“Yeah, I can,” the man said. “And this was definitely weird.”
She snorted. “That’s what they call us. The Weird Ward.” Then she sobered as she realized that was probably an inappropriate comment. They were the CDC, after all. They were supposed to inspire confidence and scientific know-how. “I mean…um…” She flushed. “Look, let’s get you down to the ER to get those wounds cleaned up.” She wanted to take samples of his blood and swab the wounds even though he’d already doused it with antiseptic. You never knew what interesting stuff could survive an alcohol swipe. And she wanted to stay with him. He was the first warm, comfortable person she’d been around in a very long time. Everyone else was either a patient, panicked family, or another uptight scientist like herself, completely absorbed in fighting a possible pandemic. “Give me the address of the dog. I’ll have the cops pick it up.”
“Cops are spread too thin, and nobody gets close to my dog without me.”
She pounced on his words. “So this was your dog? Your pet? He doesn’t bite people normally, does he?”
“Of course not.” He turned and used his free hand to grab her elbow and started leading her out of the lab. “I can take you to him, no problem.”
She laughed as she fell in step with him. “I’m not equipped to handle a dog. Certainly not an angry one.”
“It’ll be fine. He’s my—”
“First things first. Let’s get you to the ER. What’s your name? I’m Dr. Lu, but you can call me Cecilia.”
“Hank Coleman,” he said, extending his good hand to shake hers. His palm was huge, easily dwarfing hers, but it surrounded her in a pleasing warmth. As did his eyes. Light brown in a dark face. The edges crinkled when he smiled at her, and though everything about him felt sexy, what she most noticed was how he felt calm. As if everything inside him was quiet when every part of her was edgy, ragged, and way too caffeinated. She liked that about him, and she felt herself settle into his rhythms as they walked.
“Nice to meet you, Hank,” she said, her words coming out a little breathless. “Tell me more about your dog. What breed? How old is he? How long have you had him?”
They walked together to the elevator as she peppered him with questions. He answered easily, frowning when he couldn’t remember the creature’s exact age and had no clue about the breed. The dog was a mutt, he said, with the sweetest temperament until this morning.
They stepped into the elevator and she waited for him to continue. He was just talking about his dog, but she loved the cadence of his deep voice. She could stand there listening to it for hours just to hear the rich timber of it. But he’d apparently run out of words and stood there, looking awkward.
“Tell me more about when he bit you. Did you notice anything different? Like was he foaming at the mouth or barking strangely?”
“Um, nothing like that. He was angry. Wouldn’t stop barking.” His words stumbled to a halt and she frowned. Most patients couldn’t stop talking about their attack. They usually rambled in a disorganized way, often focusing on all the wrong details. But Hank, here, seemed to be a man of very few words. That made him intriguing to her—and sexy as hell—so she focused even more on the details of his face, his body, and his words.
“What did you do that made him attack?” she pressed.
He rubbed his face, and she began to think something was off. As if he felt uncomfortable and that made her uneasy. But before she could ask him for more details, the elevator doors opened. They were on the main floor, but instead of heading to the ER, he steered her toward the outside door.
“This way,” she said as she tugged away from his grip. Or she tried to. He held her fast. “The ER—”
“I don’t need the ER. My car’s in the parking lot.”
She dug in her heels. She wasn’t one to judge based on size, color, or even an ugly scar, but she also wasn’t stupid. “I’m not going with you to get your dog.”
“He’s in my car. I brought him in because he’s not right.” Hank gave her an aw-shucks kind of shrug that was downright adorable. “That’s why I went to the CDC. He’s not okay. Thought you guys would know something about that.”
She wished.
“You’ve got him in a cage? In your car?”
He nodded. “Look, I can keep him quiet. I just want you to look at him.”
“Let me get security to help.” Safety had been drilled into her from her first days at the CDC. Protocol stated that she not walk outside with him even if it was just across the street into a well-lit parking lot. Except when she looked around, security was nowhere to be seen. Probably all in the ER dealing with a full house of hallucinations. All the hospitals had been overrun since the first appearance of the Detroit Flu. But once the quarantine went into effect, it had been wall-to-wall patients in every ER in the city. And the clinics. And even a dental surgery center.
Hank turned and looked her in the eye. His demeanor was quiet, his entire body language gentle. “Look,” he said softly. “I know I look scary, but I really am not here to hurt you. I served honorably as an army medic. I save people. Here, I’ll show you.” He pulled out his wallet and showed her his military ID.
She flushed, feeling stupid for doubting him. He didn’t seem scary. In truth, she was really attracted to him. His car was right across the street. But most important of all, she really wanted to look at his dog. She’d seen too many of the Flu victims at their worst. She needed to know if Hank’s dog was acting just like that. If there were physical changes like with the humans. Plus, dogs didn’t get hysterical like humans did. At least not in the same way. If this was finally the big clue she’d been waiting for, then she was really anxious to get on with it. It seemed silly to wait for security when the dog was just across the street.
“Okay,” she finally said. “Let’s go.”
His body softened then with a smile that came from deep inside. She could see the relief as it flowed through him, but it didn’t quite meet his eyes. What she saw there was more of an apology. As if he was sorry for the trouble he was causing. Which was silly because this had to be the clue she’d been praying for. And how nice of the universe to deliver it in such a sexy package.
So she kept him talking, asking him questions as fast as they came to her, and they came really fast. He answered in frustrating monosyllables or something worse like “I don’t know. You’ll just have to see.” Talk about nonspecific.
They made it to a beat-up Chrysler 300, and he unlocked the back door and swung it wide with a see-for-yourself gesture. She started to duck to look inside when he caught her arm.
“Dr. Lu?”
She paused in a semi-crouch. “Yes?”
“I’ve been ordered to do this by my alpha. I disagree, but only an idiot disobeys in a crisis. And I don’t see another way.”
She didn’t know what to think. His words didn’t make any sense, but when she started to react, he added two more words.
“I’m sorry.”
And then it was too late.
