She was right. The pain stopped and I actually felt calmer than I had in quite some time. It was rather pleasant. Perhaps Dr. Hayward really did want to help me.
“Thank you,” I said, though I wasn’t exactly sure why.
“That’s better,” she said with a wide smile, clearly pleased with me now. “We need to leave here. I have a friend who can help you.”
“Sure,” I agreed. I was always happy to meet new people.
“You’ll have to get us out. I’m afraid the doors do not respond to me,” she said.
“No problemo!” I said and made an ‘OK’ symbol with my hands. “I’ve got clearance.”
“Make sure we’re not seen,” she advised.
“Oh, good idea!” I pulled my hood up over my head and checked the hemograph. “The coast is clear,” I whispered conspiratorially, giving her a thumbs up before tiptoeing out of the room.
We took the elevator down to the medical ward and crossed the hall to the elevator that would take us to the parking garage. But when I placed my hand on the glass panel, it turned red. That had never happened before. I tried it again, but the same thing happened.
“I’m sorry,” I said to Dr. Hayward, who seemed agitated by the elevator’s lack of response. “We can’t go that way, but don’t worry, I know another exit!” I turned around, intending to take the doctor through medical to the back exit, but instead, we came face to face with Evan, Mike, Abe, and my father.
“Hi guys!” I waved cheerfully and gave them a bright smile. “Did you know the elevator’s broken?”
“Lucy,” my father said. “Why don’t you come over here?”
“Okay!”
“Lucy, don’t go anywhere,” Dr. Hayward said and I stopped. She was right. I didn’t want to go over there. I stayed where I was while everyone glared at each other.
“Who are you?” Evan asked.
“I’m Lucy,” I answered, wondering if Evan had amnesia.
“Not you,” he said with a smirk. “You,” he pointed at Dr. Hayward. “Who are you?”
“I’m Dr. Farrah Hayward, Mr. Conroy,” she answered.
“I didn’t ask who you were pretending to be, I asked you who you were.”
“I’m afraid I don’t understand,” she said with a frown. I frowned too, because I also didn’t understand.
“Lucy, where were you going?” Mike asked me.
“To meet Dr. Hayward’s friend. They’re going to help me.”
“Help you how?”
“Um.” I thought about it for a minute. How were they going to help me? “I don’t know. But it’s nice of them to offer. Don’t you think?”
“Lucy, don’t say anything else,” Dr. Hayward said sharply.
“Okay, sorry,” I replied, but realized that by answering I had spoken. “Oh! Darn it! Sorry,” I whispered and made the lip-zipping motion.
“Mr. Conroy, if you want Lucy to live, then I suggest you let us leave here,” Dr. Hayward said. I thought this was probably a good idea, but I didn’t say anything, because I couldn’t. Evan, Mike, Abe, and my dad all suddenly stiffened and looked horrified, but I didn’t know why. I turned to Dr. Hayward and saw that she had a gun pointed at me. I didn’t think that was a good idea, but again, I didn’t tell her that, of course, because she had told me not to say anything else.
“You’re bluffing, you need her alive,” Evan said. He was getting really angry now.
“Perhaps. Lucy,” Dr. Hayward said, handing the gun to me. “Shoot Mr. Conroy.”
I took the gun and weighed it in my hand. It seemed like a strange request, but seeing as we had to leave and he was stopping us from leaving, it made sense. “Okay,” I said with a shrug and aimed the barrel at Evan’s chest.
“Everyone down!” Evan yelled and dove for the floor. I dropped as well.
“Get up you fool!” Dr. Hayward yelled, but before I could get up, the elevator, which apparently decided to start working again, opened and something heavy fell on my back, pinning me to the ground, then someone took the gun from me. I heard Dr. Hayward scream, but I couldn’t see what was happening.
“Hold her still,” I heard Abe say.
“I’m trying!” said Hugh. I didn’t realize he was there.
There was another scuffle and then silence, and then Abe was kneeling on the floor in front of me holding a syringe.
