agreed to marry him. How could he erase bits and pieces of their relationship? The holes left behind would make her suspicious.
The solution hit him like a battle-axe, and he stumbled back. The only way to protect her was to make a clean sweep. No memories of China, and no memories of him. She wouldn't suffer from the humiliation of feeling like a replacement. She would simply complete her job here, then return home to Houston, happy and proud that she'd accomplished something good.
She would be free from pain. He would take all her suffering away and heap it on himself. He would pay the price.
"I'll erase myself," he whispered.
Abby gasped.
Laszlo frowned. "Surely that is going too far."
Dougal shook his head. "It is the only way I can protect her."
He trudged down the hall and entered her dorm. She was still in bed, refusing to look at him.
He sat on the edge of her bed, his heart breaking. He would have to lose her in order to save her.
His eyes burned with tears. "I will find you again. No matter what. If it takes another three hundred years. Or a thousand years. I will find you."
She looked at him. "Are you going somewhere?"
"Aye." He placed his hand on her forehead, slipped into her mind, and began erasing.
Chapter Thirty-two
A week later
Leah finished checking her patient's blood pressure and smiled at him. "Perfect! You're one hundred percent back to normal."
"Thank you, Dr. Chin." He grinned. "Does that mean I can go home?"
She nodded, looping her stethoscope around her neck. "Tonight. We'll have one of the Vamps teleport you back."
Her patient bowed his head. "Thank you! Thank you, Dr. Chin. I can't wait to see my family again."
"And we have a parting gift for you, thanks to our benefactor, Kyo. A sack of rice for you and your family."
"Thank you!" He beamed at the other six patients, who had come out of stasis the day before. "We're free!"
They all cheered, and Leah grinned. She was so glad she'd accepted this job. At first, working with Vamps and shifters had seemed totally bizarre, but as far as she could tell, they were all a bunch of great guys who were making a difference fighting evil. They even had a resident angel, Briathos, who stopped by every day.
"Are you married, Dr. Chin?" one of the patients asked.
"You can't have her. I want her," another patient said. "Marry me, Dr. Chin. I'll give you five chickens!"
"I'll give you a pig," another boasted.
Leah laughed. "That's very sweet, but I'm married to my work."
From what she'd heard there were still close to a thousand mutated soldiers who needed to be changed back. She hoped they would all welcome the change like these guys had. They were eager to be reunited with families they hadn't seen in years. And they were angry at Master Han for turning them into mindless robots. Unpaid robots, it turned out. Most of these boys had agreed to join Master Han believing he would send their wages to their families. But once Master Han had people under his control, he no longer paid them the wage they'd been promised.
"I have more good news for you," she continued. "We're going to reimburse you for your lost wages."
Her patients clapped and cheered. "Thank you!" they shouted over and over.
Leah gave them high fives. After Angus and Roman had learned how these young men had been cheated from their earnings, they'd decided to make things right. It was a touching gesture from the Vamps, Leah thought, but also a smart move. In the future, all the cured soldiers would be on the side of the Vamps.
"I'll bring you something yummy from the cafeteria." She left the clinic as they continued to cheer.
Briathos was standing in the hallway, and he nodded at her as she passed. "You have done well. The Heavenly Father is most pleased."
"Oh. Thank you." Wow. Even God was happy with her. Did life get any better than this?
"May I be of service?" Briathos asked.
"I'm fine. Thank you." She hurried down the hall to the cafeteria, wondering why the angel asked her that every day. Maybe it was just an angelic thing.
She piled six ice cream sandwiches and six juice boxes on a tray and delivered them to her fan club in the clinic. They were still arguing over who should win her hand, though they forgot about her when they saw the ice cream.
Smiling, she strolled into the lab. "Hi, Abby. Hi, Mina."
They greeted