FULL CIRCLE
Chapter 29
"Connor, what happened?" Natalie asked, once they'd stepped out into the hallway.
He glanced back at the closed door. "I told you that Frank and I found Miles unconscious. We also found all his patients dead. I'm going to need you to do autopsies on them to see what they died of.
Frank's betting it's not the influenza virus and I'm inclined to agree.
"All right."
"Either they thought they killed Miles when they knocked him out or didn't want to take the chance of raising too many questions. Nobody would really question when critically ill elderly people died. But they would if an apparently healthy young doctor did. Either way, he was lucky," Stephen told her.
"I think you're beginning to sound like Frank," Natalie commented.
"Don't let him know or he'll take it as a complement," Stephen replied and allowed himself a slight smile.
"You think Miles will be all right?"
"Probably. He's been showing a lot of the classic signs of a concussion. But he's been awake and alert, pupils normal," Stephen replied. He paced a few feet away from her. "If I'd know his emotional ties to that place, I could have pulled him off the case.Or at the very least had him working with you. You heard what he said about his grandfather and here I send him to the very place where he watched him die."
"Connor, if Miles wanted us to know, he would have told us,remember?" Natalie said gently. "You can't blame yourself because he got hurt. We had no idea what we'd be dealing with."
"That's where you're wrong. As team leader I'm responsible for what happens," Stephen hastily corrected her.
"Does Kate know about this downtime?" Natalie asked, changing the subject.
"No. Are you going to tell her? Anyway I said a day because I have something special planned with Jack and Frank never wants to be away from his family for very long. I already told Miles that he didn't have to be back until Monday morning. I don't see why you and Eva have to be back either. Unless there's something needing your attention in the labs."
"No. Nothing that can't wait. I have a pretty good idea why we're getting this. You're doing it for Miles but you don't want him to think you're playing favorites," Natalie replied.
"I don't think he'd want the extra attention," Stephen admitted. "Is there anything you want to do while we're in the city?"
"Let me think about it." Natalie told him.
The door to the exam room opened a minute later and Dr. Cassidy out to say, "I've given Dr. McCabe some medication for the nausea and it's making him a little drowsy. When it takes effect I'm sending him upstairs for a head CT and a skull x-ray just to make sure everything's all right. You can go in for a few minutes."
"I think I'd better talk to Frank and Eva. Let them know how Miles is," Stephen decided.
"All right." She followed the doctor into the room and over to the bed. Miles was lying with his eyes closed, the pain and exhaustion shadowing his youthful features. "How do you feel?' she asked softly.
Miles opened his eyes to look at her. "A little better. Head still hurts."
"It probably will for awhile," Natalie replied, rubbing his shoulder.
Stephen found Frank and Eva in the waiting room. Both were looking concerned and not very happy about being banished from the exam room. "How's Miles?" Frank quickly asked.
"He's resting. The doctor gave him something for the nausea and she's going to run a few tests. More than likely he'll have nothing more than a severe concussion which is bad enough in itself. But it
could have been a lot worse," Stephen answered.
"He'll be all right then?" Eva asked.
"Looks like it. Depends on what the tests show," Stephen replied.