Chapter 15

After three days had passed, the Official was still furious and it had nothing to do with Darien or Hobbes. The gland had turned into a little raisin and was of no use. Even the notes that Kevin jotted was nothing but gibberish. Walter had burned what remained of it later on.

Darien sat by Ed's side to read and talk to him. Darcy was happy to have her husband back, but was dismayed at the guilt he was still holding inside. He had been working on cases with Hobbes and Tom, but when his day was through he would spend the night by Ed's side. She knew that he was eating himself up inside and there seemed to be nothing she or anyone could say to change his mind. Even his hair drooped and when she would try to fix it, it would just fall.

Claire was more vigilant over Ed now. With Kevin gone, he was completely in her hands. Ed had been slowly but surely responding to the stimulant tests. Claire would test his reflexes on a daily basis and remarkably she had seen improvement. The dominants do heal faster.

Claire walked over to Sloan and Tara scratching her head as she read her notes. "His vitals are strong, as is expected. The scans are showing…" a look of awe appeared on her face as she continued, "…tremendous brain activity. So why hasn't he woken up yet?"

After a few moments of silence, Tara had offered an observation that she had never thought of before. "Maybe, just maybe, dominants go into a dormant stage when we're suffering from a serious illness or injury. Like a self imposed coma to heal."

"You know, I think you're onto something. When Tom was beaten he did sleep for a day. And when Ed gave him the genogenesis serum he had a high fever and slept when it broke." Sloan added.

"This could be remarkable and another advantage over us. A self induced coma would prompt faster healing. The body is able to fight illnesses and heal better that way." Claire traded glances with Tara and Sloan.

"Sooo, he's been like hibernating." Darien overheard and in his own way was trying to understand what the three scientists were talking about.

Claire smiled, "Yeah, Darien, that's another way of putting it. We're not completely sure, it's only a theory. This would explain why the nano-scaffolds apparently are working."

"Oh you mean those little nano things Kevin injected Ed with?" Darien commented.

"Yeah," Claire said as she glanced back over at Ed. "Incredible…I just hope the genogenesis serum works."

"You're not the only one," Sloan remarked.

"Hey, I've got a huge stake in this. I'm the one that suggested that in the first place." Tara added strongly.

Claire glanced at Tara. Even if the serum didn't work, Ed was alive and on the road to recovery. "Tara, what you suggested worked. Ed would not have survived. In the grand scheme of things…" she shot a quick glance at Ed and then turned her head to look at Tara, "…I rather have him like this then the alternative. I've been down that road and I don't want to repeat it for a very long time."

"I know, but I still can't help but feel guilty if the serum doesn't work…"

"Guilty? Really? Isn't that a human emotion?" Sloan asked in a jovial tone.

Tara smiled, "Yeah, it is…never thought you'd see the day when a daughter of Lewis would feel guilty about turning Ed Tate into a dominant now would you? I accomplished what my father failed to do."

"You know, speaking of that, why didn't he just give Ed the shot, he's had his chances," Darien jumped in.

"I think we've talked about that and I have no answers, except that my father likes to go through with these giant schemes for some odd reason. He'll go to great lengths just to bop someone on the head. I think it's because he has illusions of grandeur."

"Hmmm…sounds like someone else I know." Darien looked at the questioning faces on the women. "Arnaud…" he said with raised brows.

"Ah…that's true," Claire retorted.

At that moment, Hobbes walked into the room and sauntered over to Tara. "Hey babe," he gave her a hug and then kissed her gently on her lips. Darien smiled and winked at Claire and Sloan. They smiled as they looked down at the floor blushing. "So, how's Superdoc doing today?"

"Sleeping…still. He hasn't made any movements or sounds since…you know," Tara remarked as they walked over to Ed.

"Oh…since Kevin did the ole peptide thing." Hobbes stood by Ed. "So, what's keepin' him asleep?"

"The girls think he's hibernating."

"Like a bear?"

"Groundhog."

"Madagascar fat-tailed dwarf lemur."

"I'm impressed."

"You should be."

"You read?"

"All the time, my friend."

