Thicker Than Blood

Chapter 10: 12 months after the outbreak...

"Alec, you never said what you got us into! If I'm supposed to have this 'partnership' with you, then I deserve to know what's going on! You've been ignoring me." Mitchell glared at Alec, having met in the medicine room, standing toe-to-toe. Nurses and doctors walked past making Alec shift uncomfortably.

Glaring up at Mitchell, standing on his toes, and trying to get in his face, "Fair enough." Alec grinned menacingly, never moving or blinking his eyes. "We've got a lot to discuss, but definitely not here. It would be career suicide to discuss anything here!" Alec subtly gestured to Mitchell's pockets, their eyes locked, giving him another measured stare. "Meet me at the diner down Brooklin Ave, the big green one. You better be there! Ten minutes..." Alec walked out the door and into the corridor towards the children's wing.

Shaking off his anger, Mitchell wasn't sure what to think, but he knew that double crossing Alec wasn't going to be something he wanted to see to fruition. Gulping down a large lump, Mitchell turned off the light and locked the door, using Alec's code. Mitchell hoped he could turn the tables back onto Alec, and that gift was walking towards him.

Alec kept smiling, thinking he had a great partner in Mitchell. He was going to have to use his contacts to help keep him in line. Right now, he knew there was nothing keeping Mitchell from talking really, but he knew that he had him - Mitchell craved science. Besides, Alec knew that Mitchell wasn't going to want to go to jail - so they were both safe, as long as Mitchell didn't screw things up. 'I'm going to need to get more people, more than just the boy from the wreck...' he thought to himself. He rounded the corner from the pharmacy, not noticing the body following close behind him, the Cheshire cat smile taking over his face. "I was hoping to run into you today! How are you doing?"

Mitchell hung back to keep from being seen by Amanda. She was looking at Alec and tried to reciprocate his smile, but it was looking rather thin. "Not great," looking down at her feet, trying hard to contain her tears, as they began to puddle around her. She imagined drowning in them to avoid saying the words that she knew had to escape her lips, "it's back Alec..." This time she looked up to see his reaction, waiting to wince at his features contorted into a grimace. "The coma experiment didn't work. It's worse Alec."

Alec's smile waned, "You are kidding right?" Alec looked around, then gestured for them to go into the breakroom. Amanda went in first, then Alec. Mitchell got closer to the door, staying out of view of the glass.

"I wish..." Amanda continued.

Hissing between teeth, "No, this is not right. I'm confused, you told me that you had beat it before! We dealt with this last year before the breakout! I put you in a coma to stop this and gave you experimental medicine I shouldn't have! You were in remission!" Alec slammed his fists on the table, then quietly to himself, "You aren't doing this to me again."

Frightened, Amanda's eyes began to well up, "It's not like I wished for this to happen, Alec... I don't want to go through it all again, I'm finally feeling like myself!"

Alec's body began to tremble thinking about his sister's death. Her angelic face and fierce determination haunted his dreams, he remembered her being the only thing he genuinely loved. In his mind, he recalled her last request – 'promise me Alec, do it for me...' As he thought about her, the anguish resurfaced, burning the inner corners of his eyes. Furiously wiping at his face, Alec couldn't hold back the sobs that wracked his body. Amanda walked over to him, believing his sobs were for her, and wrapped her arms tightly around him. "What if we find a cure? An actual cure? I can't do this again...I don't want to lose you."

Amanda stepped back with her eyes glistening, hung her head, and wrung her hands. Quietly, "What would you have me do?! I can't wait around forever for a cure. I am obliged to do something..." Sighing, "I don't have the strength to just wait. I'm tired of fighting... I, I do have a surgery coming up in about 2 weeks to try and get it out again, but I don't want to do it. I want to be done."

Glancing through teary eyes, Alec grabbed her hands and laced his fingers through hers, "You need to keep going, think of your sisters, aren't they still young? Your brother? Didn't you promise to watch him become a baseball great? What about your future plans, your parents? Me?"

"Yes... yes, they are... and he'll be ok. But, what about the chemo? I just can't handle that again..." Amanda broke down in sobs.

Alec pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her tightly, "Shhh... it'll be ok Amanda. I think you should try the surgery and the chemo. We'll figure it out from there."

"It's just too much Alec!" Her body began to shake with wracking sobs, soaking Alec's shirt.

"Wait! Just... just hear me out. I've got an idea...please!?"

Mitchell just listened, grinning.