As they made their way down the wide staircase, Daniel watched Dr. James Johnson as he anxiously shifted his ample girth side-to-side. The iced tea nearly sloshed over the rim of the tall glass he held in his left hand. A stack of papers filled his right.
“Good afternoon, James. I hope your presence here means good news for all of us.” Nita seemed friendly toward the fiftyish man. “I don’t believe you’ve formally met Daniel Callahan. He looks a bit different without the camouflage grease paint, but he helped us escape from Managua. The samples I sent over were from his six-month-old daughter.”
“Thank you, Mr. Callahan.” James look surprised to find both hands full. He started to move the papers into the crook of his arm when Nita plucked them from his hand. Daniel took the now empty hand in a firm shake.
“I thought we were goners there for a minute. Okay, more like ten minutes, but it felt like hours when they were shooting at us.” James shook his head. “I never want to be involved in anything like that again.”
“None of us do.” Daniel gestured toward the dining room table fearing he was going to end up wearing that iced tea if James didn’t set it down soon. “Have a seat.”
With a grateful sigh, the researcher moved in that direction. Without even thinking, Daniel moved to the head of the table, his usual spot, and gestured for the man to sit on his left. When Nita started to pull out a chair on the far side of the doctor, he motioned toward the chair on his right. It wasn’t that he was jealous of her working relationship with James, he simply wanted her close to him. “Come sit by me.”
Realizing it sounded too much like an order, Daniel added the word, “Please.”
She stood next to the chair for one heartbeat, then two. He gave her a small smile and saw the hardness in her hazel eyes melt. She scanned the entire main floor as she circled the table. He felt her light touch across his shoulders before she rounded the edge and sat next to him.
Daniel normally didn’t like public displays of affection, but Nita’s touch soothed him. He didn’t realize he’d been so anxious, but he’d been around Bella more in the past forty-eight hours then he’d ever been. His life in camp had been focused on Cristobal and his men. He’d taken time to go see his kids, and on occasion their mother would dump them on him, but he’d never been solely responsible for them for more than a few hours.
His little baby girl was very sick, and he could do nothing to help her.
Christ, he sucked as a father.
James shuffled papers and finally extracted one from the pile. “Your daughter is already on a regiment of antivirals which normally shorten the illness’s affect, as well as antibiotics which help prevent serious complications such as pneumonia.” He slid the paper toward Daniel and pointed to a list of words, each at least eight syllables in length, next to numbers.
“This is one of the most potent antivirals available,” Nita explained. She pointed to the number next to it. “I’ve kept its dosage relatively low because of Bella’s weight.” Under the table she laid her hand over his. “It’s never been tested in infants before, but it’s been proven effective in children over the age of five. Basically, it keeps the virus from attaching itself to other new healthy cells.”
Daniel rolled his hand over and interlaced his fingers with hers and gave it a squeeze. “I’m sure you’re doing everything you can to make her better.”
Nita lowered her eyelids for just a moment before returning her gaze to his. She pointed to the next item on the list. “This is just a big word for baby Tylenol. It helps keep her fever down which allows her body to fight off the infection. It also makes her feel a little better, too. I’ve talked with Kira at length about how much were giving her, because we have to be careful not to overdose her.”
He squeezed her hand in understanding. “Thank you.”
“This next one is a steroid which gives her body a little boost and—”
“Aren’t steroids bad for you?” Daniel looked from Nita to James.
“Technically, they can be.” James took off his glasses and started to clean them with the edge of his shirt.
“She won’t suddenly develop Hulk-like muscles or go into a roid rage when something pisses her off,” Nita reassured him. “These are a totally different kind of steroid. Moving on.” She went through every item on the list, explaining each medication. Daniel was no dummy. He’d been a member of Mensa since he was in high school, but he didn’t need to know the chemistry and physiology behind the medicine they were giving his daughter.
When Nita had completed the list, she slid it back across the table.
