Melissa regarded her fingers like they were attached to someone else as they vibrated helplessly, unable to obey her commands. She felt like she was in one of those nightmares where you couldn't get your body to do what you needed it to.

Nick lay on his back as blood pumped out of his head and from the top of his right thigh. The red liquid pooled around him in distressing quantity. Finally, she managed to control her shaking enough to dial three numbers–911.

"I need an ambulance," she tried to say, but the words were stones in her mouth. She repeated, louder this time, "I need an ambulance."

The operator asked, "What is the nature of the emergency?"

"I don't know. He's bleeding from his head and his leg."

"Who is bleeding, ma'am?"

Melissa wanted to scream at them to shut up and get here. Instead, she said, "Nicholas Sperry, my boyfriend. I think he may have been stabbed." She took in a deep breath. "Please come now. We live at 22 Highland Circle in Rockville."

"We are dispatching someone now."

"Thank God."

She sank down beside Nick. Bringing her ear to his lips, she listened for the sound of his breath. It was ragged and shallow but for now, he was alive. She didn't want to leave his side, but some distant part of her mind insisted that she needed to staunch his bleeding.

Somehow she remembered Nick had just come from the gym. She opened the trunk of his car to see if his gym bag was inside, and luckily, it was. She unzipped the bag and grabbed a couple of long-sleeved T-shirts and two small towels. 

She made two small square pads with the towels and placed them on each of his wounds, applying pressure. Then she took one of the T-shirts and used it as a bandage, wrapping it as many times as she could around his head to secure the pad to the wound, tying the ends of the sleeves together and made a tight knot to fasten the bandage.

She repeated the same process with what looked like a stab wound on his upper thigh. Blood immediately soaked through her improvised dressings. Melissa watched helplessly as all the white fabric turned red. 

She knelt on the concrete of the garage floor and clutched her cold hand around Nick's limp one, waiting for the ambulance to come. If Nick died because he had been trying to find Sidney, she didn't know if she could ever forgive herself.

She wished so many things: that she hadn't told him about Sidney, that he hadn't wanted to help her, that she had never met him.

No, she couldn't wish that.

And with intense clarity that paralleled her intense pain, Melissa realized how forcefully she loved him. If he lived, she would tell him. She would say the words she'd never said before. She squeezed his hand tighter, trying to forget that he might die before she had the chance.

~~~

"Ma'am, we need you to step away from him. Ma'am?"

Melissa looked about, bewildered. How long had she been waiting? People surrounded her. Who were they?

"Ma'am, you're in shock," said a man in a uniform. "Just come with us. You can ride with him in the ambulance when we know he's safe to move."

"I can't leave him." She gripped Nick's hand in panic.

A woman on her right, also in uniform, said, "We'll take care of him for you, I promise. We just need to get closer. You can wait over there." She pointed.

Melissa followed the finger and allowed other people in uniforms to take her away. She realized they were paramedics as they sat her down and took her pulse and did some other things that she didn't care about. "Please, I just want to be with him."

"You will be soon," one of them said. "They're just getting him ready so they can take him to the hospital."

"Please."

"Soon."

Somebody brought her Nick's wallet and phone. As she reached through the haze of her mind to receive the items, she thought to check Nick's phone. She tapped on messages and raised her eyebrows sharply. The last text was from Sam, and it was just one word. It must be significant.

She heard a deep male voice behind her. "I just need to ask her some questions."

"She's in shock," another male voice argued. "Can't it wait until they're at the hospital? Have some mercy."

"I wish I had time for mercy. I need to talk to her now."

Melissa heard the sounds of one human pushing another. She turned in time to see a man in a suit headed in her direction. He sat down next to her uninvited on a low bench in the garage. She had barely noticed where she was before.

A male paramedic was saying, "Leave her alone."

The man beside her took out a badge and showed it to the paramedic, then to her. It looked like a blur. Her eyes wouldn't focus right. She just wanted to get back to Nick. She needed to tell him she loved him and that she was sorry. She started to stand up.

The man with the badge said, "Sit down."

When she didn't sit down, the man pulled her back to his side on the bench. She looked at the fingers that were wrapped around her forearm. The skin beneath his grip had turned white.

"And I will need that phone." With his free hand, he snatched Nick's phone from her.

"Hey! Who do you think you are?" Melissa lurched for the phone, but he held it out of her reach.

"Just someone who wants to help you." The man placed the phone in the inside pocket of his coat. "What was Nick looking for? What had he found before he was attacked?"

Melissa sensed something in his voice. She didn't know exactly what it was, but she knew he was lying. He didn't want to help her. That wasn't what he was after. "Can you show me your badge again?" she asked. "I didn't get a good look the first time."

He took it out and showed her. He was from the CIA, just like Nick. That shouldn't worry her, but it did.

"You have nothing to be concerned about, Ms. Ryder. Can I ask you a few questions?"

Melissa sat back down. "Sure, ask away. I'll answer as best I can."

A few minutes later, the paramedic who had tried to keep the CIA man away brought her into the ambulance. It was so bright inside that she felt dizzy. She closed her eyes for a moment then opened them. The feeling passed.

The paramedic said, "You can sit next to him over here." He showed her a place on a bench.

"Thank you." She perched on the edge of it. "Is it okay to hold his hand?" Melissa looked down at Nick's inert body. He looked so different. He no longer appeared strong and in control and that frightened her.

"Of course you can. I'm sure he'll know you're there."

His words scared her, although she was sure they weren't meant to. "Is he in a coma?"

"We're not sure yet."

She choked down tears. "But he could be?"

"I'm afraid it's possible. The injury to his head and . . ." She stopped listening. She had already gotten the point.

