But this? Asking her to investigate her own brother?
It was totally out of left field. A complete bolt from the blue.
Anyone else might have been intimidated by his stance, leaning over her. But Violet wasn’t. She’d been this close to Evan before. About six months ago after a work night out.
The medic and her boss. Never a good idea.
Too bad she couldn’t shift the inappropriate memories out of her head, which came up at the most inopportune moments.
“Violet? Did you hear me?”
She snapped back to attention. Back to reality. Sawyer and Evan Hunter had never got on. She’d no idea why and she didn’t really care. Just as well she’d never told her boss that Sawyer was her brother.
She stared at him, unfazed by his annoyed face. Violet didn’t do well on lack of sleep. It was the standing family joke that everyone should stay out of her way if she’d had a bad night on call as a resident. Her patience had just flown out of the window.
“Why on earth do you want me to check up on Sawyer? Shouldn’t we be focusing on the real issue—the potential smallpox outbreak? I thought you wanted a complete rundown on the potential spread? That’s what I’ve been working on for the last few hours and I’m not finished yet.”
Evan leaned closer. “Don’t you dare tell me what to do right now. I’m the team leader around here. I decide what happens. Sawyer is irresponsible and reckless. He’s the last person we can trust. And a few hours ago he phoned in the biggest threat to this country’s health in years. Am I suspicious? Absolutely I am! Now...” he pointed at the computer “...find out where he’s been and what he’s been doing. I want to know now!”
He swept into the office next to her, slamming the door behind him as if he could knock it from its hinges.
Violet sagged back down into her seat. She didn’t need to do what he asked. She’d been doing it for the last six years and had found nothing. Nada.
Apart from a few cursory texts since his wife’s funeral and his departure from the DPA, she knew nothing.
His texts had only ever told her that he was safe. Nothing else. Not where he was or what he was doing.
The hard fact was that if she wanted to know where Sawyer had been she would have to ask him. And right now she had a distribution model to finish.
She stared at the slammed door. Violet was used to prioritizing her own workload.
She set her jaw.
Evan Hunter could wait.
* * *
He watched the walls shake around the door he had just slammed. What on earth was wrong with him?
Evan felt sick. He had potentially one of the most well-publicized outbreaks in the DPA’s history to handle and at the heart of it all was a man he hated. A man he didn’t trust.
And he was taking it out on the people around him—he was taking it out on Violet.
The last thing he should be doing.
The press was all over this. The media room at the DPA was currently packed out, with the phones ringing constantly. He could handle stress. It wasn’t the first time he’d handled a major outbreak.
What he couldn’t handle were his reactions to Violet.
Those were the things he couldn’t control.
He was going to have to do something about it—and fast.
* * *
“Callie, phone.”
Callie looked up from where she was standing, talking to Sawyer. The plans for the containment facility were almost complete. The nurse dangled the phone from her hand. “It’s the lab.”
Callie and Sawyer moved in unison, diving for the phone at the same time.
Their hands clashed and Callie shot him a dirty look and shoved him out of her way. “Callie Turner.”
“It’s Evan.”
She really couldn’t face any niceties. Her brain could only fix on one thing—and from the expression on Sawyer’s face he felt the same way.
“What is it? What has Frank found?” Sawyer flinched next to her at the sound of Frank’s name. What was that all about? Frank had worked at the DPA forever. They must know each other.
She could hear the deep intake of breath at the end of the phone. “Electron microscopy revealed a brick-shaped virus. It’s definitely an orthopox.”
Callie felt her insides twist. She knew better than to say the next words. But she couldn’t help it—it was automatic. “He’s sure?”
Beside her she saw Sawyer drop his head into his hands. He knew exactly what was being said.
“He’s sure.”
She touched his arm and met his pale green eyes, giving him a silent nod. Sawyer let loose a string of expletives. The lab was only confirming what they’d all suspected. It was the first step in trying to classify the disease. It just made it all seem a little too real.
It was time to get down to business. “How long before he can be more specific?”
“He’s still running the PCR. You know how this is—we could have something for you in twenty-four hours or it could take up to seven days. Direct fluorescent antigen testing has ruled out varicella. Tell Sawyer he was right—it’s definitely not chicken pox.” She heard Evan sigh. Those words must have been painful for him. “Your next stage is the move to the containment type C facility. Are you ready for that?”
Callie looked at the whiteboard on the wall next to her. Every detail was clearly displayed. Her team was good. “The power company’s just been in touch to let us know the power has been reconnected. We’re just waiting to hear back from the chief of police about closing the highway and getting the police escort. Once that’s in order we’ll be ready to move.”
“Keep me posted. I’ll be in touch if we have any more news.”
Callie stood in a daze for a few seconds, the phone dangling from her hand. She was trying to assimilate the information she’d just been given. A warm hand closed over hers and replaced the receiver.
They didn’t speak. For once it seemed that their minds were working in unison.
Callie looked around at her bustling colleagues. Someone was going to have to tell them. Someone was going to have to confirm that this was a real and credible threat. It wasn’t just a suspicion any more. They’d moved a stage beyond that now.
And it was her job.
Her job to ensure the safety of her team under these confirmed conditions.
Her job to keep the staff informed.
Her job to be responsible for the patients who were—most likely—infected with smallpox.
Her job to help prevent the spread of the disease.
It was almost overwhelming. Could she really do all this?
* * *
Sawyer was watching her. He could see the tiny flare of panic in her eyes. And as much as this was the worst possible news, he knew it was time to step up.
They were close together, low enough for their voices not to be heard.
“What exactly did Evan say?”
“It’s definitely an orthopox.” The anxiety in her voice was palpable. But a little smile appeared on her face. “And Evan said to tell you that you were right—it’s definitely not chicken pox. They’ve ruled it out.”
He pulled back a little. “Evan Hunter said that?”
She nodded. “I think he was more or less pushed into a corner on that one.” Her eyes swept the room, trepidation returning to them. “I need to tell the team. We have to move to the containment facility.”
If only she could see what he did. At times she had a little-girl look about her, as if she was about to be swept away by a tidal wave. As if the situation and events were totally out of her control. But these were tiny, fleeting glimmers that disappeared in an instant.
Then she would tilt her chin and act exactly the way she should. Just like she was doing now