Claire rolled her eyes. Tara wrapped her arms around Hobbes and kissed his cheek, "That's my Bobby."

It was Darien's turn to roll his eyes. Hobbes glared at him, "I know what's going through that so called evolved mind of yours."

"Oh, you do do you?" Darien tossed back.

"Yes, you find it hard to believe that Bobby Hobbes was able to make a new woman out of one of Lewis' daughters. Well, I did my…not so spiky haired friend." He gripped Tara's waist tightly and pulled her close to him. "Bobby Hobbes is full of sexual appeal that even dominant chicks can't resist."

Darien turned his head away and whispered to himself, "Oh man, I'm getting a mental picture and it ain't pretty."

"You ready to go home, babe?" Hobbes asked.

Tara looked at Claire. "It's okay, Tara, Sloan and I are here, if we need anything we'll call." Tara nodded and she left with Hobbes. Claire went back to her tests as Sloan pulled up a chair next to Darien.

Darien glanced at Sloan and then to Ed. "Hey, by the way, when did you two meet? I mean you and 'Double D'." Darien asked in curious tone.

She thought for a moment and leaned forward. "Ed had transferred over from UCLA after he completed his two years at NIAD with Dr. Copeland. We ended up in the same class in our senior at Whitney University. It was a class entitled 'Social Behavior in Human Evolution' and it was taught by Ann Coulter." Sloan smiled and chuckled slightly, "I don't think I'll ever forget when he first walked into class. He was wearing these tan cargo pants, a white t-shirt and this blue plaid shirt. His hiking boots were untied and his hair was semi-wet. He didn't look like he belonged in the class at all. At first I thought it was a trick, after all it was a study on 'human behavior'. I could see on Ann's face that she didn't think that Ed was in the right class either. When he walked in all heads turned his way and he was completely oblivious to it. He just sauntered in, found a seat and sat down. We were in an auditorium type classroom, which actually wasn't made for anybody over 5' 10". He eventually sat down front because there was no room for his legs in the rows."

"I know how that goes," Darien quipped.

Sloan smiled, "You should've seen him trying to get comfortable, it just wouldn't happen. Ann finally told him to switch with someone. Anyway, Ann had called him so she could check his schedule and sure enough, he was in the right class. He was definitely different. Not at all like the other guys in the class. Those guys were always on this mission to prove who was the smartest, who attended the best university previously, what their entrance scores were, GPA, etc."

"Ah…basically your classic egotistical geeks."

"Yeah, but not Ed though…he was genuine, what you saw is what you got…" Sloan's voice trailed off as if she was back in the class again that day. She could see Ed sauntering into the class and taking his seat. She could even hear some of the other students mumbling amongst themselves. Right then and there, she knew he was different from the others. After a pause she continued, "He didn't wear his accomplishments on his sleeve and was very friendly. He turned out to be one of the smartest students in the class. Behind me of course," Sloan added with a slight jovial nudge to his side.

Darien smiled at her, "Uh-huh, of course."

Sloan stared at Ed as the memory played out in her mind. She still missed Ann, her mentor, her friend. She wondered what Ann would have thought about everything that has gone on since the discovery. "Ann didn't hesitate to ask him if he wanted a job working in the lab after graduation. Ed once told me that she saw something in me, but I think she saw something in him too or else she would have never offered the position to him."

"She didn't care about the way he dressed? You know, not looking like a scientist and all." Darien glanced at Ed as he slept trying to picture him in his mind dressed in a white shirt with tie like Kevin. It didn't work and he quickly shook that image from his mind.

"No, not at all, I think she got used to it after awhile. It was a part of Ed's personality and she didn't want to change that. I'll never forget when Walter walked in a year later. He was surprised to see how Ed was dressed. It was pretty funny. Walter always has on a suit and tie and then there's Ed." She motioned to Ed with her hand when she mentioned his name. She and Darien laughed and then she looked at him, "What are you laughing about Mr. Vintage Man? You're just as bad if not worse."

"Hey, we are who we are." Darien returned.

Sloan patted him on his leg, "I'm going to see if Claire needs any help. Just keep talking to him, okay?"

