The End Came With a Kiss (25 page)

"You okay in there?" asks Harry quietly through the two-way.

"Yeah. We're okay," I say, without turning.

"Lau says Ashlyn's body took to the serum."

"That is great news," I say, "great news indeed."

"You want me to come in and give it to her?"

"No. Just hand it to me. I'll give it to her."

It’s quiet for a moment as the speaker shuts off and Harry comes in through the decon chamber. He stays behind Katherine and hands the serum to me. There’s a look of sheer awe on his face, but he doesn't say a word for fear that he might tip the delicate balance.

I look down at the needle in my hand, aware of her stare and the gentle grip of her fingers on my forearm. Will she continue this micro loop through the pain of the shot and the resulting seizures? Is there anything I can say to comfort her, to keep her here in this moment until the serum has its effect?

I place the tip of the needle to her shoulder and stick it. I see a glimmer of reaction in her eyes and in the creases of her forehead as I sink the plunger, sending the serum deep into her skin. But she drives forward with her loop. I want to encourage her with my words. I want to tell her she's doing great, but I don't dare disturb this stasis we have achieved. I pull the needle free and tuck it in my pocket. Now all I can do is wait, for as long as it takes.

My feet and calves burn. Every muscle in my back and neck ache, but I don't mind. My precious Katherine is returning. The first seizure takes hold. Her knees buckle. I catch her under the arms and we sink to the floor. Sweat glistens on her face as she bears through the pain, much like she did when she gave birth to our daughter.

When her eyes open, I’m there. Her eyes lock onto my face and she continues with her loop, but it is more labored now. I can see how hard it is.

"Keep fighting, Kate," I whisper. "You'll be better soon. It’s almost over."

Her body shakes like a leaf. Her eyes keep drifting from my face, but she keeps forcing them back with effort.

"Fight, Kate. You can do this."

She is panting now. Is she losing the battle? Will the fluttered breaths become a growl? I‘ve lost track of time. I don't know if it has been minutes or hours.

The panting is stronger and I detect the growl in her ribcage like a beast in a cave.

"Fight it, Kate!"

The growl is growing.

"Fight it! You're healing. This is the cure, working. You're getting better, but you have to fight."

Her jaw is clenching. Her eyes wild. No. NO! I'm losing her! She's going to rage! It’s all coming undone.

"Fight, Kate! YOU PROMISED YOU'D FIGHT!"

Her chest sinks and her face tightens, as if every muscle in her body is contracted. Her eyes fill with intensity and she groans. "I AAAAAAM FIGHTING!"

My eyes fill with tears. My body quakes. She's not raging! She’s waking!

"Katherine!" I rub her face and hair with my hand. "You're doing great! Keep fighting! The cure is in you. It's working. You're going to be okay!"

She tightens and goes into another seizure. I watch helplessly as the serum does its job. I ache to see her in such pain, but I am able to bear it because I know now what lies on the other side of this torment. I know we’ll be together again.

"You're going to be okay." I pull her head and shoulders up into my lap. She twitches in my embrace. "The serum is working. Keep fighting."

"I will," she says, in labored breaths, "I promise."

I hug her tight and my body quakes with emotion. I have waited so long to hear her sweet voice. I have waited so long...

28

We are quiet for a long time as we lay next to each other on the cold hard tile, but I don't mind the cold because Katherine’s neck is warm on my bicep. I don't mind the pain either. All I feel is joy.

"I must look a fright," she says softly.

"It is pretty bad," I tease.

She coughs out a chuckle. "Don't make me laugh. It hurts to move."

It's quiet again.

Finally she says, "Where are we? Is this your work?"

"Yeah. We’re in the lab."

"How long have I been gone?"

"I’m not sure. About a month, maybe."

"It feels like a long horrible nightmare."

"You remember?"

"Some," she says reflectively.

I wait for her to gather her thoughts.

"I understand now. I know why they loop, Ben. It’s like lights being shut off in a house, and you’re standing in the glow of the last one, but it’s just a flickering flame. The flame has to be fed. It’s so fragile." Her head shivers. "You know that at any moment it could go out, and you’ll be lost in the dark forever. There’s a desperation to keep it going, to cling to life’s last glimmer." She turns her head and I feel her warm cheek on my arm. "I knew you were there the whole time, but you were always in a fog, threatening to disappear. It was so frightening. The only way I could hold on to you was to hold on to whatever memories were left." She breathes a laugh. "And I would get so angry with you because you kept ruining everything. You kept breaking my concentration. But I knew you didn’t mean to. I knew you were trying to help, and I loved you for it."

I turn so I can rest my cheek on her head. "I didn’t know what to do. I was trying to figure it out."

"You were so patient with me." I feel a cold tear run down over my bicep, and I nestle my cheek in the warmth of her closeness.

"It was easy to be patient, watching you fight so hard. I can’t believe how strong you are. How did you do it, Kate? How did you manage to let go of all those memories and find your loop here in this cold isolation chamber?"

She pulls away and her tear-filled eyes find their way up to mine. "I knew, as long as you were alive you would never leave me. And if you weren’t there, I didn’t want to live anyway. So I made you my loop."

I wipe her tears with the backs of my fingers and draw her up for a kiss. She hesitates.

"It’s okay. Everything is okay."

Our lips touch and her soft warmth floods into me. Though we have kissed many times in our years together, I’ve never felt anything like this, like a sweet nectar soaking into my skin, filling every part of me with a peace I’ve never known. Is this the poison or is my mind playing tricks on me? It doesn’t matter. Whatever it is, we’ll get through this too. I give myself utterly to her kiss and let myself get lost in it.

"Ummm… You two need some privacy?" says Harry’s gentle baritone voice.

We look up and see four glowing faces staring in at us, and my peace is multiplied. Ashlyn is cozied up under James’ arm. Harry towers behind them with Luci on his hip, and Lau stands near the speaker box looking like the cat that ate the canary. I am so grateful for my mismatched band of friends. Seeing their happy faces reminds me that it’s going to be okay. We
will
get through this. It’s not the end of the world.

And this isn't the end of the story.

This is just how it begins.

Try
UNSEEN
by John Michael Hileman

Life for Jake Paris is stable and ordinary--until a mysterious old woman pays him a visit and he begins to have encounters with unruly children everywhere he goes—children only he can see.

"Every life is precious. If you don't know that now, you will after reading this book. Highly Recommended!"

Try
MESSAGES
by John Michael Hileman

Words are everywhere-- on labels, magazines, sign posts, t-shirts-- everywhere. And as much as David Chance would like to hide from them, he can't. Words keep leaping off objects around him, forming messages in his mind. But how is this possible? Has his brain suddenly taken an evolutionary leap forward, or are the mysterious messages proof of divine intervention?

Driven to answer a question he'd long ago abandoned, and stalked by the killer he's trying to stop, David risks everything to follow the messages to a dirty bomb set to go off in the heart of Boston. But can he trust the author of the messages to protect him from a terrorist who seems to know his every move.

"High energy, fast-paced work of fiction, packed with grit and substance." ~ Literary Classics Book Awards and Reviews.
 

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