Ballistic: Icarus Series, Book Two (30 page)

“She’s sick,” I said, staring down at the vine-like maze winding its way across the girl’s features.

“Very. She’s been in and out of consciousness and completely unresponsive since Tessa brought her here two days ago.” Collin said scrubbing his broad hand down his stubbled face. “I’ve been a doctor for more than twenty years. I’ve never seen anything like it. Whatever this is, it’s aggressive.”

“She’s going to be fine,” Tessa shot over her shoulder. Her brows were gathered with worry throwing shadows across her scarred face. “I just have to go out a bit farther, next time. Find better medicine.”

“And you will. I know you will,” Collin said placing a hand on Tessa’s shoulder. “I just meant—”

“Take care of the kids, please, Dr. Acer,” Tessa said coldly. She shrugged his hand away.

“Of course,” Collin said. His smile was genuine. He turned to the rest of us and gestured toward the bank of chairs behind where Ballard lay, resting. “Come with me, would you please?”

Something about the way he smiled reminded me of Riley. One look into his blue-gray eyes and I trusted this man immediately. Beneath the thick layers of exhaustion and fear that clouded their misty depths, I saw true kindness and compassion. Collin Acer was one of those rare beings that genuinely cared about other people.

Even to a heathen like myself, the purity of his soul was evident. It shone in his eyes like the sun on a cloudy day, peeking through every break in the cover to remind you it still exists. I wondered what color his eyes would be when this storm finally passed.

“Who’s first?” Collin asked patting an empty seat and sliding the buds of his stethoscope into his ears.

“I’ll go,” Falisha stepped forward and dropped into the chair. Doctor Acer pressed the circular disc to her chest and pressed a finger to his lips. Falisha bit her lip and tapped her feet together awkwardly until he slung the stethoscope back around his neck. “So, Dr. Acer, are you a doctor like Dr. Phil is a doctor, or are you a legit doctor? You know, a doctor-doctor.”

“I’m a doctor-doctor,” he laughed, pressing his fingers gently along her neck beneath her jawline. “Well, technically I’m an ophthalmologist, but I did go through eight years of medical school, plus two more years of specialized training on fine ocular surgical techniques.”

“So, basically you fix rich people’s eyes so they don’t have to wear glasses,” Eli huffed.

“Actually, no.” Dr. Acer smiled patiently. “I had a thriving practice for a few years, but I walked away from that a decade ago. The better part of my career has been spent on research.”

“What kind of research?” I asked, shaking my head at Eli.

“Stem-cell therapy and genetic modifications. Specifically, I’ve been working to isolate and reverse the hereditary components of macular degeneration. Open wide, please?” Collin clicked on a penlight and tapped Falisha’s chin with a smile. She rolled her eyes but obliged. “The theory was that by introducing a working copy of culpable genetic material into the defective organ, we could correct the dysfunction. The end game was to eliminate retinal loss and stimulating growth of new ocular material.”

“Come again?” Ty’s head cocked to the side.

“He was trying to cure blindness,” Eli said, a modicum of respect eking into his voice.

“I was,” Collin said with a hint of sadness. He flashed his light into Falisha’s eyes and jerked the beam quickly to either side. Satisfied, he gently laid his hand on her shoulder and jerked his chin. “Okay, young lady. Aside from some pretty obvious dehydration, you are good to go. Next?”

Eli shifted his pack from his shoulder to his lap and sat down in Falisha’s place. Collin went through the same routine, listening to Eli’s heart and lungs before checking his neck, throat, and eyes. As soon as Eli stood, Christa was in his place.

“Can we just get this over with?” She whined. “I’d really like to go and wash my hair.”

“Of course, sweetheart,” Collin smiled at her.

Ty hovered nearby, his thick arms crossed over his chest, emphasizing the strength he possessed. His protective posturing did not go unnoticed. Collin nodded up at Ty and moved slowly as he checked Christa’s vitals.

“Hey there, Hoss,” Collin said with a grin.

Ty nodded, the chords in his neck stretched tautly. He watched every move the doctor made as he first checked Christa, then Jake. Collin released both Tolers from the examination chair with a clean bill of health. Once they were safe at his side again, Ty finally spoke.

“Hey, thanks, Doc,” Ty sighed, visibly relieved.

“You got it,” Collin clapped him on the shoulder. “I’ve got an important question for you, son. It may very well be the most important question you’ll ever answer.”

