“What do you meanlived? Past tense? Was he dead or not there when you traced my movements? I’m assuming Aaron told you where we were,” I suck in a breath as unease drips down my spine. “Oh my god. Is Aaron okay? Where is he?”
“Right here, Camellia,” a voice near the door calls out. “I’m right here.”
I glance in the direction of the sexiest voice on the planet. There he is. He’s wearing his own version of our not-so-designer hospital gowns, complete with an identification bracelet.
I nod my head at him. “What’cha in for?”
“Two to twenty, but they might let me out with good behavior,” he tries to laugh, but it comes out in a choked sob. He swipes his eyes. “I’m glad you’re awake.”
“I’m glad I’m awake too,” I press the button to raise the head of my hospital bed. “Seems I’ve missed out on all the excitement. Where the fuck is Virgil?”
Aaron shrugs. “He must have cleared out after we left. What happened inside the cabin when I stepped outside for that call? I was only gone a few minutes.”
“I knocked over a canister that looked like it contained sugar,” I shake my head. “Damn it. I should have asked more questions.”
“It’s okay, Camellia. They’re looking for him right now. There’s a nationwide alert out. They’ll find him.”
“Mr. Troutwine had a large amount of Zendantium in his cabin,” Dr. Galen chimes in. “It’s a wonder he’s still walking around.”
“Well, shit. If he’s contaminated too, then y’all need to check The Squad Room. He went there - what day is it?”
“It’s Monday,” Aaron answered.
Damn it. I’d lost a whole weekend to this shit. And has it only been a week?
“The wake for our fallen firefighter friend was last Monday at the bar,” I tell the doctor. “You should send HAZMAT teams to test there and contact trace everyone who was in town for the party.”
“We’re already on it,” Dr. Galen winks at me.
“How long do I have to stay in here?”
“You? Only another day,” the doctor wraps up her exam. “You were lucky we caught it in time. You’ll be on Prussian Blue for the next four weeks to flush the toxic radiation out of your system.”
“What would have happened if you didn’t start that in time?”
Dr. Galen pauses. “Well, we haven’t studied it enough to be sure.”
I roll my eyes. Fucking doctors. “Best guesstimate, doc.”
“Weird things would have happened,” she ticks them off one by one. “It would present as a stomach virus at first, then as time wore on, your body’s cells would mutate, causing a variety of cancers.”
I shiver. “Would it prevent a fetus from developing fully?”
“Indeed it would.”
“What about an enlarged heart or a heart attack?”
“Those too.”
For the first time in days, my mind is clear, and a puzzle piece clicks into place. I peer around the doctor toward Aaron. “Hey, Sparky. Did the HAZMAT teams by chance take pictures of Virgil’s cabin before they decontaminated it?”
“Not sure. Why?”
“Remember those maps?”
“Yeah,” he draws out.
“I need to see those pictures.”
