Page 84 of Hacking His Code

Gabriel:It used to be we’d get shit-faced drunk and hop on a private jet to unknown lands and continue to get shit-faced drunk. Now, it’s find a woman to fall head over heels for, somehow manage to fuck it up, and spend a considerable amount of time, money, and effort making things right.

It hadn’t occurred to me until now that their circle seems to be settling down. Cassius, Gabriel, and Zev are all either married or with serious partners.

The land of happy couples is a place I don’t belong.

Hunter:Never mind. I would have precious little in common with your crew.

Gabriel:Oh, I insist that you at least go to our newcomer orientation.

Hunter:Nah, I’m good.

Gabriel:You can’t say no because you owe me. I’ll text you the time and location as we get close.

The last thing I want to do is surround myself with men in happy relationships, but as he said, I owe him. Big time.

Hunter:I can hardly wait.

Arinessa

I pickup the phone on the third ring.

Nurse:Hello, Arinessa, it’s me, Nurse Agnes.

Arinessa:Hello?

My hand is trembling so violently I can barely hold the phone up to my ear.

Nurse:I’m calling to tell you that we’ve made a discovery regarding your mother’s condition.

Arinessa:Oh my God—is she going to be okay?

Nurse:What we believe happened is this: your mother discontinued treatment some four months before she began the trial. During that time, she refused everything except palliative care. There were no tests and no monitoring done.

Arinessa:Oh-kay…

Nurse:Because of that, we believe she developed a comorbidity that went undetected. The good news is that LaviTech’s treatment did exactly what we expected it to, and her primary condition is cured. The bad news is that she has a new and unrelated condition.

This was one of the many theories passed around, so I shouldn’t be surprised, but it still feels like a gut punch.

Arinessa:She’s already been in a coma for nearly three weeks. What’s going to happen?

Nurse:We’re confirming the diagnosis with a specialist. Once we do, we will pull her out of her coma and go over treatment options. The doctor thinks that will be Monday.

Arinessa:Holy fuck—we’re going through the same shit all over again, but with something new?

Nurse:Actually, the situation looks a lot more promising this time around. Cassius has ensured she will receive the best care, and the doctors suspect that this new ailment will be far easier to treat.

A flicker of hope tries to ignite within me, but I know better than to kindle it.

Arinessa:When can I see her?

Nurse:You can be here when we wake her. I’ll give you a call shortly before we start the process.

Arinessa:Thank you.

The phone goes dead, and I stand there, trying to process the information.

“You okay?” Remi asks.