Cheating Time

by T. R. Graves

  Thorne ran his fingers down the side of my face and tucked my hair behind my ears.

  I tried hard to ignore how sweet he was being to me and finished telling him what I thought I knew to be true. "That's the thing, Thorne. I believe I already know what's wrong with him."

  Cocking his brow, an impressed Thorne waited for me to elaborate.

  "The cave where they were staying had bats in it before they moved in. Ten days after they began living in the cave, he began coughing. I believe he has…"

  "Histoplasmosis," we both said at the same time.

  "Exactly," I said. "I was wondering if you'd treat him. If you do… I'll get him back to the forest, he and Jayden can switch places, and he and Simon can be on their merry way. No one will be the wiser."

  At least, I hope and pray everything goes that smooth.

  As if our friendship were unconditional and we'd known each other years rather than days, Thorne jumped into action after grabbing my hand and pulling me along behind him.

  "I'm going to need some help since I can't call on anyone from the medical team. You're going to have to act as my assistant," Thorne informed me.

  "You tell me what to do, and I'll do it. I promise," I said, standing next to Sean's stretcher.

  Exhausted from the coughing and too sick to do much more than rest, Sean had dozed off. Proving to me what an amazingly competent doctor Thorne was, he darted around the infirmary, grabbing traditional medication, microparticles, syringes, needles, alcohol swabs, and anything else he thought he might need. He was prepared to treat Sean as aggressively as he possibly could without drawing the attention of his faculty physicians or the onsite medical staff.

  After Thorne had gathered everything he needed, he stood ready to begin Sean's treatment.

  I leaned over and whispered, "Sean."

  His eyes popped open, and he looked around. Based on his initial confusion, it took him a second to remember where he was and what we were supposed to do for him. When everything came together, he winked and said, "I know why Jayden and this one here"—he pointed toward Thorne—"are willing to give their left nut for your attention. From this day forward, I'll think of you anytime anyone talks about angels. That is what you are. An angel," Sean said dreamily.

  I had to wonder just how delusional the illness had made him.

  "Jiminy… does every man you meet fall under your spell?" Thorne asked, shaking his head, putting his stethoscope in his ears, and listening to Sean's chest. I could tell by looking at him, Sean was as sick as I suspected.

  "I have no idea what your name is, and I don't want to. While you're here, I'm going to call you Jayden. Get used to it. I need you to take off your shirt, Jayden. I'll have to have access to your MicroPharm so I can refill its particles. After I'm finished doing that, you're going to get several shots; Carles is going to give them to you. They'll help with the wheezing, the coughing, and the infection. I'm also going to give you twelve refills. Each should last you a month. You'll need to refill your MicroPharm once a month so the medication can continue fighting the infection. It's serious enough that you'll have to have treatment for six to twelve months."

  Coughing uncontrollably, Sean's head bobbed, signaling his understanding despite his coughing fit.

  Sean looked too much like Jayden for my comfort. When he took off his shirt, I stared toward his chest like it was the most fascinating thing I'd ever seen. It was close.

  "You like what you see, angel?" Sean asked, giving me a lopsided grin that was inconsistent with a man this near death.

  My cheeks burned, and I looked away.

  "Don't let him intimidate you. You're going to be a doctor one day. You have to be comfortable looking at your patient's body. That's what he is to you right now. Nothing more," Thorne mentored with the patience I'd come to expect from Mom when I worked in her lab.

  Following his instructions, I directed my attention back to Sean's chest, where Thorne was injecting the particles into the MicroPharm port. I had to anticipate Thorne's needs. I couldn't do that if I didn't watch the procedure.

  Afterward, Thorne said, "Turn on your side. You're going to get numerous injections that will augment the particles."

  As soon as Sean turned, Thorne issued one last order, one that made me want to turn away yet again. "Lower your trousers. You'll be getting your shots right in the ass."

