Death's Exception

Chapter Thirty-Two

"How did you know?" He shrugs, and leans his head back on the bed's headboard.

"Dr. Thorn told me that he payed a visit, and that it shook you up a good bit." I wonder how much Dr. Thorn told him. The truth was, after that conversation with Dr. Finley, I lost myself. I lost all of myself to his cruel and witty words. I hope Titus never knows how much that conversation affected me.

"They are all dead, Titus." His eyes flash with confusion, "The cryonic patients. The ones that survived, they are all dead except for two. And even they are going fast." His face relaxes with realization and pity.

"Rory, I- That is terrible." I nod. I stand and walk to one of the white metal chairs, and sit. I want to keep my distance from him so he can't read my emotions.

"We have to go get them, Titus." He sighs heavily. I know Titus enough to know that he is searching his head for every possible bad thing that could come with executing this plan. I have done it myself. I have explored the possibility of getting caught again, or worse, Titus could get shot just like Lilly. He is expendable to Dr. Finley, and if he gets in the way of Dr. Finley taking me back, he will get shot. I bring my hand to my forehead, making sure I want to go through with this. Making sure it will be worth arguing with Titus. But I can't leave these people who are living in the same hell that I am. These are the only people in the whole world that understand me.

"No." Titus says plainly. "You know we can't do that." 

"You know we have to! We can't abandon them." Titus starts to get frustrated.

"Rory! It is a trap. Surely you can see that. Dr. Finley does not do one thing without making sure it will hurt you first. Not even mentioning the fact that we do not have the resources to take care of two dying people!" I want to whisper three. But I know that would make Titus angry, and worried.

"I would rather risk my life than my morals!" That shuts him up. He knows it is true. That I would rather die than seem evil to any living person. Cryonics patient, or not.

"It is for your safety, love." He walks over to me, but I look down at my hands in fear that I might start crying if I look into his eyes.

"Titus, please. I need to do this. I am aware of the consequences, but that changes nothing." He grunts out of frustration, but it isn't towards me anymore. It is towards his mind changing. He places his arm on my shoulder.

"Fine." I smile a little, kiss his hand.

"Thank you, Titus. Thank you so much." His face hardens the slightest bit.

"You have to be safe. Because I am not okay with you risking your life for your morals. I need you, and that is the only moral I care about." I hate it. I hate pretending like I am not dying already. Like I am going to live with him forever and have a family, because no. I don't get that. I have this stupid clot in my head that is reducing the blood flow, and it is slowly killing me. It is slowly killing me until I just drop dead one day. I am going to leave him behind one day, and he is fully aware of that. Yet he insists upon loving me all the more.

"I will be safe." I spit out. He notices the edge in my words, and takes his arm from my shoulders.

"You're different." My face softens, and I look him in the eyes.

"I am the same person. I promise. Same old Rory who loves you very much." His eyes relax slightly, and I smile.

"I love you too." I take a deep breath, and move my ponytail to my left shoulder. Titus plops back on to the bed, and lays with both arms under his head. I can't help but notice that he has gotten more muscular, and certainly less boy-looking.

"Let us get down to business. I have a friend- she may be able to help us get back into the CSI lab." I am not going to pretend that my blood doesn't boil when he mentions that this friend is a 'she'. But I shake the thought out of my head.

"Can you contact her?" Titus' dimples stand out against his snarky smile. He holds up his tablet.

"You underestimate me, my love." I laugh.

"Never." He pulls out his tablet, and starts to type on it. After a couple minutes, a look of betrayal takes his face.

"YOU HAD A MUFFIN?" I try my best to look annoyed with him, but I only end up giggling.

"You may have one." He throws his tablet aside, and rushes to the mini-fridge. He holds up a chocolate muffin foe my beholding, and bites into it. The little tag indicates that we have been charged five more pecuniae, but Titus just tears it off and throws it away.

"The food of the gods."

"Can we please get back to business?" He jumps back on the bed, and siezes his tablet. The screen flashes with a beautiful blonde girl with remarkable blue eyes. Her hair is pulled in a side braid, hairs springing from her head in disarray. She has some round wire glasses just like Lilly's, and a mouth full of braces.

"TITUS! Where on this blasted Earth have you been? Dr. Finley is going mad with his monster gone, and with Lilly dead-" Her insensitivity implies that she must be a scientist.

"Sarah, we need your help." Her image starts to shake on the screen, and I think she is running. The lighting around her goes much darker.

"We?" She whispers harshly, and I wince. Titus holds the tablet to my face. I wave awkwardly. "You ARE NOT about to ask me to help a national criminal. And you are with her! YOU ARE A NATIONAL CRIMINAL, TITUS!" Titus scrunches up his nose.

"I personally prefer assitant scientist."

"I have been given that job." Titus looks down. I feel terrible. I have cost him everything. Everything he has known to love. I flinch as he looks over at me. He nods to tell me that it is okay, but it isn't. It isn't okay. Nothing about it is okay. I want to tear my hair out. Okay is not a word that applies to my life anymore.

"I just need your help. I will owe you one."

"Fine. What's the plan?"