James extracted another sheet. “For most Americans, my next suggestion is going to sound archaic, but I’ve worked endemics, epidemics, and pandemics all over the world and sometimes local remedies are the most effective. When we were up in the northern regions of Nicaragua, where the Ebola outbreak first happened, we had a young biologist with us who noticed the monkeys suddenly eating more cat’s claw.”
He lifted his eyes and looked directly into Daniel’s. “The Reston Ebola virus started in monkeys. We didn’t think it could spread to humans, but it did, and was even more deadly. The indigenous people of that area didn’t get help soon enough, nor did they accept our help when we arrived…so many died.” James slowly shook his head.
Panic ripped through Daniel. For the first time, he realized he could lose his baby girl. A vice clamped around his heart. He could hardly breathe. He wanted to run upstairs, scoop Bella out of her crib, and hold her, using his own sheer will to force her to get better.
Nita reached up and turned his chin, so he faced her. “You brought Bella to me, and we got her the best medical care on this planet. You can’t get any more leading-edge research than the clean room that’s two hundred feet down that beach.” She glanced over at James then back at Daniel. “I think we should listen to what James is about to propose.”
Daniel felt considerably better. Her touch alone calmed him. He turned his attention toward James.
“Okay, I was telling you about cat’s claw. It’s a vine that one of the other researchers up north saw the monkeys eating like crazy.” He shuffled through the pile while continuing to talk. “The other team collected and analyzed the chemistry of both leaves and flowers, but the flowers weren’t any good, but the leaves contained high amounts of—”
“I don’t give a fuck what it contained.” Daniel’s impatience had reached its limit. “Cut to the bottom line. What does all of this have to do with saving my daughter?”
Daniel’s angry tone didn’t seem to bother Dr. Johnson. He replaced the piece of paper in the pile and dug out another. “Chyna thinks that we should supplement modern medicine with some ancient techniques.”
“We’re talking Chyna, the intern, right?” Nita sounded hesitant.
“Yes.” James nodded. “She’s quite a brilliant biologist. Her master’s thesis on the effects of essential oils in medicine today earned her the internship with the CDC.”
Nita grinned. “I’ve used locally growing plants more than once in my life.”
During the wee hours of the morning, when they talked all night long, she’d admitted to Daniel that she’d poisoned a target with what the locals thought was a weed.
“So, what did Chyna with a y suggest?” The snipe in Nita’s comment caught Daniel’s attention. He wondered why she didn’t like the young woman, but the animosity was obvious.
“She advocated a tea made with elderberry and olive leaf.” James turned his attention to Nita. “Did you know olive leaves contain oleuropein which disallows viral attachment to vigorous cells actually reducing the post, and concurrent, infection rate up to thirty percent?”
“That high?” Nita leaned her forearms on the table. “I had no idea. I’ll have to add that to my herbal kit. Rosita, she’s the household cook here, is already giving Bella elderberries, but I’ll need to check with her on the other herbs. I was thinking of suggesting a little oregano. It’ll help with respiratory tract disorders and gastrointestinal distress.”
James smiled and pointed to the paper in front of him. “Those are on Chyna’s list as well.” He slid the paper over to Nita, completely bypassing Daniel as though he weren’t even there. “These are the amounts she has suggested. Even though they are natural herbals, they still contain the basic compounds of modern medications, and we don’t want to overdose her tiny little body.”
Nita squeezed his hand. “Absolutely not.”
Daniel smiled as he watched Simon and Santiago trot up the steps from the beach to the wide deck. His friend had been so helpful with the boy, not just since they had returned to Costa Rica, but while they had also been in camp. What would he have done without the man by his side for the past four years? Ti had always had his back. Briefly, he wondered what Ti was going to do when Daniel returned to the States.
In complete boy mode, Simon burst through one side of the double doors that led toward the ocean. He sprinted across the recreation room, Ti right on his heels. Both were laughing like children should.
