Page 35 of Black Bay Defender
Her eyes glittering with anticipation, she opened her mouth, only to stop and stare at the breakfast she’d brought. “Maybe I should wait until after you eat. You scared us all last night when you passed out so suddenly.”
Lark shot Jayla a look of disbelief as she set her teacup back down. “Jayla! You can’t dangle Grady gossip in front of me and then hold back. Spill it.”
The woman’s face turned mutinous. “Food first.”
Well, that was a surprise. Nothing got between Jayla and her gossip. Lark must have really scared them. Contrition filled her and she reached out and took her friend’s hand. “I’m sorry I scared you last night. I overdid it.”
Jayla nodded. “That’s what Kong and Grady said.”
Releasing Jayla’s hand, Lark picked up the spoon and dutifully ate while Jayla chatted about some TV show she was currently watching. Then, she was forced to wait while Jayla removed the tray. She was dying to know what information the woman was withholding. Grady and Kong had been going to see that neurologist last night. Had they met with success? Did they get the answers Grady needed? That had to be it.
When Jayla reappeared, she jumped onto the bed and sat with her legs crossed under her. She was so excited, she practically vibrated. It must have been torture for her to hold back this long.
“Okay,” she began, extending her hand toward Lark. “So. The infirmary was a buzz of activity since well before dawn. People running around, getting an operating room ready. Apparently, Grady’s going under the knife.”
“What?!”
Without waiting for clarification, Lark threw off the covers and hurled herself out of bed. Jayla let out a squawk, but Lark wasn’t paying attention. She practically dove into her closet for a change of clothes. The chip. The way it stimulated the aggression centers of the brain. The reason they’d taken Doctor Tanner Blackmore. She remembered now.
“I’m dangerous”
“We’re all dangerous.”
“This rage I feel is out of proportion.”
She needed to be there. She needed to make sure the doctor didn’t play around in Grady’s head – revert him to the cold, robotic Resurrection soldier he’d been before. She couldn’t –wouldn’t– lose him.
Yanking on a pair of cargo pants, Lark called out, “What time is the surgery?”
“As soon as they get everything set up. The doctor gave them a list of equipment that he would need and everyone’s been hustling to get it done.”
Okay. Okay. Hopefully, she wasn’t too late. Stripping off her pajama top, she didn’t even bother with a bra as she tugged on a tank top and then began gathering her messy hair into a ponytail. Teeth. She needed to brush her teeth. Racing to the bathroom, she accomplished that in record time, but when she went to leave the bathroom, she found Jayla blocking the doorway, her face stern with censure and her hands planted on her hips.
“You need to slow down before you fall down. Did you forget you just woke up from a coma? That you passed out last night after overexerting yourself?”
Before Lark could respond, and explain her almost desperate need to be with Grady right now, Jayla held up her cell. “I’ve already called Kong. He’s with Grady, and they’re not going to do anything until you get there.”
Lark blew out a hard, relieved breath. It was a good thing Jayla was using her head because Lark had lost her mind. She should have thought of calling, but all she’d been thinking about was the possibility of losing Grady.
Her fingers trembled as she ran them over her face. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now take a minute and get your shit together.”
They’d given Grady a light sedative to keep him relaxed, but he would otherwise be awake for the procedure. The doctor needed him conscious to test certain functions as they went along to make sure anything he adjusted didn’t negatively impact necessary systems.
That was a relief. If Grady was awake, he’d know if Doctor Blackmore was messing with something he shouldn’t, and Lark was here to stop the doctor if need be.
His sister, as well as another nurse, was also in the operating room to assist the doctor with the procedure. Paige wouldn’t let anything happen to him either. Between Lark and Paige, the doctor would find himself in a world of hurt if he went off script.
But Doctor Blackmore proved true to his word, the procedure went off without a hitch. “You’ll need to test things for yourself once the sedative wears off,” the doctor told him once he’d finished. “Only you will know if your aggression levels are where they should be.”
“And the automated weapons systems?”
“All of your systems should now be fully under your control, but again, it’s something you’ll want to test.”
“Thank you, Doctor Blackmore.”
The doctor nodded and then hesitantly asked, “When can I go home?”
