[center][color=00CED1][h1]Alex Thompson[/h1][/color]
[img]https://em.wattpad.com/1529c9895de7d4cc1f0efce1dea43576108434d6/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f6e796354665f77435f642d7846513d3d2d3231353036313533352e313433623339353437373533653835302e676966?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280[/img][/center][hr]

Her heart melted in her chest as she repeated Maria's words in her head. Careful who she showed it to, Alex fantasized about a romantic relationship. About boys when she was younger, but girls when she was older. Luckily her coming out wasn't at all like the horror stories she heard about others. Some parents disowned their kids while others simply pretended what they heard wasn't true. She was lucky indeed. 

Sirens in the background faded away. It didn't matter where the police were going. What did matter was the here and now. Her head leaning against Maria's shoulder. Whatever happens will happen.[hr]

[center][color=D87093][h1]Jessica Bosch[/h1][/color]
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Jessica swore so loudly the other scientists turned to look at her. She didn't care. The past month had been one blood sample after blood sample. Nothing in the database, the CDC database, hinted to whatever coded the deceased patients. There was a caveat to the whole deceased thing. The media hadn't caught wind of it yet, but the corpses didn't stay dead. No one was allowed to speak of it. Official type people, the dangerous kind, made sure they stayed compliant. 

She needed a cigarette badly. Jessica felt too tense and needed something to take the edge off. Nicotine was going to kill her one day, but she had one life. And that life was anything but a smooth ride. It was a series of shit and more shit. 

"Swearing's not going to help things." Jasper walked over and looked at her bacteria dish. "You finish that coding yet? This phantom killer's one nasty piece of work."

Jessica rose an eyebrow. [color=D87093]"What the CDC's asking for is what CDC scientist should be doing. Christ, Jasper! We look for diabetes. Lymes! All that fun, good non-lethal shit,"[/color] she said. [color=D87093]"Whatever this is? This belongs in a containment IV lab. Not a general hospital lab."[/color]

"Take a deep breath. You're scaring people, Jess."

She did just that. Biting the inside of her lip, that cigarette craving just increased tenfold. [color=D87093]"Shit. Sorry. Sorry,"[/color] she said. [color=D87093]"Things are getting hairy."[/color]

"I know."

Looking at the door, Jessica pulled off her gloves. In her near decade of working in MLS, she'd never encountered something like this. This ... bacteria was something else altogether. After washing her hands thoroughly, she grabbed her jacket. [color=D87093]"I need to step out. Can you take over?"[/color]
 
Jasper nodded. "See you then."

Walking out of the lab, she eyed a government type. Passing the man without a word, she found her way out to a secluded spot that few knew about at the hospital. Taking out a cigarette, she chewed on the end before lighting up. She inhaled deeply then exhaled. Her nerves screamed, but the cancer sticks did their job.

Pulling out her phone, she checked her messages. There were a lot of them. She put her phone on sleep. She wasn't in the mode to talk. She just wanted to be alone. Detached from current events.