Norah shot her hand up in the air and held it there.
“See? That. I don’t want to hear any of that, Chase. No more. It’s finished.”
But nothing in Norah’s eyes told Chase anything was finished.
Chapter Four
The sun was high in the sky as Chase and Norah stood by the conference tables, sparring about new data on early versus late intubation in H7J1 patients who were ill enough to be hypoxic. Norah hadn’t realized how close to Chase she’d been standing, their conversation so engaging and exciting they didn’t even notice the young soldiers throwing a Nerf football just off to their left.
“I think we’ve been intubating people too soon,” Norah said eagerly. “These patients who get high-flow oxygen only actually seem to have better outcomes.”
“You’re right. It seems so backward, but you’re right. The numbers are there. I say we recommend a formal memo from the director to all the hospitals and…”
It all happened so fast Norah hadn’t even had time to think. At the edge of her vision, a blur of neon orange came whizzing by, and just as quickly, she was on the soft, grassy ground, flat on her back, Chase’s body covering her own. Chase’s hands were splayed out past Norah’s shoulders, and her strong legs were straddling Norah’s hips. Her chest was pinned under the weight of Chase’s torso with the pressure of a weighted blanket. Their faces were mere inches apart, and Chase’s eyes were wide and fixed on Norah’s. Norah lay there in shock for a second, still not entirely sure what had happened. And then, her body responded involuntarily, the urge to take Chase around the neck and kissher so strong she wondered that if they hadn’t been in the middle of a crowd of colleagues, she would have. Her body had gone into autopilot, recognizing that she’d been in this very position a million times in the past and wanting what it had always wanted. She thanked God, or whoever was up there, that Chase couldn’t read her mind.
“Are you okay?” Chase was still staring at her with the same intensity, her face just as close, but she was laughing now.
“What the hell just happened?”
“Those guys almost took you out.”
“You do realize I’m trained in combat, don’t you?”
Chase grinned sheepishly and sat up straight, rolling off Norah with a hint of reluctance.
“I’m so sorry, Captain! Are you okay?” One of the young guys who’d been throwing the football came sprinting over, his face painted in sheer panic.
“I’m fine.”
Norah looked at Chase again, who was now sitting next to her with her knees drawn up to her chest.
“It’s a Styrofoam ball. I think I’ll make a full recovery.”
“It was just a reaction,” Chase said, still looking embarrassed. “I know you are fully capable of taking care of yourself.” She looked at the ground. “And me, probably,” she mumbled.
“Well, thank you for trying to save my life.” Norah made sure to keep her tone soft and teasing, but she had yet to forget the feeling of Chase’s body perched on hers.
There was nothing logical about chemistry, a fact Norah had to remind herself of in that moment. She could acknowledge they still had that much. It didn’t need to be anything more.
Norah could do only so much from her desk. She needed to see what H7J1 did firsthand. Early the next morning, she foundJohn sitting at one of the CDC folding tables, drinking a cup of coffee and scrolling through his tablet. Although John had left Norah and Chase in charge of the scene, they both felt the need to run everything by him, his paternal presence seeming to trump any official rankings.
“You’re getting an early start,” he said as Norah entered the tent.
“I think I should go to the hospital. I need to see what this virus is doing to people.”
“That’s a wonderful idea. Take Chase with you.” It wasn’t a suggestion.
“I’d rather do this on my own, thanks.” Norah reached back and tightened the already taut ponytail she’d fastened, enjoying the distracting pressure on her scalp that seemed to take some of the edge off the swimming sensation in her head she experienced every time she thought about being near Chase again.
John sat down next to her and leaned in closely, whispering as if anyone nearby was paying even the slightest bit of attention to them.
“Norah. I know this isn’t your first rodeo, but it is Chase’s. She needs to see it all.”
Not that she really had much say in the matter, but John did have a point. Chase should have the same experience Norah was getting, if they were going to be working together. But the idea of being stuck a couple of feet away from her in some sweaty jeep for the hour drive to the city made Norah’s heart falter and her stomach contract. She’d done a fantastic job the first few days of their deployment keeping things with Chase extremely public. When they met, which was multiple times a day, it was in the big, open courtyard by the CDC barracks, where the crew had set up some picnic tables and a temporary awning to keep the sun off. John was usually there, as was Jamie, or a couple of the dingbat privates who spent the majority of their time tossing a football by the bayou or hunting for alligators. They were useless, butthey were also harmless, so Norah let them be. During the first seventy-two hours, she and Chase had even managed to come up with a rough timeline for the disease’s progression, which was already helping the epidemiology nerds trace an incubation period and start to figure out who was at risk and when.
As long as they were in public, Norah was fine working with Chase. They were cordial, friendly even. Once in a while Chase would dip a toe over the line and say something bordering on flirtatious, but Norah was always quick to shut her down with a scalding glare. They had no opportunity to talk about feelings, just the facts. But now they would be alone, and she was all but certain Chase would insist on talking.
“Fine. She can come. But I’m taking Jamie too.” Chase couldn’t possibly bring up the past with Jamie sitting in the backseat.
