Page 77 of Solanum

"He rejoined Wilkinson at his summons." She nudged the coffee closer to me. "Drink this."

"Where's your patient?"

"She's asleep across the hall."

I lifted the mug and sipped the hot drink, letting the burn of it sear my throat on the way down. The irritating sensation soothed me more than it should.

Anita's phone chirped in the pocket of her lab coat and she whipped it out, pressing it to her ear. "Oliver." Her eyes widened and she squeezed my arm suddenly. "When? Where?"

My insides twisted with sickness when she shot up standing. "What?"

"They got her." Tears immediately tumbled from Anita's eyes as if she couldn't hold herself back a second longer. "No, I have Donovan here," she told whoever called her. "We'll be right there." She hung up and held both hands up to me when I stood. "She's in route to U.W. Medical. Wilkinson wants us to meet them there."

"Fuck." I tilted my head back, blinking away the tears that threatened to fall. "Let's go."

"They got Perkins, too." We hurried out together, with me on her heels. "Sali shot him."

"Good. Fucking good."

The wait for the doctors to settle Nora in her room after her exam destroyed me. The B.A.U. team, all of them, including Jackson, sat together in the waiting room while Wilkinson, Walsh, and the team that recovered her spoke in the hall. All I could do was pace, unable to anchor myself to anything or anyone. All I knew was that I needed to see her.

James, with her fiery mouth and demanding nature, stood with Wilkinson and Walsh, occasionally glancing over at me as if she knew something I didn't.

"Here for my weapon and badge?" James smirked at the men who stood a whole head above her small frame. Detective Miller accompanied her, a slight limp in her step, but otherwise appearing well. Walsh clapped James on the shoulder but said nothing. Wilkinson's stern face twitched with some sort of emotion the way it did whenever he tried to hide his true feelings.

"Brody's asking for you, James. I can't imagine why," he said.

"She's not the only one asking for her. Perkins is refusing to talk to anyone but you," Deputy Stiles, the Marshal, said.

"His leg wound was through and through. He'll be discharged tomorrow, and we'll get him in lockup," Wilkinson added, his gaze flickering over to me again.

"You shot him?" Miller asked, wide-eyed, and James nudged her.

"I'd like to see Nora. So… We'll talk about all this later," James said and Wilkinson nodded before she broke away from them to be led off down the hall with Stiles.

We followed them, the entire group of us, three floors up to where they settled Nora in her room after admitting her. I couldn't think or feel anything at that moment. They allowed Anita and James into the room first while we waited, hours it seemed.

I thought about what I would say to Maya when the time was right. I heeded Anita's words, and waited. I just…waited.

Within an hour or two, the excess people faded, leaving only our team in the waiting area. Anita exited Nora's room, nodding for me to follow her over to Wilkinson. I broke away from Roderick, who stood faithfully beside me through my hours of pacing.

"What's her condition?" asked Wilkinson, glancing between us.

"Traumatized. In pain. She would only speak to Sali," answered Anita, keeping her voice soft.

"Have they notified her family yet?"

"I'm taking lead on speaking to her cousin," said Anita, her tone exceedingly clinical. It took me until that moment to realize how good of an actress Anita was. How well she hid her feelings, her intentions, and recommendations behind the guise of such astuteness that no one dare question her.

"All right." Wilkinson nodded, drawing in a slow breath. His formerly flat expression shifted to worried when he positioned his hands on his hips. "What's the extent of her injuries?"

"Dehydrated, malnourished," Anita began, keeping her gaze off me for the time being. "The medical doctors will tell you more about that."

"That's not what I'm asking," said Wilkinson. "What did he do to her?"

Anita hesitated, and for a fraction of a second, her gaze flickered to me. "She denies being sexually assaulted, but she has physical injuries that will need tending." Anita paused then said, "Donovan should see her. Someone she trusts."

"All right," said Wilkinson, looking at me and nodding.

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