Chapter 17

Patience Tested

I refused to leave them, even to sleep. It wasn't like I needed to rest much anymore anyway. I spent all of the time sitting with Elle, holding her hand, mostly because she asked me to before passing out the first time, but also because I needed to be connected to them all somehow.

There were scary moments in the first few hours. Tosh panicked so much during the experiment itself he managed to tear free of his restraints and ended up throwing himself against the glass while the team tried to open the door and get to him before he could hurt himself. I winced at the smear of blood on the inside of the window as three soldiers manhandled him onto a gurney. Dad was forced to use restraints until Tosh calmed down.

Simone took a rapid turn for the worse and had to be put on a ventilator. Abigail spent two hours with a percussion massager and the girl draped over a chair trying to loosen up the gunk choking her to death.

Elle seemed paler, too, weaker. I remembered being overwhelmed at first, but having a moment of strength and wondered why they were different.

Abigail did her best to comfort me when I fretted.

"You have to be patient," she said as she took a brief break from Simone, brushing her red hair back from her face with a weary smile. "They will all have their own journey. Don't try to compare it to yours."

I sat in the near-silent room for most of the day, watching them all sleep. When Elle woke, it was only to ask for water, which I supplied. Just before her eyes drifted shut again, she smiled at me.

"Thanks for staying."

Nothing could tear me away from them after that.

I worried they slept so much. I hadn't needed nearly as much rest. In fact, the opposite. A couple of hours and I was better than ever. But after the tenth time mentioning it to everyone I could, I was firmly ignored.

Abigail dragged a cot in herself and curled up for a couple of hours, waking at frequent intervals to check on each of the kids one by one before catching an hour here or there. How she slept with all the techs updating their data I couldn't figure out. I scowled at one guy after he bumped the end of Elle's bed. He scrambled for safety. I noticed the rest of the techs were more respectful after that.

I left only to eat, counting the passage of time with food. My appetite was as massive as ever and showed no sign of slowing down. Six huge meals later, I checked the clock in the lab as I returned through on my way back to the infirmary. It had been a full twenty-four hours. The anticipation was killing me.

I walked in and almost collided with my father and General Mill. Abigail stood with them and I kicked myself for not keeping my hearing tuned into the room since I'd figured out how to block and focus. There was a definite disappointment vibe going around.

"What's up?"

"Nothing," the general grunted around his cigar. "That's the problem."

He left without another word. I glared after him before turning back to my father and Abigail.

"It didn't work," I said. I didn't want to say it out loud, but blurted it anyway.

"No change," Dad said. His face fell very still, showing every line of his exhaustion.

Abigail turned to me and squeezed my hand. "So far."

My father and I shook our heads together.

"A day," I said. "It only took a day. Are they awake?"

She nodded, miserable. "Finally."

"Any tingling?" I tried to cling to a little bit of hope. I hadn't known what was happening to me. It could be it was less obvious in them.

"Nothing," Dad said. "No headaches, no body aches. No change."

"Do they know?"

Dad shook his head. "I haven't told them yet."

"I want to do it," I said.

Both he and Abigail started to protest, but I waved them off.

"They should hear it from me."

Dad shrugged and left the room while I squared myself for the task at hand. Before I could move forward, Abigail stopped me.

"I want you to be okay with this," she said. "You knew it was a long shot."

"I know," I said. "It's why I need to tell them myself."

Abigail trailed along beside me, features schooled to calm. I was glad she was so good at it.

Way better than me.

Before I even got to Elle, I knew she saw right through Abigail. Her smile was wry, lips twisted, but her spirit hadn't dimmed.

"No luck, huh?" I could see her physically fighting to keep it light.

I shoved my hands in the back pockets of my jeans and faced her.

"It didn't work, Elle." I wanted so much to say otherwise.

"I guessed as much," she said. "We would have felt something by now, wouldn't we? Well, that's that, then." Her façade crumbled as Elle broke into tears.

I refused to look away while Abigail moved forward to comfort her. I needed to see it, to get it. I was alone after all, no matter how much I wanted it to be different.

Freak? Check.

"Crying won't do you any good," Billy rasped from the next bed. "We all knew this was a total crock right from the beginning."

I spun on him, furious. "It was worth trying," I said, knowing I believed it. Elle convinced me.

"Who gives a crap what you think, super freak?" Billy turned his head away from me so I couldn't see his face. He started wheezing as his heart rate rose in anger. "You got the prize and the rest of us are going to die. I'm sick of looking at you."

I was angry, but not at him. At my father, Mill, the whole experiment. That I'd allowed what happened to me get their hopes up only to have their one chance at survival ripped away. And here I was, flaunting what they could never have. The last thing any of them needed at the moment was to have me hovering around like a giant billboard of their personal failure.

I turned to go. When I did, I met Tosh's eyes.

He stared directly at me.

"I know you," he said. "Wyatt. Your name is Wyatt."

I froze, not wanting to ruin the moment. Could it be? Was there one at least?

"Hi, Tosh," I said, staying with casual. "Nice of you to join us."

He grinned, lopsided, small body uncoiling from his hunch, fingers releasing the sheet. He looked around at the others then back at me.

"I feel funny," he said.

I laughed. "Yeah," I said. "I just bet you do."

"Hey!" A voice said from behind me. I spun around to see Andre, deaf-mute Andre, waving. "Me too! I feel weird." He stopped waving and held his head in both hands. "It's so loud."

I could only imagine his confusion. But how did he know how to talk? If it was me, I'd be curled up in the fetal position, overwhelmed by the newness of it. And yet, somehow, Andre was functioning.

I looked around me, expectant.

"Anyone else?" Joy rose, a huge hope, but I didn't want to jinx it. Abigail, meanwhile, ran for the door and poked her head out. I heard her hiss, "Dr. Simons, quick!" to whoever was outside before returning.

It didn't take long for an answer. Philip let out a laugh. He stared at his upraised hands and when his eyes settled on mine, I knew he could see.

***