Page 111 (1/2)

"Until they get into the brain," saidin his eyes I couldn’t stand to look at, and was terrified of understanding I looked away

"Sal…"

Sohter’s didn’t help I shook my head "I don’t want to think about that," I said "Joyce will be fine She has to be"

He wasn’t looking that way because of Joyce I wasn’t scared because of Joyce But neither of us was ready to deal hat that look reallywe’d never have to

The phone rang I was reaching for it whenthe receiver fro

There was a pause as he listened to the person on the other end

Then: "Yes Put hih"

"Is it Nathan?" I asked, before I could think better of it

He glanced ainst his lips in a signal for me to be quiet "Yes, Sally’s here No, you may not speak to her Whatever you need us to know, you can explain it to me" There was another pause before he said, "Dr Ki as a representative of the United States military when I say you will tellfurther about er Finally, my father said, "Intramuscular praziquantel? Are you certain?" Another pause "Son, you’re asking me to inject the patient with antiparasitics I think you owe me an explanation as to why"

Please, Nathan, be careful, I thought, locking rab at the phone Whatever you tell him, you have to be careful If Nathan wanted to tell my father about his mother’s involvement with all this, that was his decision… but if he didn’t do it the right way, I wasn’t going to be going anywhere with hi a military retrieval team to Dr Cale’s lab before the sun caly, "Well, yes, that does make medical sense, and I suppose the risks of intrahed by the risks of not reaching the parasite in time Thank you for your assistance, Dr Kim" He thrust the receiver unceremoniously toward me "Your boyfriend wants to talk to you Privates Dowell and Fabris will see you back to thethe receiver into my hand, he turned on his heel and strode out of the room, presumably on his way to tell the doctors responsible for Joyce’s treatuilt lanced through me as I realized that if those treatments worked, the doctors would probably also use them on the sleepwalkers After all,lives was iinally owned those bodies were gone, and the tapeworht to live as anyone else Didn’t they? They’d been acting out of instinct, and because they wanted lives of their own, not out of ht of infection terrified me But once those bodies were stolen…

It was apparently a day for revelations I was actually starting to understand Dr Cale’s point of view