It wasn’t long before Amanda and Brenda walked past, pushing a trolley full of clean towels and sheets.
“Hi, Dylan,” Brenda said with a quick wave. Her hair was done up in curls, and her lips were coated in deep red lipstick.
“Hey, Brenda. Looking good. Are you going on a date?”
Brenda giggled. “You never know. It’s better to be prepared, I say.”
Dylan shook her head, amused. “Uh, okay.”
“Are we still on for lunch in half an hour?” Amanda asked, checking her watch.
Dylan nodded. “I’ll be there.”
They continued on their way, and another ten minutes passed before Rita emerged. Her face was pale, and dark shadows lined her eyes. She seemed tired, but more than that, she looked defeated.
“Rita? What’s wrong?” Dylan asked.
“Nothing is wrong,” Ethan said, following Rita into the hall. “Her arm is healing well. Better than I expected.”
“If you can call this healing,” Rita said, waving her arm around. It was covered in bandages from her shoulder to her fingertips, and metal pins stuck out along the length. “I can’t even use the stupid thing, and it hurts like hell.”
“The pins are only for a few more weeks, Rita,” Ethan said in his most soothing manner. “Once the bones have knitted, we can start you on a rehabilitation program.”
“Whatever, Doc. The fact remains I’ll never have full use of this arm again,” Rita railed, her cheeks flushed with angry blood. “You might as well cut it off.”
“That’s not true, Rita,” Ethan said. “With time, you should be able to—”
“Able to what? Shoot a gun or wield a knife?” Rita asked. “We both know that will never happen.”
“Maybe not, but you’ll have some range of motion. You won’t be useless,” Ethan said, casting a pleading look at Dylan.
Rita snorted. “Whatever you say, Doc. I’m out of here. Maybe I’m lucky, and the thing will fall off on its own.”
She stormed down the hall without another word, and Dylan scrambled to catch up. “Rita, wait!”
“Talk to her, Dylan. Please,” Ethan called with a shake of his head.
“I’ll try,” Dylan replied over her shoulder. She caught up with Rita and grabbed her by her uninjured hand. “Hey, slow down. I’m here for you.”
“Thanks, but I don’t need your sympathy,” Rita said with gritted teeth. “If I hear another stupid platitude, I’m going to scream.”
“How about a drink, then?” Dylan asked.
Rita slowed, her eyes narrowed. “A drink?”
“Yeah, I know one of the cooks in the cafeteria. She’ll sneak us a bottle of wine if I ask nicely,” Dylan explained.
“For real?”
“Would I lie to you about something like that?” Dylan asked.
“I could use a drink. Shit, I could use the whole bottle,” Rita said, her eyes glittering.
“Let’s go then. Time’s a-wasting,” Dylan said, leading the way to the cafeteria. Along the way, she studied Rita from the corner of her eyes. Her friend didn’t look like herself at all. No wonder Ethan asked for my help. I only hope she’ll listen.
Chapter 3 - Amanda
Amanda tucked away the last of the folded sheets and straightened up. The linen cupboard sported an array of colors. Unlike the hospitals in the old days, they couldn’t afford to be picky, and white was no longer the primary color. Their uniforms reflected that too. While she wore a white overcoat, her shirt was navy blue, and her pants were black, matched by sensible shoes. They rarely bothered with skirts or dresses either. It wasn’t practical. Not when an attack on the base could occur at any moment.
“That should do it,” Brenda declared, wheeling the empty trolley back the way they’d come.
“Mm,” Amanda murmured, falling in next to her. She tucked away a strand of hair and checked her watch. “I’m off to the cafeteria for a quick lunch. I promised I’d meet Dylan, and I’m already ten minutes late.”
“Okey dokey,” Brenda said with a cheerful wave. “Have fun!”
“Thanks.” Amanda watched Brenda leave with a shake of her head. Nothing seemed to faze the girl. Not the long hours spent on her feet, or the constant streams of patients lining up for treatment every day. Not even her near-death experience at the hands of Grissom and his men had kept her down for long. She soon bounced back with endless optimism.
Another look at her watch sent Amanda scurrying toward the cafeteria, and she scanned the tables for Dylan. She spotted her in a corner with Rita, laughing at something the other woman had said.
