Ihadn’t risen from my kneeling position when Zara arrived in Theo’s office, a puzzled frown on her face. When she saw me, her eyes widened, and she hurried to my side. “Sophia? I’ve been so worried.” Her kind touch found my shoulder, but I couldn’t gather the strength to look her in the eye.
“I’m fine,” I said, voice dead.
“She needs an examination. She’s been—ah—she’s been in the company of Jack Miller for many days.”
I squeezed my eyes shut against the thick silence that followed.
Zara’s tone went careful. “Sophia, would you like to come down to the hospital wing? I can?—”
“I just need you to look at my back,” I said. “That’s all I need.”
She hesitated, but out of the corner of my eye, I noted her forced smile. “Alright. Let’s go down and have a look.”
Obediently, I stood and followed her to the door, but Theo stopped me before we left.
“I’ll do my best, Sophia,” he said.
I turned to meet his gaze.
“But I can’t make guarantees. This isn’t my decision.”
Silent tears dripped, and I left with Zara at my side.
The hospital wing looked the same as always—cots lining the walls, some filled, some empty. Two of my fellow medics were on duty, and they jumped to attention when we entered, their wide eyes taking me in with disbelief.
“Reeves?” one of them said. “You’re back?”
I turned to look at him, but I barely recognized his face. I was no longer close to any of the medics. Certain we’d inevitably die, I’d isolated myself from these people just like everyone else.
Clearly they recognized me, though.
“I’m back,” I said. “Not sure when I’ll return to duty.”
He nodded, seeming to sense my skittishness. Both of them backed away, but their gazes followed Zara and me into the private examination area.
“So, your back?” Zara said, tone like velvet.
I slipped off my shirt, showing her the wound.
Her tender smile faltered as she took in the damage. She motioned me to lie on the bed, which I did with only a slight grimace.
Zara pulled a chair to the side of the bed. “It’s—it’s been well tended. I’m assuming Jack Miller is not the person who took care of it?”
“No.”
She hummed. “How well did this person clean it? Do we need to worry about infection?”
“He’s obsessive. He spent a lot of time cleaning and gluing.”
Her fingers brushed my back. “Infection is still a risk. Are there…other injuries?”
I hesitated, thinking of the teeth marks and the bruises on my throat. “None that won’t heal with time.”
A few seconds passed, and she sighed. “I’m so sorry, Sophia.”
The tears, which hadn’t quite stopped, started anew. “You were there too. How’d you escape?”
“A few of us were on the third floor when the attack came. There were some hiding spaces they didn’t check. I just… I got lucky. Only a handful of medics made it out. They were targeting the medical facility specifically. To weaken us.”
