Chapter 68

Grace

The sterile environment of the lab seemed to close in on me as I stared at the instrument panel. My vision blurred, and I blinked away the fatigue that weighed heavy on my shoulders. The past days had been a whirlwind of sleepless nights and countless hours spent awake and avoiding going home. Seraphina's expertise and magical skill really helped speed things up, so we were running production tests so we could start testing the drug.

But I was so tired. I was running on fumes. When was the last time I ate? I'd been nauseous for the past few days and coughing as of last night. Margaret's voice cut through the haze of exhaustion.

"I think we're ready. Grace?"

I nodded, trying to rally my energy, but a persistent cough wracked my body, leaving me breathless. The nagging sickness that had been lingering for days was beginning to take its toll. I huffed and took another dose of cough suppressant. I think it was Cecil's once, but I didn't have the time to get the adult version, which always made me sleepy.

Seraphina eyed me suspiciously, but she said nothing as we got started, measuring and boiling as needed. Seraphina had finished the distillations we needed earlier that day.

We followed the procedures. I was extra vigilant since I knew I wasn't working at full strength. I took the combination controls with a deep breath, pushing through a wave of dizziness. I paused, and Seraphina's eyes on the other side of the glass, manipulating the other set of controls, widened.

My hand faltered for a fraction of a second after she'd dropped her dose, and the two drops fell separately. It was a lapse we couldn't afford.

A shiver of dread ran through me as I watched the concoction swirl in the vial, its composition shifting unpredictably. A cold sweat broke out on my forehead, and panic clawed at my chest.

"Grace, stay calm."

"Shit, I--"

"Stay calm, I said!"

Seraphina stuck her hand into the manipulation gloves and stared through the glass at the vial, focused. Her eyes glimmered.

"Add more," she said.

"What?"

"Now!"

I winced and added another drop. She added another a second after mine. Then, we were dropping them in together. I could see the liquid in the vial shifting, separating like she was isolating the original additions in the liquid. It was fascinating to watch. Light danced over the unstable mixture, and the swirling chaos began to subside with each additional in-sync drop. The solution gradually transformed into the clear, luminous liquid we had been striving for. Then, it started to shrink and shrink until a little gel capsule was at the bottom of the test tube.

It was done.

Relief swelled within me like a tidal wave.

"It's done," she said, setting the vial back into the rack. "Next one."

I shuddered, I looked at Margaret, wanting to trade places, but I couldn't. Margaret had a tremor from an old injury. I was the only one who could do this. I shook myself and went to the next vial, repeating the steps. Shame filled me. I had nearly ruined everything.

The next attempt went much smoother, without a lapse, and shrank down to an identical gel capsule. The lab hummed around us. I felt cold and sweaty, but we ran through three more rounds of the drug samples. Each of them came out perfectly identical based on Seraphina's assessment, but we would run them through the analyzer when we were done.

Finally, I stepped back, shivering a bit. The exhaustion was dragging my eyes closed and making my body heavy.

"You're done for the day," Margaret said.

I opened my mouth to protest, but a violent cough interrupted me, forcing me to double over. Margaret's expression softened, and she placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. She frowned, then reached up and placed a hand on my head.

"You're burning up. You need rest." She squinted at me. "When was the last time you ate?"

"I... don't know."

"Putting so much stress on your body is only going to shorten your time." My heart clenched. "Rest. We can get through the analysis and another round without you."

"But--"

"I'm sure Seraphina can manage to hover and drop in sync magically. It will be fine."

Seraphina smiled. "It is within my abilities. Get some rest, Grace. There's no sense in you killing yourself trying to elongate your life."

I sighed and nodded. "I just..."

"I know," Margaret said. "And I don't care. Stupid heart. Smart instincts. Go home."

Seraphina grinned at me. "You heard her."

With reluctance, I nodded. "Okay."

She smiled warmly, her approval clear. "That's the smartest decision you've made today. See you after you're not burning up, have eaten, and aren't coughing... and stop taking children's medicine."