“Amanda, you’re here,” Dylan cried. “I was beginning to think you wouldn’t make it.”
Rita pulled out a chair for Amanda with her right hand and gestured at the seat. “Welcome to the party.”
“Party?” Amanda asked, her eyebrows lifting.
“Yeah, we decided to forget about our troubles and celebrate our triumphs instead,” Dylan said, pushing a cup across the table.
Amanda picked it up and eyed the deep-red liquid. Her nostrils tingled with the smell of fermented grapes, and she gasped. “Wine? You’re drinking wine?”
“Indeed, my friend. It was provided to us by a kind lady in the kitchen. One that happens to owe me a favor,” Dylan said.
“You have a connection in the infirmary’s kitchen?” Amanda asked, unable to believe her ears.
“Yes, but keep it quiet. I don’t want her to get into trouble,” Dylan said with a careful look around. “Go on. Take a sip.”
“I’d rather not,” Amanda said. “I’m still on duty.”
“Duty, schmuty,” Rita said. “You’re here to support me in my time of need.”
“Time of need? What’s wrong?” Amanda asked.
“I’m trying to decide whether I should cut this arm off or not,” Rita said with an air of defiance, indicating her bandaged limb. “Or rather, force the doctor to do it for me.”
“You can’t do that,” Amanda said with horror. “You’ve come so far, why would you want to?”
“Because I’m tired of the pain, and I’m tired of everyone telling me I’ll be fine when that’s the furthest thing from the truth,” Rita said.
“You will be okay, I promise,” Amanda said, leaning forward.
“I’m sorry, but you’re not allowed to sit at this table if you’re not going to join us in a drink,” Rita said, waving a hand at Amanda’s cup.
“I told you, I can’t. I’m on duty,” Amanda repeated.
“It’s just one measly little drink,” Dylan insisted. “We promise we won’t tell.”
Amanda sighed, resigning herself to a tiny sip. “There, see? Now, tell me why you want Dr. Hayes to cut off your arm.”
“The stupid thing is useless. I don’t know why Dr. Hayes didn’t amputate in the first place. If he had, I’d be back on the team by now.”
“Maybe, but you’d be minus an arm,” Amanda protested.
“I’m with her on this, Rita,” Dylan said. “Why get rid of a perfectly good arm?”
“It’s not perfectly good,” Rita said, her cheeks flushed. “Look at the thing. It will be months before I can do anything with it. Months!”
“Isn’t that worth it?” Amanda asked.
“Worth spending months in my room, alone and bored? Worth the pain and suffering?” Rita asked. “Especially now that…”
Rita trailed off, her eyes dropping to the table.
“Now that what happened?” Amanda said. When Rita didn’t answer, she reached out with one hand. “You can tell us, Rita. We’re your friends.”
“Dr. Hayes changed my pain medication. He put me on something much lighter, like aspirin light,” Rita said after a long moment of silence.
“Why?” Amanda asked, perplexed. “He must know how bad the pain is.”
“I asked him to do it,” Rita said, chewing on her bottom lip. “You see, the truth is, I’m an ex-addict. I used to be hooked on painkillers a few years ago.”
Amanda’s lips formed a perfect oh as realization set in. “Did you have an accident or something?”
Rita nodded. “A training exercise went wrong, and I hurt my back. It took three ops and months of therapy before I was even close to my old self again. Only by then, I’d developed a taste for the pain meds. It took forever to wean myself off the stuff, and I never want to go back there again.”
“Damn, girl. That’s some serious shit right there,” Dylan said, downing her wine in one big gulp.
Amanda nodded, taking a fortifying sip herself. “I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
Rita shook her head, a sad smile wreathing her lips. “Do you want to know the worst part of it all?”
“There’s more?” Dylan exclaimed. “We’re going to need stronger alcohol for this. Where’s the tequila?”
“All my life, I dreamed of going to the army, just like my dad, and my brother and sister before me. But, I lost my spot because of that accident. I spent the next few years, not knowing who I was or where I fit in. Then the apocalypse happened, and not only did I survive, but Saul recruited me to his team. For the first time, I belonged.”