  With an arrogance that must be genetic since it was the same I've dealt with my entire life from Jayden, Sean said, "Listen, angel. If you wanted to see me in all my glory, you only need ask. I'm there for that anytime. Any place."

  He chuckled, and my face burned.

  Thorne gritted his teeth and held his tongue. I suspected there were lots of things he wanted to say to his patient, but his professionalism prevented it. Instead, he handed me the three syringes he'd so carefully prepared.

  "I want you to give him the shots," Thorne ordered.

  Shaking my head, I tried to hand them back. Thorne offered me his own wink. "If anyone in the world deserved to be a medical guinea pig, it would be this man."

  "Doc… are you telling me she's never given a shot before… that you're going to make a sick man her human pin cushion?" Sean whined.

  "The way I look at it, man, she's risked her life to save you. You owe her. This is payback at its finest." Thorne chuckled.

  I wasn't on board with learning how to give shots on actual people. Especially not Surrogates who, when healthy, were the strongest among us. Revenge was a simple task for them. This knowledge and Thorne's expectation made my hands shake. When Thorne saw, he put his hand over mine and squeezed.

  "Soon this will be second nature for you. Why don't I guide you through this?"

  "Please," I begged.

  He smiled, and moved behind me. He took my hand in his, guiding it toward the alcohol swabs. I ripped the packet opened, and he pointed to where he wanted me to clean Sean's skin. Once the alcohol had dried, Thorne tenderly guided me through each shot, one at a time. Sean bellowed like I was eviscerating him with each injection.

  "Jesus, man! I've seen toddlers take their shots with less crying," Thorne chastised.

  "She may be an angel, but she's definitely no angel of mercy," Sean said.

  "Oh, she's an angel of mercy all right. You wouldn't believe the pain you would have felt if I'd been the one giving you the shots. Carles is my fiancée. I want you to stop hitting on her. Do you understand me? She deserves a lot more respect than that," Thorne said, and his tone was more menacing than anything I'd ever heard from him.

  I'd suspected that Thorne could be protective of Rorie, known he'd do whatever he needed to do in order to keep her safe. It never occurred to me that he'd do anything like that for me. His effort was gallant and appreciated.

  Thorne chuckled. "Does Jayden know this? I may be sick, but I heard him pledge his eternal love to her today."

  Thorne visually cringed. Determined to protect Thorne and his feelings as much as I could after all he'd done for me, I said, "Shut up, Sean. Thank my fiancé for saving your life and stop being an ass. That's the least you could do for all of us."

  Mocking me, Sean took an imaginary key from thin air, fake zipped his lips, and pretended to throw it away. At least he'd stopped talking, giving me a chance to control the damage he'd done.

  "You need to ignore him, Thorne. He gets off on upsetting people even if those people are the reason he's going to live," I mumbled.

  Thorne took my hand and led me back over to the tent's linen area.

  "Are you telling me St. Romaine didn't tell you he loved you?"

  I gulped. I may have to lie to a lot of people, but Thorne and Jayden were not going to be people I lied to. I'd tell them the truth as much as I possibly could and hope and pray we could work through our problems like the levelheaded adults we all were. Something told me that pledge was going to be easier said than done.

  "He did tell me he loved me," I whispered.

  Thorne's Adam's apple bobbed up and dow
n before he said, "Did you tell him you loved him?"

  Wringing my fingers together and staring at them, I thought about what we'd said to each other. "No. I didn't tell him that. I-I'm not sure why. I do love him… I'm just not sure if it's because I've been with him my entire life or if being with him would be comfortable.

  "I know we used to argue all the time. I know I was real upset with him last night. All of it… all of this is just too much for me right now. I'm too broken, jumbled, and missing to be anything to anybody. We've got to get a long way past this before I'll have an inkling as to what I'm feeling for anyone," I admitted.

  Thorne put his fingers under my chin and forced me to look up at him. He smiled. "I like that you were honest with me. You could have told me anything, and I would have hung on to your every word, relishing in you and your promises. The respect you just gave me… it means a lot," he said.

