He wrapped an arm around her. “Drink more water.”
With a sigh and a shake of her head, she downed more of it as the pilots announced they were in their final descent.
Ava shifted in her seat, swallowing hard as she felt theplane shift under her. After the crash in the jungle, she wanted to be on the ground safely.
The landing took longer than she would have liked, but finally, the wheels hit the ground and they slowed to a stop.
The moment the engines powered down, she leapt from her seat, hurrying to the door to open it even before the flight attendant.
Outside, Sebastian leaned against his car, a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead.
“Hey,” he said as they descended the stairs. “You said you have an injection for me, right?”
“I do,” Kyle answered, shifting his backpack from his back around to his front.
“Can we do this while I’m driving back to the hospital? I need to get this to Alex.”
“Sure,” Sebastian said as he climbed into the backseat. Kyle slid into the other side while Ava hopped in behind the wheel and fired the engine.
She struggled not to race there at unsafe speeds, pushing the car to hug each curve as she sped around them.
“So, how long will this take?” Sebastian asked as Kyle jabbed him.
“For you with a mild case, a few hours, and you’ll be back on top of the world.” Kyle slipped the cover onto the used needle and slipped it into one of the pouches of the backpack.
Ava flicked her gaze into the rearview mirror, her heart hammering as she tightened her grip on the wheel until her knuckles turned white. “And for a severe case like Alex’s?”
“That will take longer.”
“But I was only a few hours,” Ava said with a shake of her head.
“You weren’t in a coma,” Kyle answered.
“I passed out in the lab,” Ava countered.
Kyle bobbed his head. “Yeah, from overexertion. You weren’t not in a coma.”
“So, Alex is far worse.” The words stuck in her throat as she forced them out, making herself face the situation.
“Yes, but this should still cure him,” Kyle said.
Ava pressed the accelerator toward the floor, speeding up a little. They had to get the cure to Alex.
“He was okay when you left him, right?” She shifted her gaze to Sebastian.
“Yeah. Stable, but…in a coma,” he answered.
She chewed her lower lip as the buildings of Hemlock Falls filled in around them. Every mile traveled was closer to Alex, but still too far away.
When they finally reached the hospital, she whipped the car into the president’s spot and was already climbing out as she yanked the emergency brake.
“Let’s go,” she called over her shoulder.
Kyle raced behind her with the backpack. They headed straight to Alex’s room, and he pulled another syringe from the backpack, inserting the needle into Alex’s IV and depressing the plunger.
“Okay, he’s set,” Kyle said. “I’m going to get these to the lab and administer a few other doses to our most critical patients, and then I’ll be back.”
With tears in her eyes, she nodded at him, sinking onto the edge of the bed as she took Alex’s limp hand in hers. “Come on, Alex. Please be okay.”
