by Melody Raven
“All right. If he’s dangerous, he should be restrained, right?”
Walter turned in a circle, eyes bouncing around every inch of the lab. “We’ll have to do some shopping. No. That’s not our responsibility. Stefan can provide materials. Until then, we can make sure our guest stays sleeping.”
Great. Now they were going to have a drugged dangerous man in the basement. This was just getting better and better. “Do you want me to start a drip of Amobarbital?” She started for the cabinet that contained the barbiturates.
“No, no, no. Those won’t have any effect on him.”
She turned on her heel and stared down her father. “Amobarbital works on everyone. If he has a lot of muscle mass, we give him more to compensate for the extra weight.”
“Forget about a sedative. I’ll prepare something. Go into the drawer under my desk and prepare an IV. The key is in my wallet.”
Why would he have IV prep supplies in a locked drawer? She didn’t question him, though, trying to save her questions for when Walter was more vulnerable. It wasn’t the best way to think of talking to her father, but Walter wasn’t a normal father. He was a genius and cared for her in his own way. Just not a very paternal one.
She kept her eye on Walter as she followed his instructions to open the drawer he’d directed her to. Normal IV bag, alcohol prep pad, tourniquets, and dressing. In fact, the only thing that was different was the needle. Instead of being packaged in sterile wrapping, they were inside a leather pouch. If she weren’t being careful, she could’ve pricked herself easily. “Dad, I don’t think these are sterile.”
“They’ll be fine.” He started to shake up a bottle.
Darn. She’d missed what he’d prepared. She was hoping to tell what he was going to use instead of the normal anesthetic. Instead, she focused on the needles. They for sure weren’t sterile, but she couldn’t determine what exactly made them different. Besides the packaging, they looked like any other needle. She let out a sigh of resignation as she got to work preparing the IV and fluid bag. After she’d hooked it up to the IV stand, she started to wheel it over to their unnamed patient.
“What are you doing?” snapped Walter.
She gave him some well-deserved side eye. “Getting the IV prepared. Just like you asked.”
“I told you to stay away from him. He’s dangerous.”
“Right. Dangerous. How could I forget?”
Walter came over to her and took the IV stand before crossing over to the patient. “I didn’t raise you to be a fool,” he muttered under his breath but still plenty loud enough for her to hear.
Well, he was in a worse mood than usual. “Maybe you should reconsider which one of us is a fool. I’m not the one who let this guy in here.”
“Oh, trust me, Mia. I’m not a fool. We’re going to get a very fair payment for this.”
“Are we finally going to get that cruise?” she asked sarcastically.
Walter scoffed. “You have no idea,” he breathed as he finished placing the IV.
He was right. She didn’t have any idea because he still hadn’t told her squat. “Can’t you give me something? You know I’m smart. I’m an adult. I’m your partner. I deserve to know what’s going on.”
He finished dressing the patient and frowned as he considered her. “He’s from Seattle,” he said abruptly.
“Seattle?” Mia blinked in surprise. “You mean this is one of those crazy guys who took over the city?”
“Yes. The experiment gone wrong. I’ve been tasked with making him better.”
She tried to determine whether this was a lie. But why would it be? What the hell was worth creating a lie this crazy? “This is one of the soldiers who convinced himself he’s a vampire?”
“They’re very strong. And violent. Remember that. I don’t want you down here unless I’m here. And if he wakes up, you need to get in the car and drive off. Do you understand?”
No. Not even a little. “Don’t worry, Dad. If things get real, I’ll bail.”
He frowned at her. “I don’t know where you learned to talk like that. I thought I raised you better.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. It was too late and she was too tired to deal with this. “Walter,” she warned. “How often do I disappoint you?” He harped on her constantly, but she was the only assistant who had ever stuck with him for more than two months, his best employee, and to be honest, his best friend. Sometimes she needed to remind him that in the bigger picture, she was awesome.
His eyes softened. “You’re very acceptable,” he finally admitted. He wasn’t going to say he was wrong or apologize, but for Walter, that was about as close as she was going to get. “I recognize that this isn’t ideal by any means. But it is what it is.”
Getting him to say that was enough of a win. She wasn’t about to push it. “You’re not set up for a comatose patient. In the morning, I can do a supply run for a nutrient mix. Why don’t you send me a list of anything else we might need?”
“We don’t need a nutrient bag.” Walter must’ve realized he said too much because he quickly added, “I’ll get whatever supplies we need. Except for when I specifically request your presence, I need you to stay out of the lab.”
“What? No. I have dozens of cultures that I need to test daily, and fifteen projects you have me working on right now. I can get my work done while staying away from your little friend.”
“He’s not my friend,” Walter snapped, obviously missing the sarcasm. “The only reason I brought you down here was so you’d believe me when I told you to stay out. So now, when I tell you to stay out, I expect you to follow that order.”
She wanted to argue, but held her tongue. She knew it was almost impossible to beat Walter in a battle of wills. She might have logic and reason on her side, but he had a good amount of crazy on his. And you can’t fight crazy.
“I—”
She never finished her sentence. That was when their patient started to scream.
~~~~~
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