Not A Small-Town Girl

"Shall we have lunch together?" David had been missing her, wondering if his phone was malfunctioning when he didn’t receive any messages from her.

"I might be tied up this afternoon. How about dinner instead?" Danielle suggested.

"Alright, I’ll pick you up later," David replied, the thought of dinner already lifting his spirits.

Danielle hung up and tucked her phone away as they neared the military base.

"Danielle, the Darling family will always have your back. If David ever treats you poorly, don’t you dare put up with it," Elliot said seriously.

At the border, he had witnessed how David had stood by Danielle, but if David were to let her down, the Darling family would stop at nothing to protect her.

Danielle smiled warmly. "Don’t worry, Elliot. I won’t let myself suffer." When they arrived at the base, they bypassed the usual checks since Elliot had brought her in. They parked inside, where Danielle was greeted by a group of soldiers waiting for them.

Maximus stepped forward and opened the car door for Danielle. "Glad you’re here, Danielle," he said cheerfully.

"The patients we rescued-none of them remember anything. It’s like they’ve lost their memories entirely." Justin filled her in on the condition of the patients.

"Elliot mentioned it," Danielle replied softly. "That’s why I’m here today."

"Let me take you to them," Luke said.

’Am I invisible now?’ Elliot thought as he found himself relegated to the sidelines as the guys showered Danielle with attention. Ever since their return from the border, these men had become her unabashed admirers.

The group entered the medical wing, where Lydia, the military doctor, was attending to the patients.

"You’re here, Danielle," Lydia said. They had tried everything, but the symptoms were puzzling. Since regaining consciousness, they seemed lost in a daze, clutching their heads in pain at intervals.

Nevertheless, all the tests had come back normal.

"Lydia, have you done any diagnostic tests on the patients?" Danielle asked.

"We’ve gone through every possible test, but nothing conclusive has shown up. They get splitting headaches from time to time," Lydia replied.

Danielle nodded and began examining each patient.

"How are they?" Elliot asked.

"The virus in their systems has been eradicated, but I suspect they’ve been hypnotized," Danielle explained. "The hypnotist must have rushed the process, leading to fragmented memories and severe headaches whenever they’re probed about the research lab at the border."