Wolf glared at her. “I doubt that. For one, I wouldn’t let her siphon gas, and for two, I wouldn’t have let her run!”
“Wolf, come on, you can’t stop a child from running,” Heather answered.
“I can!”
Tabitha shook her head and stepped between them, catching Wolf’s eyes. “Listen, this isn’t helping. We need to get Lily some medicine. That kind of an injury is almost a guarantee she will get infected if we don’t. This is far more serious than parenting styles,” Tabitha lectured them.
“Travis, can you show me where the gas can is?” Geno asked.
He nodded his head. “Yeah.”
“Let me get you another shirt and some water first,” Heather said.
Wolf ignored her and turned back to look at Lily. She looked pale, her face twisted in pain as she slept.
Tabitha put a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll get her through this. She’s young and healthy. I know Heather knows about a lot of the medicinal plants around here. We’ll give her everything we can get our hands on. I’d really like to get some raw honey, too. I think we need to find someone local to trade with.”
He nodded his head. “Good idea. It will help heal the wound and kill the bacteria.”
“If we can find some garlic, I can give that to her to help fight from the inside also,” Tabitha said.
Regan was standing nearby. “Those two things are common. We’ll find them, I’m sure of it.”
Wolf took a deep breath. It was the first real breath he’d taken since he’d seen Travis carrying Lily. That sight was going to be burned into his brain for the rest of his life. He was convinced he’d lost years off of his life, and probably sprung a few more gray hairs all in an instant.
“Go ahead and climb in there. She needs you,” Tabitha said.
He shook his head. “I don’t want to wake her.”
“It’s fine. Hold her hand. Let her know you’re there. I have some Tylenol in the first aid bag. We’ll give that to her when she wakes up; although it isn’t going to do much good for the pain. It’ll take the edge off though.”
He nodded his head. “Okay.”
Armed with a bottle of water and a packet of Tylenol, he climbed into the back of the van a few seconds later to hold his daughter’s hand.
9
Regan, Heather, and Fred stood watching Lily sleeping in the back of the van. It was a little strange to stand there staring, but they were all worried about her. Lily’s forehead was covered with a damp washcloth as Tabitha dipped another cloth in a bowl of water they’d collected. They’d become adept at watching the sky and preparing for the daily rains by putting out every pot they could to catch the water.
Tabitha would wring out the water before she ran the wet cloth over Lily’s good arm in an attempt to cool her down and keep her comfortable. The temperature had gone down, however slightly, but the mugginess was worse than ever, and the bugs were out in full force. Tabitha had covered Lily’s injury to prevent flies from landing on it. She had described in vivid detail what would happen if a fly laid eggs inside the wound. Even thinking about maggots crawling out of Lily’s body gave Regan a case of the heebie-jeebies.
She waved a hand in front of her face, fighting off another flying insect attack. She took a quick glance into the distance, seeing if any of the others were heading back. Geno and Travis were still out in search of fuel while RC and Wolf had walked up the road a little to try and find medicine for Lily. The houses were sparse, though, and they hadn’t come across a town all day. Wolf had already explained that there wasn’t a lot of civilization in the area due to the marshes and the uninviting environment. The highway they’d been traveling on had huge potholes that hadn’t been repaired in some time, itself suggesting that this route hadn’t been used much even before the world had changed. Regan had a feeling that the only people who’d traveled it had been those individuals wanting to take a scenic route around The Everglades.
“The kids should have never been left alone,” Fred murmured from beside her.
Regan rolled her eyes. She was tired of hearing that. First Wolf and now Fred. She had already apologized to Wolf for backing up the idea in the first place. He’d taken most of his anger out on Heather, which Regan felt slightly guilty about since she’d been as vocal in supporting them going off on their own. But Lily had been begging for more responsibility. She’d figured it would be safe enough with Travis with her. They hadn’t been going all that far, and the boy knew how to handle a gun.
