The Beginning of the End

1. After All, It Wasn't A Dream

"Morgan?"

"Hm?" Distractedly, she turned to face him. Her ebony hair a messy pile above her head, and one of the legs on her glasses was held captive between straight teeth.

The blue in her irises shone brightly, taking his breath away. They always did. As if each time he saw them was the first, in his life.

"We got the call." Javier couldn't contain the excitement in his voice while a smile slowly spread wide on his face.

"The, call?! Patient X?"

"Hmhm." The fair curls on his head bounced youthfully as he nodded.

"When do we leave?"

"We fly out tonight!"

She jumped out of the office chair as if a spring had broken and catapulted her body forward.

"Oh, Babe!" 

Hugging her to him, he took the time to passionately kiss her. His hand loosened the tie on her hair and his fingers tangled in her tresses instead.

"I can imagine it now Morgan! Husband and wife scientist team discover the cure for an unknown, deadly disease." Imagining the newspaper headline, Javier waved a hand in the air high above their heads, for her to envision as well.

Her body trembled under his touch, and his respiration quickened. Goosebumps covered his skin. "This is it, my love."

Morgan kissed the sensitive spot on his neck. "We've worked so hard for this Javier," her smile disarmed him. 

"This is the beginning baby."

She covered her mouth with both hands and nodded.

"I love you, Morgan. You inspire me to be a better man. A better father to our son and a better human."

Her eyes misted and they made love then, excited about their growing career and their future.

*o*o*

"That's him."

Dr. Olivias, a middle-aged man with, kind, brown eyes, smiled tiredly at the pair. He pointed through a one-way mirror at the moribund man laying on a hospital bed. 

"Patient X has many of the characteristics of someone who is dead, yet he is alive," the doctor explained. "He won't eat, his sight has grown sensitive to light and his skin has become cold to the touch. It's thinned out."

Morgan squeezed her husband's hand in excitement. "Why patient X?"

"We have been requested to keep him anonymous."

"By him? Or his family?"

"Neither."

Javier frowned his brow, "Then who?"

Dr. Olivias whispered, "The government." In a normal tone, he continued, "He was brought in by Military soldiers. During an assignment, he collapsed. Everything came to a complete stop and immediate triage of the situation was assessed. At camp, they couldn't hear his heartbeat. They thought he was dead. Imagine their surprise when his eyes flew open and he started talking?" Olivias laughed puzzled, scratching his head. "Every sort of specialist has been brought from all over the country, but doctors haven't been able to figure out what is wrong with him. So he was brought here."

Morgan took a deep breath. "How did you hear about us?"

"Yes. We're curious to know how we came into the picture. Why send us, blood samples?" Javier looked from his wife to the doctor.