Page 43 of Private Exhibit (Gentleman Hackers #4)

ANDY SWAYED dizzily as he came back to himself.

“Easy,” Crawford murmured, catching him by the shoulder. “Give it a moment.”

Andy let go of Devon with one hand and rubbed his eyes.

“Holy shit. That was…insane.” He waited for his eyes to focus, then stared at Crawford and shook his head.

“How the hells do you do this over and over again?” he asked, feeling a newfound respect for Crawford's methods.

They hadn't done anything beyond an exam, but the process completely blew his mind.

It still wasn't what Andy would consider medicine, but it certainly also wasn't magic.

It was far more intense than he could have imagined.

“It takes some getting used to,” Crawford admitted. “But it also gets easier with practice. Now.” Crawford paused and gave him a direct look. “Are you ready for the next phase?”

Andy clasped Devon's hand, knowing he was holding on too tight, but he couldn't bear even the thought of letting go. “What's that?”

“Obviously, we need to get his heart started. But we don't want to focus on that to the exclusion of everything else.”

“He can't stay on bypass forever,” Andy argued.

“Precisely. But if we focus only on the nerves leading to his heart, and meanwhile, another organ fails, then working on the heart will be moot.”

Andy shivered. Oh gods .

“So,” Crawford went on, “when we go back in, I'm going to have to give you a crash course in telepathic cell regeneration.

We're going to have to work in tandem, prioritizing and targeting all the most vital routes to get those repaired, then regroup and see if that's enough for him to survive.

The rest—motor functions, sensory input, and the like—can wait until we're sure he's going to live.”

Andy felt dizzy all over again. The whole thing sounded so daunting. “But it's possible? I mean, you've regenerated whole limbs, right? So…”

“Oddly enough, this is going to be more complicated and delicate than regenerating a limb.

That involves nerves, yes, but it's also primarily bones and muscles and skin.

With Devon, we're talking about his entire nervous system.

Miles and miles of repairs that need to be done.

It won't be done in just a few hours. We're potentially talking days. Maybe weeks, depending on how receptive he is to the process.”

Weeks? “Fucking hells,” Andy spat. “He doesn't have weeks!”

“Which is why we're going to divide and conquer but also take it one step at a time.” Crawford paused. “Are you ready?”

Andy took a deep breath, held it, then gave a nod. The sooner they got started, the better.

Crawford nodded back, then turned to a nurse who stood ready, watching the monitors. “Hang a bag of saline,” he said, “plus a vitamin blend and a protein pack. Bring two of each. No, three. Just to be safe.”

“Yes, Doctor Crawford.” The nurse rushed off and came back within moments, the fluid bags clutched in her arms. She hung the bags and fed them into Devon's IV drip, then set the spares aside.

“Three of each?” Andy asked.

“He'll probably run through at least that many before we're done,” Crawford said.

“Forcing the body to reproduce cells at the rate we're going to demand is going to absolutely drain him.

And since he's not capable of eating, we're going to have to feed him like this.” Crawford turned back to the nurse.

“He's to be monitored at all times,” Crawford ordered.

“Set the bypass machine to test blood samples at one-hour intervals. Full panel. I want everything kept within normal range and supplemented as needed without fail. Understood?”

The nurse nodded. “Yes, Doctor.”

Crawford resumed his position, framing Devon's head with both hands. “Alright. Here goes.” He closed his eyes.

Andy followed suit, closing his eyes and focusing on Devon. He tumbled down again, falling into the boy's consciousness. They paused there long enough to assure Devon they had a plan, then Andy followed Crawford back through Devon's brain and into his spinal cord.

Watch closely , Crawford ordered.

Andy stared intently, tuning his entire existence into what Crawford was doing. Somehow, he not only saw but felt what was going on as Crawford dug into the very cellular makeup of Devon's nerves, traveled to the frayed ends, and forced intact cells to replicate.

Slowly but surely, the nerve was repaired. Andy sat there watching, feeling like he was holding his breath, waiting for it to fall apart again.

But it held.

Now you try , Crawford said.

Andy braced himself, then reached out and felt around for Devon's cells. He grabbed the next frayed section, sensed the body's own ability to replicate cells, and sent out a mental order.

