Free The Eve (The Eden Trilogy) by Keary Taylor

hands on my upper arms.  His eyes started scanning me for injury.
    “We found the mom,” I said, searching him over for any early signs of infection.  His eyes seemed normal, still burning blue.  “She had a hand-shaped bruise on her.  She was infected Avian.  She shot herself and her kids.”
    “It’s okay,” he said, shaking his head furiously.  “I’m fine.  I had the kid tested with the CDU.  He wasn’t infected.”
    I swore, my hands rising to knot in my hair.
    “It’s okay,” he said, pulling me towards him into an embrace.  “I’m fine.”
    I shook my head and took a deep breath.  My hands shook.  It was crushing when West got infected.  I wouldn’t survive it if Avian was taken from me.
    “Okay,” I said, calming my nerves.  I pulled back and rose to my feet.  “Do you know where Royce is?  I need to talk to him.”
    “Right here,” I heard him call from inside the medical wing.  I turned to see him talking with one of the doctors.
    “Royce, they’re closing in again,” I said, walking toward him, Avian in tow.  “One of them infected the mother of that kid, and then West and I plowed into another on the freeway as we were headed back.  We were fifteen miles inside the perimeter.”
    Royce swore, his hands interlocking behind his head.  “Well, we always knew it wasn’t gonna’ last.”
    “How much longer until the Pulse is fixed?” Avian asked.
    “Dr. Beeson’s crew has been so busy working on everything else, they haven’t had any time to devote to it.  They’ve been working on the solar tank nonstop for the past two and a half weeks.  And then they’re supposed to start in on the Nova.”
    “Have Graye get security detail back on perimeter watch,” I said as I started pacing.  There was too much adrenaline coursing through my body and not enough space to do anything with it.  “We’re going to have to risk them staying on the outskirts for now.  You can’t turn the WTS back on until after we leave with Dr. Evans.  We’ve got to get that transmitter built.”
    Royce gave a snicker and a smile pulled in the corner of his mouth.  “Well yes, ma’am.”
    His sudden amusement broke through my nervous pacing and pulled a smile from myself.  “Sorry.  Didn’t mean to get bossy.”
    “Hey, it’s good practice, kiddo.  You will be the boss in two days,” he said with a wink.  He then turned and started walking back down the hall.  “Leadership looks good on you.”
    “How’s the kid doing?” I asked, turning back to Avian.
    His eyes darted to a room, I assumed that was where the child was.  “Not good.  He’s extremely dehydrated, malnourished.  He’s basically starved to death.  That bullet wound is disastrously infected.  He’s got lice and all sorts of other critters living on him.  I’m pretty sure I need to go burn these clothes now and wash myself with bleach after touching him.”
    He rubbed a hand over his head as he crossed the hall and peered through a window to the child’s room.  “We’ve got him on IV fluids and antiobiotics and they’ll wash him up as soon as he looks a tad more stable.  But I think he’ll live.”
    That familiar pride I had so often felt for Avian back in the mountains returned.  Avian had little need to practice his doctorly duties now that there were three other physicians here, but this was one of his best elements.  He was so good under pressure.
    “What?” he asked.  I hadn’t realized he’d looked back at me.
    “Nothing,” I said with a smile.  “I guess I just miss seeing the doctor side of you sometimes.  It makes me miss home.”
    He crossed the space and once again pulled me into his arms.  His heart thumped steady and peaceful.
    Thinking once again of Eden made my chest ache.  I missed the trees and the cool morning air.  I missed my tent and our watch towers.  I even missed pulling weeds from the gardens.
    A nurse stepped out of Morgan’s room.
    “How’s she