As soon as she could spare a minute, Leanne retreated to her office. She needed some time alone to process everything that had happened in the last 24 hours. With her back to the door, she leaned heavily against her desk, gripping the edge so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She was still in that position when she heard the door open behind her. Without moving, she said, "I'll be there in a second. I just need a moment."
"Heather's dead," Ethan stated bluntly. His voice was completely devoid of any emotion.
"Oh my God!" Leanne gasped as she spun around to face Ethan. "So soon?"
Ethan's expression was grim as he nodded and moved further into the office while closing the door behind him. "The disease probably progressed faster since the virus was introduced directly into her bloodstream," he explained.
Once Ethan was standing directly in front of her, Leanne asked, "How's everybody else?"
"About the same."
"And Ariel?"
"She's scared, but, so far, she's asymptomatic."
"But how long will that last? She'll be dead within a day, two at the most."
"You can't think like that."
"You mean realistically? Realistically, she never should have gotten sick and wouldn't have if she hadn't come to me for help. It's my fault she's dying. I can't believe I failed another child," Leanne cried, dropping her gaze to the floor and covering her face with her hands.
Ethan placed his hands on her shoulders and shook her gently in an attempt to get her to look at him. When that didn't work, he tugged her hands away from her face and bent his knees slightly in order to catch her eye. Speaking slowly and definitively, he told her, "You didn't fail Caitlin or Liam and you haven't failed Ariel. We're going to figure this out and she's going to be fine."
"Promise?"
Ethan was unwilling to make an explicit promise that he might not be able to keep, so he settled for pulling Leanne against him and hugging her tightly. After a while, he kissed the top of her head and stepped away from her. "Let's get to work."