Val went up to the front desk. "We're here to see Poppy Craw, please?" she said politely. The receptionist scanned the list before nodding. "Room 106." * * * "I'm going to pay you, Callie. But, regardless, I defer judgment over to you. You're the designer, after all."
Val stepped away, hurrying down the hall. Landon would know her well enough by now to tell that she was slightly nervous, her jaw set in a hard line. * * * "You should come in tomorrow," he suggested. "For dimensions and stuff like that."
They turned into the room, where Poppy and Francis were talking quietly. Poppy was in the bed, her curls almost red against the white pillow and they were holding hands. * * * "Noon? Does that work?"
Francis held her hand firmly. He looked tired, as if he hadn't slept much. He glanced up at them, but didn't say a word. *** She nodded. "I can do that."
"Hey, Pops," Val said, her voice sounding gentler than Landon had ever heard it. "How are you guys doing?" * * * He grinned. "Great! They'll be excited, but I won't tell them about it, if that's okay with you. They'll be surprised."
Landon looked at her strangely, but said nothing. "Okay," Francis replied quietly. "It's okay." *** "Sounds good!"
Poppy looked up at them wearily. "I... I found some stuff out," she said, her voice dry. She cleared her throat, her shoulders shaking in her hospital gown. "There's... there's some stuff in the timers." * * * He grinned as they approached the soup stand. "Thank you for doing this. I was worried you'd say no."
Francis rubbed her arm. Landon frowned. "What was it?" *** "Of course!" she said. "Why would I decline?"
She frowned, shifting slightly. "It's... It's strange. We use a similar chemical for cancer survivors. Basically, it's harmless unless activated by an outside influence. It stays in your system for your whole life. But when activated, it's fatal. It releases a bacteria that attacks brain tissue." * * * "Well, it's a lot of extra work."
"It was in the needles," she said, shifting slightly and wincing. "The two needles attached to them. It looks like they act as a kind of syringe." * * * He exhaled, relaxing. "Thank you, Callie. I really appreciate it."
Val was frowning. "Do you know what activates it?" Poppy coughed, tears cropping up in her eyes, although it was unsure if this was purely from the effort or from the pain. "I couldn't really get to the bottom of it. But I'm pretty sure it's not a chemical thing. I think it's technology, maybe?" * * * He grinned. "You'll love them," he said. "They're really good kids."
Francis kissed her cheek carefully, obviously concerned. "Like the timer stopping?" Landon asked. *** "Kids are okay, I suppose."
"Maybe," she said with a frown, looking at Francis thoughtfully. "Something like that, anyway. It isn't based on any of the body's reactions. It's not like a certain hormone activates it, or something. It's definitely something manmade, although I'm not quite sure what it is." * * * "Not a kid person?"
There was a small clamoring from the door, and a bearded man with shots of grey going through his reddish-brown curls entered with two children, a boy who was maybe about 13 and a girl about 8. They both had black hair, and the boy had startling grey eyes, and the girl had warm brown ones. They both lit up when they saw their parents and hurried over. The girl hopped onto the hospital bed and beamed at Poppy while the boy stood by his father anxiously, his eyes wide. * * * "Not these ones," Arlo said with conviction. "You'll love them."
Francis gently placed a hand on his son's shoulder, still watching Poppy carefully. *** "I'm sure they'll be great. No worries.'
