Colton Holiday Lockdown. C.J. Miller

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СКАЧАТЬ and I collected blood samples from our current patients. Those are places to start,” Gemma said.

      “What about patient zero? We can’t obtain more blood from her!” Dr. Goodhue said.

      Until they had evidence to prove otherwise, they believed Mimi Rand was patient zero. Mimi Rand, the ex-wife of Dr. Lucas Rand, had died in the clinic, but not before she had infected several other people in town.

      “We don’t know that blood from patient zero will help,” Rafe said.

      Rafe had mentioned the possibility of the virus morphing over time. Their patient information indicated that patients who had contracted the virus early on seemed to be faring better than those who had been admitted more recently.

      Mimi Rand was dead. Dozens of others had died. These were facts not far from Gemma’s thoughts.

      “We’ll salvage what we can and we’ll reproduce the results we need,” Gemma said. “Rafe? Our shift ended an hour ago. I’ve been waiting to speak with you.” She had decided she would reach out again, offer her friendship and see if he needed to talk.

      Rafe turned in his chair. He looked at her as if he expected her to speak to him now. At least he’d faced her.

      “Alone. Please,” Gemma said. Talking in their protective suits was uncomfortable and no way would Rafe open up in front of Dr. Goodhue. He might not open up at all, but the chances were better if they were alone.

      Rafe stood. He looked at the clock on the wall. “All right. Let’s scrub out.”

      Twenty minutes later, changed into street clothes, Gemma searched for the right words to explain what was on her mind. The latest interference in their research was a good reason to take a step back and regroup. If they were tired and run-down, they’d be ineffective and inefficient. Maybe if Dr. Rand, Anand and Felicia hadn’t been so drained, they would have heard the break-in and prevented someone from getting into the lab.

      “I’m hungry. Mind grabbing a bite with me at the diner?” Gemma asked. A friendly environment would make it easier to talk. In the clinic, despite his treating her as a colleague, Gemma still felt strict professional boundaries.

      “I have dinner with Danny,” he said.

      She didn’t want to give up so easily. “You can grab some carry-out. This won’t take long.”

      “You can’t tell me what you need now?” he asked. He used that irritated tone he sometimes had with the rest of the staff. Gemma ignored it. Some doctors thought they could strong-arm others into bending to their will.

      Gemma was not one of those people. Even though she didn’t enjoy confrontation, someone needed to talk to Rafe and have him blow off some steam before his head exploded.

      “No.” Gemma folded her arms across her chest.

      Rafe jammed a hand through his hair. “You are persistent. You win. Let’s go.”

      He’d agreed if only because he knew she wouldn’t back down. That was fine with her. When she had a problem on her mind, she needed to say it. Then she would smooth things over.

      * * *

      The Dead River Diner was crowded. As they searched for a free booth, Rafe felt eyes on him. He was accustomed to stares in this town. From the time he had been a young boy, he’d been given looks that made it plain he was not welcome.

      Whether it was because he was now an outsider or his medical degree hadn’t covered the stench of being from the worst part of town, he wasn’t welcome in Dead River. He had never felt it more than now.

      He ignored the looks, like he always had. He slid into a booth across from Gemma. Why did she need to talk here? It had been a long, bad day. He wanted to go home, have dinner with Danny and catch up on some virology articles that were waiting for him. One might spark an idea that could lead to a cure.

      “Dr. Granger—”

      Too formal. “When we’re not working, call me Rafe.”

      He almost surprised himself, but the words had come naturally.

      “Rafe,” Gemma started again, sounding unsure. “How can I help your stress level?”

      Rafe inclined his head. “My stress level?”

      Gemma shifted in her seat. “We’re under a tremendous amount of stress, but you most of all. You drive us hard and yourself harder—”

      He felt a criticism coming from her pink mouth. “Are you saying you need a break?” Losing a member of their staff would be hard, but he wouldn’t work someone into the ground. If she needed to step back from her duties, he understood.

      Green eyes narrowed. “I don’t need a break. I’m concerned about you.”

      Why? He hadn’t come apart. “No reason to be. I know my limits.”

      The waitress took their order. Rafe asked for his food to go and a coffee. He couldn’t feed Danny cereal or a sandwich again as a meal. They were guys, but Rafe had hit his limit on crap food and Danny was a growing teenager.

      The waitress lingered at the table. “Any news?” she asked.

      About the cure? The break-in? “About what?” Rafe asked. He’d been in the clinic and didn’t know if news of the break-in had hit the gossip mill. It was Dead River, so most likely it had.

      The waitress looked around. “About the virus. I heard you found a cure, but it ended up making everyone sicker. Is that true?”

      If they’d had a cure that made people sicker, it wouldn’t be a cure. Luckily, Gemma answered before Rafe could make any more enemies with his sarcastic response.

      “We’re doing our best, but we’re still working on it,” Gemma said.

      The waitress frowned. “It’s been months. Have you tried asking for outside help?”

      Rafe kept his temper. It was difficult for people of the town to believe that finding a cure wasn’t a straightforward task. It wasn’t as if the clinic had a computer that would take the virus, find the antidote and print it out on paper like a recipe for them to mix. “There are a number of factors at play. We’re closing in on it,” Rafe said. He curbed the urge to say more.

      The waitress nodded. “Okay, thanks. Everyone is so worried.” She bit her lip. “I’ll put your order in.”

      Gemma reached across the table, and then drew her hands back into her lap. “Dr. Granger, she didn’t mean to be insulting.”

      The people of Dead River wanted a cure found and they were putting their faith in the clinic to deliver. “It’s hard to explain to someone why we don’t have a cure.”

      “Everyone knows you’re an exceptional doctor,” Gemma said.

      He didn’t need his ego stroked. “But what?”

      Gemma smiled. “But I am worried you’ll burn out. You can’t keep going at the pace you’re СКАЧАТЬ