luggage taken to the hotel.”

“The hotel?” I echoed.

“The plane is currently in use, so we can either wait here or drive back to Atlanta. I don’t know about you, but I don’t much feel like renting a car and driving for twelve hours.”

“You have a point.”

His expression grew serious. “Let’s go back to the hotel, get real showers, sleep in real beds, have real food. Then, tomorrow, we can talk about everything else.”

“I do like the idea of a shower.”

* * *

The room was nice enough, but I barely saw any of it. I was just happy to be out of the hospital. No beeping monitors. No sharp smell of disinfectants. No murmur of people talking, or the tossing and turning of other patients. But as much as I liked the idea of not being around other people, I didn’t want to be alone right now. I’d think too much.

“I’ll leave you to it,” Cai said as he set my bag down next to the dresser.

“Cai?” I didn’t look at him, knowing I wouldn’t have the strength to say what I wanted if I faced him. “Will you stay? Please.”

“Go get cleaned up,” he said quietly. “I’ll be here when you get out.”

I could feel him watching me as I walked over to the bathroom, but neither of us said anything. I gathered the items I needed for my shower, then closed myself in the bathroom. Despite all the sleep I had gotten over the last couple days, I was exhausted, and I let my brain float as I went through the motions of getting ready.

I turned the heat up until steam filled the room, and then stepped under the spray. I closed my eyes and let all the filth – real and mental – slough off. Shampooing my hair, washing, shaving, all of it was done on automatic pilot. I knew I’d eventually have to truly deal with what happened to me, how much danger I’d been in, but I wouldn’t do that today. And I wouldn’t deal with the still-present questions about my feelings toward Cai Hunter either.

Not today.

I felt more human as I toweled off, more than I had since I’d gone to that cabin. My clothes had been cleaned, but I didn’t put them on, needing something more comfortable. I pulled on one of the hotel robes, then stepped out into the room.

Cai was sitting in the chair across from the bed, his gaze immediately settling on me. His eyes were darker than usual, tension radiating off him. I’d seen that look before, though I hadn’t recognized him at the time.

How had I not known it was this man behind that mask?

Need made my stomach clench painfully, but it wasn’t hunger for food that had me walking across the room. Any thought or logic that had made it through my shower disappeared, leaving behind a primal desire I was quickly learning only one thing could satisfy.

He watched me as I stopped directly in front of him, his fingers digging into the arms of the chair as I bent down and pressed my lips to his.