Page 91 of Her Captivated Hero

“I don’t know if I’m going to get the antitoxin developed in time to save the girl.” Riya was beginning to feel nauseous.

Please don’t let me be sick inside my helmet.

“Gray, I have to get back to work.”

“Understood. So do I,” he grimaced.

She gave a brief nod, and instantly regretted it. Her head hurt. She turned and walked gingerly back to the table. As she got closer, she saw the green light was on the thermal cycler. Her eyes darted to the fluorescence reader, the timer still said thirty-five minutes. She wanted to cry.

Riya pulled out the samples from the two machines, and put the DNA-specific ones into the fluorescence reader. The Jordanian family needed to live. It was the right decision to make. Maybe if she taught someone what to do after she got too sick to keep going, they could work on the broad poison?

What happened if they got infected like she did?

* * *

“Gray?”Wyatt waved his hands so he couldn’t be seen on the SKYPE call. He knew it must be important since he was now on a call with the lieutenant general and an admiral.

“Please give me a few minutes to confer with Dr. Patel, and I’ll find out the ETA on the antitoxin.”

Both men nodded. Gray turned off the microphone on the computer, and got off the couch. He saw that Dex was now standing beside the outer door of the biocontainment lab. “Does Riya know how much longer? It’s been six hours and ten minutes.” Gray strode over to stand by Dex. “Riya said five to six hours.”

It was unlike her to be wrong on something like this. He’d expected her to be closer to five hours.

He looked through the curtain. Riya was leaning on the lab table. Her hand trembled as she poured something into a beaker.

“She hasn’t answered for five minutes, Gray,” Dex said. “She went to her knees once, but got back up. She hasn’t stopped working. The last thing she said is that she almost has the antitoxin for the Princess.”

“Riya?” Gray called out.

She didn’t respond in any way.

“Riya, answer me.” Gray’s tone was sharp.

“Hold on.”

He could barely hear her, her voice was hoarse. Something was wrong.

“She’s been standing up for hours. That suit is known as a hot-suit. I googled it, they are miserable to work in. I think she’s probably suffering from heatstroke,” Wyatt said, trying to calm Gray down.

“Riya, Honey. Talk to me.”

“I can make it. I’m going to make it.”

Those ominous words sent shivers down his spine.

“Are you sick?” He asked in a choked voice.

She turned and stumbled down to one knee, but the beaker stayed clutched in her hand. Gray held his breath as she got up and continued to walk unsteadily toward the door.

“Riya, answer me, are you sick? Did you get some of the poison on you?” She ignored him, and continued to walk. With one trembling hand she managed to unzip the interior door, zip it back up and go through the disinfectant routine.

She took off her helmet in the area, and looked directly at Gray, her eyes glassy, her face red with fever.

“I put on two pairs of new gloves over my hands after I ripped the first pair. I swear you won’t be contaminated with the broad toxin. What’s more, this strain of meningitis is not communicable, I promise.”

Gray thought his knees might give out.

“Steady,” Dex said.