They reached the front porch, but Dean suddenly remembered something. "It seems that those who died in Esmeralda were not accidental. I heard that the general said that the virus was deliberately released in that area. It seems that the general is not happy, because the said place is close to the MD International clinic."
"So then, it's true that the U.S. has biological weapon testing there." Pierre said, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Looks like it." Dean leveled a stern look in Tatum's direction. "And one more thing, Captain, can you tone down your anger towards the doctor, okay? She's still mourning because all her colleagues died last night."
"Pierre said the soldiers burned down their clinic?" Tatum's tone was grudging, as if he didn't want Thalia to feel his sympathy but couldn't help himself.
"Yes, the worst part is that they burned the innocent people inside the clinic. Thalia's close associates and their patients." His blood suddenly boiled at that thought. "They're going to blame the fire on the UFF, just like they did in Catalina."
"We need to know who ordered them to test the virus, damn it."
Tatum sounded frustrated beyond belief, and Dean didn't blame him. He was sick and tired of hitting brick wall after brick wall in his quest for answers. The other members of his unit have died just to cover up what happened in Catalina, which means that there are actually people who want to keep the said virus a secret. So who had authorized this biological weapons project? Is it the president? The Department of Defense? Or the people in lower ranks who were operating without official consent?
Rubbing his temples, Dean finally entered the house. The voice of two women wafted from one of the rooms there, and he hopes that Ina's question did not stir up Thalia with all that had happened.
If it was another girl, maybe she would have cried hysterically. Or maybe passed out from grief. But not Thalia. The woman exuded quiet strength. That's why he really appreciates her being tough. Because he wasn't used to comforting a hysterical woman.
Maybe at that time, what he needed to do was to sleep because he hadn't slept in twenty-four hours, for chrissake.
"First I need to take a shower. And of course I also need a beauty rest." He announced. "Can we talk about this later?"
The two men nodded at him. "I'm going to grill some fish for our dinner," Pierre told him. "I'll wake you up when it's done."
"That's a very good idea, Pierre."
He walked towards the narrow hallway leading to the bedrooms, bypassing the room he was bunking in and heading for Tatum and Ina's room instead.
He knocked on the door, then he waited to be let in, when Ina answered, that's the time he entered the room. He saw Thalia sitting on the bed next to Ina's four-year-old son, Rafael. She examined the child's arm. Meanwhile, Ina was pacing back and forth as if she was restless.
"Deanver!" The boy happily called him. The second the kid caught sight of him, he shot off the bed and launched himself into Dean's legs.
"Hey, kiddo," he said gruffly, scooping the excited child in his arms.
"Don't worry," Thalia said to Ina. "It's just a minor heat rash. That will go away in a few days, but you can put cortisone cream on him. Loose clothes will also help, and then make him drink lots of water every day."
Dean laughed and rolled his eyes at Ina. "She's not here on a house call, for Pete's sake."
"Who is Pete?" asked the boy.
The boy was wiggling up like a storm in Dean's arms, so he put the naughty boy down, he couldn't really imagine how Ina treated his son as if you were looking after three children. On the other hand, Rafael was pretty darn cute, which made it impossible not to love him.
But Dean really doesn't want to watch over the child, so he avoided being alone with him. But he was happy that he was with them until now, rather than leaving Rafael to her parents. The kid is the noise in their silence. He was also used to Rafael being naughty.
He turned his gaze to Thalia who had now changed her clothes. She wore a blue-printed off-shoulder dress that matched her.
Sighing, he met her eyes. "Did Ina offer you to eat lunch first, or did she bring you here right away to see Rafael?"
"Of course she asked me to eat first. I was the only one who refused." Thalia swallowed. "Because my appetite hasn't returned yet."
"Okay, I'll just sleep for a few hours. You too, you should do the same." He stepped towards the door. "We'll talk later, okay?"
"Okay." She replied.
"You can sleep here if you want," Ina gently said. "Rafael and I will just go out first, I'll just wake you up for dinner."
"Mommy, I want fish for dinner!" Rafael exclaimed.
Thalia arched a brow and waited for a translation.
"Tatum took him fishing this morning, so we'll eat the fish they caught tonight." Ina explained with a smile.
When Ina and Rafael finally left the room, Dean stepped closer to Thalia. Before he could stop himself, he cupped Thalia's small face in his palms. Her breath hitched in surprise, those hazel eyes flickering with uneasiness.
"Are you okay, Doc? Really okay?" He couldn't control the husky tone in his voice.
But instead of removing the hands that were holding her face, she leaned into his touch. "I'm hurting," she murmured. "I'm hurting bad. But I'll be fine."
Her honesty floored him, as did her resilience. He stared at her lips. With her brown hair free of its braid and cascading over one shoulder, he could see her face more clearly now, she looked more younger with loose hair, she was also very beautiful like a goddess.
When he felt his pulse quicken, his thumb caressed both of her smooth cheeks, then he slowly brought his face closer to hers, urging to kiss her mouth-watering lips.
Fortunately, he was able to restrain himself, knowing that this was not the right time to take advantage of her weakness.
When he completely removed his hands from her face, he seemed to notice her frustration.
He immediately pulled back, and he could feel the tension between them. "I'm just in the next room if you need me, Doc."
"Thank you."
Their eyes stared at each other for a moment, until he closed his eyes, and then he looked away from her before he did something stupid to the beautiful doctor.
*****
