Chapter 8 - THE COUNTER-MEASURE
Nora didn't waste a single second. The moment Victor’s footsteps vanished down the corridor, she moved swiftly to the bedside table. She pulled out her medical kit, unwrapping a fresh, sterile 10ml syringe and a bag of concentrated saline solution from her private emergency supply.
She looked down at Raymond’s face. "If I flush the IV line right now and disconnect the primary drug tube, we can stop the neurotoxin from reaching your system," Nora whispered urgently. "It won't cure what's already in your blood, but it will stop the paralysis from deepening."
Raymond gave one firm, solid blink.
With fast, practiced clinical skill, Nora clamped off the upper line leading from Dr. Wallace’s tainted bag. She inserted her fresh syringe into the lower port, drawing out forty milliliters of contaminated blood and fluid from the line, before flushing the catheter with clean, pure saline.
As the fresh saline diluted the toxic concentration in his bloodstream, a subtle change washed over Raymond’s broad frame.
The heavy, suffocating pressure resting on his lungs began to ease slightly. Deep, clear air filled his chest, expanding his broad torso beneath his tattoos. The color slowly began to return to his cheekbones, and the sharp, piercing clarity in his blue-gray eyes doubled in intensity.
Raymond lifted his left hand two full inches off the mattress—a dramatic physical movement he had been unable to execute for over three weeks.
He reached out, his thick, calloused fingers wrapping around Nora’s forearm, pulling her closer to his face.
"Good... girl..." Raymond rasped, his voice stronger now, carrying the deep, gravelly baritone that had once commanded hundreds of men across the city.
May you like
Nora felt a surge of hope rush through her veins. "You're fighting it."
"The... desk..." Raymond whispered, his throat straining with every syllable as he pointed his eyes toward the heavy mahogany executive desk positioned against the far wall of his master suite. "Bottom... drawer... behind... the panel..."
