The two men came tromping into the kitchen. Welsh’s face remained pale as he observed the mess Rhyne had made. “What are you doing?”

Rhyne turned around as he tried to dredge up an excuse for why he was messing with their supply. “I was trying to find out if there was something you ate or drank that did that to you.”

“In the blood bags?”

“I thought maybe Norris might have accidentally dropped a container of something other than a blood bag into our stash that you got hold of.” Slamming shut the refrigerator door, he caught sight of the empty pot in the sink. “You ate the chicken noodle soup, right?”

“No. I just had me a bag before I laid down.”

“And that’s all?” Rhyne clarified.

“I swear.”

“Maybe you encountered someone who was ill or sick with something that affected you,” Nash proposed.

Rhyne snorted. “If that’s the case, I hope I become affected, too. Don’t you?”

Nash made a face in answer.

“Welsh?” Grabbing a dishtowel, Rhyne held it up. “What color is this?”

The man instantly went on the defensive. “Are you calling me a liar?”

“I’m testing you. Now, humor me. What color is this cuptowel?”

“It’s…” Welsh shook his head. “I don’t remember.”

“How about this bowl?”

“I… I don’t remember! Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve been able to see anything other than black and white? How many years? Decades?”

Putting his hands on the man’s shoulders, Nash gently guided the man over to the table where they both took a seat. Rhyne remained standing by the fridge, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned against the counter and crossed his legs at the ankles. “Walk us through what you did today,” Nash asked. “Maybe it’ll give us a clue.”

Giving a soft groan, Welsh bowed his head into his hands. He sniffed, then lifted his face to look at them. “I got up. Had breakfast here. Went over to the hospital to see that woman I told you about. Then I went over to Druckers to play a little pool. Then I came home, had a bag to drink, and laid down for a bit. I woke up when I heard you guys talking, and I s-saw…”

“Did you have something to eat or drink over at Druckers?” Nash inquired.

Welsh shook his head. “No. Just here. Just…” He paused to stare at his hands, lifting one to his nose to sniff the tips of his fingers.

Rhyne recognized that gesture. He knew it in every pore of his being.

Welsh had drawn blood and tasted it.

AB negative.

“Went over to the hospital to see that woman I told you about.”

A woman’s face came into focus in his mind’s eye. A woman with dark brown hair and bright green eyes.

A woman who worked at the hospital.

The hospital that had AB negative blood.

The blood that had graced him with the sight of colors.

And now Welsh has that sight. At least for the next three days.

Rhyne studied Nash to see if the man was aware of what Welsh was doing, but he seemed oblivious. Turning his back on the other two, Rhyne braced his hands on the counter and bowed his head. Everything appeared to be adding up to an answer he couldn’t accept or believe. It wasn’t possible, yet it was totally possible.

He heard Nash clap Welsh on the back “Well, whatever caused it, somehow you’ve been blessed, and I’m jealous as hell.”

“Yeah, well, let me tell you, it’s a kick to the gut,” Welsh declared, then chuckled. “Let me correct that. It’s more like a kick to the nuts.”

“We gotta find out what affected you to give you back your color sight,” Nash stated. “Whaddaya say, Rhyne? We have to find out what gave him his color sight back so you and me both can share in his good fortune, don’t you agree?”

Rhyne nodded but didn’t verbally reply. Fortunately, he had tomorrow to test his theory and prove it as being true or false. But if it turned out to be true…

I have to save her however I can. Because once Welsh’s color sight fades, he’s going to hunt her down for more.

And if he’d learned anything from past experience, Rhyne knew the end result wouldn’t be pretty.