Blue Plague Survival

by Watson, Thomas A

  Stephanie laughed, “Thank you Buffy.” Buffy went to Danny’s room as Debbie got the twins and PJ ready for bed.

  “Stephanie, you’re in the middle. You are going to have to lay claim to your spot. PJ likes playing with my hair during the night so don’t freak out if he does the same to you. The twins take turns who they snuggle up to during the night,” Debbie told Stephanie as she pulled the covers back. PJ was crawling from one side of the bed to the other laughing at his game.

  Bruce came out of the bathroom in his boxers as Stephanie and Debbie made room between the twins giving PJ obstacles to crawl over. Bruce walked over to Stephanie grabbing her legs and pulling her socks off. “When I feel socks touch me in my sleep, it freaks me out,” Bruce told her.

  “Sorry Bruce,” Stephanie said, but Bruce was not paying attention as he looked at PJ.

  “Not as much as getting peed on. Let me tell you buster if you hit me with that damn bottle in the morning, I’ll flush you down the toilet,” Bruce told PJ. PJ just squealed and held out his hand, palm up and closed his fingers like he was saying ‘I will crush you like a bug.’

  “That does it, you sleep in the dresser tonight,” Bruce said moving toward PJ.

  Stephanie grabbed PJ and put him on the other side of her taking Bruce seriously, “Bruce you can’t put the baby in the dresser.” Stephanie told him as PJ blew raspberries at him, taunting him to try something now.

  Bruce just got in the bed turning his back to everyone. Stephanie rolled over with her back to Bruce laying PJ down next to her as Debbie put a bottle in his mouth. Stephanie rubbed PJ’s head as he drank his bottle. Looking up from PJ, Stephanie saw the twins and Debbie looking at her. Stephanie reached out and played with the twin’s hair. The twins at first moved back but then moved closer and drifted off to sleep as PJ dropped his bottle fast asleep. Bruce was already asleep breathing softly.

  Debbie and Stephanie were the only ones awake when Stephanie looked at Debbie and smiled. Then Stephanie felt the heat radiate from Bruce and could actually feel sweat on her back. Stephanie felt PJ start playing with her hair in his sleep and it made her smile.

  Debbie whispered, “Not so bad is it?”

  “No, it’s not but I think there is a fire over here. Bruce puts off heat like a furnace,” Stephanie whispered back.

  “Told ya, just kick the covers off or you’re going to sweat to death. Later tonight everyone will be over there by the fire,” Debbie told her.

  “I can’t kick the covers off then Bruce won’t have any on him,” Stephanie pointed out.

  “You’re going to sweat to death then,” Debbie whispered back smiling.

  Gritting her teeth, Stephanie took the heat for another few minutes before she kicked the blankets off. She felt the t-shirt sticking to her back wishing she had kicked the blanket off when Debbie told her to. Just then Bruce rolled over throwing his arm over her. Stephanie’s body became rigid as she looked at Debbie who was laughing silently.

  “Don’t worry Stephanie, he only bites once or twice during the night,” Debbie told her as Stephanie eyes widened. “I’m only kidding Stephanie,” Debbie admitted as Stephanie relaxed.

  Bruce pulled Stephanie to his chest. Stephanie looked up at Debbie like a little school girl grinning and blushing. Debbie just smiled at Stephanie then became serious asking, “You will take care of them if something happens to me, won’t you?”

  “Nothing is going to happen to you Debbie,” Stephanie assured her.

  “Please, will you help take care of them if something does happen?” Debbie asked her again.

  “Yes I will Debbie. I will love them and protect them with my life,” Stephanie replied stoking the face of each child.

  Debbie drifted off to sleep with a weight lifted off her shoulders. The beginning of her preparation was in place. Stephanie never caught what was asked of her, thinking only of the small kids in front of her as she too drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter 18

  Stephanie woke up hearing a hollow thunk-thunk followed by a baby giggling. Struggling to open her eyes she felt heat on her left side, weight on her legs and abdomen and felt something wedged under her right side. Lifting up her head, Stephanie felt something hit her on top of her head. Turning to the source of the assault she saw PJ sitting between her and Bruce’s heads hitting them with an empty bottle laughing.

  “Stop that PJ,” Stephanie said but PJ just hit Bruce again and laughed. Stephanie extracted an arm out and took the empty bottle from PJ. Immediately, PJ told her he wanted his drumstick back and Stephanie handed it back to him. She was rewarded with a whack to the head.

