Sitting in the backseat of Harry's truck I stared outside, looking down at the dirt road as Harry drove.
"Dale, what exactly are you going to do?" Harry asked and Dale just smiled at him, glancing back towards the backseat when I rubbed at my eyes. Shaking his head at Dale's lack of response he chose to concentrate on driving them to the hospital instead hoping that Dale did have some clue as to how to convince Megan to travel back to her home town. Or what was left of it anyway...
I was too busy staring into the distance though I didn't miss the truck slowing, my eyes slowly narrowing once I saw that Harry had parked at the hospital. Shaking my head I leaned back shaking my head at Harry when he stopped the car, turning around enough to see me glaring at him.
"This wasn't my idea, Megan. Ask Dale why he wanted to bring you here." Harry sighed and I turned my head towards Dale but the FBI agent had already exited the vehicle, leaving me a little confused especially when I heard the door closest to me opening to reveal a still smiling Dale. When he stepped back to allow me to exit I just snorted at him though that did nothing to deter him and he waved at me, nodding towards the hospital until I finally rolled my eyes.
"You're not going to stop until I leave the truck are you?" I asked and he immediately nodded, causing me to finally climb out my arms crossed as I started to head inside the building.
"I hope you have a plan, Coop." Harry asked Dale as they started to follow me at a safe distance. "Megan's really worked up."
"I rang ahead, Harry. Doctor Hayward's already in on the plan." Dale answered leaving Harry even more lost as they crossed the parking lot. Once they made their way inside I was already standing in the waiting room near the front desk, lightly tapping my left foot as I waited for my friends to catch up.
"So what exactly are we doing in here?" I asked and Dale nodded towards one of the doors further away. Suddenly it clicked and I felt myself growing uneasy when Dale started to walk towards the door and even Harry frowned at Dale, following behind him.
"Coop, we can't bring Megan into the morgue." He whispered once he caught up to Dale and Dale waved him over, pausing once he reached the door.
"Of course we're not, Harry but just follow my lead. Once we get Megan to go back to the waiting room I'll bring her a coffee." Dale explained turning around to find me standing a few feet back, my hand visibly shaking. Even though he knew I wouldn't be setting one foot inside the morgue Dale couldn't help feeling a little sorry once he saw how pale my face was.
"S...so I'm...he...here." I stammered, swallowing thickly and Dale shook his head when I tried to step forward. When I stared at him still trembling at the possibility of seeing any number of dead bodies including the infected man he reached over giving my right shoulder a squeeze.
"Megan, you're looking a little peaked. Maybe you should stay in the waiting room. Harry, can you wait with Megan while I go and get her a coffee? Sorry but it's most likely going to be instant. Two sugars right?" Dale asked and I gave him a slight nod both of us watching as he walked away not giving Harry a moment to think of a response.
Shaking his head at Dale, Harry turned his attention back to me noting that my forehead now sported a thin sheen of sweat. "Come on, Megan. I'll find you somewhere to sit while Dale gets you that coffee." He sighed, planting a hand tentatively on my shoulder before he steered me towards the waiting room. I let him too busy thinking about how close I'd come to seeing a dead body, not my first of course but that was besides the point.
Once he had me settled in a plastic chair Harry sat beside me, looking towards the hallway from time to time as he wondered where Dale had gone for that coffee. "Dale's been gone a long time. How long does it take to find a coffee?" He tried to joke and I nodded, looking at my hands and he sighed looking towards the hallway for a few seconds. "You know I wasn't calling you a liar before." He added and I looked up to see him trying to smile at me.
"You won't be the first. Just like the S.T.A.R.S. No one believed them and my hometown paid the price. Pray your town doesn't suffer the same fate." I muttered and he blinked when I lowered my head, staring blankly at the floor beneath my feet.
"Megan, that's not..." He began only to hear footsteps approaching and he looked up breaking into a faint smile when he saw Dale heading their way with a coffee in hand. "There you are. You didn't get lost did you, Coop?" He teased and Dale shrugged moving to my side as Harry stood watching on as Dale knelt at my side, offering me the steaming cup.
"Not really, Harry. I'm a pro at finding my way around the town." Dale answered, a quick grin appearing on his lips when I took the offered cup. Blowing on it I took a tentative sip grinning at the taste of bitter coffee. It wasn't the best coffee I'd ever had but it still made me feel much better. "Oh the sugars. Here you go." Dale added, pulling out two small sugar packets which he emptied into my coffee. Giving him a weak smile I continued to sip at the coffee, noting that it actually tasted better with two sugars.
"So are we going into the morgue?" Harry asked and Dale shook his head when I raised my head, staring at both men with wide-eyes.
"Sorry but Doctor Hayward hasn't finished the autopsy on our John Doe yet. We can come back at a later time, Harry." Dale explained and I let out a breath helped to my feet by Dale, who walked beside me with a slightly confused Harry following us.
Once we reached Harry's truck Dale held the door open for me and I moved my attention away from my coffee to slip into the backseat, keeping a firm grip on the cup as he closed the door behind me. Once Dale climbed into the passenger-side seat he gave Harry a nod while Harry looked on with one raised eyebrow.
"The plan's going perfectly." Dale told Harry and Harry just shrugged, starting the engine without really knowing what the FBI agent had planned. As he started to head back to the sheriff's department I leaned back in my seat, the faint click of my seat-belt audible and as I sipped at the remainder of my coffee I noticed that instead of feeling more awake the coffee was making my head feel fuzzy. Shaking my head I continued to sip at my coffee but the woozy feeling persisted getting stronger the more I drank and after peering into my cup and finding it empty I held the cup between my fingers, staring at it until my vision blurred.
I shook my head again but the lightheaded feeling grew and I rubbed at my now tired eyes, wondering why I had gone from being fully awake to feeling like I hadn't slept in days. When he glanced back at me Dale was rewarded with a loud yawn, one I tried to hide with an open palm. "Everything alright back there, Megan?" He asked, already knowing the answer when I shifted my head to one side then the other trying to ignore how tired I felt.
"Just feeling a little woozy. Don't know why." I muttered, the urge to close my eyes almost overwhelming. "Must have been from the crash."
"You look a little pale. Maybe I should have gotten Doctor Hayward to give you a checkup. He did say you only had a bump but you never know." Dale answered but I waved him off, resting my head on the armrest beside me still clutching the cup in my right hand.
"Nah I'm fine. Just a little tired, Dale. Thought coffee was supposed to wake you up not put you to sleep." I pointed out and he chuckled, taking the cup from me when it nearly slipped from my fingers.
"Must have been decaf." Dale joked watching with interest when I closed my eyes, shifting until I could rest my head comfortably without slipping out from under the seatbelt. "Megan?" He called out when I let out a breath my breathing slowing until he was confident I had fallen asleep and he nodded.
"What exactly was in that coffee, Coop?" Harry asked, glancing back for a moment finding that Megan was stretched out on the backseat.
"One sugar and a couple of ground-up sleeping pills." Dale replied and Harry raised both eyebrows at the agent until Dale chuckled softly. "I spoke to Doc Hayward and he gave me the pills Megan wouldn't take. While I was on my way back to you I crushed them up, emptied one of the sugar packets and replaced it with the pills. Megan wasn't going to come with us no matter how nicely we asked so I decided that was the only way."
"Coop, that was a good plan but I wouldn't want to be in your shoes when Megan wakes up." Harry admitted and Dale shrugged, glancing back at Megan who hadn't even stirred. "Now how far is it to Raccoon City?"