赤裸裸的滑稽故事

It was the middle of the day when she arrived. While she had been on a call with Ashleigh, Bell had received the news about Myka. As soon as she could get Ren set up with Corrine, she hurried down to the hospital in southern Winter.

Opening the door to the lab, she caught the end of an ongoing conversation.

“I just don’t understand,� Peter sighed, rubbing his temples. “Every sample I take, they’re just sitting there. They aren’t attacking or growing, just sitting. But his body is getting weaker. His fever keeps spiking.�

“I can’t put my finger on it,� Alice whispered, “but there is something familiar about this....�

Looking at a slide of Myka’s blood, she could see what Peter meant. The infection was apparent, but it was holding. As she stared at it, she felt a strange déjà vu, as though she had seen something similar very recently, but her mind was not providing her with the answer.

“Maybe it was in the Spring research,� Peter suggested, “maybe something you saw and thought wasn’t important?�

Alice pulled away from the microscope and rubbed her eyes.

“Maybe...� she said, “but I don’t think so.�

“I’d still like to look through it myself. Maybe I will see something you missed,� Peter said.

Alice nodded; her eyes closed as they felt strained from staring into the microscope for too long. When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see someone at the door. Then she smiled.

“Maybe I can help,� Bell’s soft voice came from behind Peter.

Peter jumped up from his stool and turned around. He gasped and let out a small laugh when he saw her, immediately moving to hug her.

“Bell!� he cried out as he wrapped his arms tightly around her. “What are you doing here?�

“I saw a report about an attack outside the border. It said Axel took a team to search the area and ensure there weren’t more of them. It also said that Myka was the one that had been attacked,� Bell said softly. “I wanted to make sure you were all right and see if I might be able to help.�

Peter nodded and smiled.

“Thank you,� he said. “I really appreciate it.�

“So... why are we here instead of with Myka?� she asked.

Peter’s gaze fell.

“Myka made it out of surgery without complications,� Alice replied. “But, there is some kind of infection that is unlike anything we know how to treat. The antibiotics seem to have helped slow it down, but nothing is getting rid of it so far.�

“What about his own healing?� Bell asked.

“No effect on the infection,� Alice replied. “His surgical site is already healing, and the bruises from the fight are all but gone. But the infection is running wild.�

Bell chewed her lower lip as she thought about what Alice was saying.

“What if we boost the healing?� she suggested.

Peter looked up. He didn’t know exactly what the deal was with her blood, but recently she had shared with him the truth about her childhood and how she was able to save Ashleigh from the wolfsbane.

He swallowed. He had thought of her already and wondered if her blood might be precisely what Myka needed. But after all that she had been through, how could he be just another person seeking her blood?

Alice glanced between them. She understood what Peter was thinking. After all, she had the same thought. But, just like him, she could not bring herself to suggest even asking Bell for help.

Bell laughed.

“I’m not that fragile,� she said gently, looking between the two.

Both wore expressions that gave away the guilt they carried about using her blood.

“I’m offering,� she said. “But even if I hadn’t, asking me isn’t a crime. It’s not the same as what happened to me in Autumn. So don’t think of me that way. As someone you need to coddle.�

Alice grinned. She liked this woman. Roman had spent a year trying to break her and haunted her nightmares ever since. Still, she was a fighter and devoted to those she cared about. Alice understood why Axel cared so much for Bell.

“You don’t have to do this....� Peter said quietly. “We don’t even know if giving him your blood would help.�

Bell smiled. All these people around her, each and every one of them, were always so determined to protect her. How could she sit back and do nothing when she might be able to solve the issue with a little of her blood?

“Well, we know it won’t hurt,� she smiled with a wink. “Might as well give it a try.�

***

Ashleigh laid her clothing out on the bed. She would need to plan for several days. She had no idea how long it would take them to accomplish their mission.

She looked across the bed, Caleb had pulled out his pack, but he had not even begun to get ready when there was an alert at his computer.

That was almost twenty minutes ago, and he was still at the computer.

“Is everything all right?� she called to him.

He didn’t respond.

Ashleigh set down the shirt in her hand and walked toward the security system set up in the treehouse. Caleb sat with his back to her. He had three different windows open on his screen.

“Caleb?� she called out again. “I asked if everything was all right?�

“There was an attack...� he whispered.

“What?� she asked with surprise. “Where? Was it fae? Rogues? Autumn?�

“It was just south of Winter territory,� he said. “One of the nomads was badly injured. But, so far as they can tell, it was just one attacker, and the nomad killed it.�

“Is it someone you know?� she asked, noting the concern in his voice.

“Yes, though not well,� Caleb replied. “His name is Myka. He is Alice's friend, the one who helped her arrange the meeting with the nomads.�

“I hope he’ll be all right,� Ashleigh said, turning back toward the bed.

“Ashleigh...� Caleb called quietly.

“Yea?�

“He needed surgery,� he said. “And because Axel and Galen connected many of our systems in Winter, his blood was scanned into our database.�

“Okay....� Ashleigh replied.

“Do you remember when Clara found mine and my father’s blood profiles?� he asked.

​ Ashleigh nodded.

“I asked Nessa to set up a back-channel alarm, one that would let me know if there were any others with blood like ours,� he continued. “Or like Bell’s.�

Ashleigh’s heart began to beat louder in her chest.

He stood from his chair and looked back at Ashleigh carefully.

“Ash, Myka has the same kind of markers in his blood as Bell does.