Chapter 21

"You all are negative for the virus." They looked down at their clipboard. "And we've already made contact with everyone she's been in contact with recently. You all can make your way back to the lab now." The nurse locked eyes with Emma. "Mrs. Ambrogio." The nurse gave a formal nod, and Emma made the same gesture in return.

The whole way back to the lab, I felt like I was in slow motion. I felt my world spinning around me. My body felt a million times my weight, and with each step I took, I practically had to pick my feet up off the ground with my hands. Emma had herself completely shut off; I couldn't feel her at all. If I were to try and find her in this building, I would have a hard time because I couldn't feel one ounce of her energy.

Ever since her vampire side fully took over and basically ripped me to shreds, she hasn't said a word. Not, one single word. Even when we were being asked questions, I was the only one talking. She wouldn't even look in my direction. It felt like I wasn't even there. The only reason why I felt like I was still alive and not a ghost at this moment was the feeling of Aleksey's hand holding mine.

When we got back to the lab, I saw my mom. She immediately closed the distance between us and held me close to her.

"Oh, Mija. I'm so, so sorry." As much as I didn't want to. As much as I was trying to stay strong in front of Aleksey, I couldn't. I couldn't stay strong any longer. So, I broke; no, I shattered completely. Millions of pieces of me were now scattered everywhere as I sobbed into my mom's shoulder.

During this absolute mental breakdown of mine, my mom just rubbed my back and held me up. I don't know where she got the strength to support all my weight for this long. I was grateful, though, because honestly, right now, I don't think I could support even a fraction of my weight. I heard Emma clear her voice from behind me. I gathered as much strength as I could to lift myself off of my mom's shoulder and support my own weight to look at Emma.

"I'm going to go talk to the doctors. I'm going to have them bring chairs over so you all can sit down by where Alyx is." I just sniffled a little and wiped my nose on my sleeve.

"Okay." I rasped out. My voice was already raw from all the crying I've done. Emma's eyes flickered briefly, showing a bit of emotion, but only briefly. She didn't say another word... She just turned and left.

We made our way over to the seats that had just been set up by Alyx. I reached out to try and touch her, but my hand was stopped by the clear wall. I'm guessing it was some sort of plexiglass. I sighed out and sat down in the chair in between my mom and Aleksey. Aleksey was hugging his knees to his chest, not taking his eyes off his little twin sister. He wasn't even blinking. I looked over to my mom and could tell how worried she was. I could tell how badly she was freaking out and wanted to cry, but she held it in and together. She was the rock that everyone needed right now.

"How is she?" I stood up immediately when I saw the doctor approaching Alyx. They looked over at all the machines and then inspected the veins on her stomach and wrist.

"She's definitely a fighter. The infection has spread." He held up her wrist, and I gasped out, noticing it was further up her arm. "But it is moving at a slower pace than what we usually see right about now. I don't know if that trend will continue, but I hope it does. It's a little more unpredictable with children." The doctor then turned away and started heading to another patient. I was swallowing down bile at this point, and my head was spinning. I felt a pair of hands steady me, and I looked at my mom.

"She's a fighter, Mija. You heard the doctor. Just sit down." She helped me find the chair. " Now, just keep breathing," Easier said than done. I feel like I'm being choked to death. My airway felt extremely constricted.

Emma's POV:

"What do you mean you haven't made any progress?" I all but yelled, trying not to make too much of a scene.

"I'm sorry, we just haven't made any progress. We've located which specific enzyme is common within all supernatural creature's immune systems. It's the one that fights the virus off the best, and the amount of the enzyme varies from species to species and age groups. We've tried amplifying the enzyme, but it's still not enough; the virus overpowers it every time. We are missing something, and unfortunately, we don't know what that missing factor is." I picked up a chair and threw it across the room. It splintered into pieces. The doctors flinched back, and the whole room became completely silent.

"Figure the fuck out! Not only is everyone's life in your hands, now my daughter's life is in them too. So stop fucking around." I grabbed the main doctor, who usually did most of the speaking out of the three of them, by the color of their shirt and lifted him up in the air closer to me. "If my daughter dies in your hands, I will make sure all three of you die in mine." I was basically growling. I could feel my vampire side showing. I also could see my deadly eyes in the reflection of the doctor's glasses. I lowered him back to the ground, and his legs wobbled a bit. Good fucking tremble; it means you are taking what I'm saying seriously.