“Fred, they aren’t toddlers,” she said after another moment. “They’re teenagers. In the real world, we let them drive, go to the movies by themselves, and go out for meals. They were walking less than a mile in a deserted area. Accidents happen,” she added quietly.
“Lily isn’t a teenager,” he shot back.
“Almost. She’s a smart, capable girl. And she was camping on that island all by herself, remember? This was an accident. It could have happened with any one of us there,” Regan insisted.
Heather nodded. “Exactly. I remember the first time Travis crashed his bike. I had him wearing a helmet, knee pads and elbow pads, but he managed to fall just right, and the handlebars twisted, jabbing him in the ribs. He was left terribly bruised. I had tried so hard to protect him, and yet, he still got hurt. Like that, this is the very definition of an accident.”
Regan nodded her head, agreeing with Heather. “I wasn’t much older than either of them when I lived on my own in the streets. We can’t put them in a bubble. Wolf let her camp out on the island alone because he trusted her.”
“That was stupid, too,” Fred shot back.
“Fred, if you thought it was so bad, maybe you should have spoken up then. Or, you could have volunteered to go with them if you were so worried about them being on their own,” Regan grumbled, frustrated with the situation and with Fred, who was riding her last nerve.
“You told me to go out scouting!” he whined.
Regan closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “You can give your opinion, Fred. You’ve never held back before. Don’t put this on me. You’re an adult, and if you don’t want to do something, feel free to speak up.”
Fred was shaking his head. “You wanted to be the leader of the day. I was trying to be nice and give you respect.”
“Lily isn’t your daughter, and Travis isn’t yours, either. I think, ultimately, what those kids do is up to their parents. If their parents had a problem with them setting out on their own, they could have said something and stopped them. It really isn’t your place to say what they do and don’t do,” Regan shot back, getting truly angry at this point. “It’s not mine, either,” she added, more to herself. “I only offered an opinion. You could have, too.”
Fred moved away from Regan to face her. “I don’t have a say. You have all made that very clear. Nothing I do counts. It’s all you and her and Wolf. I’m just along for the ride.”
Regan shook her head. “That isn’t true, Fred and you know it. You’re mad because Heather moved stuff around. Get over it,” she snapped.
Fred’s eyes bulged out. “I would have done all of this very differently, you know. If we had done it the way I thought we should have from the very beginning, she wouldn’t be injured right now!”
“Oh really?” Regan said, winding up to give the man a tongue lashing he would never forget.
Tabitha crawled out of the van, interrupting what Regan had been about to say. “Fred, can you sit with Lily for a while? Keep that cool cloth on her head. Regan, let’s take a walk,” Tabitha said, more demanding than asking.
Regan knew what Tabitha was doing. She had done the same thing when Tabitha had been ready to go after Heather. The stress of the situation combined with the many different personalities in the group was making things even more stressful, and she’d fallen into the trap of losing her temper. All of their tempers were riding high as they battled the heat, constant hunger, and exhaustion.
Tabitha started walking back
along the road they had traveled earlier in the day, not waiting for an answer. Regan was a little irritated to see Heather trailing along. She had hoped to have a few minutes of privacy with her friend. She liked Heather, she really did, but she always felt like she had to be nice around Heather to keep from alienating her. It took effort. And, at the moment, she was emotionally spent, what with Lily’s injury and Wolf’s own response. She felt like she had to be supportive of him while keeping everyone from killing each other. All she wanted was a minute to breathe without feeling like she had to play a role that didn’t come naturally to her.
Tabitha wouldn’t care if she vented her frustrations. But Heather… Heather would likely have some sunny, motherly advice or anecdote to share. She would offer words of wisdom and placate her, and Regan wasn’t in the mood. She didn’t want to be rude, but she needed a break from trying to play peacekeeper. It wasn’t a role that came naturally to her, and it was emotionally taxing. Still, she followed along when Tabitha looked back at her as if to prod her forward and away from the van. It was better than hanging around with Fred.
