Page 81 of Airborne
“Tuesday at the earliest. How do you plan to avoid the email confirmation?”
Chad’s thoughts had ventured there. “It’s the perfect time to catch whoever’s behind this.”
“When we met, you didn’t come across as a risk taker.”
“Depends on the stakes. A lot’s happened since you and Agent Tobias picked me up.”
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
HEATHER’S DOCTORS INSISTEDshe stay two additional nights in the hospital, but she received permission to drag her IV pole down the hall to visit Mia. The criterion was to wear a mask and gloves. Nothing new since she’d stepped off the ferry and entered Adam’s Island.
Jordan had kept her up to date on how the patients responded to care. Some lingered over death, holding on to life with a faint glimpse of recovery. Tatum was on that list. Death chased them and often succeeded. A few patients continued to recover—Mia, Frankie, Mr. Engels, and a few others who fought the virus with supernatural strength. The violinist had passed, and she hoped his wife had been able to talk to him. The staggering toll of people infected with H9N15 renewed her commitment to find whoever was responsible.
Heather stopped at the entrance to Mia’s room. If the visit didn’t exhaust Heather, she’d check on Frankie later. Mr. Engelswould need to wait until tomorrow. She walked into the room and viewed Mia, whose thumbs danced across her phone’s keyboard.
“Hey,” Heather said. “Ready for girl time?”
Mia’s brown eyes widened. “Oh, my goodness. How wonderful to hear your voice over the phone, but here you are.” She lifted her chin. “Why are you in a hospital gown?”
“Actually, two of them.” Heather laughed. “One for each side of me.”
“Not a fashion statement I’d recommend, but you didn’t answer my question. Are you infected with the virus?”
“Nope. Ruptured appendix, and it’s gone.”
Mia touched her heart. “Good. And the baby?”
“He’s fine.”
Mia tilted her head. “A blessing in the middle of tragedy. I’d hug you, but we probably shouldn’t.”
“Right.” Heather pulled a chair to the bedside. “I wish we were having a mani and pedi. This works, though. Tell me what you’ve been doing.”
“Twice a day I talk to my daughter and husband. They’ll fly here when the quarantine is over to escort me home. I told them how you’ve checked on me since I’ve been here.”
“You’d do the same for me. Have you spent any time with others from the flight?”
“No. My closest companions are books, magazines, TV, and my phone. I’m too much of a coward to risk getting sicker.” Mia tilted her head. “I stopped watching the news because it repeated the same dreary junk. I assumed if the CDC discovered an antiviral, I’d hear about it from the hospital staff. Has the FBI arrested a suspect?”
“Not yet.” Heather gave her a high-level summary of what the news had shared, including Chad’s visit and his attack. “The doctor wanted him admitted, but he refused. No surprise there. He flew back to Houston last evening. In short, our differencesare irreconcilable. My baby and I are better off without him. I’ll be released the day after tomorrow, and a helicopter will take me back to Adam’s Island.”
“Is the jerk who spread the virus in quarantine?”
“I wish I knew. I’m watching, listening, and analyzing behavior.”
“And you can’t tell me much else, right?”
“True. But you can update me on your family. Do you have pics?”
Mia reached for her phone and displayed an array of recent photos and videos. Heather complimented and aahed.
“I’ve reflected on those hours on board the plane countless times and if anyone looked or acted strangely,” Mia said. “It’s human nature to handle crisis according to our personalities, and we were overwhelmed with what was happening around us.”
Heather took Mia’s hand and remembered the last time she attempted to comfort her. Heather’s gloves had been covered with blood and vomit. At least now they were pristine clean. “If something is wrong, tell me so I can help.”
“The man you apprehended?”
“Yes, Braden Taversty. He died.”