“And now you’re scared of losing all of that again,” Amanda mused.
“Exactly,” Rita exclaimed. “By the time these stupid metal pins come out, he’ll have found someone else to take my place.”
“Saul would never do that to you,” Dylan said. “Never.”
“I’m not willing to take that risk,” Rita said, leaning back in her chair with a disgruntled huff.
“Let me speak to Saul,” Dylan offered. “Your place in the team is safe, I promise.”
“Whatever,” Rita grumbled. “Can we talk about something else, please? Anything else.”
“Well, Dylan was about to tell me earlier what went down between her and Dr. Hayes,” Amanda said with a mischievous grin. “Right, Dylan?”
“Oh, clever move, Missy,” Dylan said, wagging her finger. “I’ll tell you the story, but only if you finish your drink.”
Amanda cast a quick look around. Luckily, the cafeteria was nearly empty. “Fine, but no more.” She raised her wine and threw it back with a grimace. Rita and Dylan followed her example, slamming their empty cups on the table.
“See? That wasn’t so hard,” Dylan said, promptly topping everyone up from the mysterious plastic jug next to her.
“Whoa, I said no more,” Amanda protested.
“Oh, come on. Live a little,” Dylan said. “Tomorrow, it could be all over. We could be zombie chow.”
Amanda rolled her eyes, but already she could feel a warm glow building in the pit of her stomach. “You promised us a story. Cough it up.”
“You asked for it,” Dylan said. She pulled up her sleeve and showed them the ugly scar left by the zombie bite that had infected her. “This is where it all began.”
Amanda listened in awed silence as Dylan relayed her adventures from the moment she was bitten until she arrived at the gates of Fort Knox in Alex’s car.
“That is some story,” Rita said, finishing her wine and taking hold of the jug. “Ray and his buddies got what they deserved, in my opinion, and Dr. Hayes is an idiot for not seeing that.”
“Agreed,” Amanda said, taking a deep swig from her cup. “I can’t believe he’d blame you for something you couldn’t control. Maybe you lost it a little and went overboard, but it was self-defense. They got what they deserved.”
Dylan shrugged. “I don’t know. I tried to eat Alex too.”
“He forgave you, didn’t he? Why can’t the good doc?” Amanda said, waving her hand dismissively. “No, it’s something else.”
“I do have a theory,” Dylan replied.
“Which is?” Amanda asked.
“There’s a thin line between love and hate, and I only now realize how much he loved me. When I showed him I was only human, and worse, a very flawed one, I fell off my pedestal with a bang.”
“I don’t think it’s that at all,” Amanda said. “The truth is, you chose Nick over him, and your revelation gave him the excuse he needed to get back at you.”
“Revenge, huh?” Dylan asked with a short laugh. “Well, I guess I can’t blame him.”
Rita snorted. “Don’t be such a pushover. You had the right to choose someone else, and it’s not like you hurt him on purpose. He’s got no call to treat you like trash because of that.”
“Hear, hear,” Amanda said, raising her cup. The warmth in the pit of her stomach had spread to her extremities, and she basked in the golden glow. “I’ll toast to that. Here’s to making our own damn choices.”
Dylan raised her cup in salute. “And being treated with respect.”
Amanda swallowed the last of her wine but almost choked when a stern voice asked, “Amanda, what are you doing? Are you drinking on duty?”
Amanda whirled around and looked up into Ethan’s furious gaze. “Uh…yes. But it was just one drink.”
“Just one?” Ethan asked, his eyes traveling across the table to the nearly empty jug of wine.
Amanda swallowed hard on the knot in her throat. “Okay, maybe it was more than one.”
Dylan sank down in her chair while Rita giggled. “Busted!”
“This is not a joke,” Ethan said. “It’s barely noon, and you three are getting drunk in my hospital.”
“Technically, it’s not your hospital,” Dylan said.
“Oh, shut up, Dylan. When I asked you to talk to Rita, I didn’t mean to make her drunk,” Ethan said.
“Hey, it’s not like she forced me, and at least my arm doesn’t hurt anymore,” Rita protested.
“Rita, please,” Ethan said with a frown.
