GHOST PROTOCOL {JLU/DP}

• MEDICARE •

RAYLA ADAMS DABBED THE BOY'S forehead with the wet cloth lightly.

Her husband, Garry, came in, setting down a tray of tea and fresh compresses. "How's he doing?" The man asked quietly.

Rayla sighed. "Same as always: overheated and not even a fleeting sign of consciousness. Anything new on TV?"

"Not really. The Justice League said that they were going to be making a comment on that weird dome around Amity Park though."

Rayla frowned. "Isn't that that Ghost Town you're so obsessed with?"

Her Ectologist husband rolled his eyes. "Yes, it is." He grumbles.

"Then I don't care," She told him in a soft, exasperated tone. "I have a patient, dear."

Garry pouts. "I know that."

She raised a playful eyebrow. "Do you?" She teases. "No, but in all honestly," She says, now serious, "don't bug me unless it gives some clue as to where he got his injuries from, alright? I quit my job for this, so let me do it, okay?"

Garry smiled softly and pecked her cheek. "Will do, Ms. Pediatrician."

She rolled her eyes at him, but her grin gave away her real thoughts on his romantics. Her smile faded into a thoughtful frown as she stared down at her comatose patient.

"Oh my God! Garry, call an ambul--"

"No hosp'tal!"

Her frown deepened. Six months in a coma was relatively short compared to some cases she ended up having to work for one reason or another, but it was still long in comparison to others.

Rayla was well aware that he was a minor, he looked far too young to be anything different, and she knew she should take him to the hospital (oh, trust me, she knows), but she also recognized the substance in his blood after five years of being married to Garry and knew all too well about the GIW.

She was not handing over this kid.