Adaptive Instinct (Survival Instinct) by Kristal Stittle Page A

Abby’s.”
    Claire stared at her silently for a moment.  Lauren didn’t think she was going to answer when she responded, “I remember you.”
    “Are you all right?  Is your mom here?”  Lauren apparently asked the wrong question.
    Claire’s eyes went wide, and she began to cry.  The boy next to Claire looked at Lauren and shook his head.  His look said that something had happened to her mom.
    “Oh sweetie, I’m so sorry.”  Lauren leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the girl.  Claire responded to the embrace by leaning into it.  Lauren stroked her hair and let her cry it all out.
    “I’m Jon by the way.  Jon Ludlum.”  The teenager held out his hand.
    Lauren lifted an arm off Claire and shook hands briefly before returning it to the girl’s shoulders.  “Lauren Sanford.  I’m a good friend of Abby Walker’s.”
    “Abby’s the one who sent us here.”  Jon surprised Lauren when he said this.
    “Where is she?  Is she all right?”  Lauren looked around the waiting room again.  Abby would have come with the kids if she could.
    “We took Jon’s motorcycle.”  Claire finally pulled away from Lauren.  “Only the two of us could fit on it.  Abby said she would be here, but we haven’t seen her yet.  Have you?”
    “No,” Lauren shook her head,  “I came from the conference centre a few blocks away.”
    Lauren was both happy and distressed that Abby was coming to the hospital.  Happy because she wanted to see Abby and be with her, but distressed because she had seen the condition of the streets.  Abby had a kind of inner strength to her, but the city scared her on a regular basis.  She hoped that she wasn’t alone out there.
    “Claire Kellermen!” a nurse shouted from the doors that led deeper into the hospital.  “Is Claire Kellermen still here?”
    “Here!”  Lauren shot to her feet and raised her hand above the crowd in order to be seen.
    The nurse gestured for them to come.
    Lauren scooped up Claire into her arms.  She was wearing her swimsuit and one of Abby’s sleeping shirts.  She also had on Abby’s big woolly socks that she liked to wear on weekends.  Lauren carried Claire through the crowd while Jon followed behind her.
    “This is Claire.”  Lauren told the nurse while gesturing to the girl with a nod of her head.
    “Come this way.”  The nurse led them through the doors.  She walked briskly and directed them to some chairs in a hallway.  Lauren sat in one with Claire on her lap, while Jon took the one next to her.  The nurse handed her a chart.
    “A doctor or nurse should be by soon.”  The nurse explained quickly.  “You give them that chart and you listen to what they say.  If you think it’s taking awhile for someone to see you, please remember that there are many injured here.  We will get to you when we can.”
    Before Lauren could say thank you, the nurse hurried off to deal with the next patient.  Patient was what they were.  Lauren looked over Claire herself and saw that she had only a large bump and a cut on her head.  She kept shutting down emotionally, but otherwise, she should be fine.  They waited and waited for a doctor or nurse to come by.  The seats next to them filled up with more injured.  Jon even got up to give his seat to someone who looked worse than many of the others.  The boy looked both frightened and amazed by everything going on around them.  He didn’t leave their side however, and Claire would occasionally reach out and hold his hand.
    After what seemed like a long time, someone finally showed up.  He was short for a man and had naturally tanned skin.  His features were rounded, his brown hair was really short, and his brown eyes were surrounded by eyelashes uncommonly long for a man.  Lauren noticed them because she knew a few women who would kill for lashes like those.  She was happy with the average length of her own lashes.
    “I’m Dr. Cender,” the man introduced himself ,  “do you