  “I’m going to throw you on the floor PJ,” Stephanie warned him. PJ didn’t care, he dropped the bottle and started clapping.

  Stephanie looked down to her belly and saw both twins lying across her. Turning her head, she saw Debbie had burrowed under her right side. Stephanie pulled her body out of the tangle of humanity, crawling out of bed. She reached back picking up PJ and saw the clock reading 0432.

  “Come on, I will get you another bottle,” Stephanie told PJ who laid his head on her shoulder making her smile.

  Heading to the door, Stephanie’s body felt like she had run a triathlon. She realized she hurt in places she never knew existed as she walked downstairs into the kitchen. The ladies were already starting breakfast when she walked in holding PJ.

  “That was nice of ya to get PJ so Bruce and Debbie could gets some sleep,” Millie told Stephanie handing her a bottle for PJ.

  “Didn’t have much of a choice, he was assaulting everyone with an empty bottle,” Stephanie replied taking the bottle and putting it in PJ’s mouth. PJ started gulping down the bottle.

  “Don’t let him fill up on tha bottle Stephanie. Here’s some foods you can feed him,” Lynn told her putting a plate on the counter. Stephanie took the bottle out of PJ’s mouth sitting it on the counter and handed him a biscuit.

  “Stephanie, you haveta break it up first,” Millie told her grabbing the biscuit from PJ. “Did ya change him yet?” Millie asked her.

  “No, am I supposed to? He is a boy,” Stephanie pointed out looking at Millie.

  Millie laughed, “Yes baby, it’s ok. Let me gets some stuff for us and I’ll shows you how.” Millie left and returned with supplies. Millie took PJ from Stephanie who started crying having his meal interrupted and laid him on the table. Stephanie grabbed the bottle and shoved it in his mouth to make him shut. This made Millie laugh. “It’s ok for him to be cryin,” Millie told her.

  “Not with the way my head feels,” Stephanie told Millie as she learned how to change a diaper. “Is that normal? Feces, is not supposed to look and smell like that,” Stephanie said leaning back.

  “It’s just baby poop Stephanie,” Millie told her. Stephanie looked at Millie unconvinced making a mental note to ask Nancy since she was a pediatrician. Millie picked up PJ and handed him back to Stephanie asking, “Ain’t you never been around babies befoe?”

  “No, but I have read some books and they said nothing about nuclear waste coming out of their rectum,” Stephanie told her as she took the bottle from PJ and tried to feed him a spoon full of eggs.

  Millie giggled at her, “Let me shows you baby.” Millie took the spoon and mashed up the biscuit, grits and eggs together. Then putting a little bit of food on the spoon, Millie handed it to Stephanie.

  “That’s disgusting Millie,” Stephanie told her taking the spoon and rising it to PJ’s mouth. PJ opened his mouth and emptied the spoon. Stephanie gave a shutter saying, “Your food selections should remain separate from each other and only be mixed together in your stomach.”

  Lynn laughed at her, “It’d take too long to feed a baby that ways Stephanie.”

  Stephanie took the spoon and continued to shovel the food into PJ’s mouth. PJ cooperated some but in ten minutes they were both covered in the mashed up food. Mike and Nancy came in wearing workout clothes, carrying vest and weapons. Nancy looked at Stephanie feeding PJ an
d noticed her wearing Bruce’s t-shirt and boxers.

  “About time you joined this family. Bruce’s boxers make great pajama bottoms,” Nancy told her.

  Mike looked at Nancy, “You could wear my briefs baby.”

  “I wear your t-shirts but your briefs cut into me,” Nancy told him making Mike laugh.

  “I think I’m fixing to start wearing Bruce’s boxers too,” Mike replied.

  “Mike, I have tried to get you to wear boxers for the last seven years. I would feel better about wearing my own husband’s underwear but a girl has to stay comfortable,” Nancy replied grabbing a cup of coffee heading to the back door to the gym.

  Stephanie stopped Nancy as she started to open the door, “Nancy, I think something is wrong with PJ.”

  Nancy spun around throwing her gear on the table moving quickly to Stephanie. “What’s wrong with PJ?” Nancy asked feeling over his body.

  “I think he has a gastrointestinal malformation. Feces should not look or smell like that coming out of a human. We need to run some tests on him,” Stephanie told her in a serious voice.

