Chapter 4

Emma's POV:

I sat in my car out in the parking lot. I looked at the building I was supposed to go into, and I couldn't get myself to go inside. I was frozen in my seat; I felt paralyzed. How does someone face this... How does someone constantly look at a child slowly slip away until they no longer exist? They are no longer breathing—their heartbeat stops; forever. I didn't want to see any of them die, especially the little girl. Every time I look at her, I think about my kids how it could be them. A knock on my window caused me to jump.

"What the hell, Lance!" I scolded him as I rolled down my window. He let out a laugh.

"Just thought I'd bring you out of your thoughts. I know they aren't in a good place." He sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Mine aren't in the best of places either. We need to pull it together, though, at least while we are here. We have to put all of them first. If we keep drifting off or avoiding this, then we'll never find a way to save people." I looked down at my steering wheel, taking in a deep breath.

"Alright. Let's do this." I rolled up my window and got out of my car. Lance gave me this look; I couldn't quite place what it was. Maybe concern? It was laced with other emotions, though.

"We'll do this together." He said, giving me some reassurance. At least I wasn't alone in this. I know Mila can be there for me, but it's different. She doesn't see all of this on a daily basis.

I followed behind Lance, neither one of us talking. Both of us are lost in our thoughts. Trying to build up the strength and energy to put on this persona, this facade, that we were fine. It was the same routine walking in and riding the elevator down to the lower levels. Stepping off that elevator was the hardest thing I had to do so far today. I almost had to pick up my leg and move it forward. My body was stuck between flight or freeze, and of course, it chose the latter for the second time today.

Looking around, the place looked chaotic and was packed. No one was walking leisurely, only speed walking and almost full out sprints. Lance and I both looked at each other, not only confused but concerned.

"Excuse me. Where is the doctor?" The guy stopped, and you could see the sweat dripping from his forehead from running all over the place. He looked conflicted by standing there.

"Check over by the quarantine area." He rushed out his answer and sped off to his destination.

Lance and I made our way back to where people were being quarantined, and what I saw, I almost couldn't believe it. The wall that used to be there was now knocked down, and it now opened up to a large space filled with beds. Almost all the beds were full. I did a quick scan, and I soon found the little girl I saw yesterday. She looked worse today, and I could see the infection has crawled further up her arm. I was trying to get the attention of people around me to find out where Dr. Hein is. Finally, I had enough, and frustration got the best of me. I opened up my abilities.

"Can someone please tell me where in the hell is Dr. Hein!" I shouted above the bustling hoard of people and used my abilities to fluctuate everyone's emotions enough to stop and focus on me. Everyone stopped in their tracks and looked at me. I soon shut my abilities off right after that, not wanting to feel everyone's emotions or hearing anyone's solemn thoughts.

"I'm right here." I snap my head in the direction of her voice. I saw her in the one place I never thought I would behind the bubble.

"What the hell happened?" She hugged her arms around herself, and that's when I saw it—the infection on her wrist.

"I honestly don't know. The symptoms only started today, and I Immediately checked myself in. I took as many precautions as I could think of." I saw the look in her eyes—the fear.

"I'm scared." Her soft voice cracked with emotions. I saw some tears fall down her face. She put her back to the bubble wall and slid down. I squatted down to her eye level.

"I'm so sorry, Melissa. I wish I knew what to say or do to make this better or all go away. But, just know I am still going to do everything I can to help save you all." She sniffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve before glancing over her shoulder at me.

"I know I'm not going to make it to that day." The tear tracks on her face were still fresh, but you could tell she was stopping herself from crying more.

"You never know we could find something today or tomorrow," I said, sounding as hopeful as I could.

"I appreciate you, Emma, I do, but we are nowhere close. I'm going to try and help out as much as I can from this side up until I pass." She stood back up, and I followed her movement. She looked me in the eye with little emotions present. "Find a replacement for me." She didn't give me any time to fully process what she just said as she turned on her heel and put more and more distance in between us.

"Lance..." Concerned laced completely throughout my voice.

"I know, Em. Come on, let's go research doctors that can fill the position." I stood there and again couldn't move. I had locked eyes with the little girl. After some fleeting moments, she gave me a small smile before going back to looking down at what I think is a book. I gave a small smile back even though I knew she didn't see it. I felt myself being drug in the opposite direction by Lance towards the elevator. I stumbled at first but quickly found my footing. I hope we find someone and fast.

Mila's POV:

I felt a wave of frustration hit me hard while I was driving to my studio. It was from Emma. I almost drove my car to her work to ensure she was okay, but I thought better of it. She'll talk to me about it later. At least, I hope she talks to me about it later. No matter what, I wanted to be there for her, but I can't make her open up and talk. You can bring a horse to water, but you can't make them drink it.

Her frustration lingered within my emotions, causing me to have a little more road rage than I normally do. I feel so embarrassed. I cussed out an old lady and honked at her twice... Then again, she was in the fast lane going 15 under the speed limit. When I was finally able to pass her, I side-eyed her. I was a little shocked because I could have sworn I saw her flipping me off in my peripheral vision.

