Cheating Time (Longevity, #1)
Page 24
Chapter 17
Reconnected
Carlie
Quicker than I would have thought possible given the way my muscles still ached from the bruising of the snake poison, I threw off my covers and jumped out of the bed. I had no idea how lightly Rorie slept. I only knew if she woke and found me touching her brother's computer, she'd probably yell loud enough to alert everyone in the camp to what I was doing.
I opened a tab separate from the one Thorne had been using and began a secure instant communication message with Mom, Dad, Gran, and Tawney. I wanted to check on all of them and didn't have time to query them individually.
Me: I'm alive and well at a MediTech infirmary. Jayden is with me.
It took a few minutes before I got any response at all. When one came, it was only from Mom and Dad.
Mom: My God, Carlie! We've been so worried. We got word you were injured. I've been monitoring your vitals through your MicroPharm and using it to adjust your antidote and pain medication.
Dad: When did Jayden arrive?
Me: A few hours ago. He was dehydrated and near exhaustion. He's been taken care of and is now sleeping.
Mom: According to his MicroPharm, he's not sleeping, or he's not sleeping well.
Me: He was tired when he left me so I'm sure he's sleeping. He might just be having bad dreams.
Mom: You're doing a lot better, sweetie. What happened? How did you get injected with so much venom?
Me: The short story is there was a snake near Tawney. I tried to intervene and found out she was actually sitting near a bed of snakes. They attacked me the instant I pulled her away. The rest is history.
Mom: Jayden got bitten also, but he didn't have nearly as much venom in his system as you.
Dad: I want you to stay where you are. We're having a MediChopper flown there to pick you and Jayden up within the next few days. From there, you'll be taken to the preparatory academy. There's no more running for you or Jayden.
Me: Where's Gran and Tawney?
Mom: They're where they need to be.
Me: Did you know Tawney's dying?
It took a long time for any response. I wondered if I'd lost them. Finally, a message popped up, and with it, I felt my parents' grief. For them, losing Tawney was akin to loosing their own child. She was their niece, and they'd raised her for the last eight years.
Mom: Yes.
Dad: Yes.
Again, there was a pause that told me that they were trying to soften the blow.
Mom: The house where they're going is one where Tawney will be free to spend the rest of her days sitting in a hammock in the top of a tree house, reading, and dreaming of her knight in shining armor. Gran will make sure of that, Carlie.
Dad: Don't put your life or Jayden's life in danger searching for them. We'll stay in touch and let you know the minute anything happens.
Me: Will you let me know if anything happens to either of you? I'm just as worried about what your life is like now that you are back at the capital.
Fortunately for me, Dad was a security junkie. There was nothing I could ever send him that anyone would ever be able to decipher. He encrypted every message coming and going from our messaging accounts to the point where they looked more like hieroglyphics than words by the time they made it anywhere but where they were supposed to go.
Dad: Your mother is back at the lab and doing exactly what Barone needs her to do. I'm stationed as security so I can watch over her morning, noon, and night. That's what you need to know.
Mom: Our biggest concern is you. I need you to promise me you'll do exactly as we've asked. Go to the academy and study to be a doctor so you can come to work with me. I need your help.
My eyes watered.
Me: I will.
Mom: I know what the MicroPharm says, but I want to hear from you. Are you okay with all of this?
My eyes watered more.
Me: I miss all of you terribly.
Mom: We miss you, too.
Me: Oh… I forgot to tell you… I'm under the care of Thorne Angleton. Is there anything the two of you forgot to share with me?
Dad: It sounds like you know the most important thing. The rest is a conversation that needs to be face to face. Right now, you must understand that Jayden's there to protect you. Don't make his job any more difficult than it already is. After you travel to the academy, your mother and I will come see you and explain everything. I promise.
Hearing from my parents had deflated any sort of anger I'd had over the marriage agreement. Right now, I was just glad they were safe.
Me: Okay. I love you both and will contact you as soon as I'm at school. Then I need to see you. We need to talk.
Mom: We will. We love you.
Dad: I love you and Jayden.
Dad may have been a big military man, but apparently, he had no qualms about telling Jayden how much he loved him.
You gotta love that about a man, I thought, smiling.
I wondered if he'd feel the same way if he knew I was making out with Jayden every chance possible. I got the distinct impression Dad was okay with Jayden because he thought my virginity was safe with his Surrogate Soldier. I wasn't so sure.
"You know… I would have let you contact your parents if you'd asked," Thorne said, standing at the door of the tent.
I jumped out of his chair, cursing under my breath while I wondered just how long he'd been there, how much of the back and forth with my parents he'd witnessed.