“Is everything okay?” Tabitha asked as they slowly moved down the roadway, going nowhere in particular.
The tree-lined road provided little shade. Regan walked to the one side that offered some slight relief from the glaring sun, the other two women following her.
“Yes, I’m just tired of the complaining,” Regan replied, a little embarrassed to admit her own frustration when Tabitha and Heather carried on with the patience of saints.
“Everyone is really stressed and worried. Worry makes people cranky,” Tabitha said in a voice that was so full of understanding that Regan felt annoyed all over again.
“Fred should know an accident is an accident. It isn’t like Lily set out to break her arm, and I obviously didn’t send her out with the intention of that happening,” Regan grumbled.
Tabitha inhaled, shaking her head. “We know that, Regan. Fred does, too. It’s scary. This is why I’m afraid to have a child, if you want to know the truth. I can’t imagine what Wolf is going through. Pre-EMP, this wouldn’t have been a big deal. She’d go to the hospital, and get medicine and a cool cast. Post-EMP things are so different—and terrifying. There’s no one there to help your child. We’re all dealing with the first medical emergency we’ve had to face since the EMP, and it’s terrifying.”
Regan opened her mouth to agree, but didn’t get a chance to. Heather jumped right in with her usual all-knowledgeable self.
“Oh, Tabitha, we’ll get through this and you’ll change your mind. Children are a blessing. You can’t let something like this deter you from wanting a child!” Heather exclaimed.
Tabitha grimaced. “I don’t want to have to watch my child suffer and not be able to do anything to help him or her. I’m not that strong. I mean, your son is older; he can tell you what hurts. He knows better, but a baby can’t tell me anything, and a toddler isn’t going to understand true dangers. Things are different now.”
Heather was shaking her head as they walked forward, apparently unable to see the point that Tabitha and her husband had both made now. “That can happen in any world. I remember after my husband died, when I saw how much pain Travis was in. I couldn’t do anything to make it better for him. I wanted to take on the burden myself. When he would get sick with the flu and be so miserable because of that, it was the same thing. It’s part of being a parent. Your child is going to have injuries and illnesses. It’s all part of the process of raising a child.”
“I don’t know. Things are a little different now. With pain meds and antibiotics, we could have gotten Lily better in no time. I’ve seen how much pain Wolf’s in. I don’t want to feel that way,” Tabitha pointed out.
“The good times, the times when your heart is full to bursting with love for your child, cancel out those moments of fear,” Heather assured her.
Regan had no words of wisdom to offer, and actually wished she could block the whole conversation out. She wanted to tell Tabitha that everything would be okay, but she couldn’t. No one could. And, unfortunately, she couldn’t tell her kids made life better because she had no clue if they did or not. She didn’t have any stories about parenting and had no idea what it truly felt like to watch your only child suffer. Heather did.
She found herself slowing down on their walk, slipping out of her position between Heather and Tabitha, and soon ambled along on the outside while the women practically walked shoulder-to-shoulder and gabbed about kids.
Without Regan between them, Heather and Tabitha began to talk in earnest about the pros and cons of having children, and Regan hung back and listened as the two talked. She couldn’t help but feel a little slighted and pushed out of the conversation, but also had no desire to talk about something she knew nothing about. Tabitha had pulled Regan away to give her a break from Fred and it had turned into a bonding moment between Heather and Tabitha.
Regan understood she should be happy they had found some common ground. Life would be better for them all if they could all get along. But… Tabitha was her closest friend at this point. And while Regan wasn’t the jealous type, in this situation, she kind of felt like Heather had hijacked Tabitha. Simply enough, she didn’t like being the third wheel, and she’d needed a break herself. And everything about that was uncomfortable, she realized. This type of situation was exactly why she preferred being a loner.
There weren’t any hurt feelings and jealousy when you only had yourself.
