Mucous ran from her nostrils as she trembled with shock.
The door opened. Don turned to see Jim, Danny, a nurse, and another doctor in a white lab coat staring in open-mouthed astonishment.
'Get over here and help me,' he grunted. 'She's killing him!'
'Can't...' Maynard wheezed, 'br ...'
'Frankie!' Jim ran over to the bed and helped Don pull her off.
Dr. Maynard collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath. His fingers probed the bruises on his throat.
'She-she tried to kill me,' he retched.
'Frankie, what the hell is wrong with you?' Jim asked.
'She just snapped,' Don told him. 'One minute she was fine. Then she saw that needle in his hand and all hell broke loose.'
'Jim,' Frankie panted, 'don't let him stick me. No needles. Please? I helped you. Now I'm ... I'm ... asking ...'
Her eyes rolled up into her head, and she collapsed back on to the bed, unconscious.
Don turned to Jim. 'She doesn't like needles?'
'I guess not. I think-she may have had a problem with heroin at one point. There's track marks on her arms. Scars.'
Danny watched from the doorway.
'Is Frankie going to be okay, Daddy?'
'I think so, squirt. She was just tired. That's all.' He tried to sound casual and thought he did a pretty good job-but inwardly he felt disturbed that Danny had been exposed to the scene. Sure, this was nothing compared to everything else the boy had experienced, but that didn't make it right.
Dr. Stern helped Maynard to his feet.
'That cunt,' Maynard snarled. 'I can't believe that she-'
Jim was in his face before he could finish.
'Mister, we appreciate all that you folks have done for us. But if I ever hear you call her that again, you'll be the one that gets knocked out. Do you understand me?'
Maynard blinked, and then mumbled an apology under his breath.
Don frowned. 'Hell of a bedside manner you've got there, doc.'
Stern tried to sooth them. 'We're all under a bit of stress. Let's just calm down, shall we?'
'Yeah, sure,' Jim grumbled. 'Whatever.'
Stern took Maynard by the arm. 'Joseph, perhaps you should get some rest. You were up all night working in your lab again, weren't you? I'll take over here.'
'Thank you, Carl.' Maynard looked at Jim. 'My apologies.'
'Mine too. Kelli, can you give Joseph a hand?'
'Of course. Come on, Dr. Maynard.'
Without another word, Maynard allowed Kelli to lead him from the room.
As he passed by them, Jim and Don caught a whiff of something-rotten, like the man had rolled around in road kill. He noticed that the nurse was wincing too.
'Gentlemen,' Dr. Stern said, 'I'm going to ask you to leave as well. I need to get her into surgery, and now I'm shorthanded.
I'll let you know how she is as soon as I've finished.'
He picked up the telephone on the desk and dialed an extension.
'Yes, can you send someone up to Examination Room B and have them give our new arrivals the tour? And have the rest of the standby nursing staff report to sick bay on the double. Thank you.'
He hung up the phone.
'Somebody will be with you shortly. They'll show you to your living quarters and help you get assimilated.'
'Sounds good,' Jim replied, not liking the sound of assimilated. 'I'm exhausted.'
Distant thunder boomed outside, and both Don and Danny jumped.
Stern chuckled, sliding the needle into Frankie's arm.
'Relax,' he told them. 'You're all safe now.'
The thunder rolled across the sky again and dark clouds blocked out the newly risen sun. Fat raindrops exploded against the window.
The doctor pulled out the needle and placed a cotton ball over the puncture.
'We're safe and sound. See?'
In her dream-because this time she knew it was a dream right away-Frankie stood on a street corner. Zombies bustled all around her: some in business suits with cell phones at their ears, others in blue jeans and T-
