He took my advice and threw up violently immediately afterward.
Some of Dr. Bottsford’s remaining staff rushed in and collected the corpse of F-31, and I was pretty happy to see it go. I felt incredibly relieved that my debt was repaid and I could move on without it hanging over my head. Deep down in my heart, I prayed to a God that I have only a passing relationship with that Scott, Mara and Leah would be reunited in whatever comes after we REALLY die.
I turned around to see what was going on with Dr. Bottsford, since I nearly killed him while trying to save him. I wished I hadn’t looked, because from where I was standing, things did not look at all positive. Jayashri and two other people, one of which was part of Jeff’s group, were attempting to get their patient stable enough to move. I kept out of it because I’d only get in the way trying to apologize now.
If he lived, I’d make grand apologies. Conversely, if he didn’t, I’d feel really horrible. I know accidents happen, but it is an entirely different thing to have your accident take a life unintentionally.
I decided to take my mind off of his condition by assessing the damage to my right hand and the back of my neck. My hand looked pretty good, with pink skin growing back over the healed bones. The bones themselves were grayish, not the bright yellow-white I’d seen in the past when a wound left my insides open to view. I could have sworn I saw fibers overlapping in the new growth. My attention was so focused on making sense of what my eyes were telling me that I didn’t feel Charlie behind me until she actually said something.
“Baby, you probably don’t want to touch the back of your neck just now. Just sayin’ is all.”
“Do tell.”
“Well, the tech is doing the job of reattaching the big-ass flap of neck that was hanging down. It’s moving so fast I think your finger would get grown over if you touched it.”
“That sounds like a really, really good reason not to touch anything.” I managed to keep my hands firmly at my sides, even though curiosity and temptation were having a little war inside my head. “Does any one know what happened or how it got out in the first place?”
“Yeah. Jayashri and some of the other doctors started the autopsy on that little,” Charlie shuddered, “body you guys brought back. Nurse Soto started to feel ill almost as soon as the first cut was made, and he bolted out of the room. Nurse Esen was next, and she headed right over into the lab.”
“That can’t have been a good idea.”
“No. Your buddy, Dr. Jenny Lucas, said Nurse Esen went right over to F-31’s box and unlocked it. You can guess what happened next.”
It made my shake my head in dismay. F-31 took that nurse down instantly.
“Did everyone else clear out?” I wasn’t attached to Dr. Lucas, but it would have been sad if a geek of her caliber were erased from the world.
“Yeah. Nurse Soto, Raul, got nailed in the hallway. Then Dr. Humphries left the OR to see what all the fuss was about. They’re cleaning him off the walls right now, or so I hear.”
“Anyone got a theory?”
I don’t know if Charlie was broadcasting our conversation, or if we were simply loud enough to be heard where they were working on Dr. Bottsford, but Jayashri tapped both of us on our brains.
“I believe opening Sumira’s body released viral material... a lot of it... into the atmosphere. The concentration of it overwhelmed their natural immune response.”
“Were they immune to begin with?” I asked her.
“Yes, Dr. Bottsford’s team... by the way, he will live... was chosen because they were immune to the virus. Most of the special operations teams are, or so I have been told.”
“Learn anything else new while you were inside it?”
“No,” she answered. “I put the body back in the cold storage and came out here as quickly as I could. When I return to the procedure I want our people as assistants. Must be going!”
I watched her get up and rush off with her assistants and Dr. Bottsford on a backboard. It was something of a relief, knowing he’d live. There would be a little complication with that: he’s infected. What could be done with an infected person other than ship them out?
“Your neck is healed up now,” Charlie said. She’d moved up beside me while I was thinking thoughts with Jayashri.
I looked down at my blood-covered clothes and just shook my head.
“I’m going to start running around in a fundoshi or just go nudist. Going through clothes this quickly has to stop.”
She laughed a little.
“I wouldn’t be bothered with the nudity, but what’s a ‘fundoshi’?”
“Japanese underwear. It looks a little bit like a loin cloth crossed with a thong.”
“Kinky,” she said with a laugh and punched me on my shoulder. “As your Mistress, I approve of your change in wardrobe. You may serve me now, Frankie The Gimp.”
You could have heard my eyes rolling a hundred miles away.
“This is what I get for complaining about how I destroy my clothes on a daily basis?”
“Oh, so that’s what it was about. I thought you were unburdening your innermost sexual fantasies. My bad.” Her eyes were sparkling with humor. “However! The image of you running around in a little leather fundo-thing, at my beck and call... Can’t blame a girl for dreaming!”
I suppose I couldn’t. I had enough fantasies about her, even before I met her in person.
As I stood there, looking at people milling around, talking and trying to tidy things up a little, a sudden realization crept into my mind. I had never asked why she moved up here from wherever their family was. Maybe things were too crazy up until that moment for the question to float up in my mind. I don’t know, but it seemed like a great time to ask.
“Hey, why did you come up here to live with Shawn? I just realized we’ve never talked about it.”
“That’s a huge tangent, going from kinky drawers to relocation!”
“Probably,” I nodded in agreement, “but it just hit me that I had no clue about why you’re here, and I’d never asked.”