~~~

Victoria sprinted into the waiting room, breathing heavily. She must have run all the way from the parking lot.

"I got here as soon as I could. How's he doing?"

"They have him in surgery now. He's stable, which is good. I was so scared he was going to die, Vic."

Victoria sat beside her – her presence, comforting.

"It's a good thing you found him."

"I know. I keep thinking what would have happened if I hadn't gotten there in time." Melissa shuddered with renewed terror, as if she were seeing it all over again. She squeezed her eyes shut.

"But you did. The important thing is that you did get there in time."

Melissa opened her eyes. "Thank God."

Victoria pulled a bottle of water out of her bag and handed it to Melissa. "Thought you might be thirsty."

Melissa eyed the water. She was thirsty but hadn't realized it. "Thanks, Vic." She unscrewed the top and took a deep gulp. She wished she could replenish the happiness in her life as easily. She prayed that Nick would heal fast and silently begged him to wake up.

"I have power bars, too, if you're hungry."

"No, thanks. I couldn't eat." She took another sip of water. As if it were a memory serum. Melissa suddenly recalled something important. "Vic, I need to tell you about the message Sam sent Nick right before he was killed. I thought it could help me figure out where to look for Sidney."

"Of course. Where is his phone?"

"Some guy from the CIA took it from me."

Victoria frowned. "That seems suspicious."

"Yeah, I know. But I remember what it said—CIRAS. C-I-R-A-S."

"No explanation?"

"No. That was it. I haven't had any time to think about what it means."

"Was Nick working on any other cases besides Sidney's?"

"No, I don't think so. I'm pretty sure he dropped them all so he could focus on finding him."

"So Sam must have been trying to tell Nick about a connection between CIRAS and Sunshine Children's Homes." Victoria sighed. "And it looks like it may have cost him his life."

Melissa felt the blood drain from her face. She was suddenly lightheaded. "I got Sam killed. And Nick is in a coma because of me."

Victoria shook her head vehemently. "It's not because of you."

"But if I hadn't told Nick about Sidney, this all might not have happened." Melissa swept her gaze around the white walls of the waiting room.

"Stop. Stop it right now. You aren't helping Nick with your self-indulgent guilt. You have to be strong for him." Her words were harsh, but there was kindness in her eyes.

Melissa looked down. Victoria had a valid point. The best way to use her energy was to find out why Sam had been killed and Nick attacked. She exhaled sharply. "Okay, so what do we know about CIRAS? I thought it was some kind of think tank or something."

Victoria nodded. "It's the best one in the world. They're making amazing discoveries all the time. They're always in the news."

"What would a think tank want with babies?" As she spoke, Melissa's brain exploded with several horrible possibilities. Her mind flashed back to all those questions Sunshine D.C. had asked her about her schooling. They couldn't hide their piqued interest when she'd told them her IQ. What would a think tank do with smart babies? That was the more important question. And all of the possible answers magnified her anxiety.

"Vic, I think they took Sidney because he was very intelligent."

"What makes you say that?"

She told Victoria about the way Sunshine had interviewed her when she brought Sidney in.

"It is kind of unusual."

"What should I do?"

Victoria looked up as if an answer to her question might be dangling from the ceiling. "Whoever was after Nick, we have to assume it was because of what he found out or was on the verge of finding out. They wanted whatever that was to remain a secret. So the best way to keep him safe is to uncover that secret and tell it to the whole world."

"That sounds impossible. How am I going to do that? Nick was ex-CIA. I'm a real estate agent."

"You'll find a way. And I'll help."

"Thanks." Melissa smiled weakly. "Some pair we'll be."