“But if you aren’t able to question her…”
“Then I’m not able to question her. That’s still secondary to the fact that she’s not going to die in this hospital today.”
She leaned her head back so it rested against his abdomen, closing her eyes. “I just wanted us to get the answers we need.”
“We will. Maybe not with Sarah, but with the next robot. You made huge progress here today, librarian. How about we go get some sleep then you can try fresh in the morning?”
She bent her head and kissed the top of one of his hands that was rubbing her shoulder. “Can I have a couple more hours? I have a few things I want to try that will take more time to work through Sarah’s system to see if it has any effect.”
He kissed the top of her head. “Sure. Do you want food? Coffee?” He’d already gotten them dinner a couple hours ago, but he didn’t mind being the resident errand boy. If the roles were reversed, she would do the same.
“What I want is you,” she whispered as the nurse who’d been in the lab exited. “Will you be my reward for working hard?”
“Oh, I think I can find plenty of ways to properly reward you.” He bent down and nipped her ear just hard enough to make her squirm. “So hurry up and get your work done.”
She giggled—damn well the most intriguing sound he’d ever heard—and he sat down on a stool near the door so he’d be out of the way. He straightened out his right leg in front of him. It was dragging slightly again. His left hand was tingling also, an irritation that would eventually lead to pain, another sign his peripheral neuropathy was acting up.
He needed to rest. Needed to get back to the doctor and talk about possibilities—medications and electrical nerve stimulation treatments that may not stop what was happening to his body but would at least give options.
He was going to have to tell Jenna about this before too much longer. The whole truth.
But that could come after the case. After they stopped Joaquin.
Nurses and doctors came in and out of the lab to consult with Jenna. Mark had to hand it to them; none of them gave her grief about being in charge. Callum had run good interference for her, setting her up as the resident expert before she even arrived.
Then Jenna had completely proven him right.
Not to mention, she was great with the medical staff. It was good that no one else from Linear or Zodiac Tactical was here to see her. If they had been, her excuses for keeping them at arm’s length because she just wasn’t good at being around people would be shot to hell.
His leg twitched, and he decided to walk a little to stretch it out. He let Jenna know, not offended when she haphazardly raised a hand to signify she’d heard him when he announced what he was doing. He would go by Sarah’s room to see if she happened to be up to talking.
He’d been by twice already today, talking to her briefly each time. He’d questioned her gently, but it didn’t take long to realize she didn’t remember anything.
Not just anything concerning Joaquin and what he’d done to her…she didn’t remember anything aboutanything.
Not her name, age, favorite color…nothing. It was terrifying for the young woman, so he hadn’t pressed. The doctor said her memories would either come back or they wouldn’t.
Jenna said they wouldn’t. This wasn’t some head trauma causing amnesia. The chemical compounds Sarah had been given had probably erased her memories forever.
It was late evening now. Sarah was in a more isolated corner of the small hospital, so there weren’t many people around. Mark glanced into her room as he walked by, glad to see she was sitting up and talking to a nurse.
He made a lap around the hospital, his leg not feeling better, but at least not feeling worse. As he passed Sarah’s room the second time, a doctor was talking to her, a syringe in hand.
Mark kept going then stopped. He hadn’t seen that doctor all day. Not that he’d seen every doctor in this hospital, but no one should be administering anything to Sarah without checking with Jenna first.
Maybe he’d just come on shift and didn’t realize how complicated her case was. Mark stepped back into the doorway and entered the room.
“Excuse me.” He used his best Southern drawl to try to put the doctor at ease. He wasn’t trying to make life more difficult for anyone. “Not trying to tell you how to do your job, but have you checked to make sure whatever you’re about to give Sarah won’t affect the other tests being performed on her?”
“I’ve got this. Thanks.”
Mark stepped farther into the room. “Look, maybe you’re just coming on shift and—”
Mark broke off. Why was this doctor on the wrong side of Sarah’s IV with a syringe in his hand? All medicines should be going through the IV, not poking her again unnecessarily.
Something wasn’t right here.
Mark was already diving for him when thedoctorbrought the syringe up over Sarah’s chest like it was a fucking knife.