“What are you doing?” called Michael.
“She’s still alive.”
“What!”
“Yeah, but she won’t be for long unless we get her home. I need to take the bike, can you walk back?”
“Walk? Hell, I’ll run. Probably beat you,” he said laughing.
I shook my head. “Get over here,” I said hurriedly.
He ran over, and I passed the girl to him. I climbed on the bike and started the engine, motioning for Michael to hand me back the girl. He hesitated as he gazed at the girl’s gaunt and pale face. “Michael, give her to me.”
“James… I think I know her.”
“That’s great. Give her to me.”
“James. She…”
“Michael. Just fucking give her to me. You can tell me all about her after she gets some help.” He passed me the girls, and I thanked him, “I’ll see you at home.”
Cradling her in my arms, I sped off towards home as fast as I could without dropping the girl or crashing. Glancing in the side mirror, I saw Michael throw his hand up in the air in what I assumed was frustration. I shook my head, whatever he knew about the girl would have to wait. I had to make sure she survived first.
Chapter 16
It was slow going, I had to be careful not only to keep the girl from falling but from hurting her while I held her. She was pale, tinged with blue and I could tell she had spent far too long exposed to the elements. As I headed home, I ran through everything we would have to do very carefully in my head. Just by looking at her it was easy to tell that she was suffering from hypothermia, to what degree I didn’t know, and we would have to be careful when we raised her body temp. These thoughts and others displaced any concerns I had regarding Michaels remarks. I was concerned with keeping her alive, I’d deal with any problems Michael had later.
I pulled into the driveway, and once I reached the top, I parked the bike the best I could and carried the girl inside. “Help,” I called out.
Sarah was at my side in a heartbeat, and she rapidly fired off questions, “What’s wrong? Who’s that? What have you done now James?”
“She’s hurt. I don’t know who she is but we need to get her core temperature up, she’s got hypothermia.”
“What do you need?”
“I need a med kit and blankets, lots of blankets.”
“Ok,” she said as she raced off.
I continued into my room and set the girl down on the bed. As I started to remove the girl’s clothes, I noticed that the room had quickly filled with observers. I stopped what I was doing, “Ok guys, out.”
“What wh…” began Justin.
“I said out. Now.” They slowly trudged out of the room, and I called for Hannah as she was one of the last ones to leave, “Hannah, I need your help.”
She paled as I called out to her but walked over to the bed, “What do you need?”
“I know this is going to sound strange, but I need you to get undressed.”
There was an echoed reply of “What!?” as Sarah walked into the room carrying an armload of blankets.
“Yeah, you too,” I said to Sarah.
“Why?”
“We need to raise her body temp. The best way is to have two people share body heat with her. I thought two women would be better than if I climbed in to help.” Her mouth formed an ‘O’ shape as I finished removing the girls’ clothing. I threw my covers over her and started to pile on the blankets. They both just stood there watching me “Now,” I said getting frustrated. As I started an IV and hooked her up to a room temp bag of saline, they began removing their clothes. I hung the bag as best as I could, setting it on the headboard and propping it against the wall, and dialing it to a low drip. I didn’t want the fluids to lower her core temperature even more. I looked through the med kit for a thermometer so I could check how bad the damage was but couldn’t find one. Cursing silently I turned around, and the two paused in the disrobing. “I’m going to step out. You two need to finish getting undressed, get under the covers and get as close as you can to her. Call for me when you’re under.” Without another word I walked out of the room and closed the door.
I headed to the armory for another med kit, and when I rounded the corner, I nearly ran into a sweating, panting Michael. “James…” he said breathlessly.
“Not now,” I said brushing past him.
“But…James. You need to…”
“Michael, just wait.”
“James.”
“I said wait,” I said coldly to him. I could see his eye darken as I got after him but he let it go, and I grabbed a med kit from the armory and checked to see if it had a thermometer. It did, and I left the rest of the pack behind. I knocked on the door to my room, “You guys ready?”
“Just a sec,” came Sarah’s reply. After thirty seconds she called out, “Ok, we’re good.”
I walked into the room and would have laughed at the sight before me if the situation wasn’t so serious. All that was visible were Sarah, Hannah, and the girl’s heads, the cover pulled up to their necks. They were sandwiching the girl between them, and they did not look very happy. I walked over to the bed and put the electric thermometer in her ear and checked her temp. After a few seconds, the thermometer beeped, and I glanced at the small screen. A digital ‘err’ showed on the screen. “Shit,” I mumbled, thinking it could be broken. I stuck the thermometer in my own ear and waited until it beeped. The display read 98°. The thermometer was working fine which meant her temp must be very low since most commercial thermometers only go as low as 94°. There was nothing we could do other than warm her and hope for the best. The IV would take care of her dehydration, and if she woke up, we would make up for any malnutrition she might be suffering. Though I was able to stop myself from laughing, I couldn’t stop the smile from creeping up on my lips or the sarcastic remark that followed, “Well don’t you three look cozy.”