Darien nodded in response, "Yeah, I will."

With a sympathetic smile, Sloan rose to her feet and left Darien alone with Ed.

Early the next morning, Darien was asleep on the chair next to Ed's bed. It was his day off and he decided to stay the night at the hospital. Darcy had put a blanket on him and kissed him lightly on his forehead. She looked at the two of them and smiled, "They both look so cute sleeping." Then her brow furrowed in sadness, "Please wake up, Ed."

Movement.

She rubbed her eyes wondering if she saw what she thought she saw. "Ed?"

His hand twitched again.

She shook Darien. "…nnnhhh…" his eyes squinted as he moaned.

"Darien wake up, I think Ed's waking up," Darcy said as she gave Darien another hard shove.

"Wha…really?" Darien shot straight up on the chair and moved it closer to Ed. "Hey, bro, you gonna wake up? I think your paid sick time is up."

"Claire." Ed's voice sounded raspy.

Darien and Darcy smiled at each other. "I'll get Claire," Darcy said. She patted Ed on his hand and then quickly left the room.

"She's comin'; she just went to get something to eat."

"Darien?"

"Yeah, it's me. Don't talk. Wait until Claire gets here." Darien watched as Ed shook his head slightly and then seemed to drift off back to sleep. It wasn't too long before Claire rushed into the room. She zipped across the room and to Darien looked like a blonde blur. Darien had never seen her move so fast, she probably out sprinted Tara who came into the room a few seconds behind her.

She grabbed a hold of Ed's hand, "Honey, I'm here." With her other hand she raked her fingers through his hair. "You woke up for Darcy and Darien, can you wake up for me?"

Ed could hear her, feel her, and sense her. He sensed her desperation, "Claire?"

"Yes."

"What…" Ed swallowed hard and it stung in his throat. His face grimaced in pain from the discomfort.

She patted his chest in reassurance, "I'll answer all your questions soon, but right now, I need for you to do something for me, okay?" She let go of his hand and pulled out her pen as she walked to the foot of his bed. Pulling the sheets off his feet, she prepared to run a reflex test. "Okay, hon, do you feel this?" She ran the pen on the underside of his foot. He shook his head as his foot reacted to the touch of the pen. Everyone smiled. "Good, okay now the other one." She repeated the process and Ed reacted the same way. She placed the sheets over his feet and back to his side. She rubbed his forehead. "You rest okay, and we'll talk later." Ed shook his head and drifted off to sleep.

"It worked," Claire announced enthusiastically, "Kevin and Tara's ideas worked."

"But we still have one more thing to do," Tara mentioned. "And the question is when?"

"Hmm…Kevin didn't really say. But I wouldn't do anything until he's up on his feet and walking. Then I'd feel better about giving him the genogenesis serum."

Darien sat somewhat relieved. Darcy sat next to him. She ran her hand down his arm to his hand and held it tight. He looked at Ed and then down at his hands. "You know the really strange thing about all this is? Kevin operated on him with my hands…my hands cut him open…but it was also my hands that put him here in the first place." He looked at Darcy with sad eyes, "I can't be trusted. Lewis can still get control of me. Damn!" He walked across the room with one hand on his hip and the other running through his thick mane of unruly hair. Darcy was right behind him. "Why is it that there seems to be something out there to control me? I mean, one time it was quicksilver madness and now it's Lewis."

"No, he can't. You were supposed to give that shot to Tom and you didn't. I can't imagine what would have happened if you did. And you were probably ordered to kill Ed and Sloan and you didn't. Lewis didn't have control of you and neither did you. But you know, when Ed was caught, you stayed with him. You could've run and left him, but you didn't even though he told you to. You know why?" She waited for his answer but he just stood there with a neutral expression. "Because you cared about him, you even asked Tom to take care of him. Even when Ed was all quicksilver crazy, he didn't try to hurt Claire, he was gentle with her. You have to believe when we tell you that it wasn't your fault. You're not a superhero. You went up against someone who has been trained by Lewis for years. She was probably trained in keeping her mind clear. You had no way of knowing what was going to happen and I order you to stop beating yourself up about it."

