by James Evans
“Hi!” Lee said smiling brightly. “What’s wrong with your friend?”
Michelle answered, “He’s been running a high fever for about twenty-four hours along with vomiting and chills. He shows no sign of being bitten and we’ve been together constantly for weeks. Kevin, why are we wasting time talking? Let’s get to Frankfort!”
“Michelle’s a nurse practitioner,” Kevin explained. He pulled one of the three Petoskey Stones from his pocket.
“I didn’t bring a radio down, but I’ll run upstairs and let them know!” She began to jog toward the staircase.
“Lee! Here’s a thankyou gift!” Kevin called out. He tossed the stone her way and it landed with a thump! in the soft sand near her feet.
“A thankyou gift for what? She hasn’t done anything yet,” Michelle said under her breath as Lee picked it up and gave it quick look.
“Ooh! It’s a nice one! Not very big, though! I thought you liked them big,” she said with a laugh and a wink. Without waiting for an answer, she scampered to the staircase and quickly began her ascent.
“What did she mean by that?” Michelle asked, an edge to her voice.
“She has some great Petoskey Stones, some of them are larger than any I’ve ever found,” Kevin said, “She really has some nice ones. She showed them to me.”
“What else did she show you?” Michelle asked.
Kevin tried to change the subject. “They have a radio and keep in touch with Frankfort. She’s going to radio ahead so we can get Doc to the hospital as soon as possible. That’s why I stopped. How’s he doing?”
Michelle noticed his transparent attempt to avoid answering her and made a mental note, but decided not to pursue it. She reached over and felt Doc’s face. “Feels like his fever is on the rise again. And his color’s not good.”
They paddled with renewed vigor and were soon breathing too hard to converse. Kevin was glad. He didn’t want to have to explain about Lee being an exhibitionist and taking off her blouse the last time he saw her, or the offer she made him. He hadn’t done anything wrong but knew it would sound bad and didn’t want to put any doubt in Michelle’s heart. But it was too late.
They floated around the southern breakwater and into Betsie Bay where the water was calmer. Michelle looked around, never having seen Frankfort, Elberta or Betsie Bay. She couldn’t tell whether Frankfort was a very small village or a thriving town. She saw the Frankfort marina and storefronts, and a few businesses in Elberta, dwarfed by the towering dunes behind them.
Soon they were gliding toward the marina dock, and Kevin was relieved to see the medical cart and several people milling about. Getting closer, he recognized all three: Tony, Carolyn and Doctor Nunn. Maneuvering into a slip, he nodded to them as Michelle began to shake Doc.
“Doc, we’re here. Doc! C’mon, Doc, it’s time to wake up!”
“Hmm?” Doc said, “Where are we?”
“We’re in Betsie Bay on the edge of Frankfort. People are here from the hospital.” They pulled into the lowest slip and Doc weakly sat up, eyes glazed.
“What’s wrong with him?” Doctor Nunn asked.
Without waiting for Kevin to answer, Michelle said “His temperature has been hovering around 102 for 24 hours. He drifts in and out of consciousness and isn’t always lucid. He’s nauseated and dehydrated, compounded with hypothermia. He’s had promethazine, loperamide, acetaminophen, and diphenhydramine. His pulse has been borderline high but steady, and he has increasing fluid buildup in his lungs.”
As if on cue, Doc started coughing.
“Are you in the medical field?” Tony asked.
“I’m a nurse practitioner,” Michelle replied.
“Has he had any interaction with zombies?”
“Not for a week or so. I got sick on the way home last week. He probably caught my virus,” Kevin replied
Tony and Kevin hefted Doc onto the pier. Doc tried to help but was too feeble. He was more alert, though, and said, “Whyn’tcha ask me what’s wrong, I’m not a mushroom. I have a virus, that’s all. Get some fluids in me and more Phenergan. Then leave me the hell alone.” He tried to stand but was too weak. He sat down with an ungainly thump and then lay back.
“Why is he wearing a wetsuit?” Doctor Nunn asked.
“We paddled from Lower Menekaunee Lake,” Kevin explained. “He was unconscious in the bottom of the canoe. Water was splashing in. He was cold and wet. I snagged the wetsuit from a house along the beach to keep him dry and warm.” Doctor Nunn nodded.
Kevin and Michelle clambered onto the dock as the two men moved Doc onto a stretcher, then lifted him aboard the cart. Carolyn stuck a thermometer in his mouth. “101.7,” she said. “BP’s 90 over 50. Breathing is shallow.”
“What’s his name?” Carolyn asked.
“His name’s Steve but he told us to call him Doc,” Kevin replied.
“Is he a doctor?” Doctor Nunn asked.
“Yes, I’m a doctor,” Doc mumbled, his eyes closed. “Why is everybody talking about me like I’m not here? I’m not dead! I can answer for my own damn self.”
