Sir Richard stared at Gary in disbelief. “Donna wants to work on the project with Sam instead of Richard? Why? Sam doesn’t know anything about genetics.”
“He may not be a genetic specialist, Sir Richard, but Sam is a doctor. Because of the doctor patient confidentiality, Donna knows if he has any honour, what she tells him will stay between them. I’m sorry, but I have to agree with Donna. Sam might be an arrogant flirt, but he is an excellent doctor – the best – and we both know that. If he wasn’t he wouldn’t be working for Triplet International.”
Sir Richard studied his eyes. “I assume you’re talking about yours and Richard’s project?”
“No, Sir. I’m talking about Donna’s. She may refuse to help us on ours.”
“I don’t see that there’s any difference between the two.”
“I understand that, Sir, but Donna doesn’t see it that way. In the end, this is Donna’s research, and Donna’s call. We can’t force her to work on our project.”
Sir Richard exhaled. “Well – technically, I can, but I didn’t want to do that.”
“Yes, Sir, you could, but if you want to gain her favour, I wouldn’t suggest it. Donna will do just about anything if you ask her, but Forrest forced her to work on his CML project. If you do the same, she may fight you just as much. One thing I’ve learned about Donna is that you can’t force her into anything.”
“And what are you going to have Ricky working on while you three are doing that?”
“He’ll still work with us. He just won’t know the nature of the discovery, or that the antibodies are coming from Donna. He can’t. Donna made a promise to Jared, and she has every intention of keeping that promise, whether they’re together or not.”
Sir Richard groaned. “There’s something that bothers me about this whole situation with Jared and Donna. Listening to Jared, it’s almost as if he believes she would leave anyone to be with him. Does he have that much of a hold on her?”
“Sir Richard, there’s something you need to remember. Donna has as much of a hold on Jared as he has on her. I don’t know all the details, but it has something to do with their Dine'é Kay-Yah lineage.”
“As a genetic engineer, you can’t figure that out?”
“No, but she should be able to.”
“Your Aunt Marie didn’t often speak about her Indian lineage, but it seems to be of interest to Donna. Do you suppose Jared had anything to do with that?”
Gary chuckled. “Probably, but Donna has always been interested in it. So…” Gary hedged. “Are you OK with this?”
Sir Richard leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. “For the time being, we’ll humour her.”
------------
“Hi Dr. Rigden. I’m Joyce Stephens, Sam’s nurse.” She offered her hand. “Sam had to go to the medical lab. He’ll be here shortly. How is your arm? Sore as hell, I would imagine.”
“It’s… uncomfortable,” Donna replied, which wasn’t a lie. It was starting to itch.
Joyce reached to unfasten the sling. “Do you mind if I…?”
Donna pulled away. “I’d rather you didn’t.”
Joyce raised an eyebrow. “Do you mind if I take your vitals?”
Donna cleared her throat. “Um – I’ll wait for Sam.”
Joyce snorted and stepped back. “OK – if that’s what you prefer.”
“You’re Australian – right?”
“Yes - I am.”
“Is Sam Australian, too?”
“Yes, Dr. Rigden, he is.”
“What colour are his eyes?”
Joyce frowned. “Greenish aqua – why?”
Donna’s eyes widened. She swallowed hard. “Just curious….”
There were a couple of taps and the door opened. Donna’s heart sank. Oh God – he’s real. She’d hoped it had only been a dream. That someday Jared would forgive her and take her back, but if the man was real, that meant the little girl was real, too. This changed everything.
“Hi sweetheart.” Sam smiled his crooked smile at Donna and turned. “You can leave now, Joyce,” he said with a dismissive hand.
Joyce furrowed her brow. “Donna… don’t you want a nurse present?”
“No.” Donna sighed.
Joyce glared at Sam and left the room. Sam locked the door and turned. “OK, sweetheart, what’s our big secret?” Donna pulled her arm out of the sling. Sam’s eyes widened. “Are you crazy? What are you doing?”
“Before you see this…” she said trying to peel the tape back, “… you might want to sit down.”
Sam reached for his surgical scissors. “Let’s do this the easy way.” Carefully, he cut a strip down the gauze dressing and peeled it back. His mouth gaped. He glared at Donna. “Is this some kind of a joke?”
“No...” Donna studied his eyes. “I warned you to sit down.”
“This is not the gunshot wound I saw on Richard’s cell phone!”
Donna grinned. “I assure you, it is. I’m not… entirely… normal.”
“I can see that.” Sam examined the wound more closely. “What explanation do you have, Donna?”
She sighed. “I don’t – at least not yet. That’s what I’m hoping to figure out.”
Sam danced his aqua eyes over hers. “So, you haven’t always healed this fast?”
“No,” she shook her head.
“How long?”
“About eight weeks - give or take.”