Seraphina burst into laughter as my face burned with embarrassment, and I packed my things to leave.

As I exited the lab, the weight of my fatigue grew heavier until I was practically pouring myself into the backseat. There was a bag in the backseat.

"Adult medicine," the driver said.

I couldn't even manage to scowl as I opened one of the boxes and took some of it.

I dozed off for most of the ride back to the house. Eason had to come out to help get me out of the car.

"Cecil's down for a nap," he said. "Richard is entranced with singing stars. Soup, bed, and sleep, okay?"

I nodded. "Thanks."

The soup was from a can, but it was better than anything canned soup I'd ever had. He gave me the last of that delicious bread Charles had brought home from some bakery somewhere and poured me into Charles' bed with a wink.

"Sweet dreams."

I didn't even remember going to sleep.

Then, the sound of my phone woke me up. Fumbling in the dark, I grabbed the device and swiped to answer it, my voice groggy and hesitant.

"Hello?"

"Grace, it's me," Charles's voice reached me from miles away, but the warmth in his tone brought a certain comfort even in my state of half-consciousness.

I sat up in bed, clearing my throat as I tried to shake off my drowsiness. "Charles, is everything okay?"

He must have heard the concern in my voice because he quickly reassured me. "Everything is fine, Grace. I didn't mean to wake you."

I rubbed my temples, struggling to shake off my sleepiness. "No, it's alright. What's going on?"

"I just wanted to check in on you. How are you?"

I sighed. "I messed up. I'm pretty sure Seraphina thinks I'm an idiot."

He chuckled. "It can't be that bad, and if she really did, she'd tell you. She's not the type to beat around the bush."

I told him what happened. I felt my mind drifting off into the land of too technical for anyone outside of the field to really understand, but I was so tired I couldn't translate it. I wasn't even sure how she managed to pause the bonding process long enough to get enough agent and at the right speed that it didn't explode or ruin everything.

"She's a wizard, and I'm a klutz. They practically put me out."

I pouted. "And I deserved it."

Charles said nothing for a moment.

"Charles?"

"I'm here. I'm trying to decipher. The timing was off, and Seraphina slowed some processes down to give you time to add more of an ingredient and salvage the sample. Was I following right?"

I smiled, curling up to his pillow as my head started to get fuzzy again.

"Yeah," I whispered. "You could have told me it was too much science speak."

He chuckled. "Never. My field is business, but I've got a pretty good memory and grasp of language. I'm proud of you for not panicking. I wish you had just taken care of yourself and avoided the situation altogether..."

I smiled. "Spank me later for it."

He hissed. "You little minx."

I laughed, smiling and dozing off a little. "Come back soon... Your pillow doesn't smell like you anymore."

"... Are you sleeping in my room?"

I hummed. "I have been very tempted to figure out which cologne is the right one to spray the bed."

"... Red Leaf," he said. "Is the one I wear most frequently."

My heart leaped. "I... Well, Charles--"

He hushed me. "I'm sorry I've been gone so long. You don't need to explain what brings you comfort... I wish I had been so creative to snag a bit of your perfume when I left."

I flushed. "I don't usually wear any."

"Dirty clothes, then." He scoffed. "Do what you need to feel comfortable. I'll be back to you soon."

My eyes pricked with tears. I hated how emotional I seemed to be, but the words were so comforting.

"Thank you, Charles. I know I'm... acting a little weird."

He chuckled softly, a sound that sent a comforting shiver down my spine. "It's not weird at all. And even if it was, I'd want to know."

"Yeah?"

"I want to understand your world, Grace, even if it's only a fraction of it. Get some rest, okay?"

"Ref Leaf, you said?" I looked over at the dresser.

"Yes."

I went over and checked the bottle until I found it. The scent was perfect. I spritzed the pillows with it, and before I realized it, I was asleep again.

"Good night, Grace."