She did what? Rathe ignored the curious stares of the two white-coated researchers sharing the car with him. He supposed the image was incongruousa rumpled janitor shouting into a phone boasting technology that hadnt yet transitioned from the military to the public.
You heard me. Wainwrights voice dropped to a threatening hiss. Fix this, McKay. I dont care how you do it, but fix this. Shes one of the best young M.D.s Ive got. I will not lose her, do you understand?
The doors slid open and Rathe stepped out of the car. He glanced around to make sure he was alone, then lowered his voice and grated, Shell be lost for good if you dont pull her off this case, get it? I just tangled with one of our suspects and he called me by name. Worse, he knew her name, too.
There was a beat of silence. Then Jack sighed. Proceed with caution, McKay. Thats all we can ever do in these situations. He paused. Youre in contact with the local police?
Rathe gripped the phone so tightly his knuckles cracked. Damn it! Havent you heard a word Ive said? Nia is in danger, and I want her off the case. Now.
This isnt your call, McKay. I dont want a harassment suit on my hands, and more important, I want Nia French in Investigations. Shes a brilliant doctor and she has no fear. I want you to train her, Rathe, not protect her. There was a heavy silence. If you cant handle it, then Ill pull you off the case and give her to someone who can. Jacobsen is free right now, or maybe Roscoe.
Rathe cursed in Russian, his favorite language for profanity. Jacobsen is practically a rookie himself, and Roscoe is too jaded, too handsome, too slick with the ladies and just a little bit careless not right for this case. He lowered his voice further as a group of med students filed by in the wake of Director Talbot, who frowned as though wondering why his undercover operative was skulking near the elevator. Please, Jack. Take her off this case. Ill train her on another job, I swear it. Just not this one. Ive got a bad feeling.
Wainwrights voice gentled, as though he knew something about the things Rathe preferred to keep hidden. Shell be fine. Shes smart and shes tough. Just watch her back. Thats all partners can ever ask of each other. And the line went dead.
Damn it! Rathe jammed the phone back inside his coveralls and strode to Nias borrowed office. Youd better be at your desk, Nia French, he muttered. Youd better be okay, because if youre not
Just watch her back, Jack had said. Well, Rathe hadnt been watching just now. Not well enough.
He slammed through her door, which hung slightly ajar, and froze. Tension boiled like bile in his stomach.
She wasnt there. And the office was a wreck.
Chapter Four
Emergency!
The call crackled over the intercom, and the hallway was suddenly filled with the noise of running feet as nurses and doctors rushed to answer the call.
In a supply closet nearby, Nia heard the commotion and felt her eyelid twitch. She shoved a box of syringes back onto its shelf, jammed the inventory list into her pocket and slipped into the corridor, hoping her tic was wrong.
She wanted a break in the case, yes, but not at the expense of a patient.
Marissa! I told you to call me if she deteriorated! Logan Hart shouldered Nia aside without apology and pushed his way through a knot of scrub-clad nurses into the patients room.
Im sorry, Dr. Hart. It happened so quickly, I didnt The dark-haired nurse trailed off when she realized the handsome young doctor wasnt listening. She made a face and turned away, then frowned when she saw Nia had witnessed the break in protocol. Her eyes flickered to Nias badge and she winced. Im sorry, Dr. French. That was unprofessional of me.
Dont worry about it, Nia answered automatically, though her attention was on the crowded doorway.
Inside the room Harts voice barked a string of commands and the chaos gained a sense of order. From the hallway she could just see one of the patients hands peeking out from beneath the sheet.
Marissa grimaced. Were all tense these days, especially when were monitoring one of the high-risk transplants. Like Julia here. Her voice softened on the name, saddened.
High-risk. It connected in Nias head with an almost audible click. She turned to the nurse, who stared at the still figure on the bed with shadows crowding her broad face. Im sorry. Nia touched the other womans arm when the tension inside Julias room swung from hectic to frantic. Im sure you did your best. Rare-tissue-type patients dont have the best of prognoses to start with.
It was a fishing expedition cloaked in sympathy, and it made Nia feel faintly slimy. But this, like danger, was part of the job.
The nurse shook her head. Julia was one of the lucky onesor she should have been. She was rare type, but they found a match quickly. A really good match. In the room frantic turned to desperate, and Hart barked one order atop the next, sending nurses and junior doctors scrambling. But the bloodless fingers didnt move.
A vise tightened around Nias lungs and heart. Shes rejecting?
Shes dying, the nurse said flatly, turning away. If youll excuse me, I have other patients to tend. She hurried away and didnt bother to glance back as she slipped into a nearby ladies room.