As I walked in, I saw my receptionist Lori. She was the only staff member I had. My studio had most of its purchases online, but Lori rang people up if they decided to purchase in-store. I really need to get an assistant and a few other employees to deal with specific individual tasks. Lori may not say anything, but I know she's exhausted.

"Hey, Lori. How are you doing today?" She briefly looked up and smiled at me. Then, she put her finger up, signaling for me to wait for a second, so I stopped in front of her desk.

"Yes, those are the final revisions. Well, can you do it or not? If you can't, we'll gladly find another contracting company." Damn. I haven't ever heard her this sassy.

"Sounds great to me. We will have plenty of inspectors watching your progress. Don't use the cheap shit and half-ass this job, or we will sue. You are being sent over the contract to sign. One more thing, don't ever speak to me like that again. Have a good day." She hung up the phone with force and sighed out. She put her head in her hands, rubbing her temples. This went on for a few seconds, so I decided to clear my throat. She popped up immediately.

"Sorry. I forgot you were there for a second." I hummed.

"Am I going to be getting a call later from that contractor?" She rolled her eyes.

"Maybe? Listen, how I handled that was justified. Him and his stupid toxic masculinity, trying to talk to me like I'm some dumbass. I can't sit back and take that. I had to put him in his place." I quirked my eyebrow up at this. Well, there's a first time for everything. I've never heard her talk to anyone like that.

"Okay. I'll handle it if he tries to complain. I've never seen you like this before, so I can tell it was justified." She looked at me like I grew two heads.

"Really? I'm not going to be reprimanded?" I nodded my head.

"You're not going to be reprimanded." She smiled and thanked me. Unfortunately, our conversation didn't continue as she had a call to pick up, and I had to head upstairs and prepare for my first appointment of the day.

It was a baby photoshoot. I'm so excited about it too! Photoshoots of babies are my favorite to do. Right after that would definitely be the photoshoots of people's pets. Perfect timing. Just when I got everything set up and ready, I looked up and saw a woman carrying a car seat. I quickly went over to help her with the diaper bag, taking some of the weight off of her. Even as a vampire, I still remember how difficult it was carrying the baby and everything else by yourself. She looked relieved once I took it off her shoulder.

"Do you, by chance, have a changing table? Ben, here, needs his diaper changed." I smiled and nodded my head.

"Of course. Right over there in the family bathroom, it has one." Before grabbing her child out of the car seat and diaper bag, she thanked me and scurried off towards the bathroom. The little glimpse I got of Ben, he looks absolutely adorable.

Soon she had walked out of the bathroom and went back over to the side to drop off the diaper bag. So far, Ben hasn't been fussy at all, which is always better for the photoshoot. Like I said before about how I'm patient with my children when they throw tantrums, I extend the same courtesy to others. I get it completely. I do everything in my power to reassure them that there's no reason to be embarrassed.

"I can't believe you have a diaper genie in there." She looked at me, shocked.

"I have two kids of my own. I brought the one from my house to hear. I know how much they come in handy." She looked at me, impressed.

"You have two? How old are they?" I smiled. I loved talking about my kids. I could talk about them for hours. Days.

"Yes. I had fraternal twins." I grabbed a recent picture of my family that I had set up on my desk and showed it to her. "This is my son Aleksey, and this is my daughter Alyx. They're 4." She smiled down at the picture.

"They are absolutely adorable. You have a beautiful family." She held up Ben to where he was facing me now, and he was adorable. He had a head full of dark brown hair that curled a little bit; I could tell he got that from his mom. He was fast asleep, so I haven't got to see his eyes just yet. "Well, this is Ben. He's 4 months old now. He's growing up too fast already. I can't imagine how I'll react when he's four. I might just have a mental breakdown." She chuckled a bit, and I laughed too.

"It's definitely an adjustment. They started kindergarten this year, and I was a crying mess the whole ride here. Well, shall we get started?" She nodded and awaited instructions on what to do next.

The photoshoot went really well. I even got a couple of pictures of Ben with his eyes open. They were a beautiful pale shade of green. They definitely stood out in contrast to his dark, curly hair. I told her I'd have them back to her within the week. She was shocked the turnaround was going to be that quick. It's also easier and faster when it comes to photoshoots of babies. A little after her departure, I indeed got a call from a disgruntled construction worker. I told him that he should respect others and, in return, he'll receive the same respect. You reap what you sow. He wasn't pleased about what I said, but I didn't really care. I'm paying the company a lot of money, he needs to be on his best behavior, or I will go above his head. The little threat of me saying I could get him fired in a heartbeat turned his whole attitude around.

After the phone call, I made my way downstairs and met Lori in the break room for lunch. I told her about the call and what I said. We both had a great laugh at how he reacted. Lori was very young. She's currently only 18 but will be turning 19 in October. I know, I know, I call her very young, and she's only five years younger than me, but those 5 years is a lot.