He watched in awe as the repair began to take shape, little by little, one cell at a time.

Good! Crawford said. Very good. Just like that. Keep going .

Andy felt himself almost grinning with determination as he redoubled his efforts, working side-by-side with Crawford as they slowly but steadily made their way down Devon's spinal cord.

The work was tedious and exhausting, but with every clean, intact section they left behind, Andy felt more and more hope.

It seemed like both seconds and days later when they finally reached the place where the nerves branched off and made their way towards Devon's heart. Crawford scouted ahead, then pulled back and rejoined Andy.

That's enough for one day , Crawford announced. Let's go up.

What? No. We're nowhere near done!

Gerard, trust me. We need a break. And Devon is going to need a rest from this, too. His body can only handle so much at once.

But–

You'll understand when you see what time it is.

Andy felt himself frowning. What time it is? Yet he followed Crawford anyway, suddenly certain that he'd get lost if he fell behind.

He slowly resurfaced. It was easier to recover that time, knowing what to expect. Andy slowly opened his eyes and blinked dumbly at the change in the room.

A different nurse stood by the monitors, watching closely. The light in the room had completely changed. And when Andy glanced at the clock on the wall, he saw it was past dinnertime.

They'd been at it all day.

Holy shit . “How–”

“It's easy to get lost in there,” Crawford explained, looking slightly drawn and pale. “Luckily, I've had enough practice at this point that I can keep one eye on the outside without losing my focus on the inside. Otherwise, we might have worked straight through the night without knowing it.”

“Gods,” Andy breathed. He scrubbed a hand over his face and yawned as exhaustion began to take over.

Crawford leaned back and studied him. “When was the last time you slept?”

Andy blinked slowly. “I don't remember,” he admitted.

“All the more reason.” Crawford slowly stood and stretched his back. “We'll pick this back up tomorrow.”

“Wait. Tomorrow?” Andy shot to his feet. “Can he wait that long? What if–”

“Gerard,” Crawford interrupted him, holding up a hand. “You're clearly about to drop, and neither of us has eaten all day. And I am not going to miss a chance to put my kids to bed. Not for anyone. I lost enough time with my son as it is.”

Andy winced. He understood that all too well.

But Devon…

“He's stable,” Crawford said as though he'd read Andy's thoughts. “And you'll be no good to him if you pass out from exhaustion.”

Andy was about to argue, but he knew the man was right. He felt dead on his feet. The mere thought of going back in and doing more work seemed physically and mentally impossible.

And what if he somehow harmed Devon instead of helping him? He'd never be able to forgive himself.

“Fine,” he bit off.

Crawford patted him on the shoulder. “Eat something. Sleep. Do not go back in without me. That's an order. I promise, first thing tomorrow, we'll pick right back up where we left off. I'm going to have my secretary clear my schedule to be sure of it. Sound good?”

Andy nodded. It was all he could manage when he felt like he was going to fall asleep right then and there.

Crawford left. The moment he was gone, Oliver peeked into the room. The boy eyed the bed, his gaze wary, then handed Andy a bag.

“What's this?” Andy asked.

“I got you something from the cafeteria,” Oliver said. “It was supposed to be lunch, but then you guys didn't come out, so…”

“You didn't have to do that.”

“You're trying to save his life. I feel so fucking helpless. Hayden and Levi came by several times, but I couldn't tell them anything.”

“You're here. And you care. Sometimes, that makes all the difference.”

Oliver almost smiled at that, but then he turned wary again. “How's it going?”

Andy took a bite of the cheeseburger he pulled out of the bag. It was cold, but he didn't care. After the past few days, it was one of the best things he'd ever tasted. He quickly chewed and swallowed, then said, “It's a lot of work. We still have a really long way to go.”

“But there's a chance?”

“Crawford thinks so. And I'm not giving up.”

Oliver gave him a grateful nod.

Andy finished the burger, then nearly considered going home to shower and sleep. That thought lasted about two seconds. He couldn't bear to leave the hospital. He could hardly even contemplate leaving that room.

But Crawford was right. He was in desperate need of a full reset. Andy raced down to the morgue office, grabbed his duffel bag, took a quick shower, brushed his teeth, got dressed, and hurried right back up to Devon's room.

