“I know,” I say, and then I let out a huge sigh.
Lena’s POV
The kids are asleep, and Zoey and I are having a glass of wine. Neither of us has said anything.
“Alright, you know I was never one for silence. So, can you tell me how you went for a walk with the kids, and then they came back raving about Leo? What the hell happened, Lena?” she asks me.
“He caught up with us just as we were about to leave. I tried getting rid of him, but you know how the kids are when they want something, and he also made the point that I haven’t been here for a while and might get lost. Between him and the kids, I had no ground to stand on,” I tell her.
“So I guess he saw Luke, right? The boy is basically his twin. How did you explain that?” she asks me.
“I didn’t have to, at least not to Leo,” I tell her.
“I’m sorry, what do you mean you didn’t have to? Didn’t he see Luke?” she asks me, sounding very confused.
“Oh, he did, and I was so scared. But he didn’t say anything. He just asked about the kids and mentioned how good they were, and all we did was talk. I don’t know if…”
“He didn’t figure it out, or maybe he did, and just didn’t say anything because, like he said six years ago, he wanted nothing to do with the kids. I don’t know why, Zoey; I’m as confused as you are,” I explain to her.
“Well, that’s a conundrum. But I take it Luke figured it out?” she asks.
“Yes, he did,” I tell her.
“So what did you tell him?” she asks.
“The truth, or at least as much of the truth as I could tell him. I couldn’t exactly tell him that his father rejected him and his siblings before they were even born. I told him his father loved him,” I tell her.
“So what are you going to do now?” she asks.
I let out a huge sigh. “I’m going to figure out what Leo’s game is and if he has any plans of hurting the kids. I don’t care if I’m the only hope this pack has; I’m taking them, and I’m leaving-and never looking back.”
Lena’s pov-
The next day, I leave the house pretty early, just as the sun rises. The kids are still fast asleep in my bed; they all crawled in there last night, and I can never turn them away. I give them kisses on their heads before I leave, but none of them stir.
I already told Zoey last night that I would be leaving early, so she knows. I step out of the house and take a deep breath-the view is amazing. The sun is like a ball of fire rising out of the trees, the birds are chirping, and the air is fresh. This is one thing you can’t get in the city, and now that I’m here after all these years, I have to admit that I’ve missed it.
If the lab wasn’t so far from the house, I would take advantage of this beautiful day and walk, but I can’t do that. I already texted Emmett, and he was already awake; that’s why I like working with him. He is always ready to tackle any situation, and it also helps that he’s a genius. I need those two things if I want to find a cure for this disease.
I get into my car and drive down to the lab. The pack is so deserted-it’s completely different from the memories I have of it. Usually, by this time, the kids are running away from their parents because they don’t want to go to school, and their mothers are running after them. If it wasn’t that, then something else was going on. The pack was always filled with life, laughter, and joy, and now it’s no different from a graveyard.
I park my car and see that Emmett’s car is already there. I get into the lab, and I’m shocked. Everything is set up-like everything. All the machines and equipment are out of the boxes, and the boxes are nowhere to be found. Another thing-the way everything is arranged is so similar to how things are arranged in my lab back at home.
“Good morning, Lena,” Emmett greets me with a huge grin on his face.
“Good morning, Emmett. Please tell me you got some sleep?” I ask him.
“Yes, I did. After I was done taking the samples and storing them, I went back to my apartment to get some much-needed rest. Then I came over here early to set things up so that when you got here, we could get straight to work,” he tells me.
“This is amazing, Emmett. Not just you setting things up, but setting it up to look exactly like the lab back at home. I really appreciate it, thank you,” I tell him.
“Of course, Lena. I’m happy to help,” he says.
“Okay, let me just drop my bag in my office, and we’ll get right to it. You can take the samples out of the freezer,” I tell him as I walk down to my office.
I take my cup of coffee out of my bag first, then drop it and my bag on the table. I take off my jacket and put on my lab coat, then tie my hair up in a tight ponytail. Afterward, I pick up my coffee and leave the office.
“Okay, so before we start, we need to talk protocols,” I tell Emmett. He nods and turns to look at me.
“This disease is unknown. We don’t know what it is or how it spreads. So, we make sure to go through the decontamination bay before we leave-that is a must. Masks should be worn at all times when we’re working on the samples. Same with surgical gowns and glove changes for each sample we work on. Until we know what this is, these are the protocols we’re going to follow,” I explain to him.
“I understand completely,” he answers me.
“Good. Let’s gown up. But first, lock the lab doors. I don’t want anyone coming in once we start working. There’s an intercom they can use to talk to us,” I tell him.
He goes to lock the double doors that lead into the lab, while I take out a surgical gown, put it on, and then slip on my gloves and mask.
When Emmett is done locking the doors, he does the same.
“So, whose sample are we starting with first?” he asks.
“Get me Brie’s blood sample,” I tell him. While he goes to get it, I take my seat on the stool in front of the microscope. Emmett has already laid out everything I’ll need, including my tape recorder, which makes me smile. After we’re done here, I need to give him a raise before another person takes him from me.
“Here you go,” he tells me.
I take a drop of her blood and place it on the test tray, then slide it under the microscope. I stare at her blood for what seems like minutes, but I’m so confused by what I’m seeing.
“Are you sure this is Brie’s blood? Our patient X?” I ask Emmett.
“Yes, I’m sure. I made sure to label every sample as I took them. What’s the problem? What did you see?” he asks me.
“I’m not sure yet. Get me another of the blood samples you took,” I tell him, and he immediately rushes to get another one.
I repeat what I did with Brie’s blood and slide it under the microscope again.
I stare at it and keep zooming in, but it’s still the same thing.
I lean back and let out a confused sigh.
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