"That's just it," Marlene whispered. "They can run tests, put an IV drip in his arm to rehydrate him ... but in the end, what's killing him isn't in the medical books. Not theirs anyway."
"Mike is right, though," Damali said quietly. "We have to at least get him help while we look for this thing. Nobody in here is a doctor. We do soldier stuff, can do some healing, can pray, but this might be beyond the laying on of hands."
"I agree with Damali," J.L. commented, his voice a soft murmur. "Can't just wait this one out."
"Might buy him a few days, or more, while we do our thing, and it will keep the authorities from going for a search warrant to come in here, maybe ... but how are we going to secure him in the hospital? At night?"
Rider's question made the group simply stare at Big Mike. "They already have one in there that's about to turn," Shabazz reminded the group. "If Dejesus dies today, then in three days he'll wake up."
"So, what do we do, just watch Jose die in here?" Damali began pacing again. Her mind shredded the options and she leaned her forehead against the wall in frustration. "Maybe that's our lead, and we should follow it when it wakes up and turns.
Let's take Jose over to the hospital while we still have some light. Just three of us - me, Mike, and Rider. We can post one man - Mike - by Jose until they run whatever battery they can on him there. Rider and me can see if we can find Carlos's boy and lay low until dusk. They always mark one about to turn, so something will come for Dejesus, and maybe me and Rider can track it."
"Why do I always get involved in the - "
"Because you're a nose, Rider," Damali argued. "Jose is down. That leaves you." She blew out her breath hard. They were all getting on her nerves. "Two of you guys, J.L. and Sha-bazz, stay here and work on weapons and keep it tight here. Marlene, you work the phones and get us booked with Club Vengeance - and leave a message for Carlos that I want to have a word with him, one on one. He might talk to me."
She pushed herself away from the wall and let her breath out fast again in disgust. "Don't even say it. I know. Me and Rivera go way back. Chill."
Wf"the doctorssaid he was extremely dehydrated, like his •i fluid levels had been siphoned out of him. Plus, he had too many white blood cells in his system, same as if our boy was fighting off a virus." Big Mike sat down heavily in the hospital waiting-room chair, leaning his huge forearms on his thighs, his head dropped and his massive hands clasped.
"He is fighting a virus," Rider sighed, leaning his head against the wall while in his seat and rubbing his palms over his face. "How long's he got?"
"Damn, Rider," Damali whispered. She stood and walked in a short back-and-forth pace before her team members. "Don't go there. Okay? If we have to bring him to the hospital every few days to get him dosed up, then that's what we do. But don't ever talk about one of our own in the past tense."
Rider cast his line of vision to the bank of elevators and offered no further comment.
"They're gonna put him on IV fluids and heavy doses of antibiotics for a few days, then, if he responds, he can come home." Big Mike glanced up at Damali. "When he responds. My bad."
"A few days," Rider said, his tone far-off and quiet. "That kid is like a little brother to me. Guess I'm just trying to brace myself ... seen the inevitable too many times not to go there. I hate surprises."
"Okay," Damali murmured, her voice more gentle as she went to Rider to place a hand on his shoulder. "I hear you. I'm sorry. This situation is messing with all of us. It's too close to our core."
Rider nodded and covered her hand with his and closed his eyes.
"Did you find out anything about Dejesus?"
Damali's question made Rider look at her.
"He bought it, first light at dawn this morning, before we got here."
"Takes three days, usually, for one of them to fully turn." Big Mike stood, making Rider stand with him. "That means we have a few days before he climbs off a morgue slab."
Damali and Rider nodded a quiet acknowledgment of what had been learned the hard way. It was going down just like she'd thought.
"Then he's gonna try to go find Poppa - or Momma. Whatever bit him."
"Rider's right." Damali leaned against the wall. "All we can do is hope that Jose comes around before this one starts going back over old ground." She let her breath out hard. "They always track back to where they'd last been before turning."
"Just like bloodhounds, trying to pick up the scent to find their maker - to find and identify their pack, their own particular vampire family line," Rider said in a weary tone.
"Yeah," Mike whispered. "Then that group marks off it's own territory. But that's what's been so weird about the recent activity. At first, it seemed random ... like no order to it. Just a vamp here or there that would pop up, find us, and then we'd dust it.
Or, we'd find a small nest and get to them first. Now, there's a pattern, almost - "
"That's because it's concentrating, like nests are forming alliances or something ..." Damali said thoughtfully. "And the dangerous part is, we don't know why. They might all be vamps, but vamps are very clear on feeding grounds, and whose turf is whose, right? Like the drug dealers."
"Okay," Rider said. "What's the plan - or dare I ask?"