All Chapters of He Asked for an Open Marriage, I Walked Away: Chapter 111 - Chapter 115

As Nathan drew her into a gentle hug, he whispered, "You did it. I always knew you would.""Not yet," Ashley replied softly. "We still have to conduct the trials safely on humans. However, this is the breakthrough we were looking for."At that same instant, Dr. Ellis stepped into the space, with a concerned expression. "I have both good and bad news. The good news is that your vital signs, along with those of the baby, remain stable. Bad news – we received a message from the field teams that a new cluster of cases surfaced in the vicinity of Washington. Moreover, they are only approximately thirty miles away from where we are currently located. Additionally, the rate at which the disease progresses seems to be accelerating; some patients are developing symptoms associated with stage two within less than four hours."

Dr. Ellis became white. "This is located two halls from where we are," she said. "But everything is connected by the air system. We have to shut off this area."Nathan acted quick. He returned Ashley to her seat and handed her an emergency mask. "Get this on, stay calm and take slow breaths. I'm not letting whatever it is near you."Ashley got the mask on and clutched her stomach. "The baby's been moving a lot. I believe the stress is affecting both of us. Please look at the baby's monitor, Dr. Ellis."Dr. Ellis hooked her up immediately. "Baby's heart rate is elevated, but steady. We have to get you out of here asap."The team leader called in again. "Dr. Dawson, the new formula is complete and stabilized. We have enough for initial distribution. Should we release it?""Yes," Ashley said through the mask. "Release it to the closest hospitals first. Tell them to begin with the most critical cases. It could save thousands of people."Nathan remained right next to her. "You're incredibl

Marcus returned to view on the screen. "The simulation looks great, Dr. Dawson," he said. "98% stop rate on the new mutation. We're working on making a small test batch."Ashley let out a sigh of relief. "Great job, everybody. Get it into production when that sample comes back positive. Ship it to that community first. They need it the most."Dr. Ellis reviewed the monitor screens. "You've got a slightly elevated blood pressure due to the strain, but your baby's doing well. Rest when you can."Nate leaned in and kissed Ashley's cheek. "Did you hear that?" he asked. "Our baby's strong, just like you. I'm always thinking about that first day we'll get to meet them, when our lives aren't ruled by viruses and sirens and alarms, just us."