“Fuck you,” said Sarah.
“Sorry. You two need to stay with her for as long as it takes for her to warm up. She’s sitting around 94°, but I can’t be sure. I’ll give you some privacy, just yell for me if and when she wakes up, ok?”
“Yeah, yeah,” said Sarah irritably.
I shook my head as I closed the door behind me. I sat in the living room and put my head in my hands. All I had wanted to do was check out the town and what happens? I find another person. The thought, Why couldn’t things just be simple for once? echoed in my head as Michael sat down on the couch across from me. I looked up at his impatient face and said, “Ok Michael, what is it?”
“The girl.”
“Yes, the girl. What about her?”
“I know who she is, or at least I’m pretty sure I do.”
“Well, you were so eager to tell me earlier so spit it out.”
“Her name’s Jasmine, she’s from Luke’s camp and,” he hesitated.
“And what?” I said beginning to get frustrated.
“And she spent a lot of time with George.”
I groaned loudly, “Well that’s just fucking great.”
“Yeah, I figured you’d think it was.”
“I thought we were done with that asshole,” I said throwing my hands up in disbelief. After a seconds pause, I asked, “When you say a lot of time what do you mean?”
“Well, I joined the camp after George did so I can’t be sure if she arrived with him or what but I don’t think I ever saw her with anyone else.”
“Funny, I never saw her around the camp, and I certainly didn’t see her the night he died.”
“Yeah, he would have kept her somewhere safe. I don’t know much about her, but I do know that George was pretty fond of her.”
“Like fond of her?” I said stressing the words.
“Oh yeah,” he said nodding.
“Then she might not like that I killed him,” I said running a hand through my hair.
“Probably not,” he agreed.
“Ok, fine,” I said collecting my thoughts
, “I don’t want you to tell anyone else this, ok?”
“James…” he started.
“Look, I don’t want to lie to them either but here’s the thing. If people know, then they’ll instantly be hostile towards her. We don’t need that kind of drama so here’s what we’re going to do. You’re going to stay silent about this.”
“Fine,” he said unhappily.
“And,” I continued, “I need you to watch my back.”
“Why?”
“Because if she’s the vengeful type, then she’s going to be gunning for me.”
“I get that but why do you need me to watch your back? Why can’t you watch your own back?”
“I’ll be too busy watching my front and trying to be nice to her.”
“Fine.”
“Oh, it’s not that big of a deal.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Thanks for the enthusiasm,” I grinned.
“Anytime bro, anytime. So what are we going to tell the others?”
“I think it would be smart to just keep quiet. Let her tell her own story when she wakes up. That’ll give us an idea of her intentions. If she hides anything we know to be true, then it’ll tell us that she might be hostile.”
“I don’t like that idea,” said Michael shaking his head.
“I know, me either but it needs to be done. You just have to trust me.”
“Fine.”
“Thanks.”
“Hey, what are brothers for.”
“Until now I guess I didn’t know,” I said sarcastically.
“You’re such an ass,” he grinned.
“Oh, and you’re not?”
“Only because I learned it from you.”
“Then I’m a damn good teacher.”
“Yeah, just don’t let it go to your head.”
“Me? Never.”
“Whatever you say,” he laughed.
I laughed with him and then changed the subject, “So how are you and Liz doing?” I grinned at him.
“Fuck you man,” he said returning my grin.
“What? You like her don’t you?”
“She’s cool enough, but I told you, I don’t know if I’m ready.”
“And I told you, just do it when you’re ready. You know I’m just giving you shit.”
“I know.”
“Like you said, what are brothers for?”
“Being complete assholes.”
I laughed, “That might be true, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
He gave me a cocky smile, “Neither would I.”
“Good. So you’ll trust me on this whole Jasmine thing?”
“Yeah, I already said I would.”
“Great,” I said standing, “Now, let’s go explain our new guest to the others.”
“This should be fun.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll do all the talking.”
“Like usual,” he said sarcastically.
I shook my head, “Just go get everyone gathered.”
“Sure,” he said walking away.
I walked off to find everyone and gather them in the living room for a little talk. I found Carrie, Jason, and Matt all talking outside and told them to get to the living room
“Who is she?” asked Carrie.
“We don’t know yet, but I’ll do my best to answer any questions once everyone is together. Ok?”
“Sure,” she said as they turned to head inside.
I spent a few minutes outside staring at the skyline before taking a deep breath and preparing to lie to all my friends. Once readied I headed inside and was greeted by the entirety of the house, sans Sarah and Hannah and, of course, Jasmine. “Ok everyone,” I said sitting down, “I’m sure you’re all wondering who the new girl is and I’d like to tell you, but I don’t know. On our way to town, Michael noticed one of the bodies on the road move. We stopped to see if it was a Walker and when it turned out to be this girl I grabbed her and got back here as fast as I could.”
“You left Michael behind?!” exclaimed Liz.
