Ultimate Power by Arno Joubert Page A

that.” She sat down in the chair, folding her legs beneath her and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.  

Neil knocked on the door as he entered the room. Laiveaux looked up and smiled, and Yumi dashed to him. “Don’t jump on the bed,” Neil cautioned, but Laiveaux sat up and pulled her onto his lap, hugging her. He winked at Neil.
    “How are you feeling, General?”
    “On top of the world, Sergeant,” he said, casting a worried glance at where Alexa was sleeping on the chair, clutching a cushion to her chest. “Much better than Alexa.”
    Neil chewed his lip as he slowly shook his head. He walked up to her and touched her shoulder. “Come on Alexa, you need to eat, let’s go home,” he said gently.
    She pushed his hand away with a groan. “I’m tired.” She opened her eyes and blinked, rubbing her darkly circled eyes with her palms.  
    Neil glanced at Laiveaux who shrugged.
    “You need to eat something, baby. You haven’t had a decent meal in days.”
    She frowned, then stood up with a groan. “Eat? You want me to eat?”
    Yumi wriggled off the bed and took Neil’s hand, sucking her thumb.
    Alexa stood with her head bowed, her hands balled in fists. “How can you expect me to eat at a time like this?” she whispered. She looked up at Neil, eyes shiny with tears. “General Laiveaux almost died because of me and you want me to eat?” Her voice cracked as she spoke.
    He smiled sheepishly and looked down at Yumi holding his hand. “Yumi misses you.”
    Alexa sobbed and plopped into the chair. She blinked away a tear, looking up at the ceiling. She shook her head but said nothing.
    There was a rap on the door, and Bruce’s head popped in. “Hello, hello. How’s it going with sleeping beauty and the ugly beast?”
    Laiveaux propped himself up in bed and nodded at Bruce, a concerned expression on his face.
    Bruce sauntered inside, his head tilted to the side as if to say, “What’s going on?”
    Alexa was still staring at the ceiling, tears running down her cheeks. She started to sob as she pommeled her forehead with her palms.
    Neil strode over and kneeled in front of her as he grabbed her hands. “Please don’t do that, Alexa.”
    “Urgh!” she shouted and wrenched herself free. “Just leave me alone.” She jumped up and marched to the door. “Everyone, just leave me alone!”
    She yanked the door open and slammed it shut behind her.
    Laiveaux, Neil and Bruce exchanged curious glances.
    Neil strode to the door. “Alexa, wait.” He yanked it open and sucked in a sharp breath. Alexa lay in a pitiful heap on the floor in front of him, passed out.

The doctor studied the chart at the foot of Alexa’s bed, scrawling some notes on the paper.
    “What’s wrong with her?” Bruce asked.
    The man shook his head. “Physically? Nothing. She is in tip top condition. Heartbeat, blood pressure everything is perfect.” His brow furrowed into a frown. Neil thought it was probably a permanent feature of his appearance now.  
    “So why is she in a coma?” Bruce asked.
    The doctor looked up and the frown disappeared. He lifted his shoulders an inch. “Look, this isn’t a coma, more like a deep sleep. We’ve done all the scans. Brain function is normal. Her testosterone levels are off the charts. Has she been in a stressful situation recently?”
    Bruce chuckled. “That’s the only situation she knows, Doctor.” He walked to the man, stood in front of him, his hands in his pockets. “She faces life and death situations on a daily basis. She’s an Interpol agent, anti-terrorist unit.”
    The man nodded thoughtfully.
    “She lost her father a year ago,” Neil said, preferring not to mention that Alexa had shot her dad for betraying her and almost getting her and her team killed. She had berated herself for weeks, Neil trying to convince her that more people would have died if she had allowed him to live.
    The doctor nodded again, scribbled some notes on the chart. He looked up