Kayla walked into Wings and looked around for Roman and Isabella. She had been pleasantly surprised when he had called and asked her to join them for lunch. Her stomach was growling and she was definitely looking forward to some food.

That only made sense given that she had arrived at the lab seven hours earlier. She and Carly had worked to have everything ready for when the samples arrived. The messenger arrived promptly at 5:30 a.m. and it had been a nonstop flurry of activity since. Yet her exhaustion and hunger was well worth it. Carly was confident she could have a cure for the virus in a matter of days. Relief washed over Kayla at the thought. Bo and Peachy were going to be okay. She still wondered how the CDC had found somebody with the antibodies to fight the virus, but she supposed it didn't really matter. What mattered was that the cure was about to be found.

Dave's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Hello, Kayla. Do you need a table for lunch?"

"Actually, I'm meeting Roman and Isabella," Kayla said with a smile. "Oh, there they are."

She thanked Dave and walked over to the table. They exchanged hellos and Roman got up and gave her a kiss on the cheek and held her chair as she sat down.

"You look exhausted, Sis," Roman said.

"Gee, thanks, Roman. That's what every woman wants to hear."

Roman looked chagrined. "Sorry. I'm just worried about my baby sister."

"I'll forgive you only because I know it's true. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, I'm afraid."

"You must have gotten a late-night phone call too," Isabella said with a smile. "I guess Shane forgot about time-zone differences."

Kayla's smile froze on her face. "Shane called you last night?" she asked, trying to keep her voice even.

Isabella looked quickly at Roman, then back at Kayla. "Uh, yeah he called the house. You mean he didn't call you?"

"No, he didn't call me. Is he okay?" Kayla asked with a frown of concern on her face.

"He's fine," Roman said. In a soothing voice, he added, "I'm sure he just didn't call because it was so late and didn't want to wake you or Stephanie."

"Shane should know that I wouldn't care what time it was; I just want to know that he's safe and that he's not hurt or anything." Kayla couldn't stop the hurt and confusion from creeping into her voice. Why would he call Roman and not call me?

Roman and Isabella shared an uncomfortable look. "Don't get upset, Sis. I'm sure he'll contact you soon."

"I'm not upset, I'm . . ." Worried, hurt, confused. Okay I'm upset,Kayla thought to herself. "What did he say, Roman?"

Roman seemed caught off guard for a moment, but then replied, "Just that he was okay and that his mission was successful. He really couldn't talk long."

Kayla had a feeling that Roman was keeping something from her, but she knew from experience that if he was, she would not find out until he was ready to tell her. She sighed softly, then asked, "Did he at least mention when he was going to be home?"

Roman gave her a sympathetic look and said, "No. Like I said, he couldn't really talk long. I really am sure he'll be calling soon and he'll be able to tell you the whole story himself."

Just then the waitress arrived to take their lunch orders. Kayla let the subject drop and focused on her lunch. Yet, throughout the meal, one thought kept running through her mind. Why had Shane called Roman and not her? Something strange was going on with Shane; she'd known it when he came to the lab to say goodbye. And if Roman was right and the mission was over, then she could no longer delude herself into thinking that Shane's strange behavior was just about his mission. No, it was about something more and she could not help but feel that his behavior was about his feelings for her.