“Boys,” Rosita yelled from the swinging kitchen door. “And that includes you, Santiago Agustin Montoya. You know better. We walk in this house. Now go wash up. Supper will be served in five minutes.”
Wow, Rosita had three-named Ti which meant she was serious.
“I’ll take Simon upstairs to wash his hands.” Daniel pushed his chair back from the table.
His friend scooped up Simon and was halfway up the steps when he called back, “You snooze, you lose.” He gave the small child raspberries on his belly, making Simon giggle. “Besides, you look busy with important shit.”
“Yeah, Daddy got important shit,” Simon declared.
“You are such a bad influence on my son,” Daniel accused.
“Yep, that’s what favorite uncles are for.” Santiago disappeared down the hall toward Simon’s bedroom.
“Dr. Johnson, would you like to stay for supper with us?” There would be plenty of food for one extra.
The researcher gathered his papers. “Thank you, that’s very kind of you, but we actually use our meal time as kind of a staff meeting. Each of us is taking a different approach to killing the virus and communicating in those clean suits is so cumbersome. We all have to eat, and five great minds together can accomplish more during a thirty-minute meal than any one of us could in days. Besides, the food at the hotel is absolutely divine. That cook over there is stupendous. Have you ever eaten over there?”
Nita slid Daniel a glance and a grin. Yes, he’d eaten over there many times. He and Uncle Tom had paid for the executive chef and sous chef to attend one of the most famous cooking schools in the world. A dessert chef would be joining the staff in a few months, as soon as she graduated and returned from Paris.
“The food is excellent,” Nita agreed. Changing the subject, she continued, “You’ll soon be getting some relief, perhaps as early as tonight.” Nita stood when James did. “The CDC is sending additional scientists on the next flight down. I’ve been told everything you requested will be on that shipment as well.”
James grinned ear to ear. “You are a guardian angel, Dr. Banks. I’ve never had support like this out in the field. Sure you don’t want a job with the CDC?”
Nita shook her head. “No way in hell. I love my job. I’d never leave it.”
A pang shot through Daniel. He wasn’t sure why those words bothered him so much. He’d never thought about the future, least of all one with her. They were just good friends. True, friends with delightful benefits which he intended to explore even further just as soon as possible, but just friends. He understood that her job was extremely dangerous most of the time, but until that moment, it had never concerned him. Suddenly, the thought of life without Nita was incomprehensible.
As she walked James to the door, the older man placed a hand in the middle of her back. Daniel felt the need to claim her as his to let the world know she belonged to him. James was at least twenty-five years older than her and didn’t seem to be Nita’s type, but that didn’t quell the alpha within Daniel.
He caught up with them in three long strides. “Dr. Johnson, I want to thank you for everything you’re doing to help my daughter.” He held out his hand.
As planned, James removed his hand from Nita’s back to shake Daniel’s. “We’re not there yet, but I can assure you we are doing everything within our power to find a cure.”
“Please, let me know if there is anything I can do for you.” He opened the side door and pointed toward the path that would take him back to the hotel. “Have a nice evening, James.”
When Daniel turned, Nita had her arms crossed under her nicely rounded breasts. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d say you were jealous of James.”
He glanced around and saw that no one was nearby. He gave her a quick kiss then placed his hand at her back to guide her toward the dining room table. “Maybe you don’t know me as well as you thought you did.”
She slid her arm around his waist then dropped her hand and smacked his ass. “Don’t fall in love with me, Daniel Callahan. I’m not a good bet.”
Reciprocating, he ran his hand down her back and cupped her rounded ass. “Then it’s a good thing I’m only falling in lust with this body of yours that you so generously share with me.” He leaned in closer and whispered in her ear. “Come to my room tonight. I want you in my bed the next time I take you.”
The smell of food hit them before they heard the dishes being laid out on the buffet. As though a silent dinner bell had sounded, feminine voices filled the halls and the stairs.