Andy climbed up on the bed and stretched out with a weary groan. His sweet boy was still eerily motionless, barely clinging to life. Andy watched Oliver curl up in a chair, then turned his focus back on Devon.

Stay with me , he thought as his body succumbed to exhaustion. Stay with me .

The next day, they dove right back in. Devon barely acknowledged them, his little voice faint and full of pain. Andy winced. Devon was slowly slipping away. Giving up. Andy could feel it.

He couldn't let that happen. Andy raced down Devon's nerves, quickly double-checking to make sure all their repairs still held, then jumped right back into work. Time slipped away again. Before Andy knew it, Crawford was making them stop for lunch. Then again at the end of the day.

Andy didn't want to stop. They were getting so close. It took Crawford reminding him that Devon's mind needed a rest from their invasion before Andy finally relented.

The next morning, it was all Andy could do to wait for Crawford to arrive. As soon as the man was there, they took right back up where they left off. Andy could swear he felt a clock ticking off the seconds that Devon had left to live. They had to get his heart beating again before it was too late.

Alright , Crawford said. I think we're there.

Andy tensed. There was still so much work to do, but like Crawford had said before, none of it would matter if Devon's vital systems couldn't function.

He followed Crawford out, and they checked the monitors before running a fresh holoscan.

Crawford shook his head. “His organs look good,” he began, sounding cautious. “Alright. Let's try this.” He looked at the nurse standing by the monitors. “Charging.”

“Charging,” the nurse replied, then pressed a button on the screen.

Devon's body jerked, but nothing happened.

“Again,” Crawford said.

The nurse did it again. And again. Then three more times at Crawford's order, but still Devon showed no signs of a heartbeat.

“What's wrong?” Andy asked. Had the repair failed? Had they missed something? Was it already too late?

Crawford frowned in thought. “Hang on.” He closed his eyes, and Andy sensed the man diving back into Devon's consciousness. After only a few seconds, Crawford resurfaced, shaking his head and cursing. “Damn it.”

“What?” Andy demanded.

“It may be too late. He's ready to let go.”

Andy went rigid as a chill ran through him.

Oh hells no.

It couldn't end like this. He wouldn't let it. Andy bent over Devon and threw himself into the boy's mind.

Devon?

Andy? Devon panted, sounding completely drained.

Baby, don't give up. Please. Stay with me.

So tired , Devon whispered. And it's so loud. I need it to stop. I need it to be over.

I'm not ready , Andy protested.

Daddy, please , Devon softly cried.

Devon , Andy growled. Don't you dare give up on me. Because I will never give up on you. You hear me? I'm going to keep working until everything's fixed. Until you can live a full, normal life. But I need you to stay with me. I need you to fight.

Andy felt the equivalent of Devon weakly shaking his head.

But he wasn't going to let Devon give up. The boy deserved to live. Deserved to be happy and loved.

And— gods damn it all— Andy deserved it, too. Junior was right. Andy deserved to have a live. To be happy and whole.

Damn it, Devon , he cursed. I love you!

Devon paused. What?

I love you , Andy repeated. I didn't want to say it like this. I wanted to say it to your face, so I could look you in the eye. I love you, baby. And I need you to fight like hells right now.

A long, eerie moment of silence passed while Devon's mind seemed to stare at him in shock.

Then a violent jolt shot between them. Andy winced and automatically recoiled, pulling back to himself in a fit of self-preservation. He swayed and caught himself on the bed, then found Devon's body convulsing, the monitors rapidly beeping.

Oh my gods. “What–” He froze there, his entire body trembling in panic. “What's happening?”

Devon went still, and the monitors turned silent.

Andy held his breath.

Beep.

Andy gasped, unable to move, staring at the monitor.

Beep.

“We've got a heartbeat!”

Several people cheered. Andy winced, suddenly realizing they had an audience. But he couldn't spare that any thought. He obsessively watched the monitor, watching every tiny indication of a signal.

Then Devon stirred, his face pinched with pain.

But his eyes slowly opened. Those breathtaking eyes that saw so much beauty in the world.

Devon blinked, looking like he was clawing his way out of sleep, then spotted Andy. The boy stared at him, looking completely in shock, but as he studied Andy's face, his own expression softened, and a smile slowly took over.

“I love you, too.”