The next ten minutes were a total whirlwind. Thalia can't remember when she was getting dressed, but somehow she was wearing jeans and a tank top when they stumbled out of the hotel. She doesn't even remember that they got in a car, but somehow she was in the passenger seat while Dean murmured soothing words in her ear and kept a firm hand on her thigh. Her skin was on fire. Blood was still flowing from her nose, she could almost taste the coppery blood in the back of her throat and she almost gagged. As Dean drove, she didn't hear a single word from him. "Maybe...maybe the CDC developed an antidote already," she said to Dean. He sucked in a breath. "An antidote.""Maybe," she murmured again. "Sometimes they can develop one fairly fast."Yeah, right. But that will take weeks, months, and even years. She knew that, yet she refused to give up hope. After everything she'd been through, her life couldn't be end this way. Lisa. Nadine. Marc. Kelvin. Theresa. Kelsey. NasirAnd she wil
Dean immediately let go of Bhram, and the man nearly fell over before managing to steady himself. With a wave of his hand, Bhram dismissed the guards who were warily monitoring the entire exchange. "Resume your posts, men. Everything is fine here." He turned to Dean. "You know I could have you arrested for this, right?""Five minutes, Bhram. I only need five minutes."Indecision flashed across the other man's face. "I know you're worried about Dr. Ricafort. Hell, I'm worried, too. I don't know how she got infected, but I promise you, the last thing I want is for that woman to die."Dean fought the urge to grab a gun from the hip holster of one of those guards and empty an entire clip into Bhram Davie's chest. The son of a bitch had given him that water, and now here he was, he acted like he had no idea how Thalia got infected with the virus. Acting like he actually cared about her well-being? "Take me to Dr. Lucas," Dean muttered. "Now."Silence prevailed for a few moments before Bh
After a long five-minute conversation, Dean came out of the interrogation room and shot Bhram an impatient look. "The antidote is stashed in a locker at his health club. Locker number fifty-nine-seven. Key is on the key ring you confiscated along with his personal belongings. Bhram Davies sucked in a breath, his face awash with shock. "Get me that damn key ring," Dean snapped on his way to the door. "Magallon, wait."He heard Bhram's footsteps behind him but he still didn't stop. "I'll dispatch a team to fetch it. You don't have to do it yourself."He just kept walking. "Damn it, Dean. Stop!"The next thing he knew, Bhram was in front of him, shaking his shoulder. As a wave of rage crashed over him, he shoved the other man away. "Don't touch me," he hissed. "And don't tell me what to do."Bhram got in his path again. "You need to be at the hospital. With Thalia. For chrissake, Dean, she's all alone there."His heart lodged in his throat. "I'll send people to the health club," B
Thalia couldn't answer Dean. But really, who was he trying to kid? He is not a doctor. She was. She knew for herself what exactly happened to his central nervous system at the moment. The virus was attacking it one cell at a time. Soon she'd be nothing but a motionless lump of dead, like the rats in Franco's experiment. Another giggle bubbled in the back of her throat, and soon she was shuddering with laughter because this was all so funny and - nope, she's having a seizure again. God, she was really tired. Those same shrill voices assaulted her ears again. Those same anvils crushed her body. This time she decided to just close her eyes. Maybe she needs more rest. She succeeded in the closing-of-the-eye part because everything went black, but when she heard Dean's husky voice again, she realized that sleeping at that time was a bad idea. Because what if she never woke up? "Go to sleep," he urged. "No," she protested. "But you need to rest.""I do not want."But she couldn't ope
After Bhram left, Dean's full attention was focused on Thalia, whose cheeks were regaining some color. "How are you feeling?" he asked. "Surprisingly good. For me it's a miracle that you got the antidote on your hands."He nodded. "Dr. Lucas stole the antidote vial from D&N, and at the same time he also stole the virus. I went to him and forced him to admit where he kept the antidote."Thalia's lips twitched with humor. "And how did you do that?""I'm very persuasive," he said with a shrug. Just as Thalia was about to touch his cheek, he flinched, so he could see the surprise look in Thalia's eyes. "What's wrong?" she demanded."Nothing's wrong." He kept his tone light. "You're alive. That means everything is fine."She frowned. "Okay.""Alright, I'll tell your doctor first that you're awake."He started to stand up, but Thalia latched her hand on his arm and forced him to stay put. "Don't leave just yet. First tell me what I missed when I was unconscious.""Not much." He wanted to
"Are you lost, baby girl?"Deanver Magallon turned off the engine of his car and turned to a beautiful lady. But when he approached the said woman, he suddenly became nervous. Just by the woman's face, it looks like she is just a teenager and it seems that she is flirting with him back."Hey kiddo, actually I'm right where I'm supposed to be."He had expected that the woman would be annoyed with him for calling her a kiddo, and sure enough, he got the reaction he'd expected. The girl's green eyes flashed with indignation, and her pale cheeks turned red.The girl gave him an evil look, then folded her arms. "Seriously, dude, what are you doing here?"Dean got out of his Jeep. "I have an appointment with Dr. Ricafort."Her eyes widened. "Are you a patient?"He cocked an eyebrow. "No. Are you?""No." She huffed out an annoyed breath. "Fine. Come on, I'll take you to Thalia.""Wow! You're so kind, Miss..." He waited for the girl to say her name."Nadine," she said grudgingly."It's a plea
After Nadine left, Dean immediately turned to the doctor. "Nice kid."She grinned. "She can be a handful, but her bedside manner is surprisingly remarkable. She's also kind with the patients." The doctor extended her hand to him. "I'm Thalia Ricafort. I'm a Filipino-American doctor.""Dean Magallon. Also Filipino." He said and shook hands with the doctor. He was just surprised because the doctor's grip on his hand was tight, especially that her hands were so small and dainty.In fact, everything about this woman was dainty. Delicate, even. Her height was average for a woman, but she was just too skinny for him. He doesn't care if a woman is chubby. Looks like the doctor needs to eat a little more. But in fairness, the curve of her body is just right. Her butt is also round.Because he'd always been an ass man, the tantalizing sight stirred his groin, serving as a reminder of his eleven-month-long stint of celibacy. Getting laid wasn't something he'd given much thought since going into
"So you're saying that," he said with another laugh, "you're overcrowded or understaffed, or are you short on tools here?""Pretty much," she confirmed.He studied the random questions he had written in his notebook, and pretended he had more questions ready. "What about the rebels?" he asked her. "Are you getting any resistance from the UFF soldiers in the area?""Actually, no."Dean was surprised by her statement. It was no secret that the United Freedom Fighters resented the alliance between San Jose and America. For the past ten years, the UFF has only caused trouble in the San Jose area. What started out as an admirable movement to fight a genuinely oppressive government had transformed into violence, unrest and borderline terrorism."I've been here for eight months and so far, the rebels haven't messed with us here. They might not appreciate American interference in their political affairs, but I believe that most of the rebels really care about the people of the country. Becaus