Defiant: Quantic Dreams Book 2 by Elizabeth McLaughlin (best mystery novels of all time .txt) 📕

I was scared for Allison, too. Whatever the nature of her illness, it reflected an uncomfortable truth about my future. Any illusions of immortality had been deeply shattered in my fight to kill Gabriel, but I was comfortable with the idea that I could die from my injuries. I was at least as likely to die from sickness at my age, and that thought filled me with anxiety. No one wants to die, of course, but in my mind it was more noble to die doing some great deed than sick and gasping in an infirmary bed. I pushed the thoughts out of my mind. My focus now was on getting Allison seen for that cough.

When we arrived at the infirmary, I was pleasantly surprised to see Shannon standing with Dr. Rickman as she examined Sophia Caruso’s daughter. Daisy’s worried mother was standing a couple feet away from the examination table, her arms crossed. I could see her rocking on the balls of her feet, restraint warring with the urge to go to her child and comfort her. I knew that feeling.

“Hey, Sophia. Everything all right with Daisy?” I pointed Allison to an examination table opposite Daisy’s and looked for a mask.

“I’ll get that, Jacob.” Shannon left her place at Dr. Rickman’s side and pulled a fresh mask out of a drawer. She handed it to Allison.

“Yeah.” Sophia smiled crookedly, knowing full well that she was suffering from a parent’s tendency to worry too much. “Daisy just spiked a bit of a temperature and I wanted to get her checked out.”

“Probably just the product of an overly exhausted child,” Dr. Rickman called to me as she finished examining Daisy’s throat. She took her gloves off and tossed them in a biohazard bin next to the examination table. “Did you go say goodbye to Athena earlier?”

The little girl giggled. “Atheeeeeena. Athena. Yeah. I said ‘bye to her.”

Dr. Rickman smiled and turned to Sophia. “I think she’ll be just fine, Ms. Caruso. Plenty of rest and plenty of hydration, and she should be right as rain in the next day or so. Nothing to worry about.”

“Oh, thank goodness. Sorry to waste your time, Doctor. You too, Shannon.”

Shannon looked up from her examination of Allison and waved dismissively. “It’s never a waste of time, Sophia. We love to see you and Daisy, and we want both of you to be healthy!” Daisy giggled and hopped off the table.

“Now, Daisy, did you know that the doctors a long time ago used to give good little girls candy when they were done with their visit?” Dr. Rickman said. Daisy’s eyes went wide, and she shook her head. “Now I don’t have any real candy just yet, but I managed to get some brownies printed up earlier today. Would you like to take one for the road, as long as your Mom says it’s okay?” Daisy nodded emphatically and Sophia rolled her eyes but acquiesced. Dr. Rickman disappeared and returned with a brown square the size of her palm. Daisy snatched it the moment the doctor offered it to her and scampered off, chocolate staining her cheeks as she took huge bites of the brownie.

“When she gets a stomach ache later, I’m holding you responsible Phoebe!” Sophia followed her daughter and Dr. Rickman turned her attention to us.

“What’s going on, Allison? Did that sleeping medicine not help?”

“She’s got a cough.” Shannon handed Dr. Rickman a mask and offered me one as well, which I took. “I’ve listened to her chest, and it seems like a dry cough for now, but I’m a little worried about how violent they are.” On queue, Allison erupted in a coughing fit. I stepped back instinctively. I didn’t want to seem rude to Allison, especially after all the valuable work she had done, but I didn’t want to suffer my way through a week of being exhausted and coughing my head off.

“Hm, that’s not the best. I checked Dr. Naylor’s notes from your previous visit and it seems as if you haven’t been feeling your best for a little while now?”

Allison swallowed hard and nodded. “The price of hard work on an old body, Doc. I just figured that I was having trouble adjusting or working too hard. I’ve only been coughing for maybe a day now. I was content to limp back to my quarters and try to sleep through it, but Jacob insists that I come for another examination.”

“And right he should!” Shannon took a thermometer from underneath Allison’s tongue. “You have a fever, ma’am. Nothing so high that I think it’s an emergency, but you seriously, seriously need to rest. At your age this kind of thing can turn serious, and quickly.”

“Forgive my overeager trainee, Allison.” Dr. Rickman said, uncoiling her own stethoscope and motioning for Allison to lift her shirt so she could listen to her lungs. “I’m sure everything is fine, but she has a point.” She waited a couple moments until she was content with what she heard and put the instrument back around her neck. “I’d like to keep you here at least overnight for some observation. Call it an abundance of caution, but Shannon is correct. I would prefer it if we made sure you were okay before we returned you to the general population.”

“I’ll get your tablet, Allison.” I volunteered and left the infirmary. I arrived at Allison’s quarters to find her partner frantic.

“Jacob, have you seen Allison? I came back her to wait for her after she released the second mouse, but I haven’t seen her since.”

“It’s all right, Frank.” I held up a hand and smiled. “She has a nasty cough, so I’m afraid I’m the one responsible for her disappearance. She’s with Shannon and Dr. Rickman right now in the infirmary.”

“Christ, Jacob, you could have given me a heads up! I’ve been here nearly an hour worried that something serious happened to her.”

“I’m sorry, my friend. I wanted to see her get care as quickly