  "What in the hell is going on here?" Barone's booming voice echoed through the infirmary.

  Thorne and I both snatched our gazes toward the door of the tent, looking as guilty as children with their hands caught in the cookie jar right before supper was served.

  Holy hell! Sean'll never be able to trick Barone. Holy hell!

  Chapter 29

  Red Sky at Night

  Carlie

  Thorne took the lead, and I couldn't have been more grateful to him.

  "President Barone, is there something I can do for you this evening?" Thorne was over and in front of Barone, blocking Sean from his line of vision, with the speed of someone determined to please his president.

  "I'm in search of Carles. It seems I've been here all day, and I haven't laid eyes on her once," Barone said loudly enough to be heard all through the tent. And anywhere near.

  I dashed Thorne's way, knowing it would be better to give myself up than for Barone to get too nosey about what was going on behind the curtain where Sean was. On my way past, I turned toward my wayward charge and put my fingers to my lips, daring him to say the first word.

  Based on the contempt on his face, he was like millions of other Aspects and would love nothing more than to slit the throat of our president.

  With my most menacing face, I mouthed, Don't you dare get up.

  "President Barone, I'm right here. I went for a run earlier with Jayden and have been here ever since with Thorne. No need to worry about me," I said sweetly. The way he expected me to answer.

  Pretending with him was something I had plenty of experience doing.

  "Ah, my dear, there you are. I've been worried you were avoiding me. My dear…" He eyed me with the same worried stare Thorne had earlier. "What happened to you?"

  I looked down and as quick and easy as I'd lied earlier, I told him about the hog.

  "Carles," Thorne called from behind me.

  I glanced around, and he threw a clean T-shirt toward me.

  "Thanks," I murmured as I caught it.

  "Go change in that exam room." Thorne motioned toward a much smaller exam room at the back of the tent.

  Without another word between us, I hid myself behind the room's curtain, pulled off the blood-covered shirt, and threw on the clean one. I felt a lot better after I'd rid myself of the most visible memories of the Outcasts and their bigotry.

  As soon as I made my way back to the president, his face lit up. "Ah! That's better. I'm going to have to talk to St. Romaine about having you out in these forests and in such danger."

  "It won't do any good, sir. He's always tried to keep me in Mom's lab and out of the forest. I refused that lot. I love being out in the woods in the middle of the wilderness more than I love anything. He couldn't keep me out of the forest if he wanted to." I lied so perfectly that I was sure there wasn't an award-winning actress who could have done a better job.

  "You and I'll have to come to an agreement. I can't have my rising star putting herself in danger," the president said like a man who always got what he wanted. Always.

  "As you can see, I'm fine. Jayden made sure of that. After we made it back, I worked with Thorne taking care of patients. It was a little like being back in Mom's lab. Because I miss it and her, I like being here. Thorne's been letting me help him. He's a very good teacher," I said, glancing over and giving Thorne a more genuine smile than the one I gave Barone.

  Barone slapped Thorne on the back. "It's good to see the two of you getting along so well. You're going to be a formidable team of researchers by design."

  Making a rash decision and deciding I was going to need to explain it to Thorne later, I leaned over and kissed his cheek like we were a lot more intimate than we actually were. When I did, his stare jerked my way. He'd been taken off guard, and based on the shy smile he gave me, he was pleasantly surprised.

  I ignored Barone's glare toward Thorne and instantly regretted what I'd done. The last thing in the world I wanted was for Barone to target Thorne or Rorie. I stepped quickly away from him.

  Just as fast, Barone recovered and donned the political mask that said to everyone near that he was calm, cool, and collected.

  "My dear, take a walk with me. I'd love nothing more than to spend time with you and hear all about your time away from the capital," Barone said, putting his elbow out for me to take hold of.

  I did as expected.

  "Would you like me to join you?" Thorne asked bravely.

  Letting go of the president, I turned toward Thorne and away from Barone, giving obvious and significant signals about where his priorities lay. My eyes darted several times toward the curtain where Sean was laid out. Thorne's nod was infinitesimal and would have been undetectable by Barone.