“And anyway, who are you to ask others to talk to me?” Rita said, pushing back her chair with a loud screech.
Ethan winced. “I’m merely looking out for you.”
“Whatever,” Rita said, somewhat unsteady on her feet. “Come on, guys. Let’s go to my place. I’ve got lots of booze stashed away.”
“You’re carrying on with this foolishness?” Ethan said.
“Yes, we are,” Rita said, placing one hand on Amanda’s shoulder. “And I’m borrowing your nurse for the day.”
Dylan stood up as well. “You had me from the word booze, Rita. Count me in.”
Ethan sighed, studying them with a disapproving look. “Maybe it’s for the best. Lord knows you can’t stay here.”
“Well then, we’re going,” Rita announced.
Ethan shot Amanda a hard look. “Enjoy your day off, but I expect you back on duty first thing tomorrow, Nurse Hooper. Understood?”
Amanda nodded. “Yes, Doctor Hayes.”
Ethan turned on his heel and marched away with a stiff spine. He’d barely left the cafeteria when Dylan and Rita burst into laughter.
“What a stiff,” Dylan said.
“Come on, girls,” Rita said. “I’ve got a hankering for tequila shots.”
Amanda perked up, forgetting all about her angry boss. “Did someone say tequila?”
Chapter 4 - Tara
Tara stared at her notes for several minutes before returning to the microscope. She adjusted the knob, her sole focus on the sample in front of her. After a long moment spent squinting at the blood work contained within the slide, she repeated the process. Back and forth, back and forth until her eyes blurred and her head ached.
“I’m missing something, but what?” she said, grinding her teeth in frustration. After weeks spent working on the vaccine, she was on the verge of a breakthrough. She knew it, but she just couldn’t get the final pieces to fall into place. “Stupid virus!”
Thrusting back her chair, she paced across the floor. “What am I not seeing? It’s right in front of me. I’m sure of it.”
After several minutes, she fell back into her chair with a huff. The answer simply wouldn’t come to her.
A knock on the glass wall of her lab stole her attention, and she looked up into the eyes of Saul. He smiled and called out loud, “Ba
d timing?”
“Not at all,” she cried back. “I’ll be right there.”
She placed her samples back into storage, tossed her gloves, disinfected her hands, and removed her lab coat.
Unlike the labs where smallpox specimens and other horrors were stored, her office and workspace were on a lower level. The Vita virus, though horrific, wasn’t quite the threat it used to be now that they had an effective cure in production.
Tara exited the lab and locked the door behind her. With a happy smile, she stood on tiptoe to greet Saul with a kiss. “What brings you here so early?”
“I thought I’d drop by and say hello. I hope I’m not bothering you?”
“No, you are most welcome,” she said. “I’ve hit a wall, to be honest.”
“Not getting the answers you want?” he asked, eyeing the mound of papers on her desk.
“No, I’m not, and it’s driving me crazy,” she admitted.
“Maybe, all you need to do is take a step back,” he suggested. “Take some time off.”
“That’s ridiculous,” she said, her workaholic nature rebelling at the very thought of such a thing. “How do you get anything done by doing nothing?”
“Not by doing nothing,” Saul said, “but by doing something else.”
Tara quirked an eyebrow at him. “Really?”
Saul shrugged. “Sometimes, all you need is a different perspective. A little distance.”
“That’s…maybe not such a bad idea,” Tara said, mulling it over.
“Best of all, I know what you can do to take your mind off your work for a bit,” Saul added.
“What?”
“A girl’s night,” Saul said.
“You’ve got to be joking,” Tara replied.
“I’m serious,” Saul said.
Tara sighed. “Even if I were up for such a thing, I wouldn’t know where to begin.”
“You don’t have to. Your posse is waiting outside,” Saul said with a grin.
“Posse?” Tara asked, now thoroughly confused.
“That’s right. Dylan, Rita, and Amanda are at the entrance. The security wouldn’t let them in, so they asked me to fetch you.”
“Why won’t security let them in?” Tara asked. “They might not be allowed in here, but they could wait in the lobby.”
Rise of the Undead (Book 6): Apocalypse Z Page 4