Sam’s eyebrows shot up. He pulled up a stool and sat down. “And you’ve waited until now to try and figure this out?”
Donna’s eyes glossed. “It’s… complicated, Sam. I don’t want to talk about it, but I need your help.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Richard doesn’t know about this. His father does. He helped me get samples of my blood and DNA over here so Gary could start working on it.”
“By himself… Richard isn’t helping him?”
“No, Sam.”
Sam hunched over, propped his elbow on his knee and rested his chin on his fist. He narrowed his eyes. “Let me guess. You want me to fake my report on your examination?”
“We both know how long it should have taken for a gunshot wound of this nature to heal. This can’t get out, Sam.”
“I don’t suppose you know if it’s viral or contagious?”
“At the moment, I don’t know anything about it.” Donna shrugged. “I don’t even know if it’s permanent.”
“And you can’t tell me what happened to bring about this… miraculous change?” Donna shook her head. “Will you… let me take your vitals? Maybe run a few tests?”
“Do you have lab tech’s you can trust?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Really trust?”
“They wouldn’t be working under me if I didn’t trust them. Newcastle Stem Cell Research Centre is not your average research facility. It’s not easy to get on here. If I hadn’t had some pull, I doubt I would be here. What do you know so far?”
“I know my leucocyte count is way above normal, and my metabolic rate is out the window.”
“Considering the implications, that’s not a lot to go on.”
“I know, but if I can isolate and analyse the antibodies in my blood, I might be able to figure out how to transcribe those, so they can be integrated into our DNA.”
Sam chuckled. “Talk about a universal Band-Aid. It could certainly put an end to the common cold!”
“And a lot of other medical problems, as well,” Donna laughed.
Sam studied her eyes. “Well, I could put you in the hospital for a while.”
Donna narrowed her eyes. “As if! I want to get started on this as soon as possible.”
Sam laughed. “I had a feeling you would say that. You don’t strike me as the type to sit around. Your other choice is to wear your arm decoration for at least another two to three weeks – even though you clearly don’t need it - and do a lot of faking. From the looks of your wound, I would say, by tomorrow your arm will be healed. I doubt you’ll even need antibiotics.”
Donna thought about her Depro Juanita gave her – not that it mattered, now. “No, I don’t need antibiotics. This isn’t going to be easy – is it?”
“No, sweetheart, it’s not, but I’m afraid those are your only choices, unless….”
“Unless what?”
“Unless you want to move in with me.”
Donna raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
Sam grinned. “Probably not.”
“Then I guess I fake it.”
“Can I just ask you one question?”
“Sure.”
“Why did you tell Gary you wanted me to help you with your research and not Richard? We’ve chatted maybe once or twice on IM. You don’t know me, sweetheart. Why are you so willing to put your trust in a total stranger? How do you know you can trust me?”
Donna grinned slightly and studied his eyes. “I just know….”
Sam scoffed and shook his head. “I don’t guess there’s a lot I can say to that – is there?”
“Not really,” she smiled.
“When did you want to get started?”
“Well, unfortunately, as long as people think I’m helpless, there’s not a lot I can do.”
There was a knock on the door. “Excuse me a second.” Sam unlocked the door.
“How is she?” Gary asked as he stepped into the room. “Have you two talked?” he asked, glancing at Donna.
Sam closed the door and winked at Donna. “Yes, we have. She’s moving in with me.”
“She’s what?” Gary arched an eyebrow; he knew Sam liked to play practical jokes. “Donna… are you?”
Sam grinned and pressed his finger to his lips. Donna glanced at the floor, suppressing a grin. “It’s either that or I go around with this damn sling for the next two weeks. We thought it was the logical thing to do.”
His mouth gaped. “You don’t even know the man, Donna!”
Donna snorted and shook her head. “Gary, you are so gullible. I’m not moving in with Sam. Where’s Richard?”
“I’ve got him culturing stem cells, but he’s getting restless. He’s worried about you.”
“Oh, she’s fine,” Sam interjected. “She’s more than fine.”
“I was hoping to start work, but unless we can figure out what to tell people about my injury….”
“Or, lack of,” Sam chuckled.
“You could save everybody a lot of trouble by just telling Richard.”
Donna glared at Gary. “You know why I won’t tell him. I’m not going to discuss this with you.”
“Look at it this way, D. It’s not like it happened in public. You were shot in a secluded cemetery in a little hick town that most people don’t even know exists. Only four people witnessed it - you, John, Richard and the shooter.”
“Or shooters,” Donna interjected.
“True,” Gary admitted. “But, even then, you’re on the other side of the Atlantic, D.”
Donna glared at Gary again. “Distance has nothing to do with it, and you know that!” she forced through her teeth.
One of Sam’s eyebrows shot up. “Feisty little thing, isn’t she?”
