Enigma (27 page)

I knew the adrenalization could go horribly wrong, but I was going ahead with it regardless of the consequences. He was right though; sadly, I hadn’t considered my family much in all of this. But I had thought about Brett. I would write him a letter and one for Flo, just in case anything happened. Apart from them, the Joneses were my family now, and I needed their support. But Jonathan wasn’t happy with my silence.

“If you die, how will I explain that to your parents?” He held his head in his shaky hands.

He was genuinely concerned, which in a strange way was thoughtful, but I had made up my mind, regardless of how many times he was going to try and talk me out of it.

“I doubt they’ll even notice. Make something up; you’re the doctor.”

“They’re your parents, Kate. Even if they don’t show it, they do love you. They’ll be heartbroken.”

Honestly, I had no idea how my parents would react to my death, but Brett and Flo would be devastated. The thought of that made me feel guilty, but it was too late; I couldn’t allow myself to feel guilty. This was about saving Seb’s life, and Jack’s, of course.

“You don’t know my parents, Jonathan,” I protested.

“Even if you survive, you’ll have to accept that you’ll never be able to carry a child. Giving birth killed Alissa and it would kill you too. Do you dream of having a family of your own someday, Kate?”

He was playing the pregnancy card now.

“All I want is him. We complete each other,” I said in a last bid to convince him to let up.

Jonathan knew exactly who I was talking about. I couldn’t say his name because I knew both Jack and Seb would be listening to every word of our conversation.

“Listen, Jonathan, he’s all that matters to me. Without him, I’m nothing. Nothing you say will change my mind. I’m not going to be talked out of this. I kept my side of the bargain and now it’s your turn to keep yours,” I whispered.

I impatiently stood up, walked over to an antique cabinet and rattled the doors, but it was locked. Everything had a lock on it. I grabbed a set of keys off the counter next to me and began turning each key in the rusty keyhole in a bid to open the cabinet and find the drug that would change me, the drug that would free me from living a lie.

“Where is it?” I yelled.

“Kate, stop! If we’re going to do this, you need to know the risks.” Jonathan stood up and walked over to me.

“Open it!” I demanded. “No more talk about the risks. I know I might die and know I’ll be in terrible pain. I have to try and save them. Now open this damn cabinet!”

“Kate, calm down,” Jonathan pleaded and hung his head in defeat. He then took the keys from me and opened the cabinet.

I peeked inside and flashes of outrageous colors dazzled my eyes. There were beakers and test tubes full of what looked like aluminous liquid. Then it hit me and I wondered which one would be flowing through my veins in a matter of hours.

Jonathan took out a glass beaker containing a white, thick serum, and then another containing an aluminous purple liquid. The purple liquid looked alive with the way it bounced inside the tube. Jonathan placed both beakers on the table in front of me and glared at me.

“I’m not trying to frighten you, Kate. But if we’re going to do this, we need to have a mock rehearsal.” Shaking his head, he headed over to the opposite wall and pulled a lever. There was some creaking as a steel bed lowered to the ground. Everything was becoming real. My heart raced and my mouth ran dry.

Jonathan turned to face me, pointing at the steel bed. “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to use this.”

The bed hit the floor with a loud bang. Jonathan brushed it down with his hands, choking through thick layers of dust. I cringed at the thought of lying on the bed. In my mind, it represented an ancient coffin.

“I want Jack and Sebastian in here, now! Jack! Seb!” I called out. They were by my side within seconds.

“What’s going on? This isn’t happening now, is it?” Seb asked.

“No, Jonathan is taking me through the motions.”

“A mock rehearsal?” Seb shook his head.

Jack looked at Jonathan. “Tell us what to do and then you can go.”

“What are you talking about? Jonathan is going to adrenalize me. He agreed,” I said.

“I don’t care if he agreed or not. We can’t trust him.”

Jonathan looked hurt by Jack’s words. “Of course you can trust me,” he insisted.

“Well, with all the lies, it’s hard to know who to trust around here anymore.”

