52. Chapter Fifty-Two
Chapter fifty-two
Sam stood at Trevor’s bedside, looking down at him, her heart breaking inside her chest. Silent tears beaded on her lashes and spilled over her cheeks.
There was nothing she could do about them.
She couldn’t even wipe them away. One hand came up automatically and encountered the faceplate of the hazmat suit before she remembered the bulky protective gear.
She wanted to reach out to him, to take his hand and let him know it would be alright. She wanted to tell him there were doctors on hand and they were doing everything in their power. But a clear plastic tarp separated her from de Camp.
He laid there, face pinched in pain, and sweat beading on his forehead.
He’d been stripped to the waist. His chest was covered in wires.
Numerous needles had been stuck in his arms. The heart rate monitor showed the smallest of blips.
Entirely too much time went by in between each weak green wriggle in the line.
Sam didn’t know anyone could live with such a weak pulse, so long between beats, but according to all the equipment, Trevor de Camp was still hanging on.
One of the CDC doctors hurried over, ducked through the sheeting, to administer a shot of some kind, made a note on the clipboard, then hurried away again.
Sam was about to turn away when one of Trevor’s eyelids peeled open. The heart rate monitor bleeped with small, but renewed vigor. Trevor dragged in some air as he looked around and found Sam. The barest hint of a smile formed on his face.
“Sorry boss,” he croaked. “Guess I screwed up.”
“No, you didn’t screw up.” Sam glanced around to make sure none of the CDC people were within earshot. “This is my fault. I put you on that plane to Serbia. It’s on me.”
Trevor tried to raise a hand and only succeeded in lifting two fingers. He asked, “Other passengers? Infected?”
Sam shook her head. She edged as close to the plastic divider as possible and dropped her voice. “No. Looks like we got lucky.”
Trevor nodded, as if that were some small weight off his shoulders. His eyes started to slip closed. Sam thought he was drifting back to sleep. But he made an effort to rally himself, looked at her and said, “Will I get a star on the wall?”
“You’re not going to need one because you’re not going to die.” Sam could hear the lie in her own voice. She forced a smile onto her face in effort to sell it. “You’ve got the best doctors in the country working on you.”
“You and I both know that won’t matter,” Trevor said. “I just want to know I’ll be on the wall.”
Sam thought about pushing past the clear curtains so she could stand at his side, to take his hand. But that would bring the CDC people running and she couldn’t have that. She smiled. “Your star will be right next to mine.”
He nodded. “You’ll tell my parents?”
“Of course.”
“The President know yet?”
“He’s being briefed as we speak.”
“You’ll get the people who did this, right?”
“You have my word.”
“Hey, Sam?”
She winced at his use of her first name. She scanned the tent. For the moment none of the CDC people were within earshot.
Trevor strained to move his arm. His hand flopped over the side of the gurney. He reached out toward the plastic. It looked like it took a heroic effort. He said, “Guess you know I have a bit of a crush on you?”
“Yeah,” Sam admitted. “I figured that out.”
His heart rate monitor showed longer and longer stretches between beats. He whispered, “Did I have a chance?”
Sam could barely see now. Tears had doubled her vision and coursed down her cheeks in silent rivers.
The answer, of course, was no. He didn’t have a chance.
He was a great guy, tall, handsome, smart.
Any girl would be lucky to have him. But Sam’s heart belonged to someone else.
She reached out and pressed against the plastic barrier until their fingers were touching. She said, “You did, yes. You sure did.”
His mouth formed a smile but it never reached his eyes. “Sam?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re a bad liar.”
Sam let out a small squeak. She sniffed, shook her head and said, “In our line of work, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Trevor’s eyelids drooped. “Let my parents know I was doing my duty.”
“I’ll tell them the truth,” Sam promised. “That you helped divert a global disaster and saved many millions of lives.”
Trevor nodded slowly. His heart rate continued to slow. Little red warning lights came on. One of the CDC doctors came running. She ducked through the plastic.
“Sam?”
“Yes?”
“He’s a lucky guy.”
Trevor’s heart monitor went flat and an alarm sounded.
“Step aside! Give us room to work!” The CDC doctors pushed Sam out of the way as they crowded around their patient. The paddles came out. A loud electric buzz signaled the current running through the equipment. Sam didn’t want to watch Trevor get shocked. She turned and hurried away.