Before she could start answering, Shawn wandered over.
“I’d sent a couple of letters to her with people I knew were heading down towards North Carolina,” he said, rubbing his hands together in the night air. “They handed the letters off to people who were closer to our home town. You know, a mail relay.”
“Oh,” I said with a nod. This made sense.
“One of the letters told me about this guy who showed up from across the way and took out all the zombie squatters in the hardware store next to his garage. ‘Seems like a good guy, so we all decided to ask him to stay. The only thing that bothers me is this vibe he gives off. It feels like he’s running from something or wants to get himself killed as fast as he can.’”
I turned to the big guy. He looked down at me and shrugged.
“Well, that’s what it looked like to me,” Shawn mumbled. “Now, you have to give me a little credit, my instincts weren’t far off the mark.”
“The letter I sent him back was all about how my fiancé came down with the virus and was carted off by a pack of undead rednecks.”
“Go on.”
“Billy revived and attacked the girl next door. Our Mom heard the girl screaming, and hauled ass. She got there, but not before he’d killed her, and Mom shot him in the head with her shotgun.” I saw her shaking her head in the dark. “Then she blew Dawn’s brains out so she wouldn’t come back.”
“I can understand how that upset you. I’m really sorry.” I put my arms around her and held her close.
“I sent her a letter back telling her to come live with me for a while and get out of the situation.” Shawn said, coming around the other side and making a Charlie Hug-wich with me. “She hitched rides with the mail folks, and showed up the day after you blew your shit and I punched you. It took you, what, two months to actually get here?”
“Yeah, just over. I hung out in a few communities on the way up here, doing what I cou
ld to help people out. I think I saw everything from ultra-tight religious enclaves to anarchic tribes of former suburbanites.” She shook her head, smiling ruefully. “What was it you asked me to do when I arrived?”
“I remember,” he answered, “I asked you to look after my idiot friend who got in the way of a hand grenade and is up to his eyes in a funk of self-hatred. Make sure he doesn’t try to kill himself.”
“Oh,” I said.
My self-hatred can get a little out of hand. I might have my parents to thank for that personality trait, but that is neither here nor there, now that they’re dead.
Charlie laughed a little, still in the middle of the man-wich. She scooted around slightly to look me in the eyes.
“See, Frank? Not all that exciting of a story, is it?”
“Pretty normal, I guess.” There wasn’t a whole lot I could say about it.
“Hey, Shawn,” she said, turning slightly back towards her brother, “There’s something I want to tell you, if you can keep it quiet.”
“You bet, Sis! Fire away.”
“I’m pregnant and Frank’s the Dad.”
Chapter 21
“Thank you for telling me,” Shawn whispered. “I would like to take a little time to process this information. I imagine I’m telling myself quite a few stories about your news, and I really want to respond from a place of authenticity.”
“Knocker, you’re starting to sound like me. That’s a little scary.”
“Charlotte, I dislike it when you call me by that nickname.”
“Erm, excuse me. I’m feeling a little lost right now.”
Charlie reached up and touched my cheek.
“Shawn has started speaking ‘Therapist’, and I’m a little concerned. His response to unexpected news is usually louder than this.”
“So I’ve come to understand and rely on. Are you all right, Shawn?”
“I imagine that I will be. I appreciate you for asking after my welfare, Frank.”
I made an effort to see his face in the semi-dark, and then realized I could take a more direct route to gauging his state of mind. The little map popped up in my head, and I brushed the “Shawn” light gently, hoping to get a little taste of what he was feeling. I got a taste, and I tensed up instantly.
Shawn’s emotions felt like licking an electric beehive: lots and lots of motion with a prickly zing. As soon as I felt it, he slapped a manhole cover on it, and there was nothing there to feel.
“Frank, I see you want to know what I feel about this situation,” he said in the same even whisper. “I really appreciate what I imagine to be a reflection of how you care about me. Please don’t tongue my feelings again.”
He’d felt it. Good to know. Note to self: find a stealthy way to taste emotions.
“I won’t.”
“Thank you. I’m going to take a walk and find Chunhua. Do either of you mind if I tell her the news?”
“Well,” Charlie replied, “I don’t want everyone to know in case things get strange. Bajali and Jayashri know already. I guess Chu can know, as long as she keeps her mouth shut.”
“Thank you,” the big guy said, letting go of the group hug. “Give me a little time on this, and we’ll talk more. Okay?”
Charlie and I nodded vigorously and made plenty of affirmative noises. He got the message, and laughed a little bit before turning and walking down the street. We ended up standing there by ourselves, all the chaos from earlier having resolved itself.
“So, honey, why don’t we get a snack or something up in our room? I’m not feeling up to hanging out in B2.”
“That’s a great idea. We can even change clothes,” I said, grateful we were feeling similar inclinations, “and just chill out.”
We linked arms and walked into the store. I snagged the Man Scythe scabbard off the floor as we passed by on our way upstairs.
“Are you going to clean up the blade before you put it away for the day?”
“Yeah. Once I do that,” I paused on the stairs, “I might be able to let it rest for a little bit. I think it might be as tired as I am.”
