“Good. I was hoping you were on board with this plan. As soon as he gets a location, we need to move…like yesterday.”
She climbed from the bed, already readying for the moment they could spring into action. “Right. Okay. So, should I bring Alex in now? Oh, you know what, he’s never going to make that walk.”
“I’m sending an ambulance to you. Bring him in, I’ll make sure he’s monitored while we head to the airport. Shadow already has the jet being fueled. The moment we know where a potential cure is, we’re wheels up.”
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll see you soon.”
She ended the call, breathing out a deep exhale. Could they actually be on to something that would save Alex’s and the other people’s lives? She wanted to believe it with all her heart but worry still choked her insides.
The wail of a siren interrupted her thoughts. She glanced out the window, catching sight of red lights spinning as the vehicle pulled into the parking lot.
With her hoodie zipped a little tighter, she crossed to Alex and shook him. “Wake up, babe. You’re going to the hospital.”
“Hospital?” he asked, his eyes bleary.
“Yeah. Doc may have found something, and we need to track it down. You need to be monitored, so you’re going to the hospital while I go with Doc to find a cure.”
“Ugh, okay,” he murmured. “But I don’t like this plan.”
“I hate this, Alex. I hate leaving you when you need me, but I have to. I have to find the cure... for you, for all of us. We’ll beat this, I promise. I just—I can’t stay here, not when there’s a chance to save you. Even if it means we’re apart for a little while.”
She opened the door for the paramedics, and within minutes, they’d inserted an IV into Alex’s arm and strapped him to the gurney.
Ava climbed into the back of the ambulance and sat next to him, squeezing his hand. They made the short trip to the hospital, met by Sebastian and Kyle. As the medical team situated Alex, Sebastian filled her in on the details.
“I managed to track work on this virus to a lab in South America. It’s a remote place in the middle of the jungle, but I’ve already made arrangements for someone to meet you at the airport and drive you to the facility. He should have a set of credentials for you both to gain access.”
Ava bobbed her head, her eyes stuck on the monitors that no constantly declared Alex’s proof of life.
“Ava?” Sebastian questioned until she glanced at him. “You need to stay focused.”
“I am,” she answered. “There’s nothing that I am more focused on than saving Alex’s life.”
Her eyes slid back to her husband, weak and feverish in the hospital bed. She couldn’t let him die. She had to take any and every chance to save him. She had to find this cure.
CHAPTER 15
ALEX
Alex shoved down the fourth cracker drowned in spray cheese, trying hard not to gag on it as he swallowed it down. As it slid down his throat, he let his head fall back against the pillows.
Alex could feel the illness sinking deeper into his bones with every passing second, but he forced himself to smile, not wanting to add to Ava’s worry. She was already on edge, and the last thing she needed was him complaining. Besides, the hospital felt like a place people went to die. If he could just stay here, cocooned in the motel’s rough blankets, maybe he could stave off whatever fate had in store. He wasn’t ready to give up, but each breath felt like a struggle, and he hated the thought of dragging Ava into that dark place with him.
“No good?” Ava questioned.
He offered her a thumbs down. “Can I go back to sleep now?”
“Yes,” she said with a nod as she checked her phone again.
As he slouched down further in the bed and pulled the covers over him, he slid his stinging eyes closed. He hated that she’d checked her phone multiple times but hadn’t said anything.
There was likely no news–or worse, bad news that she didn’t want to share. Exhaustion washed over him despite his desperate attempt to stay awake and alert. If he could just get a little more sleep, maybe he’d start to feel human again.
And outside of using the rest for his recovery, he didn’t want to be awake. Everything hurt, even his hair. His skin crawled when anything touched it, his joints ached, and the fever made him feel horrible all over, not to mention cold.
Alex felt like he’d never get warm again as he snuggled deeper into the blankets.
The mattress shifted under him. The comforting form of Ava pressed against him, threading her fingers through his. “I’m here, Ace,” she whispered.
