"I have an idea," he finally said, sounding animated.
"I gathered that," I said dryly.
"You said before that you could transport by having enough energy, right? What about adrenaline?"
"Like an adrenaline shot?" I asked, sitting up straighter as hope kindled inside me.
"Exactly. What if we can get that here," he said, standing in front of me excitedly. "We're at a hospital after all."
"Shawn, that’s brilliant, but how will we get it?" I asked, not daring to get my hopes up too high.
"Leave that to me," Shawn said, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"Wait, you could get in a lot of trouble if you're caught."
"Seriously Krista? Our species is facing extinction and you're worried about me getting in trouble?"
"Okay, good point," I said, realizing how silly I had sounded. "Do you want me to go with you? Maybe I can be a diversion."
"No, I think you should stay here and rest. Maybe by the time I get back, your energy level will be on its way back up."
I nodded my head, agreeing with him. I slumped back in my chair, watching Shawn as he raced off down the hallway. The truth is I was already starting to feel a little better. The ache that had filled my heart earlier was slowly starting to disperse, and I felt like I was getting my legs back. I closed my eyes, hoping that by shutting off my senses, I would be able to refill my energy reservoir. I allowed myself the luxury of drifting back to Mark's face. His hair was a little longer than the way he normally wore it, but I still liked it. I would have loved to run my fingers through it to test out its suppleness. My mental stroll moved from his thick luxurious hair, down to his glistening, brown velvet eyes that absorbed my appearance like he was dying of thirst. His eyes were like a window to his soul and I could have gazed into them for eternity without ever losing interest. I continued on to his face that had always turned me to mush, with just the right combination of boyish good looks and manly ruggedness. I felt my pulse quicken, dwelling on the soft inviting mouth that had explored my own lips countless times.
"Krista, Krista," Shawn called my name, shaking me out of my reverie.
"Did you change your mind?" I asked, disappointed he had given up so easily.
"No, I got it," he said, flashing the small glass vial of clear liquid.
"Wow, that quick?" I asked shocked.
"Quick? I've been gone over an hour. I thought you were going to strangle me for taking so long."
"What?" I asked shocked, looking at the clock on the wall. I was dismayed to see that it was already almost 11:00 p.m. I had been ogling over Mark's face for almost an hour and a half.
"Holy crow bear, I must have zonked out," I said, ducking my head so he wouldn't see my slightly red cheeks. It had been so long since I had been embarrassed, I forgot how uncomfortable it was.
"Right," Shawn said, looking at me like I had sprung an extra head. "Anyway, I can't give you a shot here. I got a lay of the land once I snagged the adrenaline, and I have a spot picked out. Can you walk?" He asked, helping me stand up.
I expected the same weakness and dizziness from before, but I felt surprisingly stronger. My dream-fantasy session with Mark must have rejuvenated me more than I thought. I could even feel excitement beginning to race through me. Shawn's plan may be nuts, but at least we were doing something.
"How's Sam?" I asked, feeling guilty that I hadn't asked before.
"She's still in surgery, so I'm not sure," he said, worry clouding each word.
"She's going to be okay, Shawn," I said, reaching out to grab his hand. I yearned to fill him with peace, but knew I needed to conserve as much energy as I could.
"I hope so."
Shawn led us down the rest of the hallway in silence. We passed several doors before stopping in front of a room marked, closed for repairs. We glanced either way down the hall to make sure no one was around and went inside, quickly closing the door behind us. Shawn flicked on the light switch of the bathroom within the room, wanting to remain as inconspicuous as possible. The room looked like it was serving as more of a storage unit than a place being repaired. Boxes and medical supplies were piled up on every surface available. Shawn maneuvered me toward the hospital bed that sat in the center of the room and started pushing the junk stacked upon it down to the floor. I glanced at the door warily, worried that someone would hear us.
"Don't worry, we’re too far from the nurses' station for them to hear us," Shawn said, noticing my apprehension. "Here lay down," he said, indicating the now empty bed. "I think it’ll be better if you're lying down."
"Why?" I asked, feeling slightly confused.
"Because, I have to give you the shot in your heart."
"What?" I squealed, feeling slightly nauseous at the thought of a needle going into my heart.