Die Again Tomorrow (31 page)

She found her mind briefly wandering to thoughts of her mom and Andy. She couldn't wait to see them again. But even when she returned home, she intuited that her life would never be the same. For one thing, she had Richard now. She reached up to cover his hand with her own. Her old job in reality television would be waiting for her, but she knew with a sudden certainty that she couldn't return to do a second season of
Wild Woman.
It would feel too much like a charade to “survive alone in the wild” with a whole production crew just out of sight. It also seemed pointless now to spend all her energy entertaining couch potatoes. That mission wasn't enough anymore.

Her next thought materialized like a distant glimmer: She would put her survival skills and newfound confidence to use fighting evil in the world, like her father had. Her true calling felt so right that she was shocked not to have recognized it sooner: she would apply to join the FBI. She would make Galileo proud.

An excited murmur swept through the crowd; her attention snapped to his face.

His eyelids were fluttering open.

No one dared breathe. Isabel felt her own lungs expand to capacity, her heart thumping in her throat. Richard gave her shoulder a tight squeeze.

After a few dazed seconds, Galileo's intelligent eyes appeared to take in the crowd. His gaze shifted from one familiar face to the next. Everyone seemed to understand not to speak right away, to give him time to adjust. He touched his face, then lowered his hand to feel across his stitched-up stomach. At first a shade of confusion wrinkled his brow, but only for a moment. Then his eyebrows lifted and one corner of his mouth spread into a crooked grin.

“It's quite boring to be dead,” he said. “I don't recommend it one bit.”

CHAPTER 58

A
n instant cheer rose up from the crowd. A few of the nurses were dabbing their eyes, and many of the researchers clapped. Isabel applauded along with them, laughing through her own tears. She and Theo exchanged a look of ecstatic relief as Galileo weakly pushed himself up to a sitting position.

“I take it you missed me,” he said, half smiling. “It's good to be back.”

The left side of his face wasn't moving at all and his words slurred a bit. He didn't seem to notice, but Isabel and everyone else certainly did. She caught the concerned frown on Dr. Cornell's face as he whispered something to another doctor standing beside him.

Sharp as ever, Galileo caught their looks, too. “Oh, this?” He gestured to the frozen side of his face. “I can live with it. No big deal.”

“But no one else has been paralyzed after the X101!” Theo cried. “This isn't supposed to happen!”

Isabel buried her face in her hands. “None of this was supposed to happen,” she said, surprising herself with an outpouring of the secret guilt that had been torturing her for two days. “It's all my fault. If you had never met me, you wouldn't have gotten hurt trying to help me. And now the last dose of the drug is gone.” She peered through her fingers, wincing at him and at the crowd. “I'm so, so sorry.”

Several of the more antisocial researchers glared at her, but many murmured that it wasn't her fault or shook their heads to absolve her of blame.

Galileo cleared his throat. The effort it took to speak through his fatigue was apparent. “Trust me, will you?”

Everyone stared at him. Isabel hesitated; maybe he hadn't understood her? She never should have blurted out the bad news about the X101—it was too soon to upset him in his delicate state. She was silently berating herself when his matter-of-fact voice surprised her.

“I didn't receive a full dose,” he slurred. “I'm sure that's why I ended up this way.”

“You didn't?” Theo said. “But I gave you every last drop in the vial!”

He turned to Theo with his trademark smile of mischief. “You did fine, don't worry. There wasn't a full dose to begin with. I stole a quarter of a milliliter right after Chris finished making it and sent it ashore.”

A chain of gasps circled around the room amid dumfounded exclamations. Isabel could only shake her head in wonder at the fact that she had ever underestimated this man.

“Where?” Theo asked in disbelief.

“Somewhere safe,” he promised. “Somewhere secret, so no one can ever blackmail anyone to get it.” His attention shifted to Isabel and Richard.

“Now, my dears,” he said, “tell the captain to head south. Let's get you home.”

CHAPTER 59

 

I
sabel raced up to the porch of her mother's bungalow, inhaling the glorious scent of the yard's coconut palm tree. Since there was no longer a need for the Network's protection, her mom and Andy had been transferred from their safe house back home. Now they were eagerly awaiting her arrival and the details of her journey; she'd promised to tell them the whole story face-to-face. There was just too much to pack into a single phone call; the two weeks of her absence seemed like a short lifetime. She felt like a different person, and in some ways, she was.