Nita quickened her step and Daniel dropped his hand. He couldn’t read the smirk she gave him. “I’ll think about it.”
Simon literally flew down the stairs, suspended in the air in Ti’s strong hands, arms and legs outstretched. “Catch me, Daddy.”
Daniel met them at the bottom, arms up, ready to take his son. “Thanks, Ti.” Grabbing his son and automatically placing him on a hip, he laid a kiss on the small boy’s forehead.
“No problem, bro.” Ti glanced to where Nita was pulling out a chair next to Tori. “You were busy.”
Damn. His friend was far too observant. He glanced toward Katlin to see if she had noticed any difference in the relationship between him and Nita. She was deep in conversation with Grace and hadn’t seemed to even notice his presence.
Daniel went to his seat at the head of the table and slid Simon into the high chair next to him. Ti sat on the other side of his son.
“I’ve got the little man, you go through the line,” Ti offered.
As soon as Daniel got up, he watched Ti peel a banana and share it with Simon. Damn it. Why hadn’t Daniel thought of that? He was the child’s father, yet once again, sucked at it. Santiago seemed to be a natural. But he had several brothers and sisters, older and younger. Many of them had children of their own, and Ti just took it all in stride. Now that Daniel was solely responsible for two little babies, he’d never been so scared in his life.
He stepped into line right behind his sister. “Did I see you go out today?”
“Yeah.” Katlin scooped up a large portion of chicken smothered in chopped up fruit. Daniel decided he’d try some of that, too.
As she spooned what looked like purple potatoes onto a plate, she explained, “The researchers needed some healthy blood for their tests so USSOCOM arranged for us to meet two teams of SEALs and two teams of Special Forces back at the Honduran camp. I flew the jet over and back. It gave me a chance to work with Kayla, the other Black Swan team leader.”
Daniel helped himself to a large portion of pasta. “So how are things going with you and Alex?” He really liked his sister’s fiancé. It was quite a contrast to how much he really hated her first husband. Tyler Malone had been a douche bag of the highest degree. Although Daniel felt bad for his sister’s loss, the world didn’t lose much when that man was killed.
He looked at her empty left hand. The last time he’d seen Alex, Daniel had given him a large blue diamond that their father had brought back from Africa for their mother decades ago. “Is he ever going to make an honest woman out of you?”
She smiled over her shoulder at him. “We’re getting married. I’m just not sure when. I don’t know if I’ll be here for lunch tomorrow say nothing about a specific date months in the future. But I’m putting you on notice big brother, you are walking me down the aisle.”
“I don’t see a diamond on that finger, though.” Daniel stirred some kind of extra vegetables then decided to pass on those.
Katlin pulled out the titanium chain she wore around her neck that was practically hidden by her dog tags. She dangled a beautiful ring in front of him. He grabbed it to see what Alex had chosen for a setting. The blue diamond was flanked by two white diamonds.
“Very pretty.” He let it drop so it could be seen on the outside of her black tank top. “Smart idea not to show that beautiful blue diamond off in public, especially in this part of the world.”
She took the ring off the chain and slid it onto her finger, admiring it from moment. Without warning, she threw her arms around him. “Thank you for giving Alex this diamond. I know it was one of Mom’s favorites.”
Uncomfortable with such a public display of affection, he patted her back. “I certainly have no use for all those gems you insisted I take.”
She released him, and they moved down the line, continuing to load the large plates. “You’ll find the right woman someday, and settle down, and have even more kids.” Katlin sounded more confident than Daniel felt.
“I’ve got my hands full with the two I already have.” He decided to set the plate down then go back and get something to drink. “What woman in her right mind would ever want to marry me? Fuck, once I get back to the States, chances are I’ll be unemployed.”
“My fuck broken,” Simon announced in a loud voice as he raised his cast so everybody could see it.
Laughter erupted from every adult at the table.