“Just relax, Lucy,” he said.
“Okay,” I replied and let my body go slack. There was a small pinch on my arm, but it didn’t bother me. I was relaxed. The floor was quite comfortable. In fact, it was so comfortable that I fell asleep.
Chapter 19
“Ugh.” I awoke to a pounding headache and a bright light in my face.
“She’s awake,” I heard my father say.
“Dad? What happened?” I tried to sit up, but the pain in my head was joined by extreme nausea. “Oh god,” I groaned and turned my head to the side just in time to avoid throwing up all over myself. Amazingly, there was a convenient bucket next to the bed. That’s when I realized I was in the medical ward.
“Careful, sweetie,” my father said and handed me a glass of water. “I imagine the cocktail of drugs that are clearing your system right now are probably giving you one hell of a hangover.”
“What drugs?” I asked.
“Neurephenhol, which is a hypnotic state-inducing narcotic, and a sedative. I apologize for the sedative, but it was necessary,” Abe said, coming into view. “What’s the last thing you remember?”
I thought about it for a moment and realized I couldn’t answer the question. The previous night seemed muddled and dream-like. “I was working on something with the files,” I said as bits and pieces of the evening started to come into focus. “Mike told me to take a break, so I did. I remember talking to you,” I said to my father. “Then I went to my room. No, I feel like something is missing here. Wait, I remember. I ran into Dr. Hayward. She was waiting in the hall so I asked her in, but she started acting strange.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Abe said with an odd look. “Do you remember anything after that?”
“No,” I said, sitting up gingerly. “Can you move the light?”
“Of course,” Abe said and swung the spotlight up and away from my face, which did wonders for my headache. “You were drugged,” he explained, “by a woman who we have yet to identify, but I can tell you for certain that she isn’t Dr. Hayward.”
“What? But I saw her.”
“She’s a mod,” my father explained. “How she managed to make herself look like Farrah, we don’t know yet, but I think we need to brace ourselves for the worst on that subject.”
“Wait, do you mean you think Dr. Hayward is dead?” My stomach turned again.
“The agency has people looking in both Texas and here locally, and Evan is organizing a search as well.”
While Abe checked my vital signs, my father proceeded to explain what had happened during the period of my memory loss. Apparently, I had told Mike that I was going to sleep, so when he saw me trying to leave with an unidentified mod, he cut off my access and called a code seven. When he told me that I tried to shoot Evan, I freaked out.
“Her mistake was probably the only thing that saved his life,” Abe explained. “Neurephenhol is a powerful hypnotic and takes some time to build a tolerance to. You were susceptible to any and all suggestions, not just the commands that she gave you. So when Evan yelled, ‘get down,’ you did. Had you shot him at that range, you probably would have killed him.”
“I… I don’t think I want to think about that,” I said in a shaky voice. I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I had killed Evan, regardless of whether I was under the influence of hypnotic drugs.
“It was a scary moment for all of us, but I think Evan understands that you weren’t responsible,” my father said with a tight-lipped smile. “Andre, on the other hand, is pissed at all of us and understandably so.”
“What? Why? Okay, I tried to kill his uncle, so he h
as every right to be pissed at me, but why is he upset with the rest of you?”
“Because if any of us, Evan included, had bothered to look at our hemographs before we brought Dr. Hayward here, we would have known that she wasn’t who she said she was. You have to admit, it isn’t as if this is the first time someone tried to impersonate one of us.”
“Okay, true,” I said. “But that was different. Bluebeard and you had the same DNA. If you tried to copy someone, all you would be able to change is your skin and hair color. You can’t just become another person like the Terminator. How were we supposed to expect that?”
“I don’t know,” he replied. “But Andre has a fair point. We have the technology and we need to remember to use it.”
“Not that it’s going to help us much if our enemies won’t even show up,” I grumbled.
“True, but we’re working on that.”
There was a soft beep and Abe picked up the diagnostic tablet.
