Page 110 of Shadow Blind

Aiden isn’t dead. He’s just sleeping.

She constantly reminded herself of that. Particularly, after waking from one of the short, uncomfortable naps in this chair. Sometimes, to convince herself she hadn’t lost him, too, she’d rest her hand on his chest, so she could feel each inhale and exhale as they lifted her palm. His heat against her skin eased the fear, brought her back from those terrible memories of her vigil beside Donnie’s bed as he lay dying.

After a slow stretch, Demi settled back in her chair. Through the wall surrounding Aiden’s room came the murmur of voices. Samuel’s fiancée was holding her own vigil next door.

While there had been multiple injuries during the mission to apprehend the criminal responsible for the nanobot testing on Aiden and his teammates, only two had been serious. One had resulted in death and the other in catastrophic injuries. It felt cruel that the same family who had suffered the death of one member were now facing the potential death of another.

Daniel, Samuel’s nephew, had been killed during the mission, and Samuel himself, Livvy’s fiancé, had been caught in some kind of blast. He’d lost an arm, a leg, an eye, and suffered a subdural hematoma.

Cosky suddenly stepped into the open doorway. His gaze swept the room and landed on her face. “Where’s Kait?”

“Next door, keeping Olivia company.”

“She’s about to get some sleep.” Whether or not she likes it, Cosky’s determined face added. His gaze lifted, touching on Aiden. “If you need her, call my cell.”

He disappeared from the doorway. Seconds later, arguing came from next door. One hard, gritty voice and a vehement, sharp one. A muffled squeal pierced the retractable wall separating the two rooms. By the time she’d reached the door, Cosky was halfway down the hall, Kait’s ass and legs hanging over his shoulders.

Wow. Kait’s hubby really wasn’t accepting no this time. Good for him. Was he planning on walking all the way to the base apartment they were using? He’d have to. If he dumped her into a utility vehicle, she’d just jump off and haul ass back to Aiden’s bedside.

“Do you think he’s gonna tie her to the bed?”

She turned toward the amused voice. Olivia was standing in front of Samuel’s room, watching Cosky haul Kait away.

Demi huffed out a laugh. “Probably. She’s not gonna stay put otherwise.”

Olivia laughed, an honest-to-God belly laugh. The wink she sent Demi was full of innuendo. “A pity. Bondage is so sexy when it’s not about sleep.”

Demi smiled back, although she suspected her expression carried surprise as well as humor.

What an amazing woman. Livvy could still laugh, even with Daniel dead and her man lying comatose behind her. How did she maintain such a positive attitude under the circumstances?

Demi took a tentative step in Livvy’s direction. “How’s Samuel?”

“He’s still in a coma. Which is the best thing for him. He’s putting all his energy into healing. No pain or worry to distract him.” Her smile was genuine. So was her optimism. “He’ll wake up when he’s ready.”

Lord, Olivia had turned a coma into a good thing, something to celebrate, not something to be feared. The woman was quite remarkable.

“I’m so sorry about Daniel,” Demi offered. “I can’t even imagine what his mother is going through. Does she live in The Neighborhood?”

Olivia’s smile dimmed. Grief darkened her eyes and shadowed her face. “No, Muriel lives on the Brenahiilo—the Kalikoia Pinch Point reservation. She arrived yesterday and spent the night beside Samuel’s bed. Today, she’s with Wolf and Benioko making…arrangements.”

She must have meant funeral arrangements, or whatever the equivalent was in the Kalikoia culture.

“How’s Aiden? Kait said he’s doing better?” Olivia asked.

“Yes. His condition’s improved.” Demi tried to manufacture the same optimism Livvy had exhibited earlier. She just wished her positivity was genuine. “His fever’s gone. His heart rate and pulse have stabilized. He’s even breathing easier.”

Livvy smiled. “That’s wonderful.” She glanced over her shoulder into the room behind her. When she turned back to Demi, her smile was back. This time it looked tired, but sincere. “That must be such a relief for you.”

“It is. Although it would be even more of a relief if the doctors knew why he got so sick,” Demi admitted tightly.

Her chest tightened as worry assailed her again. How were they going to combat the illness if they didn’t know what it was? Treating the symptoms wasn’t a long-term strategy. Sure, the medication was keeping Aiden stable…for now. But many medicines lost their effectiveness after a while. Viruses and bacteria were always adapting, mutating, throwing off the shackles trying to keep them in check.

What if the nanobots did the same thing?

Livvy grabbed Demi’s fingers and gave them a squeeze. “He’s in the best possible hands. Between Kait and the rest of the base healers, along with the doctors on staff, he’s got top-notch care.”

“I know.” Demi’s throat tightened. She just hoped that was enough.

---