  I put my hand on Thorne's chest and said, "No, thank you, Thorne. The president and I need time to catch up. I should be back within the hour, and we can finish what we started. I-if you don't mind, I'd like for you to check my MicroPharm. I got tired way too soon during my earlier run. Jayden was irritated that it took us twice as long as it should have and mocked me and my weakness the entire time. I want to see if my MicroPharm needs to be refilled or if the bites are still weakening me."

  Barone, a man who was used to getting his way at all times and taking charge of every situation, answered for Thorne. "Of course he'll check your MicroPharm, Carlie. He's at your beck and call. Here to treat you before he treats anyone else," Barone arrogantly assured me.

  Thorne nodded in agreement and, instantly looking concerned for me and my health, reached for my elbow, pulling me toward him.

  "I wish I'd known sooner. I'd have already checked you out," he said with all of the concern I was sure he really felt.

  I shook my head. "I'm fine. I just want to make sure this is the normal progression of the illness. I'll be back within the hour, and you can do a complete assessment."

  Barone intervened yet again. "Well… not a complete one. I'm not sure she needs to be checked out from head to toe. Just her MicroPharm," Barone said, chuckling, but his tone was serious enough for Thorne to understand his warning.

  "No, sir. I'll only be analyzing her MicroPharm and the bites to make sure they're not infected," Thorne said, still focusing every ounce of his attention on me and making it hard for me to leave the safety of his side.

  Barone put his elbow out again, and I dutifully grabbed it and let him lead me from the tent. It was late evening and the sun was just about to set in the horizon. The sky was a stunning shade of red that had me stopping and staring.

  "Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in morning, sailor's warning," Barone quoted as he stared wistfully toward the skyline.

  I wasn't sure where it came from, but it certainly fit the scene before me. In response, I offered the only red sky adage that came to mind for me, ignoring the fact that it was about the morning and not the evening. The quote was by William Shakespeare and came from Venus and Adonis, and I'd learned it in my literature class right before we'd left the capital.

  "Like a red morn that ever yet betokened,

  Wreck to the seaman, tempest t
o the field,

  Sorrow to the shepherds, woe unto the birds,

  Gusts and foul flaws to herdsmen and to herds."

  When I remembered that the poem was from Shakespeare's most sexually graphic writing, my face flushed, and I prayed Barone didn't know that tidbit of information.

  When he chuckled, I suspected he did and that I'd played into his hands.

  "Interesting choice of quotes, Carlie," he mused, pulling me farther away from Thorne. And Jayden.

  As surreptitiously as possible, I gave the forest a quick scan. I couldn't see him and secretly hoped he couldn't see me. I didn't want him to worry about me or get himself in trouble.

  "Have you eaten?" Barone asked.

  Suddenly, it occurred to me that I hadn't.

  "No, sir, I've not eaten all day. I've been so busy that I totally forgot."

  Barone pulled me tighter and, with a voice meant to be obeyed, said, "I'll not have you starving yourself while you take care of patients or do research. Your mother has put everyone else before her health for years. It hasn't gotten her anywhere. If I have to surround you with people who will monitor you closer, I will. If Jayden's not doing that, I'll find something else for him to do."

  Holy hell! I can't be separated from Jayden ever again.

  "It's not Jayden's fault, sir. I promise. It was mine. He tried to make me eat. Actually, that was just one of the many disagreements he and I got into today. I wasn't hungry until now. My appetite is taking its time returning, just like my strength," I shared, mentally noting I couldn't be completely honest with him about anything.

  "It's just a good thing I had the mutant from the kitchen set up nice meal in my tent for the two of us," Barone hummed, pulling me closer within his personal space than I was comfortable being.

  I wanted to tell him the mutant had a name, but I didn't want to bring any sort of attention to Rorie. Good or bad. The longer he considered her a nonfactor, the better off she'd be.