Despite his gloomy disposition, Darien half smiled, "Order, huh?"

"Yeah, order. Look, Ed's alive. According to Kevin, what happened to the gland was going to happen sooner or later. If you hadn't been given the shot, or bumped your head, or whatever caused Kevin to come back, who knows what would have happened. Things happen for a reason, Darien, and you have to understand that."

"But what if the serum doesn't work?"

"Then we'll cope with that and so will Ed. They're both strong and I'm sure Claire is already preparing herself for that. They'll be fine just like we are."

"Tom and Sloan."

"Yes, and Bobby and Tara. And who knows, maybe Ed will be a progeny too, just like you."

"We're in trouble." Darien stated sarcastically. Darcy chuckled and hugged her husband.

"C'mon, since Ed is resting again, let's go get something to eat for lunch. And I mean leave this place and eat some real food. It's bad enough it's a hospital but it's also a military hospital," Darcy quipped.

Darien shot Ed a worried glance and then back to Darcy. She gave him a scornful glare, "Darien, please. He's not going anywhere. Besides, Tara and Bobby are still here."

Darien heard the tone in her voice and one thing he was learning, you don't get between a pregnant dominant female and food. Besides, she was right. He needed to get away and refocus his thoughts. "Okay, let's go." He glanced over at Ed, "I'll be back, bro."

Later on in the evening as Claire slept on the other bed that had been placed in the room for her to sleep, Darien and Ed talked. "So…Kevin injected these biodegradable nano-scaffolds into my brain to act as a rebuilding bridge for the nerve cells. As the cells rebuild the scaffolds dissolve."

"Yeah, that's it, from what I understand. Have you heard of it before?" Darien asked.

Ed thought for a moment, "Yeah, I remember reading about it in one of my journals, but I didn't think…well, how did Kevin get his hands on it?" Ed was still a bit groggy but feeling much better.

"Actually, that was Tara. The dominants are way ahead in their nano technology."

Ed shook his head, "That I'm well aware of." He paused in a long thought. With his damaged nerve cells repaired, this proved they were far ahead of where the human scientists were at the moment. What else are they more advanced in? "It sounds like that they're taking their cues from human scientists…or they've been spying on us…er…I mean…" Ed dismayed, shook his head, "This is too weird. I know genetically I'm a dominant, but I think like a human. Talk about having a split personality. Is Walter sure I made it to 1.6?"

"Yeah, Sloan and Claire have run tests to make sure the conversion is holding. You're 1.6." Darien, not trying to read his mind, looked at him suspiciously. "Something wrong?"

"Well, I'm not sure, I mean, I've never been a dominant before so I can't compare, but…I don't know. My mind is like…" Ed paused searching his thoughts as he tried to come up with a comparison. "It's like…being caught in a wave under the surface…like being in a dryer…you tumble around…that's how I feel right now."

"Scrambled." Darien added.

"That's a good analogy too."

"Well, you've been through a lot and maybe your mind hasn't refocused yet. So, ah how does it feel?"

"Which feeling are you referring to, being a dominant or de-glanded?"

Darien smiled, "Both."

Ed let out a long sigh, "I don't know, it's not what I expected. It's strange…things are so different, emotions, colors, life in general…it's like things are for survival, you know, not for enjoyment. Like the flowers," Ed pointed towards the vase of flowers, "They're not pretty to me or I don't find comfort in them, all I see is something that was put here for survival…does that make sense?"

Darien shook his head, "Yeah, it does. I felt the same way." He shot a glance at the flowers, "Bees need them for their survival. Honey is a source of food, so yeah, it makes sense. The flowers depend on the bees for pollination and that sort of thing…so it's all relative. Like we depend on each other."

Ed let out a long sigh. After a pause, Ed pursed his lips in heavy thought. "I know…" He leaned his head back on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling as he released another long sigh. Somehow, someway he has to get Darien to understand that it wasn't his fault.

Darien's eyes studied him as a disconcerting expression appeared on his face. "Look, Ed, I'm sorry, this is all my fault."

