Page 102 of Resistant

He nods, and I set up the video.

“Whenever you are ready, Nathan.”

He talks about the afternoon when the Reform came to get him. His voice is strong, and I can’t help the tears that roll down my face as he tells his mother how proud he is that she did everything in her power to keep them safe, and how hard she fought in the end.

He tells her that he took her strength with him on every step of his journey here. He tells her about the experiments, identifies the doctors by name, and explains what they have revealed to him over time.

A tear rolls down his cheek while he talks about David. His hand is firmly clutched in mine, and I accidentally let the phone slip from my grip. I’m so distracted by his words, that I’m not paying attention to the camera.

“Fuck.” I mutter.

“I’m sorry, Nathan. Go ahead.”

He gives me a weak watery smile and continues. He tells his mother that she is the rock of the family, and he knows she will stand up for others like them. And that he’s sorry he can’t be with her.

I get completely choked up and I’m not ashamed that I’m openly crying. I feel like this kid is a part of me, even though I’ve never met him before. He takes a deep breath; a long breath and I caress his cheek.

“Nathan, stay with me, buddy.”

“Mama, I like Declan. You should marry him. You have my blessing. I’m going to go and find Daddy,” he whispers.

A serene smile forms on his lips, but he doesn’t open his eyes again.

He squeezes my fingers hard, enough that I feel my bones crushing together and Josh comes around the bed prying his lids open. I hear a long breath leave his body, and I know he is gone.

I lean over the bed, hugging Nathan hard to my chest. As I hold him to me, I hear the monitor flat line and I hold his face to mine. I press my forehead to his and close my eyes.

His mother can’t be here to comfort him in his last moments, so I will do it for her. Josh is silent waiting at the door. I press my lips to his temple and whisper,

“You are so loved by your family, and now by me. Rest in peace.”

My heart lurches in my throat as I stare down at Nathan’s body. I look across the bed for my phone, where I dropped it.

“I got it man,” Josh whispers.

“We have 15 more minutes before rounds. We need to bug out.”

I glance around the room and see a small notebook by the bedside table. I snatch it up and tuck it in my shirt and we sneak back out the way we came.

The ride back to the ranch is silent. Josh drives and ignores the tears tracking through the dirt on my face.

“There was nothing you could do, Doc.”

“I know. How am I going to tell Brynn that her son is dead?”

Josh says nothing and turns back to the road. He reaches for his jacket and hands me my phone.

“I filmed his last moments with you. I thought she would want to see them. If I had a son, I’d want to see.”

I tuck the phone into my pocket. When we get back, the next part of our plan will be put in motion. I’ll be putting my bid in for the local senator’s seat and step into the lion’s den. The next several months will be full of campaigning and travel.

My heart is heavier than it’s been in a long time, and a minuscule flickering flame erupts into a blazing fire deep inside. A desire burns like an inferno in my gut to make things right for Brynn and all the people like her.

Watching Nathan die has made this more real to me than fighting with the Resistance or wasting away in the concentration camp. I’ve become public enemy number one, and my soul is burning for revenge.

Infiltrators

Josh

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