10
Tabitha dabbed the cloth over Lily’s head, trying to help make her comfortable and failing miserably. The girl had been moaning in her sleep for hours while Tabitha had been doing everything she knew to help. But she knew she was in over her head.
“It really hurts,” Lily whimpered softly, her focus wavering even as she tried to stay locked on Tabitha. She’d woken some time after everyone else had gone to bed, around when Tabitha had relieved Fred and volunteered to take first watch. She hadn’t realized it would be an all-night ordeal, though it wouldn’t have stopped her—the way things were, Tabitha felt the need to keep a close eye on her.
“I know sweetie, I know,” Tabitha whispered back now, not wanting to wake the others.
They were in the early hours of the morning, the sun just breaking over the horizon. Nocturnal animals were scurrying off to find their beds while every other animal in the area crawled out to greet the day. They’d reached the edge of the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve, which meant there were all kinds of wildlife making their presence known.
“It hurts worse than yesterday,” Lily said in a voice so low that Tabitha had to lean close to hear her words.
She knew Lily was whispering because she didn’t want to wake her father, who’d also been up most of the night, checking on his daughter. The three of them had slept very little lately, and Wolf was struggling to keep his emotions in check. He’d been putting on a brave face for his daughter, but his worry was plain to see.
Tabitha couldn’t blame him. More than anything in the world, she hated being unable to stop the pain. If she could get her hands on some antibiotics and pain killers. Even a couple Vicodin would help. She knew the first couple of days following a break were the worst, but Lily’s situation was far more dire than a typical break. It wasn’t a matter of if, but when the infection would set in, causing her even more pain and discomfort. Her arm wouldn’t heal on its own. It would become seriously infected, causing her own blood to be poisoned and eventually shutting down her organs. That was a horrible fate. Tabitha couldn’t stand by and let it happen.
Wolf’s figure appeared at the back of the open van yet again. “How’s she doing?” he asked quietly, his eyes appearing bloodshot even in the early morning light, dark circles creating half-moons under each eye.
“She’s in pain,” Tabitha said simply, knowing she couldn’t sugarcoat things at this point. “I think we need to take a detour. Instead of heading for the preserve, we should go toward the city. We ca
n’t let this continue. She needs medicine. Maybe we can trade some of our other supplies for it,” she suggested.
Wolf nodded. “Fine. I’ll get everyone up. I think we’re about ten miles northwest of Everglades City. It’s a little out of the way, but we can cut back up and onto Highway 29.”
“Works for me,” Tabitha said, relieved to have any hope offered at this point.
“I’ll check back,” he mumbled, looking one last time at his daughter.
“Hey, Wolf,” she called out when he turned to leave.
“Yes?”
“I think we should also be actively looking for white willow bark as we move, in case there isn’t any medicine. It will help relieve her pain. I know it isn’t a tree found in the natural environment, but it is common in landscaping. If we’re headed into a town, we can have a team of walkers keep their eyes open. We’ll scrape some bark and make her a tea.”
He nodded. “I’ll let everyone know and make sure they know what they’re looking for. Will you be riding with her?”
Tabitha nodded. “For now, someone needs to. We need to watch her for fever and signs of serious infection. I mean, she’s already feverish, but if it gets too high, we’ll need to do something drastic to keep it down.”
“How soon?” he whispered, looking at Lily once again.
She knew what he was asking. “It could be as soon as today or a week from now. I would guess that, within the next couple of days, we’ll see the signs for sure. I’d like to stop it before it has a chance to take hold.”
He nodded. “Got it.”
He disappeared again, leaving her alone with her patient. She looked down at Lily’s pale face, her heart clenching. Lily wasn’t her daughter, but she felt like a part of her family. And Tabitha was trained to heal—being unable to do so made her feel helpless.
“Hang in there, Lily. We’ll get you help soon,” she whispered. The girl muttered something back, but she’d all but passed out again even before her father had appeared this last time.
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