“Yes, sir?” Ty swallowed hard.

“Kentucky or Tennessee?” Collin laughed, and his grey-blue eyes lit up the dim vestibule.

“Tennessee, Sir, born and bred,” Ty said, beaming with pride.

Just like that, the two of them launched into a heated discussion about the Vols and the Cats, the teams’ defensive strategies, and whether or not the Tennessee Volunteers had a chance at the championship. Not that anyone had a chance at a championship anymore.

I may have been a runner at heart, but sports in general bored me to tears. My father had been an avid sports fan. He had a team for every season, but he was a Chicago guy through and through. From our Cubs mailbox to the bright orange Bears logo painted on the floor of our garage, my dad lived and breathed all things Windy City.

Tessa stayed by Megan’s side, smoothing and re-smoothing her blankets, and gently combing the girl’s hair away from her face. I recognized the worry in her eyes. It had rested in mine only days ago, as I watched Zander fading away. The thought was enough to make me weak in the knees. I wobbled a bit, bracing myself on the back of a nearby chair.

“Come on, Liv,” Zander said lugging me over and carefully lowering me onto one of the seats. “Dr. Acer, do you mind taking a look at Liv? I think she may have a broken rib.”

“Or seven,” I grunted allowing myself to be tossed about like a puppet.

“Call me Collin, and of course,” he frowned, rushing over. “Sorry about that. I’m a bit of a college football fanatic. I guess I lost my head there for a minute. Let’s have a look, shall we?”

“Okay,” I grunted and leaned back into the stiff seat cushion.

I bit my bottom lip to keep from crying out and pulled the bottom of my tank up just far enough to expose my battered ribs. The look on Collin’s face said it wasn’t pretty. I took them at their word because I didn’t want to see. He rubbed his hands together to warm them, then gently poked and prodded my battered abdomen. After what felt like forever, he sighed and pulled a box out from beneath the seat next to me.

“Well, you definitely broke at least two ribs. Maybe three.” He dug through the box with both hands. “Without a working X-ray, there’s no way to know for sure. The good news is, I don’t see any signs of internal bleeding. In fact, the bruising is not nearly as bad as I would expect to see with a break like that.”

“Guess I was lucky,” I shrugged, then winced. Now that I was finally still, the adrenaline was wearing off, and every single one of my bumps, bruises, and breaks was screaming for attention.

“Ahh,” Collin said holding up a large roll of taupe-colored elastic. “This should do the trick. I am going to wrap those ribs for you. It’s going to hurt while I’m doing it, but I promise it will feel better once I’m done, okay?

“Okay,” I said, allowing Zander to help me to my feet.

“Alright. Now, hold your arms out at your sides, like this.” He made a T with his body and stood as tall as he could with his feet together. I mimicked his position, breathing heavily so I wouldn’t vomit when I felt a piece of my own rib bone shifting beneath my skin. “Okay, now take a deep breath and hold it.”

I did as he asked. It felt as though I was rolling around on a bed of broken glass. I smashed my eyes shut and counted silently in my head, ignoring the pressing and tugging at my waist. Twenty-six, Twenty-seven, twenty-eight. My lungs burned, and still I counted. Thirty-four, thirty-five, thirty-six…

I promised myself that by the time I reached one hundred, it would all be over. I had no way of knowing that, but the shred of hope allowed me to hold firm in my agony. Zander had grabbed my left hand, Riley my right. I didn’t need to open my eyes. I recognized their touch. Seventy-one, seventy-two…

“Almost done, Liv,” Riley whispered. She sounded as if she were in nearly as much pain as I was.

Zander squeezed my hand between his. The duct tape tickled at my skin, distracting me from the count for a moment.
Focus
. If I could just get to…ninety-six, ninety-seven, ninety-eight.

“Okay, breathe,” Collin said.

Air rushed from my lungs and light flickered behind my lids. I braced myself for a wave of pain that didn’t come. I sighed with relief and dropped gingerly back into the chair behind me.

“Thank you, Dr. Acer,” Riley said, taking the words from my mouth as she so often did.

“Call me Collin, please,” he smiled as he sat down. Riley took the chair on my other side. “I never really liked the pretense that accompanies the title, you know? Like having the letters M.D. after my name somehow makes me better than the next person. Nah, that isn’t how it works. Being a doctor is just what I do. It’s not who I
am
. Anyways, let’s finish up so you kids can get some food in your bellies.”

