Page 61 of Doctor Wolf's Human Nurse

Pausing the podcast, Abby shook her fork at him. “Yes. Sometimes I argue with myself. It’s awful when I lose or when I don’t listen and have to repeat myself.”

“You’re a goof,” Sawyer said, brushing a kiss across her lips. “One of the many great things about you.”

“Thank you. You have a couple endearing qualities, yourself.”

Sawyer poured a cup of coffee and grinned. “Like what?”

“I can’t remember right now. Why don’t you grab some plates out of the cupboard there and set the table? The silverware is in that drawer,” she said, pointing. “Glasses for the orange juice are in that cabinet.” She paused and added, “Don’t worry, everything has been through the dishwasher at least twice so there’s no poison on them.”

“I still feel bad about that.”

“Why, did you do it?”

“No, but I’m the one who put you in her crosshairs.”

Abby shook her head. “No, sir. She did. She chose to do what she did overseas, and she chose to break in here to poison me, and she chose to try to kill a quarter of the population in this country.”

“I can’t argue with that.”

Grinning, Abby patted him on the back. “I know. You should get used to it. I’m usually right in an argument.”

“Arrogant, aren’t we?” he teased.

She put the plate of eggs, bacon, and toast on the table in front of him. “Nope. Confident.

“What are you planning on doing today?” she asked.

“We’re going to go on the mountain to see if we can’t find the other rogue shifters who were responsible for kidnapping the younglings and spraying the mist on people. I just hope we get them all. Dahlia and Rick gave us a couple of names, but I’m not sure that they told us about all of the shifters involved.”

“Good luck. I hope you get them.”

She sat down at the table and chewed a bite of egg thoughtfully. “I know that there is a lot of experimentation done with vaccines, treatments, and cures, and that there are laws put in place that protect people, especially vulnerable people, from being used as guinea pigs. While Rick and Dahlia were clearly on the wrong side of ethics and the law, I wonder if sometimes, reputable institutions skate on a thin line.”

“I’ve thought about that, too. I’m sure it does happen, but they have to be extremely careful. If the public found out about it, the company could be ruined. If the government discovers any type of unethical or unlawful activities, the company could be fined, the people in charge could face prison time, and the company dissolved.”

“Perhaps the scientists cut corners that others don’t know about and cover it up.”

“I’m sure it does happen. The best that we can do is hope that most people are ethical and truly care about others and do want to make a difference.”

Sawyer finished breakfast and put his dishes in the dishwasher. He kissed Abby on the cheek. “I’ll see you later.”

“Stay safe out there.”

“Absolutely. I’ve got Sean, Sebastian, and others to watch my back.”

Abby cleaned up and then drove to Conner’s place. Beth was expecting her.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Beth asked.

“Yes, I’m sure.”

There was one dose of the potion left that healed the shifters. Abby had asked if it would be able to turn a human into a shifter. Beth, Savvy, and Taryn thought that it could, but Beth said they couldn’t guarantee anything. Abby said she wanted to try.

Beth advised her to think it over for a few days and if she still wanted to try, then they would let her take the last dose.

Beth took Abby upstairs to the guest bedroom and handed her the bottle.

Taking a deep breath, Abby held it up in a salute, and then drank the contents. The liquid felt like fire as it ran down her throat into her stomach. After a minute, Abby thought her entire body had caught fire from the inside out. Her stomach cramped, and her heart felt as though an icy hand wrapped around it and squeezed.

---