“Looks like my other patient is awake,” he said with a frown. “This ought to be interesting. Lucy, I know you aren’t going to like this, but I’m asking that you stay here until I return.”
“I never like it,” I muttered. “Don’t I have the right to find out who the hell tried to make me kill Evan?”
“That is out of the question at the moment. Your enzymes have gone extremely low and I don’t think you’ll make it out of that bed without help.” With that, he left. Apparently, Abe was only allowed one display of empathy per patient and I had used mine up the last time I had seen him.
“Dammit!” I sighed and flopped back on the pillow. “Can’t Abe do another transfusion?” I asked my father.
“We tried,” he said with a sad look. “I actually suggested it after he voiced concerns that the sedative might react badly with the narcotic. We gave you nearly two pints of my blood. Nothing happened.”
That wasn’t the answer I wanted to hear. I knew that I couldn’t keep getting blood transfusions because eventually both Andre and my father would run out of blood to give, but I had hoped that it could have continued to be a temporary solution. I checked my stats and saw that my enzyme count was now down to sixty, which was below hunter levels. I was scared. So scared, that I was shaking. If my enzymes disappeared completely and took my immune system with them, there wasn’t much hope for anything resembling a normal life. I didn’t want to spend the rest of my days as a shut-in.
“Dad?” I said in a small voice. “Just promise me one thing.”
“Anything, sweetheart.”
“If Abe can’t cure me, I don’t want to die like this.” I couldn’t stop myself from bursting into tears once I had admitted what I was afraid of.
“You’re not going to die, Lucy.”
“You don’t know that,” I said between sobs. “Abe doesn’t even know that. Just promise that it won’t be here, in a stupid hospital bed, stuck in this stupid building. I… I’m scared. I’m actually scared of dying and I don’t want to die in fear.”
“Sweetie, it’s okay to be afraid. But you’ve got the best genetic specialist in the world working on this and I have faith that Abe will figure this out long before you have to worry about dying.”
I wanted to believe him, but part of me knew we were up against a clock. The only problem was, none of us knew how much time we had left. “Still,” I said, “I want to be doing something, anything. If it happens, if I get to the point where there’s no hope, don’t keep me locked up in here. I want my mind on something else. I want to be useful. Please, do you understand what I’m saying?”
“I do, but you aren’t going to die, Lucy,” he said firmly, but the fear and worry in his eyes betrayed the confidence in his words. “What you need now is rest.”
“How?” I whispered, barely holding back another round of tears. “How am I supposed to rest when everything is falling apart?”
“It’s not easy,” he admitted. “When the bastard caught me, there were plenty of times when I felt that there was no point in going on. I spent a lot of time thinking about how easy it would be to end my life. I even tried to rationalize that in the end, it would have been better for you, having never known me.”
“I’m glad you didn’t,” I said weakly.
“I am too.” He stood up, leaned over, and kissed me on the forehead. “Rest now. I’ll have you out of here as soon as I can, even if I have to fight Abe myself.”
As soon as he left, the tears came again. I knew it was selfish, indulging in absolute misery when I wasn’t the only one who was suffering, and I knew it wouldn’t make me feel any better, but I didn’t care. I was scared and I was also angry. Andre had spoken to my father, but he clearly didn’t care enough to be there when I awoke. Dwelling on this just made me a bigger wreck than I already was. Emotionally exhausted, I did finally fall into a fitful sleep, punctuated by strange dreams.
At some point I awoke, at least, I think I did, but it may have been a dream. I sensed that I wasn’t alone and opened my eyes to find Andre standing next to me, his hand hovering over mine, hesitant. I lifted my gaze to his face, which was an emotional battleground. Fear, grief, regret, even revulsion, yet there were tears in his eyes.
Seeing him, I couldn’t even be angry with him for avoiding me. I wanted to tell him that he had no reason to be afraid of me, that I was still the woman he loved, but I couldn’t speak. I was only able to lift my hand slightly. It startled him and he hesitated for a moment, questioning me with his eyes, but at last, he took my hand in his and squeezed it gently.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered as a single tear fell down his cheek.