Ed shook his head vehemently, "No, It's not. Claire and I talked about what happened and according to Kevin this was going to happen eventually. There was a flaw in Arnaud's design and actually…I'm the one that started the whole process. I should've been more careful and studied Arnaud's design closer. If I had, I would have seen the genetic flaw and prevented the breakdown, but I was careless. So you see, It's my fault …well, and plus Walter's boss didn't help by putting the gland through the Iron Man Triathlon." There was another long moment of stillness before Ed continued, "I don't remember a thing…" he said to break the heavy silence between them, "…All I remember is coming to the Agency from the airport, getting the water samples ready for testing and…I think you called me on the phone…that's all I remember and from what I've heard, I'm glad I don't remember."

"I don't remember much either. So, I uhm, talked to Claire about the gland in my head. She took some scans and…"

"I'm really sorry, Darien."

Darien glanced at Ed suspicious, "You know?"

"Yeah, we talked about that too and she showed me the scans. I should have given you the serum and found a way to remove the gland long ago," Ed said despondently. Now he was kicking himself.

Darien sighed, "Not your fault…now this is like playing tennis…we're hitting guilt trips to one another."

Ed smiled as did Darien. "It seems that way doesn't it? But, I didn't expect the gland in your head to intertwine as much as it has. I guess it did eventually evolve along with you. It's really become a part of you now. I honestly don't think we'll ever find a way to get the gland out."

"Yeah, lucky me." Darien decided for his own sanity to change the subject. "So, did you hear about Tom?"

"Yeah, I did. Tom is the leader of the Council of the Chosen and it's all because of us." Ed paused, "Well, actually, it's all because of Lewis." He smiled, "El Presidente…"

"Ah…the big Kahuna…"

"…El Hefe…

"…The Grand Poobah…"

"…The Big Cheese…"

"…The Head Honcho…"

"…The Big Wig…"

"…The Prime Minister…"

"…The High and Mighty…"

"…The Power that Be…"

"…His Majesty…"

"…The One…"

"…Top Dog…"

"…Numero Uno…"

"…Top Brass…"

"…Commander in Chief…"

"…CEO…"

"…Hail to the Chief…"

"Ugh! Will you two knock it off and get some sleep!" Claire rolled over and glared at Ed, "Especially you!"

Ed and Darien raised their brows to each other. "I guess I better go so you can sleep. I'll see you tomorrow," Darien said as he rose to his full height. He put his hand out and Ed took it. They shook hands, "Good to have you back."

Ed smiled, "Good to be back."

"Good night, Claire." Darien remarked as he walked by her.

"Good night, Dahrien." Claire's tone was a mix of relief and annoyance.

"Good night, babe." Ed pulled the sheet up and rolled over onto his side to face Claire.

She opened her eyes and could see the sparkle in his eyes again. She grinned, "Good night, hon." She watched as his eyes closed. She studied him as the day flashed in her mind. It started out with him still sleeping, but by the end of the day, he had been walking around with a little help from a walker. She had been astounded at how quickly he had healed. The dominants certainly do have an advantage over humans. The accelerated healing capacity of dominants was a part of their strength for survival. She only hoped that the information on the genogenesis serum that Tara took from Walter's boss worked. What she knew was that the serum had been tested on dominants that were born dominants, not on humans that became dominants. She wasn't sure if it mattered, but it was a variable that they didn't count on when the Limo Lady had her scientists perfect Ed's serum. She didn't know what to do. She decided that she would talk to Ed and Tara in the morning about running tests before giving him the serum. But as she was about to fall asleep, a question popped into her mind. Would Ed even want the serum?

Lewis watched as the young Kevin started his training for his meeting with Darien. Tabitha had failed, he had failed…again. The High Council was gone and his chances of molding his own Council faded away when the Chosen Council formed.

He glanced back at the young man and smiled as he tried to image Darien and Kevin locked in a struggle for survival. It didn't matter to Lewis who won the fight, either way, Darien would be destroyed. Either Kevin would kill him or he would be hurt in the process. And how would hurting a kid effect Darien? He believed he knew the answer. It would devastate Darien and that's what he wanted, Darien emotionally vulnerable to make his move.

TBC….