This is the last part. Thank you so much to everybody that has reviewed so far, you've made checking my emails extra fun. I hope you've enjoyed the story so far, and I hope you enjoy the last part.

Hallways Part Ten

"I feel like such an idiot."

"Believe me, kid, you are such an idiot." Frank smiled at Miles, trying to take the sting out of his words, trying to keep his spirits up. "What made you breach the seal on your suit?"

"I don't know." Miles lay back on the couch, his skin pale, scattered with sweat, his frame quivering with the effort of restraining another coughing attack. "I just saw that little girl's face, how much she trusted me." He signalled for a drink and Frank held the glass over him, clumsy in his gloved hands. Miles gulped the water down, cool against his ravaged throat. "How is she doing?"

"She died Miles. About an hour and a half ago." Frank shook his head, remembering how distraught Michael Ashton had been, listening to his daughter die. "I'm sorry."

Miles squeezed his eyes shut, feeling tears of frustration, of anger brimming behind his closed eyelids. He hadn't been able to save her. All of this suffering, all she had been through and she'd still died.

Why did it have to be her?

"She wanted to be a doctor."

"Did she?"

"Yeah." Mile's opened his eyes. He'd grieve later. "What do we do now?"

"Wait for Natalie." Frank sighed heavily. "Pray."

The doors slid shut behind her.

Just for a second, she stood in the main hallway of the apartment building. Looking wildly around her, the view plate misting up with her increasing panicked breathing.

She hated this, hated the smell, the taste of sickness and death that hung over this place. It was easy for her to forget, working in a sterile lab, what the price of her failures was. She could almost taste the blood through her suit. She wanted to run, hide.

"Natalie?"

A wave of relief rushed across her. She had been so afraid that she would come into this building and find all the residents, all of her friends dead.

That she had would have been too late.

"Did you…."

She nodded, holding up the sterilized case holding the serum. "I brought as much as I could. The labtechs at the hospital are producing more. There should be enough within a few hours."

Should be. They could hear the words hanging between them. Should be.

"We'd better get started."

"Okay. Where have you put Miles?"

Stephen shook his head. "We do Miles last."

"What?" Natalie shook her head, feeling a few strands of her hair slip loose from their bindings, brush past her cheek. "No, Stephen he's…"

"He was infected last, he can afford to wait. His immune system is still strong, I examined him myself. There are people here who have been infected longer. We treat them first." He met her gaze brutally, not allowing himself the luxury of doubt or guilt. "Any questions?"

"None."

"Then lets get to work."

Two days later

She was waiting for him in the diner.

Her hair loose about her face, falling across her cheek. He stood behind her for a second, just smelling her perfume, longing to run his fingers through her hair, caress her cheek. He wondered how she would react if he….

Wondering if things could ever be different between them. Wondering if things could ever be simple between them.

But then, nothing with this woman was ever simple.

"Hello Patrick. I ordered you coffee."

"Hello Eva." He sat down at the other side of the table, trying to keep his voice calm, even. He lifted the cup to his lips, hoping she didn't notice that his hands were shaking.

She pushed a document file across the table to him. "That's your story."

"Where are my exclusives?"

Eva shrugged. "Unfortunately, the doctors involved are not available to be interviewed. They were called somewhere else. There are transcripts and full statements in that. I've authenticated them myself. There are also statements from the NYPD Detectives involved in the arrest." She fell silent as he flicked through the document. Trying not to think about how close Miles had come to dying. "Thanks for working with us on this one. I owe you."

"Anytime." He took another mouthful of coffee, set the cup down and stood up. "Be seeing you, Eva."

He didn't wait for her to speak, walking towards the door.

"Yeah." Her voice was soft, as soft as a breaking heart. "Seeya around Patrick."

The End.