AVA
Ava stared at the printout of the recently decrypted files as she paced the floor of the kitchen, waiting for her coffee to brew. Knowing she wasn’t alone in being violated by PharmaTech and their experimental drugs did little to ease the anger boiling under her surface.
Their use of Neuroprisol-X to cause her blackouts and behavior changes both infuriated and frightened her.
She pressed a hand against her jittery stomach, willing it to calm down, but wave after wave of nausea rolled over her.
With a hand pressed to her head, she sank onto one of the stools. Was this a side effect off the cocktail of drugs Kyle had given her or was she heading for another blackout?
She squeezed her eyes closed, tears forming in them as worry made her heart hammer against her ribs.
When would this end? When would she be able to trust her own actions?
“Hey,” Kyle’s voice said, drawing her back to reality.
With a start, she opened her eyes and glanced at him. “Hey.”
He raised his eyebrows, his features questioning. “You okay?”
“No,” she said with a shake of her head.
He crossed to her, pressing a hand against her forehead before he grabbed her wrist to take her pulse. “Your heart rate is really high. You feeling any other symptoms?”
“Hard to tell. I’m nauseous and jittery but that could be because I’m terrified of another blackout. Doc, do you think I should check myself in somewhere?”
“No, I don’t. I wish you’d trust me on this,” Kyle answered, his features conveying a slight annoyance with her.
“It’s not you I don’t trust, Doc. It’s me. And we have no idea if those drugs can counteract Neuroprisol-X that quickly. I could go for weeks with blackouts.”
“You need to calm down. The stress isn’t helping anything, Ava.”
She heaved a sigh, shaking her head as she slid to her feet and crossed to the coffee machine, grabbing the pot.
“Ahh, I wouldn’t do that,” Kyle said.
She twisted to face him, the pot’s spout hovering over the mug. “Why?”
“Coffee tends to cause more anxiety. If you’re already stressed, it’s not a good idea. We don’t want to exacerbate your symptoms.” Kyle crossed to her, lifting the mug and pot from her hands and returning them to the counter. “How about a nice cup of tea?”
Ava grimaced at him. “Tea? Ugh.”
“Go sit down. I’ll make you a lovely cup to relax with.”
“Why do I sound like I’m seventy when you say it that way.”
He grinned at her. “You’re definitely not seventy. I justwould prefer you not to have too much caffeine with this new cocktail of drugs–which, by the way, is likely causing your nausea.”
“Do you promise?” she asked, her eyes searching his for any sign of concern.
“Most likely, yes. And then you’ve got yourself in a tizzy-”
“What?” she asked, her lips pulling back into a confused smile. “Did you just say tizzy?”
“Yes, I said tizzy. You are in one. Definitely. Go sit down, we’ll game while you drink your tea.”
Ava sucked in a sharp breath. “Ohhh, trying to set up a gaming date while Alex is working on searching for more information on PharmaTech. That’s bold, Doc.”
“You need downtime. I have to do it for you.”