  Nancy laughed picking food out of Stephanie’s hair, “I have looked PJ over and he’s fine. Those are normal bowel movements for an infant.” Stephanie just looked at Nancy as she grabbed her stuff and headed to the gym.

  Stephanie continued the feeding process as those in the den and hallway woke up and headed to the gym for morning workouts. Bruce and Debbie came into the kitchen and were greeted with the site of Stephanie trying to feed PJ. Bruce walked over to get PJ from Stephanie but PJ refused to come to him. Shocked, Bruce stared at him, this being the first time PJ refused to come to him unless it was Debbie holding him.

  “That does it, you sleep with the goats tonight buddy,” Bruce threatened. PJ just laid his head on Stephanie’s shoulder for protection from the mean man.

  Stephanie snapped at Bruce, “Bruce, you leave him alone or I will let him beat you to death with his bottle tomorrow.” Bruce took a step back as PJ laughed and hugged Stephanie.

  Bruce grabbed his stuff and walked out afraid to say anything. Debbie started laughing looking at Stephanie, “That was good Stephanie. Give PJ to me so you can go get cleaned up.”

  “No, I will feed the twins, you go and workout. I will work out after breakfast,” Stephanie told her.

  Debbie walked over and hugged her and PJ, “I knew you were right for this. We’ll rotate every morning, who gets up ok? I never heard PJ or I would’ve gotten up.”

  “I heard him beating Bruce with the bottle and when I told him to stop he popped me,” Stephanie admitted.

  “When he does that to you Stephanie, you need to pop his hand,” Debbie told her.

  “He’s just a baby,” Stephanie replied shocked.

  “A baby who was told to stop and hit you for telling him to stop, babies have to learn to listen. I did not say hit him hard, just take his bottle away and lightly pop his hand. If that does not work put him on the floor and let him cry so he knows he did something bad. He will get bigger Stephanie and he has to learn to listen to what we tell him,” Debbie told her.

  “Does he stop when Bruce tells him to?” Stephanie asked.

  “When Bruce uses his Daddy voice, he does. I have to pop his hand. In all fairness when Bruce uses his Daddy voice toward the kids, I almost do what he says. Don’t tell him that though. That doesn’t work for Mamas unless we get mad,” Debbie told her as the twins walked in and sat down at the table.

  “Ok I will. Now go, I can take care of this,” Stephanie told Debbie as she grabbed plates for the twins. Debbie grabbed her weapon and vest heading to the gym.

  At 0610, Bruce walked back in and saw Stephanie at the table with the kids. He leaned over kissing the twins then Stephanie and PJ on the head. Then Bruce walked into mission control to find Mike looking at the large monitor that was hooked up for the UAV’s. He could see the hunting team on top of the house with infected several hundred yards away in the woods surrounding the house.

  “What the hell is going on now?” Bruce asked.

  Mike looked at Bruce, “The team leader said they’d killed about a thousand then the blues started hanging back. They have tried attacking from different directions at different times looking for a weakness. The team reported another fifty to sixty kills during each attack but now the blues are just hanging around the perimeter in the woods,” Mike told him.

  “Shit, the blues are putting them under siege. There has to be a couple of hundred around the perimeter,” Bruce said in disgust.

  “It’s worse. The blues are calling for reinforcements, look,” Mike told Bruce as the UAV operator panned out with the camera. Several small groups of blues were moving in to join the siege.

  Bruce looked at Mike, “We can use that for later, letting them call more to us, but for right now the hunt team only has enough food for two more days.” Bruce told Mike as he closed his eyes to think of a plan.

  “Let’s just go in, get the team, and lay out an ambush,” Mike offered.

  “Won’t work, the blues will be able to spread out and could out flank the ambush team. How many do you think will be there by 0900?” Bruce asked.

  “With what’s there now and with the rate others are joining, I’d guess about five maybe six hundred,” Mike answered.

  “That’s manageable. Get dressed, I’ll lay out my plan at breakfast,” Bruce told him while opening a filing cabinet and grabbing a zip lock bag. Then he headed upstairs.

  Bruce ran and jumped into the shower washing and shaving quickly then got out to dry off. He was standing in front of the shower drying off as Stephanie walked in leading the twins and holding PJ. Stephanie looked up and gasped taking a step back.

