“Physically, pushing too hard. Emotionally, he’s having nightmares. No,thenightmare. But I’m more worried about the fact he’s writing his future off.” Wes explained he was developing feelings for someone but was reluctant to pursue them.
“He needs time. Physiologically, he’s improving,” Seth stayed vague.
“That doesn’t mean he can’t have a relationship if both sides communicate,” Wes raised his voice.
Eleanor’s vent alarmed. Her heart monitor followed, and her eyes flew open. “Eleanor, I’m Seth. If you can, raise your thumb.”
Eleanor’s thumb lifted. “That’s it, Curly.” Wes interlaced his fingers with hers as her other hand reached for the tube. “Ellie, you have pneumonia. We need to keep the tube in a little while until we can figure out if you still need it. Seth will make you more comfortable.”
Her hand grabbed Wes’s tightly. Her head thrashed, and she tried to sit up. When the vent screamed, her other hand clawed at the tube, and her oxygen levels dropped.
“Eleanor, I’m pulling the tube. Work with me. Wes, hold her hands.” Seth calmly deflated the balloon, promptly pulling the tube, dropping it and grabbing the suction. “Not the best way to do this,” Seth sighed as Eleanor choked and sputtered before inhaling.
Years of experience told Wes what was coming. “I’ve got you.” He leaned her forward as she vomited.
Seth grabbed a basin and a washcloth. After handing them to Wes, he listened to her chest. “Eleanor, deep breath.” Seth frowned and checked the monitor. Her oxygen levels sat between eighty-eight and ninety percent. “Eleanor, who is the guy next to you?”
“Wes,” she huffed.
“Okay, if you don’t want that tube, I’m putting a special oxygen mask on you. And I’m going to pound on your back every hour. Once the mask is on, I’ll clean you up,” Seth said.
Eleanor leaned into Wes. “Wes…all die… Save…” Her eyes closed.
“Seth, is that the encephalitis?” Wes grabbed a pair of gloves, opened a cabinet and pulled out clean sheets and a gown.
“The fever, the encephalitis, low oxygen. She’s struggling. I’m putting her on Bi-PAP. And she’s already on a one-on-one. If her oxygen level falls on the mask, I will need to intubate her again.” Seth applied the mask. “Wes, I know you know how, but you’re in a relationship. I’ll have one of the nurses help.”
“I’ll be outside.” Wes stripped off the gloves. “Do whatever you need to do for her.”
* * *
Zach was sitting in the back office when Wes found him. “You have some good new people working for you.”
“You mean Andi?” Wes agreed.
“Yes, and Hena, Doc Mulligan, Doc Baker, Tim Holland, Riley Armstrong, Dan Chambers,” Zach went on.
“You aren’t giving me a tutorial on my staff for no reason. What did you find?”
“We know there’s another plant somewhere at the facility. My thoughts are they’d need to be able to get to Ellie.”
“That’s all the staff. I have security walking female staff to their quarters. She is the head of the therapy team, and she’s in a bed in the clinic. That doesn’t rule out many.”
“Yes.” Zach leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.
Wes waited for thirty seconds before he gritted his teeth and, in a low voice, said, “Oh, Saintly Master Ice. I am not one of your submissives. Talk.”
Zach’s lips turned up. “Who is trying to visit Ellie or frequently asking about her or trying to get assigned to her case?”
Wes rolled his hands. “Keep going.”
“Your login system is anal. Makes my life easier. Aaron Bain asked you three times if he could see Eleanor. No contact here. He speaks daily with Finch in the hospital to confer on the program. Kyle says Aaron is doing well with Troy.
“Finch is speaking with Ken, asking daily about Eleanor. Again, no contact with Eleanor. According to the clinic log, no therapists have stopped by here, with one exception: Nadia Rostivich. She was suffering from a dog bite.”
“Dog bite. How come I don’t know about that?” Wes growled.
“She begged Honor Sanders to keep it a secret because she wasn’t supposed to be near the dog kennels. She was having sexual relations with one of the dog trainers against the run wall, her hand grabbed the fence, and the dog grabbed her.”