I smiled a little before answering. Maybe she’s falling for him too? I thought. “Yeah, he’s a big boy, and he was more than able to get back here. Hell, he ran all the way here.” She glared at me. “Anyways, when I checked her over it was obvious that she was suffering from hypothermia. So Hannah and Sarah are warming her up in my room. We hope that she’ll wake up and be able to tell us what happened to her and where she came from.”
“Have you thought that maybe she could be a threat?” asked Christina.
I frowned inwardly and thought Funny how it’s the girls who are so hostile, I nodded and made eye contact with Michael, “I thought of that, but she was unarmed when we found her. In fact, she was barely clothed. I don’t think she’s a threat.”
“How can you be so sure?” pressed Jessica.
“I can’t be, but if it makes you feel better, I’ll keep an eye on her.” She nodded accepting my explanation. “But I want to make one thing clear. We have no reason to treat her as a hostile, so I want you to be nice to her.” There was a small wave of grumbling amongst the girls, but they agreed. “Good, now I want everyone to stay out of my room. Don’t bother them. That goes double for the guys,” I warned.
“What? Why?” asked Matt.
“Because the best method we have for treating hypothermia is a little… personal.”
“What do you mean?”
I cleared my throat, “It requires sharing body heat. Skin on skin contact is best. So you will need to stay out. If they need anything, then I want one of the girls to take care of it.” A few of the guy's mouths were hanging open, and I let a laugh slip.
“So wait,” said Matt after he closed his mouth, “You’re telling me that my girlfriend and Sarah are…”
“Treating the girl for Hypothermia,” I said flatly.
“So you’ve got not one, not two, but three girls in your bed?” exclaimed Thomas raising an eyebrow and grinning.
“Really?” I grinned back, “Get your head out of the gutter.”
“You know yours is there too,” said Jason.
“Oh my god,” said Carrie as she got up and walked out.
“Nice one,” I said pointedly at Jason.
“Shit,” he said hanging his head.
“You really are an idiot aren’t you,” chimed in Michael.
“Hey, fuc…” started Jason.
“Ok guys,” I interrupted, “We’re getting a little off track. If the girl wakes up, then I’ll try and get everyone back together, and maybe she can tell us what happened.” With that everyone got up and dispersed, heading back to work or gossip. I stayed where I was, closing my eyes and leaning back in the couch and sighed. The girls didn’t like Jasmine right off the bat because she was a girl. It was like she was imposing on their territory. I couldn’t help but find it extremely funny. The guys didn’t seem to care much, nothing more than your average curiosity. I just hoped that when she woke up, Jasmine wouldn’t cause any trouble. I didn’t want to have to kick her out or, if things got really bad, kill her.
Since there wasn’t much to do, I lay back on the couch and propped my feet up on the arm. I don’t know why but I was suddenly very tired as if the impending drama was enough to sap my strength. I laid one arm across my eyes and took a deep breath. “It’ll work out,” I nearly prayed. I fell asleep pretty fast, and when I woke about an hour later, I decided that someone should check on Jasmine and the girls. Getting to my feet I felt the blood rush to my legs and feet, hissing as pins and needles covered my skin. I did whatever I could to get the feeling to go away, I shook my legs and stomped them on the ground, but nothing worked. Giving up and embracing the annoying feeling I walked off to find one of the girls.
I was just about to round the corner when I nearly ran into Liz. “Whoa James,” she said.
“Sorry Liz”
“It’s ok. You just surprised me.”
“I need you to do me a favor.”
“Sur
e, what’s up?”
“I need you to check the girl’s temp,” She looked like she’d rather do anything else “Please?”
“Fine,” she said unhappily.
“Thank you. I’d do it myself, but it’ll just be easier if you do it.”
“Where’s the thermometer?” she asked.
“In the room already.”
“Ok.”
“Thank you,” I said as she walked away toward the room. When she had gone, I shook my head and thought, This is going to get complicated. If Liz disliked Jasmine, then there was little chance of the others liking her. I’ll have to talk to Sarah, I thought, Maybe she’ll be able to talk to the girls.
Back in the living room, I waited patiently for Liz to emerge from the room. She was gone for a lot longer than necessary, and I was going to knock on the door when she popped out. “What was it?”
“97°.”
“That’s great. She should be fine soon, depending on her exposure time. How’s her pulse?”
“I didn’t check.”
“Think you could?” She put her hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side. “Please. Last thing I promise.”
“Fine,” she said heading back into the room. After a few minutes, she returned, “sixty-five.”
“That’s a little low,” I said thinking out loud, “But it might not be for her. I’ll have to watch that. Thank you, Liz.”
“Sure, no problem. Oh and by the way, Sarah says she hates you and that you’re in big trouble,” she said smiling.
“Oh great,” I said groaning, “I don’t suppose I could convince you to go in there and tell her that it was an emergency and I had no choice.”
Survivors Series (Book 2): Heroes Never Die Page 19