As she bounded toward the door, the light breeze on her skin felt like a revelation: never again would she take Florida's mild winters for granted—or, for that matter, any day of her life.

On the threshold of reuniting with her family, she paused. It felt good to savor the moment of anticipation, and to utter a silent thanks to everyone who had made her continued existence possible. Dr. Quinn. Galileo. Richard. A great tide of awe and fondness washed over her, permeating her core deeply enough never to be forgotten.

Captain licked her calf, reminding her of his presence. He was a final gift from Galileo, who'd come to accept the tightness of their bond. And anyway, as Isabel had pointed out, Captain could enjoy life as a dog much better on land than at sea. He was a pet now, not a test subject. She couldn't wait to introduce him to the beach.

But first—she knocked on the door. Captain barked as it swung open, and her mom and Andy immediately bombarded her with hugs and kisses. They ushered her inside on a crest of affection, Captain excitedly circling their feet.

“You're home!” her mom squealed. “Finally! We couldn't sleep all night!”

“Oh my God.” Andy dropped to his knees in front of Captain. “You got a dog? This is the best day ever!”

She laughed, drinking in the sight of her scrawny little brother and her beautiful raven-haired mom. A pang struck her when she noticed they both looked paler and more exhausted than she remembered, but they were beaming so happily it was impossible not to do the same.

“Just for you, bud,” she said to Andy. “His name's Captain.”

Andy scratched his ears as her mom hovered near her, rubbing her arm. “So, how are you? Are you hungry? You look thin.”

“I'm fine. How are you guys? Did I miss anything?”

“I got to skip school for two weeks!” Andy exclaimed. “We stayed in our own huge house and it was awesome.”

Her mom cocked her head as if to tell Isabel,
Awesome isn't exactly the word I would choose.
Isabel understood: their separation had been not just excruciating, but terrifying. She took her mother's hand.
I'm home
, she said via a quick squeeze.
And this time, I'm here to stay.

“I'm glad you guys were well taken care of,” she said. “Galileo promised me you would be.”

“It was very nice of his . . . group. Speaking of them . . .” Her mom ran into the kitchen and brought back a miniature cooler that Isabel didn't recognize. It was a sturdy white box made out of what looked like indestructible plastic.

“A courier came by the other day to deliver the jewelry box you got me. It was really pretty and unexpected—but the guy also brought this. He told me to keep it in the fridge until further notice.”

She held out the cooler for Isabel to open.

Inside was a tempered glass vial that contained a few drops of a clear liquid.

Isabel gasped. Her mom stared at her, mystified.

“You know what it is?”

“I think,” she said, smiling, “I have one hell of a guess.”

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am greatly indebted to certain people whose support helped me realize my ambitions for this book:

My agent extraordinaire, Erica Silverman at Trident Media Group, whose friendship I cherish and whose guidance I can always trust.

My insightful editor, Michaela Hamilton, who granted me a dream assignment to write this book and whose valuable comments have made it the best it can be.

The entire team at Kensington Books, for their passion and expertise in production, design, marketing, publicity, and distribution.

Dr. Sam Parnia, for giving me a tour of the emergency room at Stony Brook Hospital and answering all of my nitty-gritty questions about resuscitation. His book
Erasing Death
was indispensable to me.

Dr. Robert Klitzman, my adviser at Columbia University and head of the Bioethics Program, for helping me to gain a deeper grasp of the ethical issues I raise throughout the book.

The late Dr. Michael Palmer, for talking me through the early stages of idea development. His mentorship was a precious gift I deeply miss.

My parents, for their unshakeable belief in my writing ability.

Susan Breen, of Gotham Writers' Workshop, for reading my earliest drafts and providing spot-on evaluations every time.

My sidekick pup, Wally, the inspiration for Captain, who warmed my lap during a cold, long winter of writing.

My husband, Matt, my first and favorite reader. This one's for you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

K
IRA
P
EIKOFF
is a graduate of New York University with a degree in journalism. She also holds a Master of Science degree in Bioethics from Columbia University. Her articles have been published in a variety of major media outlets, including
The New York Times
, and she writes a regular health column for Cosmopolitan.com. She is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, International Thriller Writers, and Mystery Writers of America. Visit her online at
www.kirapeikoff.com
.

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Copyright © 2015 Kira Peikoff

 

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ISBN: 978-0-7860-3491-8

 

 

First electronic edition: October 2015

 

ISBN-13: 978-0-7860-3492-5
ISBN-10: 0-7860-3492-0