  “Sorry Bruce, I was just fixing to get the kids cleaned up,” Stephanie replied looking down at the floor, Bruce never stopped dying off.

  “Well, go ahead Stephanie, don’t mind me,” Bruce told her grabbing his boxers off the counter walking out of the bathroom.

  Bruce walked out into the bedroom putting on his underwear as he headed to the closet. Throwing clothes on the bed, Bruce heard the sink in the bathroom come on. Bruce stopped and looked toward the open bathroom door as Debbie walked in. Debbie seeing Bruce looking at the bathroom asked, “What?”

  “The sink is on,” Bruce told her.

  “Well, you’re a big boy now, you can turn it off all by yourself,” Debbie told him.

  Bruce headed to the bathroom replying, “I think Stephanie is trying to wash the twins and PJ in the sink.”

  “She wouldn’t do that. The twins are four years old,” Debbie replied following him.

  When they reached the bathroom Stephanie was washing the twins off with a rag. They still had their sleeping t-shirts on. Stephanie was washing only exposed skin nothing that was covered up by clothes.

  Bruce spoke first, “Why aren’t you putting them in the shower Stephanie?”

  “They can take a shower?” Stephanie asked with relief.

  “Yeah with you helping ‘em,” Bruce told her.

  “I will get my clothes wet,” Stephanie replied.

  “Then take them off or hang them up to dry out,” Bruce told her.

  Debbie started pushing Bruce back, “Go get dressed, I’ll meet you downstairs.” Debbie pushed Bruce out and kicked off her shoes as she closed the door. Debbie stripped down as Stephanie watched, turning the twins around. Debbie walked over and started striping the girls looking at Stephanie.

  “What?” Debbie asked.

  “Debbie, you are naked in front of the kids,” Stephanie told her.

  “Stephanie, you’ve seen me naked before,” Debbie told her.

  “I’m a woman though,” Stephanie told her.

  “Stephanie, these are our kids. We’re not perverts, so what’s the big deal. Didn’t you take a shower with your Mama or your brother?” Debbie asked as she stripped PJ.

  “I’ve never taken a shower or a bath with anyone in my entire life,” Stephanie told her. />
  Debbie stared at her in disbelief then she said, “Arms up,” as Debbie grabbed Stephanie’s shirt pulling it over her head. Debbie looked at Stephanie. “You sleep in a bra?” Debbie asked not believing her eyes.

  “Yeah, don’t you?” Stephanie replied.

  “Stephanie, I only own two bras to wear with dresses. I only wear sports bras. I would love to meet the asshole that invented the damn things so I could beat the shit out of’em. Now take it off, we don’t have a lot of time,” Debbie told her as she grabbed the boxers and panties Stephanie was wearing and pulled them down. Stephanie covered herself as Debbie moved to the shower and turned on the water.

  Stephanie took off her bra covering her breast with one arm. The other was covering her crouch as Debbie turned to tell the girls to get in. “Stephanie quit being modest. You’re a doctor after all and now you are also a mom. Now get PJ,” Debbie told her as she ushered the twins in the shower.

  Stephanie watched how Debbie was acting and reached down grabbing PJ and got into the shower. Debbie showed her how to wash the kids in an assembly line fashion, making sure to keep soap out of their eyes. In twenty minutes, everyone was showered and out drying off in the bathroom. They dressed the girls and PJ then themselves, and headed to the kitchen.

  Bruce saw them coming into the kitchen and stood up and called for attention. “Ok, everyone its 0700 and we have a hit to do. The hunt team is surrounded and the blues have them under siege now. Danny, Matt, Jake, Steve, Mary, David, Debbie and Nancy, we are going to wipe out the blues around the team. Mike you will run the operation from here. The reason all of you are coming is you have hunted on the horses before. I want ammo, water and one meal only. I want everyone to have at least thirty extra magazines in saddle bags and another bag to drop empty magazines into on your saddle. Buffy, you will ride with me,” Bruce stopped and looked at the group then started again.

  “We’re going to attack the edges with hit and run, then pull back and engage at a distance. Team one will be Me, Danny, David and Jake. Debbie you have the rest in team two. Steve, I want you to carry a SAW for team two and I will carry one for team one. We’ll be moving all day on horseback so be ready. Work will continue here, Conner you’ll get people to man the two Strykers and the beast for back up and extraction of the hunt team. Mike has over all command from mission control. Questions?” Bruce finished.