“And coffee,” Riley brightened, her knees bouncing excitedly against mine.

“With cream and sugar, if you like,” Collin laughed softly and donned his stethoscope. The disc made its way slowly around my chest. After a moment, he pressed a finger to his lips and the room fell silent. Concern pulled at his features, and he moved the disc to my back. “Hmm.”

Collin pursed his lips and dropped the earpieces. They clicked together as they clamped behind him, the scope dangling from his neck. He raised his hands slowly then framed my face, his fingertips sliding into the dip beneath my jaw. He applied gentle pressure that began beneath my ears and continued until he reached the juncture of my collarbones. The doctor bit his bottom lip and cocked his head to the side. “Hmm.”

“Everything okay?” Zander sounded worried.

“Open?” Collin clicked on his penlight and stared into my mouth. He shook his head, unsatisfied. “Hmm.”

“Hmm? What does that
hmm
mean, doc?” Ty asked, his gaze bouncing frantically back and forth between me, and the man with the kind eyes.

“Look straight ahead for me, please,” Collin said firmly, his brows knit tightly.

“What is it?” I asked, concern creeping into my own voice.

The bright light flicked towards my face, and I heard a sharp intake of air. The light whisked across my field of vision once more, before it disappeared. Whatever it was that Collin saw there had him scrambling to his feet. “Tessa, come here. You…you have to see this!”

“What is it?” Tessa’s silent vigil wavered, and she met Collin’s gaze with annoyed curiosity.

“Her eyes, Tess,” Collin urged.

“Show me.” Tessa was there in a flash crowding my face from behind the glare of Collin’s penlight. The beam in my face was far too bright to allow me to see their expressions, but Tessa’s sharp intake of air was unmistakable.

She swiped the light from Collin’s hand and rushed over to her granddaughter’s bedside. She peeled back the covers in a breathless frenzy exposing the Hello Kitty nightgown Megan wore. According to Tessa, the girl was almost sixteen years old and a bit of a badass. I cringed on her behalf at the wardrobe that had no-doubt been chosen for her while she was unconscious.

That massive collection of ugly blankets had been hiding much more than white kittens with bright pink bows. Megan’s wrists were bound together using thick, leather cuffs. The shackles were joined by a short length of chain and attached by a metal carabiner to a wide leather strap that pressed her chest down onto the cot. The end of the chest strap was wrapped repeatedly around the metal frame beneath the industrial seating. The trapping knots they had used were familiar and, in my experience, not easily undone. This girl wasn’t just a patient. She was a prisoner.

Tessa reached up to her granddaughter’s face but froze before making contact. She was afraid, but why? She closed her eyes and took a deep, shaky breath, her hands trembling as she gently lifted Megan’s eyelid with her thumb. The girl’s eyes were bloodshot but otherwise looked completely normal. Until Tessa clicked on that penlight, that is. The moment the light flashed, it was as if the girl’s eyes returned fire.

“What the hell was that?” I surged forward, my arms wrapped protectively around my belly as I kneeled next to Tessa. The rest of my group followed closely behind, hovering over us. “Do it again.”

She nodded and flicked the narrow beam across Megan’s face. Her bright green eyes flared to life, refracting the light back at us like a twisted shard from a broken mirror. Tessa lowered the beam slowly, and the glare in Megan’s eyes softened, but the iridescent silver-green ring around her iris remained. The wiry black tendrils on her cheek undulated with every ragged breath the girl took. They crept ever closer to her eye.

“It’s the same,” Tessa wheeled on me, her eyes alight with hope. “You have the same silver ring, Liv. Were you sick? You were, weren’t you? But…but you got better.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but it was only a reflex. I had no idea what I was going to say to her. It hardly mattered, though, because she didn’t give me a chance to respond. She shot to her feet and raced toward the others. She hastily shoved and tugged until Riley and the others stood in a line.

“Check them, Collin,” Tess demanded shoving the penlight back into the doctor’s hand. “Check them all.”

“Breathe, Tess,” Collin said, patting her shoulder.

“I can’t, Collin,” she gasped, her shaky hands resting on her throat. “Look at them. They are all healthy. If any of them have it, that means she doesn’t have to d—Megs can survive this.”

“Okay, Tess,” Collin said softly, calming Tessa’s trembling hands. He slowly walked toward the queue of wide eyes.