Why? I questioned with my eyes, still unable to use my voice. If he understood my silent plea, he ignored it, raised my hand to his lips, and brushed the lightest whisper of a kiss across my knuckles before vanishing from the room.
The next time I awoke, I was once again greeted with the giant spotlight and Abe’s voice telling someone that I had stabilized.
“Is that a good thing?” I croaked in a hoarse voice. The spotlight disappeared and was replaced by two heads, Abe’s and Evan’s.
“Ah, you’re awake,” Abe said pleasantly. “Yes and no. Your enzyme level is gone, but your immune system stabilized. It’s very weak, but it’s there.”
“So I’m a human?” I asked and lifted my hand to my face. My skin was still dark and my fingernails were still silver claws. “I guess not,” I said with a sigh.
“You’re human enough to be released,” he replied. “On the condition that you don’t do anything irrational.”
“So I’m still stuck here,” I sighed.
“Not exactly,” Evan informed me. “You’re free to leave, but I and everyone else would be more comfortable if you didn’t go anywhere alone or unnecessarily.”
“And as long as you understand that not only will it take you longer to heal from an injury than even a normal person, you are also more likely to contract communicable illness and this is flu season,” Abe added.
“And I still look like a freak, so don’t worry, I’m not going to go take a walk down to the mall and let everyone breathe on me,” I said irritably. “I’ll wear one of those masks like the people who are worried about swine flu.”
“I’ve given you a flu shot, as well as a few other inoculations that you likely had as a child, but that are not likely to actually be in your system given how you previously rejected such things.”
That explained the weird and painful lump on my bicep. “So am I free to go?”
“Yes,” Abe replied.
“I’ll wait for you in the hall,” Evan added. “We’ve had a few interesting developments since last night that I think you’ll want to know about.”
“Yeah, you’re not kidding.” I hastily got out of bed and found a clean outfit that had been left for me. I got dressed and eyed my reflection suspiciously. To anyone else, the plain combination of a dark green long sleeved t-shirt and beat up jeans probably seemed ordinary, but I happened to know that it was
Andre’s favorite.
“Was Andre here last night?” I asked Evan as we walked to the elevator.
“Briefly. He and Hugh responded to our Code Seven,” he replied with a strange expression. “But he left not long after you were sedated. I know he hasn’t been around for the last couple of days, but he’s following up on a lead that could be pretty big.”
“Are you serious?” I asked, suddenly alarmed. “Do you know where he is?”
“He’s been in contact, yes,” Evan assured me. “That’s actually one of the things I wanted to let you know. He thinks he may have figured out a way to get to LaLaurie, but he’s got to keep a low profile for a while.”
“Wait a minute.” I was angry now. “I just tried to kill you because I was under the influence of the drug favored by the Daughters. The last time I saw him, he just had a run in with a woman who was obviously one of the Daughters. How do you know Andre hasn’t been drugged as well?”
“Because I would have been able to get all of the information out of him if he had been,” Evan replied. “Neurephenhol is a learning drug. Unless Andre’s been drugged for over a month, he would not be able to resist any suggestion I put forth.”
“That doesn’t seem like it would actually be useful to the Daughters,” I noted. “I mean, if they just grabbed a vamp and injected him and said, go kill someone, but then the person said, don’t kill me, I’m assuming the drugged vampire would just shrug and go home.”
“You’re right,” Evan said. “The Daughters wouldn’t just grab a random vampire from the street and drug them. Usually they grab someone and then drug them over a period of time before they ever give a command because the drug imprints a pattern on the mind of the user. After about a month, the user will follow the commands of the person who is imprinted on their brain, and are less likely to take suggestions from someone else.”
“Either way, that’s pretty freaky, but I’m still a bit mad about this situation with Andre,” I told Evan. “He’s not allowed to put his life in danger any more than I am.”
“I assure you, Andre is keeping communications open,” he said.
The Eyes of the Sun: The Complete Trilogy Page 81