"Yes, ma'am." His words stuttered out. I scoffed and walked away from them. I just needed to be with my daughter, right by her side, and I hated the fact that I couldn't.

Mila's POV:

I didn't have to look to know that Emma was the one who caused the scene over at the research area; I didn't even have to hear her voice; I felt her energy. I felt her energy come off of her in deadly waves like a tsunami demolishing everything in its wake. Everyone in the whole building probably felt her. She was deadly, and she was on the prowl waiting for anyone to step out of line so she could unleash her wrath on them. It's official; I have never seen her like this before, so threatening and frightening. I was even terrified.

"How is she doing?" Emma popped up out of nowhere. It made me jump a little bit.

"The doctor says that she's a fighter." She hummed, nothing else, no words. She didn't even turn and acknowledge any of us. She just stood, arms crossed and her nose almost touching the plexiglass type wall. She didn't take her eyes off of Alyx.

I looked over at Aleksey, who was now rocking back and forth. I immediately picked him up, and he snuggled into my shoulder. I felt my shoulder start to become wet as I felt his body start to shake from crying.

"I don't want her to die, momma." He pulled back and looked at me with tears rushing out of his eyes and down his cheeks. Fuck, I wanted to cry, but at this moment, I had to fight them off. The focus needed to be on him and Alyx, not me. Just like how my mom is my rock, I need to be theirs.

"She won't, my little bear. I promise you I will not let her die." I said confidently as I wiped the tears away.

"Do you promise, momma? You really won't let her die." I leaned forward and pressed our foreheads together.

"I promise." I intended to keep that promise too.

Just as I said that, all the machines surrounding Alyx started beeping rapidly. Multiple doctors started rushing towards her bed.

"Momma, what's happening?" He cried out.

"I'm not sure, sweetie." Then everything froze in my body.

"She's crashing." What? I felt Aleksey being lifted out of my arms, and out of the corner of my eyes, I saw it was my mom.

"Shit, the infection has spread significantly." One of the doctors yelled to others.

"What are you talking about? I just checked on her fifteen minutes ago!" The one doctor who checked on her earlier yelled out. The doctor lifted up her shirt, and I could see the dark veins all the way up her ribs.

"Did you even check her stomach? God damn it, the infection is almost to her heart." Once they said that, the information I learned about the virus earlier on was now echoing throughout my head; "Once the virus reaches the heart. They die."

Before I knew it, I was zipping through the hallways towards Alyx. I felt a hand push me and hold me up against the wall. It was Emma.

"Don't, Mila. Don't you fucking dare." Her vampire side had taken over once again. I didn't back down this time, and I let mine take over too. I grabbed her hand, twisted it off my chest, and I pushed her away from me. I pushed her so hard that she flew up against the wall.

"No one, not even you, is going to stop me." I started zipping again but at a greater speed.

"Move out of my way!" My vampire side was still present as I was now standing by Alyx. Every doctor flinched and threw up their hands in surrender, backing away. I was about to put my hands on her until I was tugged to a stop. I ripped my hand out of Emma's grip and turned to look at her. I almost went off, but I froze. Her vampire side was completely gone; it was just her now. And she looked completely broken; this made my vampire side completely dissolve away.

"Mila, please. I can't lose you too." Her voice broke as a couple of tears made their way down her face. I closed the distance and gave her a long passionate kiss. I poured every ounce of the love I had for her into it. I pulled away and leaned my forehead against hers with my eyes closed.

"I'm so sorry, Emma. I have to do this; I have to try." My voice is breaking now too. She gently grabbed each side of my face and snapped my head up to look her in the eyes.

"I can't lose you." I took a deep breath and looked down at Alyx. I could hear her pulse barely beating. Her life, barely hanging by a thread.

"I'm sorry." I gave her another kiss, this one just a bit shorter, and I turned away from her.

Emma's pleas were cut off as soon as I put my hands on Alyx. I saw the darkness in her veins retract and start to crawl its way up my arm. I was in excruciating pain, and I wanted to pass out so badly, but I had to keep fighting. I could feel the virus still inside of her. I kept pushing through the pain even as it brought me down to one knee. I could feel Emma trying to pull me off, but her attempts were futile. I exhausted every ounce of my healing powers that I had, and right before everything in my vision went black around me, I heard Alyx gasping in a breath.

She was alive, and I knew I got the virus completely out of her. I knew I had fully healed her. I knew I could let go now.