“Jack, don’t fight with your dad. I’m sure he’s devastated over what he’s done,” I said.

“Don’t defend him, Kate. You don’t owe him anything,” he said sharply.

“Jack, you aren’t as innocent as you pretend to be,” Jonathan said, sitting down and wiping his brow.

“How dare you? You’ve kept monumental secrets from us. Forgive me if I’ve lost my trust in you! My past has nothing to do with any of this.”

“Please! Stop fighting!” I begged, but everyone ignored me.

“Just remember who raised you, Jack—who gave up their normal life for you. Whatever I kept from you, it was for your benefit.” Jonathan held his chest, but Jack wasn’t letting up.

“You made me like this and killed my mother. You deserve to have lost your normal life.”

Jonathan looked devastated as Jack threw such hurtful words at him, but, thankfully, Lindsey entered the lab.

“Please don’t fight. Let’s all just focus on why we’re doing this. Kate is going to save both of your lives and there’s no amount of gratitude any of us could ever show her for being so selfless.”

With her words, everyone relaxed. Jonathan ushered me over to the steel bed. I pulled my hair around to one side of my face and lay down. The bed smelled musty and creaked as I attempted to get comfortable. Then, I felt something cold touch my arm and flinched; it was only Jonathan feeling for a vein.

Jack knelt down beside me, holding my hand. He kissed my cheek and tried to distract me by conversing with me, but I was focused on what Jonathan was doing and why he was doing it. I was also concerned about his condition; his face was deathly pale. He stopped to wipe his brow again and I noticed that he was wheezing.

“Jon, are you okay?” Lindsey asked quietly.

He nodded, placing his handkerchief in his pocket, and I felt his shaky hand touch me again. He tapped two of his fingers along my left arm, but stopped suddenly to massage his own. Something was seriously wrong and everyone except Jack looked concerned.

Before I could ask if he was okay, Jonathan yelled out in agony and stumbled backward holding his chest. Seb leapt over the bed and caught him just as he was about to hit the floor. Jack was already beside Seb, yelling for me to call an ambulance, when I swung myself off the bed and ran out of the lab. I called up the stairs to Ethan and heard something smash as he came running out of the kitchen.

“Quick, we need to get help! Jonathan collapsed!” I yelled.

Reaching for my cell, I breathlessly called for an ambulance and Ethan agreed to wait by the door for the paramedics. Seb carried his father up the stairs with ease and placed him on the couch. Jonathan’s eyes were unfocused and his wheezing was deeper.

Within minutes, the paramedics rushed in, asking us to clear the space around him. They were sure that Jonathan had suffered a heart attack and swiftly lifted him into the ambulance. Lindsey went with him and Jack grabbed the keys to his father’s car. Seb insisted that he should drive and Jack threw him the keys. Ethan and I jumped in the back seat and we were on our way, but we were silent, trying to prepare ourselves for what might happen.

Arriving at the hospital, Seb pulled over. Ethan told us all to get out and head inside while he parked the car. Seb handed him the keys and we rushed into the emergency room, Jack and Seb trying their best to run at a normal pace. A nurse pointed us in the right direction and soon, we found Lindsey. She was shaking, and her eyes were red and puffy. Jack put his arm around her and we waited for her to catch her breath so that she could tell us what was going on.

“They lost him in the ambulance. They managed to get him back, and now they’ve rushed him off somewhere. I don’t know what’s going on,” Lindsey cried into Jack’s shoulder.

Jack held his mom while she sobbed uncontrollably, and Ethan arrived after parking the car. All we could do was wait and hope that Jonathan would pull through. It wasn’t just his life that was hanging in the balance; it was all of our lives.

Two hours passed and we were beginning to fear the worst. Nobody had really spoken, although I was sure we all shared the same harrowing thoughts. I felt completely selfish indulging in my problems, but I couldn’t help thinking that if Jonathan died, he wouldn’t be able to adrenalize me, leaving us all damned.

