Page 32 of Shielding Instinct

“Probably.” She shook her head, not following his line of questioning.

“Assuredly.” Hawkeye corrected, feeling the thrill of the hunt, he thought he had found the rabbit and had it in his sights. “When Cooper woke you up, you rubbed your fingers under your mask, pulled it off, and stuck it in your pocket.”

“Why are you hammering this?”

“Because I was up last night searching all the reasons that someone could have blown out asinglepupil that was non-responsive. And all the reasons are significant and dangerous. All require immediate medical attention. You told the doctor you don’t take any medications regularly.” He lifted the mask. “The travel patch, you didn’t mention that at the hospital.”

“It’s not an everyday med, and I guess I forgot I did that. Besides, if it had been in my system and that had been the reason for my alien pupil, it would have blown out both my eyes. Are you angry with me right now?”

“Not even a little.” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, then sat up again. “With a motion sickness patch, the pupil wouldn’t have blown out because of a systemic reaction. The pupil reacts with direct contact with the medication. That’s why a travel patch can blow one eyeball and not both. Until I saw the patch, I had forgotten that I saw it yesterday. I remember thinking it was probably making you groggy.”

Petra reached for her eye mask. “The patch caused all this crazy?”

“I’m trained as a medic, not a medical doctor. But, it’s a new theory we can bring with us to the ophthalmologist today.”

“But in your research, it goes away eventually, right?” Petra asked, handing the mask back to Hawkeye. “Or will people be like that staffer at the Blue Fin and look at me for the rest of my life like I might spontaneously combust?”

Chapter Eleven

Petra

Petra stood outside the eye hospital waiting for Hawkeye, who had left to use the restroom and collect the SUV. He said he’d meet her out front.

And since she had nothing else to do but wait, she was ruminating.

Of course, she was.

She could take any little thing and chew on it all day long.

Right now, she was reliving the scene when she’d been half awake in the pre-dawn gloom, nervous about how today would unfold. She stayed still as Cooper stuck his nose onto her mattress and chuffed.

“Cooper, I know,” Hawkeye’s voice was so soft that she strained to hear even with her sensitive ears. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she? I hate to do this.” He put his hand on her back and squatted by her side. “Petra? Petra, hey, can you wake up just a little bit?”

“Mmm.” She opened her lashes only enough to take in the shadowy shapes of the room.

“I’m taking Cooper out for about twenty minutes. Do you feel okay being alone for that long? Do you need me to get Levi to take Cooper instead?”

“Uhm. No. I’m good. Thank you.”

Cooper, I know. She’s beautiful, isn’t she?

“Me and my wonky eyeball, beautiful,” Petra said to the seagull who was stalking the crust of bread near Petra’s foot. “Can you imagine?”

The guy standing next to Petra turned her way. “What did you say?”

She pointed at the SUV that was rounding toward the front doors. “Just wondering where my ride is,” she said, stepping closer to the curb.

This morning, once she heard the door shut behind Cooper and Hawkeye, Petra rolled out of bed and made it to the bathroom to see how she woke up looking beautiful, radiantly rested.

And no.

Nope.

Nopity-nope-nope-nope. She was not, in fact, a radiant beauty. Her hair looked like she’d fought through a windstorm. Her skin was dry and dull from the seven hours of flight time. And she had a wonky eye.

“As wonky as yesterday?” she had wondered, leaning toward the mirror and assessing her pupil size. It wasn’t even, but it was ever so slightly better. There was a tiny blue ring.

Petra had slogged her way back to bed in the hopes that there was still time for a beauty sleep miracle and crashed right back out until Hawkeye brought breakfast.

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