Quickly, he opened his bag and pulled out three plastic bags: one was for fingerprints, another contained some kind of device, and the last one held a wire. With all the bags in hand, he made his way out of his office and headed to the lab. As soon as Leo walked in, the four people inside fell silent and instantly stood up out of respect. Upon entering the lab, they all greeted him at once with a cheerful, "Good afternoon."

Leo smiled and replied, "Good afternoon."

Dr. George chimed in, "Looks like we’ve got some work to do today."

Dr. Sia added, "Of course, with Leo here, we definitely have something on our plates."

Leo chuckled, "Yep, you all have work today." He set several bags down on the table, the sound of rustling filling the room. "These are loaded with fingerprints. I need to figure out who they belong to. If the fingerprints don’t help us out, you can check out these items." He pointed at two devices and a wire.

Dr. Mateo asked, "Is this a big deal?"

Leo narrowed his eyes and responded, "Sort of... It’s connected to William Arthur." He purposefully left out Zeynep’s name; he wasn’t ready to dive into that.

The four of them looked taken aback. Dr. Peter said, "Isn’t that the guy who disappeared after his project got shut down by the government?"

Leo pressed his lips together and nodded slightly. "Yeah, exactly. These two devices were made from the same formula William created. But first, we need to check those fingerprints so we can find out who was handling those devices."

They all headed to the corner to grab their gloves and glasses before returning to the table, ready to get to work. Sia was first to grab the bag of fingerprints and carefully pulled out the pieces of tape. Peter examined the wire, while Mateo and George dug into the devices to look for more fingerprints.

After going over everything and making sure everyone was on the same page, Leo slipped out of the Lab and headed straight to his office. He let out a long sigh and collapsed onto the sofa. Within just a few minutes, he was out like a light, catching up on some much-needed sleep.

***********

Zeynep lay completely still, her face pale and her eyes shut tight, while Zayden felt a wave of anxiety hit him. It had been hours since she had passed out, and every minute felt like forever. He reached over to check her pulse again; it was steady and strong, but she still didn’t respond.

With a mix of dread and worry, he got up from the bed and walked to the kitchen. He took a moment to wash a glass, the sound of water splashing distracting him from his racing thoughts. After filling the glass with cool water, he hoped it might help wake her when she finally came to.

When he got back to the bedroom, he carefully set the glass down on the bedside table.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he gently shook Zeynep’s shoulder and softly said her name, trying to coax her back to consciousness. Unfortunately, she didn’t move. Leaning in closer, he tilted her chin to open her airway and listened for her breath. The faint rise and fall of her chest gave him a little comfort, but it still wasn’t enough. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Then, an idea popped into his head. He quickly jumped up and went to the cupboard where he kept his medical supplies. He grabbed the blood sugar monitor and rushed back to the bed, his heart racing as he opened the box. He pulled out the glucometer and laid out everything he needed.

After grabbing a test strip, he inserted it into the device, clicking it into place. Next, he took the lancing device, loaded it, and carefully pricked her fingertip. As he pressed the device against her finger and activated it, a tiny bead of blood appeared. He quickly touched her fingertip to the test strip, holding his breath in anticipation.

The glucometer beeped, and Zayden’s eyes widened when he saw the reading, 123. It was normal, which eased some of his worries. Maybe she was just completely worn out from everything they’d been through lately.

Feeling a bit more at ease, he stood up, took a gulp of the water, and let the cool liquid calm his nerves. He headed back to the kitchen, putting the empty glass on the table. To take care of his own hunger, he made a quick meal of instant noodles, soaking in the comforting aroma as he cooked. Sitting down to eat, his thoughts were still partly on Zeynep, hoping she would wake up soon.

He finished his noodles, but Zeynep still hadn’t shown up. After a moment, he grabbed his bowl and utensils, rinsed them off in the sink, and set them aside. Then, he stepped outside for a bit of fresh air, strolling around the cabin instead of venturing further.

He walked in circles for about an hour, enjoying the peaceful sounds of nature, the gentle rustling of leaves, and birds chirping nearby. Eventually, he felt like having some coffee, so he headed back inside, where the cabin smelled warm and inviting. He brewed himself a cup, the aroma wafting through the air as he poured the hot drink into his favorite mug.

With the mug in hand, he made his way to the bedroom, surprised to find Zeynep awake. She was propped up in bed, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, her hair a bit messy. He paused at the door, watching her as she finally noticed him. She looked down, twisting her fingers nervously in her lap.

Zayden walked over and sat at the edge of the bed. Zeynep glanced up, clearly wondering if he was going to ask her about what happened the night before. But to her surprise, he just took a sip of his coffee, leaving the question hanging in the air between them.