Where We Go | Book Three

28. Blood Tests and Needles

"Now," Dr Lawson announced as we stepped inside the lab. "We have quite a few tests lined up and very little time in which to complete them. We'll need your full cooperation if we're to get what we need before you leave."

"These tests," I began. "What do they involve?"

Dr Lawson clasped her hands together in front of her body. "Everything we need to fully understand you and the development of a cure."

"Right," I replied.

"I know Ben was the reason you were cured but we've put our heads together and Em, I believe for a widespread cure, you might be exactly what we need."

"Me?"

She nodded. "This is all speculation at the moment. But, if we can work on the development, I believe we can create a serum from you that won't need daily boosters."

"Oh..." I exhaled. "That's... exciting."

"Precisely," she said, lowering her clipboard. "And for that reason, you'll be with me. Ben, you'll be with Liam and Will." 

One look at Ben and I could tell he wanted to protest, but Liam ushered him away before he had the chance to say anything.

There was a pit in my chest as I walked the corridors alone with Dr Lawson. She led the way, turning corners I began to expect was just to make me feel lost. I could only trust we were doing the right thing, and that we'd both make it out at the end with a cure. 

She opened another door at the end of a hallway and stepped inside. The room was larger than the laboratory had been and filled with various equipment and shelving, including a treadmill which was connected to even more computers and monitors. Dr Lawson began to arrange paperwork on the desk in the corner of the room.

"I think we'll do the physical first and then move on to bloodwork and the more complicated ones," she suggested.

I nodded. "Sure."

She pointed to the opposite corner. "If I can get you to change into the clothes behind that curtain then we'll get started."

I did as she asked, no questions. I only wondered where they had taken Ben, whether he was being put through the same tests I was.

As expected, when I emerged from the curtain, Dr Lawson was standing beside the treadmill typing something into the computer. She looked up when I took a step towards her and tapped on the machine with her hand.

"Would you mind jumping on here and I'll get you hooked up?"

I stepped up onto the treadmill and she began attaching various patches with wires to my chest and arms, each of them leading to a different machine.

"What's this all for?" I asked. "I was expecting blood tests and needles."

"We'll get to those," she smiled. "First, we want to understand how your body is working from a physical perspective and understand what the serum is impacting in your body to keep you as you are." She stepped back as she finished attaching the last lead to my body. "Now, I'm going to set the machine at different speeds and there might be quite a bit of noise, just pick up the pace as you need to try and match it. Everything else, I'll handle my side."

I began running as the treadmill began moving beneath my feet. The machines began to beep, and each time Dr Lawson responded by pressing another button. Every few minutes she would lean in to read the result on screen, then go back to studying me. The pace wasn't consistent. It would pick up speed to a fast sprint then slow for a few moments before picking up again. When ten minutes had passed, she checked her watch to record the last result before pressing the stop button. I had barely broken a sweat.