“You have no idea. She likes things her way,” Gary scoffed. Donna narrowed her eyes at Gary, arching one eyebrow.
Sam folded his arms across his chest and leaned his back against the wall, regarding Donna and Gary, mulling things over. Donna caught a glimpse of him out the corner of her eye.
“Look at it this way, sweetheart,” Sam spoke up. “You’ve known Richard for several years. Technically, you’ve known me for a few minutes. Gary’s right. There were no witnesses, no cameras or reporters to spread the news. No one here – barring Joyce – even knows you were shot.”
“Besides,” Gary added. “If Richard was in on the project, Sam wouldn’t have to be….”
Sam pushed away from the wall and held up a forestalling hand. “Oh no! You’re not excluding me. This is going to be big, and I want in.”
Donna locked her eyes with Sam’s. “As far as I’m concerned…” she said, shooting Gary a look of warning, “…you are in, Sam. Gary, this is my research project. Don’t start trying to hijack it.”
Gary frowned. “I’m not, but what are we doing about Richard?”
Donna glanced from Sam to Gary. “If you believe he can be trusted then tell him, but remember what I said. I haven’t changed my mind.”
Sam scratched the back of his neck and looked at his feet. In his opinion, Richard couldn’t be trusted. In Gary’s opinion, neither could Sam, but it wasn’t his call.
Gary stood to leave. “I’ll talk to Sir Richard, and then I’ll take you home. You’re probably starving, and you’ll no doubt want to get settled.”
“I am a little hungry, but it’s too close to lunch, for breakfast, now.”
“Then how about I buy you a snack and a cup of coffee, in the cafeteria?” Sam suggested.
Donna studied his eyes for a couple of seconds; a slow smile spread across her mouth. “I think I’d like that.”
“I’ll come get you in the cafeteria when I’m done,” Gary said and left.
Sam placed Donna’s hand in the crook of his arm, switched out the light and led her down the corridor. They approached the lift; Donna stiffened. Sam turned to her, studying her wide eyes as they waited. “Is something wrong, sweetheart?”
Donna pushed the ache aside and swallowed the lump in her throat. “No. I’m fine, Sam,” she said, giving him a placid smile.
“Gary tells me you’re a musician,” Sam said, making conversation as they waited in line at the buffet counter.
“I was lead female vocalist for a country band for a while.”
“Doughnuts all right with you?”
“That’s fine….”
Sam grinned and turned to the woman behind the counter. “Two ridiculously unhealthy high-cholesterol sugar-coated doughnuts and two cups of coffee please,” he smiled.
Donna laughed. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone describe a doughnut, so accurately,” she responded and picked up two packets of Coffee-mate.
“Grab a couple more, if you don’t mind,” Sam said and picked up the tray. He motioned with his head. “I usually sit over there in the corner next to the window.”
Donna pulled out a chair. “I’ve read your book,” she commented as she stirred her coffee. “Why didn’t you include a picture of yourself in it?” She glanced up.
Sam smiled his crooked smile. “Cameras don’t do me justice,” he teased.
Sam’s remark unarmed Donna; her cheeks showed some colour. She narrowed her eyes. “You’re a little arrogant, aren’t you?”
“Ouch!” Sam frowned and cleared his throat. That wasn’t the response he was used to. Donna wasn’t warming up to him as fast as he’d expected her to.
“I’m sorry, Sam,” Donna groaned. “I didn’t mean it to come out that way. I’m not good company right now.”
“Then perhaps you’ll be in a better mood when you have dinner with me tonight?”
Donna impassively stared at him. “Who said we were having dinner tonight? You haven’t asked me out.”
Sam lowered his head and chuckled. “OK. Let me try this again. Pretty Lady, will you have dinner with me tonight?”
“Where were you planning on taking me?”
“To my place.”
Donna raised an eyebrow. “Your place?” she echoed.
“I’ll fix you a meal. We can go for a walk along the beach, and we’ll take it from there. If we feel like talking about the project we will. If we don’t…” he broke off and finished the last of his coffee.
Donna sighed and looked down at her hands, laced around her cup. She thought about the dream, and the little girl. She swallowed hard and nodded. “OK, but the only address I have is Triplet Hall.”
Sam looked up and grinned; Gary had just entered the cafeteria. “I think I can find it,” he chuckled and stood. “I’ll pick you up at six.”
“Ready to go?” Gary asked as he approached.
Donna stood. “Yes. Thanks for the coffee and doughnut, Sam,” she smiled. “I’ll see you later.” Sam grinned and left.
“What do you mean, you’ll see him later?”
“He’s taking me out to dinner tonight. Is that a problem?”
Gary opened his mouth to speak. “No,” he sighed. “I just kind of expected you to go out with Richard.”
Donna narrowed her eyes. “Gary – don’t start.”