Another hour went by before a doctor came to tell us what was happening. He explained that Jonathan had suffered a heart attack, but that he was now stable, and the next forty-eight hours were critical. We all sighed with relief, and since the doctor instructed us not to crowd Jonathan, Lindsey and Seb went to see him first.

Ethan excused himself and Jack and I sat in the hallway. I felt guilty; we all had put so much pressure on Jonathan to adrenalize me, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to see him; I didn’t want to distress him further.

“Kate, are you okay? I can take you home if you want,” Jack said, holding my hand.

“I feel responsible for this,” I said, my voice wavering.

“What? Why? None of this is your fault. Dad brought this on himself. This is years of deceit and guilt finally taking its toll on him.”

I was surprised that Jack felt such a lack of guilt and compassion. I knew he was feeling bitter toward his father, and he certainly had a lot to be bitter about, but I didn’t feel like this was the time or place to be so uncaring. Lindsey and Seb came out of Jonathan’s room.

“He wants to see you two,” Lindsey said quietly, as she followed Seb down the hall. Jack reached for my hand, but I declined it.

“I think you should go in alone,” I said.

“No, he wants to see us both. Don’t feel guilty. If he hadn’t kept secrets, we wouldn’t be in this predicament. This isn’t our fault.”

He took my hand and we walked into Jonathan’s room. He was hooked up to several beeping machines and looked dreadful, but he managed to open his eyes. We walked nearer to him and he removed the oxygen mask from his mouth. With each breath, he gasped for air.

“Listen to me. Remember this. The lab. The cabinet . . . on the top shelf.” We both listened carefully. I grabbed a scrap piece of paper off the table by his bed and began writing down everything he said. “There is a . . . brown wooden box under the table. There, you’ll find everything you need to know. What you should’ve always known. I’m sorry.”

Jonathan closed his eyes and the monitor next to him made a loud noise before Jonathan flatlined. A flurry of doctors and nurses ran into the room. Well aware of what was happening, Jack and I stood back. After the doctors attempted to save Jonathan’s life, we knew it was over. Jonathan was dead.

Seb burst through the door and Lindsey ran in after him in. She screamed and Seb held her close as she fell to the ground sobbing. Tears welled up in Seb’s eyes and Jack looked over at his mom. When I composed myself, I suggested that we leave Lindsey alone to say goodbye to the love of her life.

Jack and I waited in the hallway and all we could hear was Lindsey’s howling cry. I held Jack’s hand and he looked down at me with sad eyes.

“That’s going to be you,” he said disturbingly.

“Stop talking like that! For goodness sake! Why would you say something like that at a time like this?”

“Why not say it—face facts? In a matter of weeks, possibly days, you’ll be weeping over my dead body.”

“Your dad just gave us instructions, which I’m sure will help us solve this problem ourselves. You have to have a little faith, or else what’s the point in me even trying?”

“I can’t be positive anymore, Kate. It’s too hard.” Jack was weaker than I had thought.

“Well, you’re going to have to toughen up then, because I’m not going to give up so easily. Now get in there and comfort your mom and show her some sympathy,” I ordered.

Jack left my side and walked into the room. Lindsey was draped over Jonathan’s dead body and I watched from the corner of the door as Lindsey flew into Jack’s arms. Ethan had gone for coffee and Seb walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

I raced over and wrapped my arms around him; he fell into me and held me tightly. I kissed his cheek; I didn’t care about the stupid rules. I wanted to comfort the guy I loved, the guy I’d do anything for.

The door open and Seb was gone. Jack looked at me, his eyes red. He was in need of comforting too, so I pulled him close. As I held hi, I saw Seb looking at me from round the corner. I felt sick with guilt. Time was closing in on us all too quickly and I had no idea how long Seb and I could carry on denying each other. I just hoped that Jonathan’s cryptic instructions would lead us to a solution.

CHAPTER 27

W
e all arrived back at the Joneses’ house, but I chose to go home, leaving Lindsey to grieve with her sons. I sat at my dresser and realized that I looked a complete mess. When I picked up my brush, there was a knock on my door, and I heard Tobias’s voice.