She turned around in the doorway, and looked down at me, standing three stair steps lower. Her face was just a little sad when she cocked one eyebrow at me and asked me why I’d want to let it rest.
“There are times, my love, when I feel like I’ve defiled a work of art by using it the way I have.”
“Frank, I know you won’t talk to me about where it came from or things like that, but wasn’t it made for chopping zombies into pieces?”
“Yes,” I answered her, knowing I couldn’t argue that Scott made this with anything other than deadly purpose in mind. “He always loved purpose-driven projects.”
“On top of that, you big, sappy monkey, that weapon is a part of you. Don’t forget that, and don’t ignore it either.”
I walked up one more step and kissed her. Once again, I was struck by how lucky I was to have her in my life. It was up in the air, whether or not I actually deserved someone this amazing, but I was willing to put that issue aside until the next time I had a self-indulgent crisis of self-worth.
We both froze. Someone was coming towards the store at a seriously high speed and our internal sensors registered it at the same time.
“It’s Chu,” Charlie said.
It was all she managed to get out of her mouth before we were tackled by a speeding neighbor. The three of us made quite a racket when we landed on the floor of the loft.
“Can I be happy for the two of you?” Chunhua asked, leaking a little at the corners of her eyes.
“Sure, honey!” Charlie stole her from me and they rolled around giggling and hugging on the floor.
I rose up to my knees and smiled. Somewhere in the back of my head, my partially dormant libido gave the scene a rousing thumbs-up. I had to agree, the scene was... scenic, if platonic.
“Remember, I told you to go make strong babies with her!” Chunhua giggled like a fool. “And I got to see you do it! You virile bastard, you!”
“Don’t remind me about that part,” I waved my hands, “I’m still embarrassed about it.”
“You’re just lucky I didn’t have a video camera!”
Charlie and I both squealed, “No,” at the same time. Our guest laughed harder, so hard she snorted. That set Charlie and me into a fit of laughter. It was a hell of a release. Sometimes you don’t know just how tightly you’re holding yourself in until you let it go.
I’d paid my debt. We were all as safe as we could be at that moment. My love and I were going to have a baby, and her brother didn’t appear to be interested in killing me. Charlie once said to treasure the normal moments, and I meant to do exactly that... although Shawn could decide to do me in at any given moment. There’s always a catch.
“So, um,” I stammered, “did Shawn mention how he feels about the turn of events?”
Chu looked up from her cozy place beside Charlie on our bedroll and crossed her arms behind her head.
“Well, he came in the door at my place, plopped down on the sofa and told me the news. Then he got up and sat down Indian-style on the carpet. I got the feeling he was counting his breaths, but I got so excited that I couldn’t help but run over here.”
“Hmm. The last time he did something like that was when our sister, Lisa, found herself in the family way.” Charlie sounded thoughtful. I debated having a panic attack. “She was the first shotgun wedding in our family. A few of our cousins went about things that way, too.”
“You’d mentioned the lovely customs your family practices before,” I said, attempting to keep a smile on my face. “It is quaint, adorable, even. Yes. Ha.”
“Charlie?”
“Yes, Chu.”
“Your sperm donor does not hide his feelings very well. Have you noticed?”
“Oh yes! That was clear from the moment we met. I think,” she cracked her knuckles, “it is a refreshing character trait, reflecting his innate honesty of the soul.”
; “I see. What you’re telling me is you’ll always be able to tell when he’s full of shit because he has no poker face at all. Am I right?”
My girlfriend rolled over and gave her brother’s lover a big kiss on the cheek.
“Chu-baby, you got it in one!”
“You two are making fun of me, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” they answered, in unison.
Chunhua returned Charlie’s buss on the cheek and bounced to her feet. She wrapped her arms around me and snuggled in close for a really solid hug.
“I make fun of you because I love you. Like I used to say when I was old: you a good man. You need good woman. I’m so happy you have one now!”
What else could I do? I hugged her back as hard as she was hugging me.
“Thank you Grandma. I love you too, even if you look like a 24-year-old hottie now,” I whispered to her.
She looked up at me, projecting the Ancient Chinese version of the Evil Eye.
“You call me ‘Grandma’ again and I make Eight Flavor Crispy Beef with your testicles. ¿Comprendé?”
“Yes, Chunhua!”
She let me go, giggled, scooted down the stairs, and out into the night. I stood there for a minute, watching her go, and I remembered the delicate little old lady she’d been before technology and Aliens intervened. It was a grateful sort of reverie.
“Hey, Baby Daddy, come to bed.”
“Faugh! I want to make a request that you don’t call me that. It makes my sphincter clench.”
“I’ll remember and will leave that off my list of pet names,” Charlie promised. “Come to bed anyway.”
“Sure,” I said, closing the door behind me. “Weren’t we going to eat something?”
“I’m not hungry. Are you?”
“No, not really,” I answered.
My adorable partner said something then that I will not relate. It was descriptive, lewd, suggestive, and made me drool. I thought it was an excellent plan and shucked my dried blood-decorated duds. I actually beat her to a natural state of undress!
“I really hope we don’t have an audience this time,” I wished out loud.
Blood Soaked and Invaded - 02 Page 23