Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 30747 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 154(@200wpm)___ 123(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30747 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 154(@200wpm)___ 123(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
Even though I did understand, the thought of Joey retracting his friendship was too much to bear. I slapped my hand over my mouth as my stomach lurched, but luckily nothing came up since I hadn’t eaten anything. I forgot to eat; how dumb can I get?
“Daddy, Andy is very sick,” Joey told Ian, his voice shaking with concern. “He needs to go to the doctor.” Ian nodded, looking back at me with worry in his gaze.
I couldn’t speak for fear of getting sick, but I shook my head; I didn’t have the money for medical care. Luckily, Joey seemed to understand my silent argument, and squeezed my hand.
“It’s okay; Dr. Bentley is my friend and he’s very nice. He won’t want any money, he’ll just want to help you. And I want to help you too! There’s no way I wouldn’t want to hang out with you. Sometimes things are scary or hard, but that’s when we need friends the most, right?” My eyes watered even more as I nodded, blown away by how lucky I was to have found these men. “Daddy and I are here for you. Everything is going to be okay.”
For the first time since Dalton went away; maybe for the first time ever, I allowed myself to believe that maybe everything could be okay.
Chapter Two
Tage
“Interesting,” I mumbled as I gazed through the eyepiece of my microscope. I was observing a cell swab I took from a human patient who had a painful throat infection. I’d given him an antibiotic the week before, but he’d returned to my clinic feeling no better than he did pre-treatment.
I was worried that might happen, since he was referred to me by a local hospital that had been unable to cure him. I didn’t see many patients, instead spending my time in the lab, but when other doctors needed help, I was happy to assist.
Human diseases intrigued me; they were always adapting and changing, as was the case with this particular bacteria. When I introduced the penicillin to it, the bacterial cells actually changed structure. Their shape morphed, camouflaging themselves to essentially hide from the antibiotic, which couldn’t identify the cells as problematic. It was fascinating, but bad news for my patient; ordinary medication wouldn’t help him.
I racked my brain for a solution. There had to be a way to prevent the cells from shifting so that the antibiotic could attack them. I leaned back in my chair and rubbed my hand through my bristly beard. All I needed was a way to freeze the bacteria.
That’s it! Freeze! I leapt from my chair and hurried to the freezer to pull out a vial of enzyme inhibitor solution. I warmed the vial in my hands as I walked back to my desk and retrieved a fresh slide of the bacterial cells.
“Try this on for size, you little bastards,” I said as I placed a few drops of the liquid onto the slide. After giving the fluid a moment to settle, I conducted the true test by introducing the penicillin to the mix, and held my breath.
This time, the bacterial cells did not shift or change; the enzyme inhibitor was blocking their chemical reactions, so they stayed steady…until the antibiotic infiltrated them. I smiled widely as each cell swelled and burst. It worked.
“Yes!” I yelled into the quiet room, pumping my fist over my head. With this discovery, my patient could make a full and quick recovery. Plus, I could share the information with the hospital to help future patients who may contract the same illness.
But before I could pick up the phone, I heard someone calling my name in the distance. I immediately recognized the voice as belonging to my young friend Joey.
I rose from my chair again and when I reached the door to my lab, I was overtaken by an overwhelming urge to get to him. I didn't understand what was happening; Joey couldn't be ill or hurt, so why was he in the clinic yelling for me? And why did it feel like finding him was the most important thing in the world?
My steps grew faster and larger as I made my way down a hallway and into the lobby of the clinic, where a few people were waiting to see the other doctors on staff. We specialized in blood disorders and research, but we had walk-ins as well; usually people who could not afford to seek treatment at typical hospitals.
I quickly spotted Joey and his Daddy Ian, but when I saw the young man they had with them, recognition fled through my body so quickly, my hands trembled and my chest ached with joy and gratitude. I was looking at my mate. After over eleven hundred years on this Earth, Fate had fulfilled her promise.
I rushed to the gorgeous man, but Joey spoke before I could. “There you are, Doc! This is my friend Andy, and he’s sick.”