Mad World (Book 2): Sanctuary (19 page)

I have never driven faster than I did that morning with my sweet Caitlyn in the back. I didn’t know if she was just unconscious or worse. She made no sound whatsoever.

I cursed the long drive, I was going almost twice the speed limit but it still took more than half an hour to get home. Finally, I made it back to our compound on Wellington Crescent. The gate couldn’t open fast enough, and I think I scraped the side of the SUV driving in, I was so impatient to get Caitlyn help. Jacob had called ahead, and they were waiting for us.

I parked, and they had our sweet Caitlyn lifted gently out and placed on a gurney in no time. We’d had our own little medical clinic set up in the big house for years, and it had been well used. Injured operatives were nursed back to health all the time; we found it invaluable to have such a facility at home. We could trust that it was secure; we’d found out in the past that hospitals mostly weren’t.

They brought her into the medical unit and the doctor there began examining her. She was utterly covered in mud and blood. The M.D. took some vitals. We were all gathered around the table, silent. He paused and, using his stethoscope, pulled down her shirt and listened closely to her heart.

After a minute, his movements slowed. He reached for the sheet covering her legs and pulled it up over her head.

“I’m so sorry,” he said.

“Oh!!!!!!!!” Moaned DeAndre, and collapsed, crying, onto the floor.

“Oh God, NO!!!” Risa yelled.

“No!!!!!” sobbed Luke.

Jonathan began sobbing loudly.

Tears ran silently down Jacob’s face.

And I collapsed.

The pain in my arm finally registered in my
brain. I think my whole body had been
holding its breath, waiting to see what happened to Caitlyn. I’d been hoping and praying that she was just unconscious. There’d been a lot of blood, but not nearly as much as when someone bled out from a ripped throat, so I’d been hoping. And my body had just been on hold.

But the pain finally hit me.

I grabbed my arm, gave out a long moan, and slid to the ground in a gentle faint.

The last thing I heard was Luke: “MOM!!!”

___

I came to in my own bedroom. I was all cleaned up, and someone had washed my hair and put me in clean clothes.

Am I in heaven?
I thought, bewildered and disoriented.

I looked around. Sunshine was flooding through the big window at the foot of the bed. Luke and Jacob were in the loveseat nearby, both fast asleep. The doctor was rising from where he’d been sitting and as he came up to the bed he took my wrist in his hand.

“Well, hello there, Sunshine,” he said softly as he took my pulse. He began a cursory examination.

At the sound of his voice, Jake and Luke woke up and came to the bed.

“Babe,” said Jacob, kissing my forehead.

“Mom,” Luke said, holding my hand. When Jake rose up after kissing me, Luke bent and gave me an in-bed hug, a long one.

“Mmmm, that’s nice, “
I said dreamily, smiling.

Suddenly, I remember Caitlyn and tears sprung to my eyes.

“Caitlyn…” I said weakly.

Jacob and Luke closed their eyes for a moment.

“She’s…” I said.

“Gone, Alyssa,” Jake said. “I’m sorry.” He moaned softly in sadness.

“How are you feeling, Mom?” Luke asked.

The doctor had finished checking me over. He lifted his eyes to Jacob’s and nodded, then left the room.

My eyes followed him. “Guess I’m okay, huh?” I said. I looked at my arm; it was wrapped in a neat, white bandage.

“Alyssa,” Jacob said.

Luke sobbed and put his head on my other arm, holding my hand still.

“It’s okay, Sweetheart,” I said.

“Alyssa…” Jacob said.

I smoothed Luke’s hair, distracted by his crying.

“Alyssa.” Jake said again.

I turned my head to look at him. His eyes were filled with unshed tears.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Alyssa,” he swallowed, then bent to kiss me. “Alyssa, babe. You’re infected.”

Acknowledgement

A huge thank you to Steve Provost for his editing expertise

ABOUT THE AUTHOER

Samaire Provost lives in California with her husband and son.
Her love of paranormal stories, odd plots, and unique tales as well as the works of Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Susan Cooper, Madeleine L'Engle and Stephen King has deeply influenced her writing.