Read Scourge - A Medical Thriller (The Plague Trilogy Book 3) for Free Online Page A

feet up on the desk, I tried to strike a posture of relaxation. Our posture affects our mood, so I always forced myself into more relaxing poses in the hopes that it would calm me. ‘No, not that I’ve seen. This is a new phenomenon.’
    “ He made a few noises, as though he were lost in thought and mulling it over intensely in his mind, before he said, ‘Okay, gimme a day and I’ll get out.’ I knew he couldn’t decline, but I played along anyway.
    “ ‘I really appreciate this, Luther. I know it’s a sacrifice to cut into your re search time. I promise I’ll get you out and back as soon as I can.’
    “ He chuckled. ‘No need, you know you were always one of my favorites. See ya soon.’ I hung up and put the phone down. Downtown Atlanta wasn’t too far and I could see the skyscrapers. Not that long ago, they looked like glimmering gems in the bright sun, clean and well taken care of. Now, they appeared like abandoned warehouses, dirty and empty.”
     
     
    “That night, I opted to stay home. Jessica and I would sleep in the upstairs bedroom and lock the bedroom door. When we were getting ready for bed, she stood in front of the mirror and brushed her hair. I sat on the bed and watched her. I had always wanted children, specifically a daughter. That prospect seemed a million years away now. Even the thought of bringing a child into this existence filled me with dread. I couldn’t do it, so having Jessica there wasn’t just for her benefit. It helped me, too. I don’t think it’s enough to just live, I think we have to have something to look forward to, something to live for. Coming home and spending time with Jessica was that something for me.
    “ ‘I miss my dad sometimes,’ she said out of the blue.
    “The death of her father was not something we had discussed. She understood what happened and why he did what he did, but as far as both of us were concerned, it was one of those topics that was more painful to talk about than if we left it alone. She’d never once brought it up, but I suppose it was natural she’d want to talk about it with someone. ‘I didn’t really know him,’ I said, ‘but I know he was a good man. Sacrificing himself probably saved a lot of people. All he cared about was that you were taken care of.’
    “ ‘I was mean to him,’ she said, pulling the brush through her hair. ‘I was mad because I thought he left me and my mom. So I was mean to him. I don’t know if he knew that I loved him.’
    “ I was quiet a moment. The relationship I had with my own father was close, and imagining it otherwise was hard to do. Your father, at least I think for women, shapes who you date, who you want to marry, the men you’re attracted to, and what to expect from them. Maybe that’s why I haven’t been married yet; my standards were set high because of my father. But I could see Jessica felt pain, and I wasn’t sure what to do about it.
    “She set the brush down and came over to the bed. She put her arms around me and lay her head on my shoulder. Outside, we heard tires screech and a crash , the sound of bending metal filling the street. I felt her arms tighten around me. The sound had startled her. I didn’t move for a long time, just held her, made sure she felt at ease before I tucked her in and left the bedroom. I didn’t even look out the window, because I didn’t want her to think it was important, further frightening her. So I left under some excuse, running down to get some food or something, and then I went out on the front porch and looked up the street.
    “Two cars had crashed. The door was wide open on both , and something was happening inside the one, fast, jerky movements.” Samantha paused. “I never made the connection. It wasn’t until much later that I realized what it was. So I just went back inside my home and locked the doors.”
    Mitchell had the urge to move a strand of hair that had fallen over Samantha’s face, but he held himself in check and