Her story is an unfortunate one. Kicked out when she was 16 by her junkie parents. She had an old car that she lived in until it got towed away after she was fined for living in it. I found her when she was 17. I heard her screaming out for help from an alley. I rushed to her aid and saved her from who she later said was her pimp. I immediately brought her back home with me. In fact, she lived in my guest bedroom for a year and gave her a job at my studio. She always insisted on paying rent, so I let her, but I put all the money back so that she would have some more money saved up whenever she was ready to move out on her own. She moved out by late December after her 18th birthday. Before she left, I presented her with all the money she had ever paid me. I think it was close to $6,000, to say the least, she cried. We've stuck by each other's side.

"Lori?" She looked up at me as she took a bite of her sandwich.

"Once the new studio is opened, I'm going to be making some changes." She gulped down her bite of food and looked at me anxiously.

"I'm going to be hiring some more help, so you aren't as swamped. I'm also promoting you." She looked at me with wide eyes.

"To what?" I smiled and took a sip of my tea.

"I'm thinking of making some sort of vice president role for you." If she had anything in her mouth at that moment, I'm pretty sure it would have been spat out. "Of course, it will come with a whole new set of responsibilities. You'll be my second in command. It might be longer hours too, from time to time. I will say that you'll have a vast pay increase, though." I waited for her to say something. I was just sipping on my tea while looking at her shocked expression frozen in place. Then all at once, I saw a couple of tears spring from her grey eyes. She shot up and engulfed me in a bear hug.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." She pulled back tears of joy, still making their way down her cheeks. "I'm so grateful for you and forever in your debt." I got up and gave her a small hug.

"You don't owe me anything. I'm just as grateful for you." I heard her sniffle a little bit as she squeezed me a little bit tighter.

Once we broke from that hug, we packed up and got back to work. I did a few more photoshoots, and soon, it was time to head out. The kids would be getting out soon, and I want to be there early just in case they got out earlier again. I locked up and walked to the parking lot with Lori. We exchanged goodbyes before we headed off to our different destinations.

The drive there was quick. Surprisingly there wasn't as much traffic as there usually was at this time. I pulled into the looping road just outside of the front doors and waited for them. I was 15 minutes early. About 10 minutes later, everyone started filing out of the doors. I waited outside, looking over the crowd, but I didn't seem anywhere. I would be lying if I said I wasn't panicking a little bit... A lot a bit... I saw a teacher walk out, and she found my eyes immediately. She beelined her way through the crowd towards me. I was immediately flooded with anxious thoughts, all swirling around the worst possible scenarios.

"Hi there. You're Aleksey's and Alyx's mom, right?" She asks with a smile. The smile alleviated some of my fears because why would someone smile at a parent if something bad happened to their child unless she's a psychopath and caused it.

"Yes. Where are they?" I answered, being completely short with my answer. I didn't have patience for small talk. I needed to see my kids and make sure they're okay.

"They're fine if that's what you're worried about. I just wanted to talk to all three of you together. Follow me." I followed closely behind her. Not that I think this woman is a liar, but I'll believe my kids are safe and sound as soon as I see them for myself. As soon as we entered the classroom and I saw the twins, I went straight towards them. I immediately gave both of them a hug. I pulled back then immediately felt horrible.

"I'm so sorry, Aleksey." He waved me off.

"It's fine, momma. I know you were worried." I had to keep my eyes from bulging out because of his lax reaction.

"You all can take a seat. I just wanted to discuss their progress in this class." We all made our way to some chairs to sit down. They were very low to the ground, and this made me feel like a giant. I almost giggled, almost, but I held it together and remained serious.

"Is everything alright?" She smiled and grabbed a couple of papers, and passed them to me. I looked down, and they were scores from some test they had taken. I looked back up to her confusion, surely written all over my face.

"It's a test that measures their knowledge, is the simplest way I can explain it. It helps us decide on how to teach the kids based on their strengths and weaknesses. We try to make a teaching plan unique to each child." Wow, I wish we would have had that when I was growing up. Teachers never really cared this much. "This is the first time I've ever seen any student get a perfect score. Based on their scores, that places them well above the grade they are in now." I could feel my mouth drop. I looked from side to side at each of my kids. I knew they were smart, but shit, they are practically geniuses. "What I wanted to suggest to you is that they should be bumped up to at least second grade. You don't have to make a decision right now. Take all the time you need. But definitely consider it." I looked at her speechless. Some seconds of silence passed by till I felt myself being elbowed from both sides. I looked at the twins and soon found my bearings.

"I have to talk to my spouse about this and see how the twins feel about it. We will definitely consider your suggestion, though. Thank you for bringing this to my attention." I got up, and she soon followed. I met her hand with mine for a shake.

"Sounds good to me, Mrs. Ambrogio." We said some goodbyes and made our way out to the car.

Once we were all buckled up, I looked at the clock and realized we had been in there for almost an hour. How did an hour go by that quickly? We will definitely have a lot to talk about as a family. We're going to have to have a family meeting. I pressed the button on my steering wheel that activated Siri on my phone.

"Text Emma and say, There's going to be a family meeting tonight right after dinner. We'll discuss what's going on at your work, and then I have to tell you about the meeting I had with their teacher." Siri repeated the message back to me, asked if I wanted to send it, and told her to send it. Hopefully, the kids take the news about the virus well, and I can't wait to see Emma's reaction to what the teacher told me.