He stepped into the yard and found a small tree growing near the corner of the property. “That would be a nice spot.”
Buck stepped off the area and dug a small bald spot with the heel of his boot. He stepped back and nodded approvingly. “No time like the present.”
Turning to retrieve the shovel, Buck froze. A bald, pale-skinned man stood in the open doorway, his eyes wide. He glared at Buck, his fists clenched.
Buck took a half step back, his adrenaline spiking. The man’s lip curled into a snarl and Buck suddenly felt naked without a weapon.
Dr. Broussard pushed open the door of the lab and found Miller and Carol were already there. Both were laughing at something that he’d missed. He stepped into the lab and lifted his lab coat from the hook. “Sorry I’m late.”
“Oh, you’re not late,” Carol chuckled. “We decided to come in early.”
Miller gave her a grin that Broussard couldn’t read. “We didn’t get much sleep last night so we decided to just come in and get as much done as we could before we passed out.”
She laughed again and came to her feet. “I’ve already started isolating Kelly’s viral DNA profile.” She pointed to the incubator. “The media is cooking as we speak.”
Broussard opened his mouth to speak then quickly closed it. “Well. It looks like there isn’t much more for me to do, except wait.”
Miller glanced at his watch then came to his feet. “I should get the after action report to the Duty Officer.” He gave a mock bow to Carol then turned. “I will see you later.” His tone sounded as if the statement was loaded.
He patted Andre on the shoulder as he stepped past him and into the hall. Broussard watched him go and felt a peculiar feeling in the pit of his stomach. He took a deep breath and forced these unusual feelings down. “I suppose I’m late to the party. Again.”
“Don’t be silly,” Carol chided as she jotted notes in her notebook. “None of this would be possible without you.” She glanced up and gave him a smile. She appeared to be glowing.
Broussard fought the insane emotions coursing through him and turned his back on her, pretending to calibrate some arcane piece of equipment. “You seem awfully chipper for somebody who didn’t sleep.”
She nodded, her ponytail bobbing. “Way too much coffee.” She wrote furiously in her notebook then pushed away from the bench, the wheels on her chair clacking against the floor. She caught herself at the other workstation and read the numbers on the incubator. “I’m sure I’ll crash any moment. Sugar and caffeine does that, you know.”
She pushed herself back to the workbench and jotted the numbers down. “There.” She slammed her notebook closed and gave him a satisfied smile. “I’m all caught up.”
Broussard sighed heavily and avoided looking at her. “Good.” He stood and squared his shoulders. “I can’t think of anything else that needs doing at the moment.” He turned and pulled his lab coat off, tossing it towards the hook in the corner. “I think I’ll find myself some of that caffeine.”
She gave him a confused look and opened her mouth to say something, but he’d all but run out of the lab, leaving her alone. She watched him practically dart down the hallway, and she shook her head. “What’s gotten into him?”
Simon lay on the mattress and stared at the top of Lana’s head. He smiled as he inhaled deeply, smelling the lilac scent she had sprayed the night before.
He closed his eyes and remembered the events. She had led him house to house until she found clothes that would fit him. She’d rifled through countless kitchens until she found a few gallons jugs of water then she used a metal bucket and a propane BBQ grill to warm the water.
She carefully sponged his wounded arm and scrubbed at the rest of him. She didn’t let him lift a finger as she scrubbed every inch of him clean.
She also didn’t say a word as his body reacted to her touch, and after she toweled him dry, they did their best to break the neighbor’s bed.
He smiled as he remembered how her face twisted as she climaxed. He ran his hand over her entire body, his mind doing its level best to memorize every inch of her form. He wondered how he kept from breaking her. She felt so lean and thin to his touch. He actually imagined her with a bit more weight, her hair grown out and her face fuller. He didn’t care. He wanted her however she was.
He had pulled her to him and kissed her deeply. He had muttered the words, “I love you” again, and it didn’t escape him that she didn’t say it back. It didn’t matter, though. He knew that at that very moment, she did. She loved every inch of him. Vigorously.
Afterward, he held her and they both drifted off. She woke him later and helped him get dressed. They made their way back to the house that he knew and crawled onto the king-sized mattress. She cradled her head in the crook of his good arm and it was there that she stayed.
He used that good arm to pull her closer, relishing the warmth of her body as she slept. He watched her chest rise and fall with each breath and he knew that she was the one for him.
Simon opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling.
He couldn’t comprehend how he’d been so selfish in his previous life. So hateful. So…mean. He shook the memories from his mind and rubbed at her back.
She was his second chance. She was his love. She was his salvation. And no matter what he did, he’d do everything in his power to make this last.
20
“What are you doing here?”
Buck froze, his mouth agape. He swallowed
