Page 13 of Ice Princess

“That is all the more reason to keep working.”

“If you don’t take a few hours down I will remove you from the team.”

Hurt flashes across her eyes and he regrets it, but he needs to do what is right for the greater good and he needs her sharp.

“Fine.” She says through gritted teeth and storms out of the lab.

He follows her, he needs to find his own flat surface and turn his mind off for a while.

Chapter 9 ~Raven

Raven comes out of the on call room and goes to the lab. She owes Blade an apology he was right she needed sleep. The few hours that she allowed herself to rest has sharpened her mind, and she feels refreshed and ready to get back to trying to find a way to help her friends.

She walks in and sees Blade hunched over a microscope.

“Hey, didn’t you take your own advice?” She asks softly, standing behind him.

He turns around and smiles at her, “I did, I have only been here a few minutes. Do you feel better?”

“Yes, thank you I appreciate you making me take a rest, I needed it I just didn’t want to admit it.”

His smirk conveys the told you so that he isn’t saying.

The door to the lab pushes open and one of the nurses come in.

“You need to come now it’s Maggie.”

Raven looks into the other woman’s eyes and sees her worry.

“Raven, you might not want to see. This last stage can be a bit ugly.”

Raven shakes her head, “She would be there for me. Is she still going to be violent?”

He shakes his head “No, she should be at least somewhat back to herself, it is the worst part of the disease.”

Raven turns to the nurse, “Back off the Haldol and push as much morphine as is deemed safe, I don’t want her to feel any pain if that is possible.”

“I will get right on its Dr. Ballenger.” The nurse leaves.

“She is going to make it Blade, she is strong.” Raven hates that her voice quivers.

“Just let it out, it’s ok to feel.” He opens his arms and she walks into them. Her sobs wracking her body as his big strong arms come around her. She feels safe and protected, wishing she could hide in his embrace and not have to face this stage of the virus to see her friend in pain and afraid. She straightens and backs up. That is not who she is. Dr. Raven Ballenger doesn’t hide from the hard things she faces them head on. She would reassure Maggie and then she would find a cure. She wasn’t going to let Maggie’s daughter grow up without a mother.

“Let’s go get on our PPE and see her.”

****

“Raven is that you?” Maggie opens her swollen eyelids and looks up at Raven.

Her eyes are bloodshot, bloody tears running down her face.

“Yes, it’s me.” She says softly, gripping her friends’ hand. She had put on three sets of gloves and taped off the wrists of her suit. She would hold Maggie’s hand and she would reassure her friend. She wasn’t going to lose her. They were so close she knew it. There was just that final piece of the puzzle that they needed to crack.

“Thanks for the extra morphine.” She smiles, her lips bleeding and cracking. It is all that Raven can do to shove the feeling down to present that Ice Princess exterior of cool and calm. Maggie doesn’t need her grief along with everything else.

“I talked to Tom, and I saw Lilyann. She was dressed as a princess and so beautiful. Can you please look in on her every once in a while?”

“That won’t be necessary Maggie because you are going to get better, I am going to figure this out and you are going to live.”

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