“Okay, Doc, fair enough,” Doctor Nunn said, “We’re going to take a little ride to the hospital where we can take care of you. In the meantime, you need to rehydrate. Carolyn has a bottle of water with electrolytes for you.”
“Thank God, I’m thirsty,” Doc mumbled. “And Kevin didn’t have the common sense to bring bourbon,”
“Bourbon man, eh?!” Doctor Nunn responded. “A man after my own heart. Tell you what, be a good patient and do what you’re told and I’ll treat you to a bourbon that will steal your heart. But only after you’ve sampled my own recipe.”
“You make your own bourbon?!” Kevin asked, “You didn’t tell me that before!”
“And I shouldn’t have let it slip just now!” Doctor Nunn said as Tony secured the stretcher. “I expect everyone here to keep the information private.”
“You going to make it worth my while?” Tony asked with a grin.
With a sigh, Doctor Nunn said “Yes, provided your lips are sealed.”
“How can I drink the bourbon if my lips are sealed?” Tony chided, as Doctor Nunn climbed into the driver’s seat. As they pulled away, Michelle noticed Carolyn glance at Kevin.
“Do you know them?” she asked.
“Yes, both of them. She’s the pharmacist at the hospital and he’s the doctor I talked to. She was at Stormcloud where I met some of the town leaders and offered to take me to the hospital. She introduced me to the staff.”
“Why was she looking at us funny?”
“I didn’t know she was. But I told her about you and she said she’d like to meet you.”
“I guess we haven’t officially been introduced,” Michelle said, “maybe later.”
“She’ll probably be downtown later,” Tony said, “they’re having a Spring Fling tonight. Music, dancing, a few vendors selling food. I heard Jake is giving away free samples of his herb, and Stormcloud has a keg of free beer. Everyone’s kind of celebrating. Seven months ago we didn’t know how we’d make it to spring, but we did. You came at just the right time!” Tony tied off the canoe and pointed to a cluster of tents along the waterfront. A group of people milled about and the faint sound of bluegrass music drifted over the lawn.
“We’ll check it out,” Kevin said, “but right now we need to get to the hospital. I’d like to check on Doc and introduce the staff to their new nurse practitioner. Maybe we’ll see you later!”
“Count on it,” Tony said, “I expect almost everyone in town will be there! Who knows, maybe I’ll find a new dance partner!”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Kevin took Michelle’s hand and they walked toward town. As they walked onto Main Street, Michelle looked around, amazed.
“It looks almost normal here!” she said. “People are walking around, nobody’s worried about zombies, there are stores open . . . I like this place!”
“It was a great little town before,” Kevin replied. “No
w it’s even more quaint with no traffic to watch for. It almost feels like Mackinac Island without all the fudge shops!”
They continued walking through town and into the neighborhood behind the storefronts. Kevin started telling Michelle a little about the town but she didn’t seem interested.
“Tell me more about Carolyn. You said she’s a pharmacist, but she was here with the doctor, helping out. Pharmacists don’t usually do that.”
“All the medical staff had to adapt. They all do things they never did before.”
“How much time did you spend with her?”
Kevin felt his heart skip a beat. He hadn’t told her about Carolyn coming on to him. “Not much. We were at the hospital together, then she bought me a beer at Stormcloud. Did I tell you about the guy they brought in who’d been bitten by a zombie? They cut off his lower leg with a saw as soon as it happened, but it didn’t help. He was starting to turn. I’d never seen someone who was still alive but only hours away from turning into a zombie. The guy knew he was turning. You could see it in his eyes. It was horrible. I was pretty shaken-up, so she treated me to a beer, then we went for a stroll and I walked her home. I told her zombie jokes. Hey! I just thought of a new one! What do you call a zombie with no eye? A zombe! Get it? Z-O-M-B-E? No I?”
“Kevin, that’s terrible,” she said without cracking a smile. “Did anything happen between you two?”
“I could tell she was interested but I made it clear I was in love with my beautiful, sexy wife!” He put his arm around her and exaggeratingly leered at her breasts as they walked. “Besides, she had small boobs! It made me appreciate how well-endowed you are!”
“Okay, Kevin, down, boy. Focus on what we’re doing and why. How far is the hospital?”
“See the next road? We turn left, climb the hill, and there it is.” His arm was still around her as they walked, and Kevin took a quick glance backward. Seeing no one, he reached down and goosed Michelle’s ass. She pushed his arm away, not making eye contact. “Stop it, Kevin, I mean it! This isn’t the time or place!”
“What’s got into you?” he asked. “Are you mad at me? Did I do something?”
“No, I’m not mad, it’s just that in the past hour I met a girl you saw topless and another girl you spent time alone with. It just makes me wonder if you’re telling me everything.”
Kevin sighed. He knew what it was like to be jealous, having spent a crazy few weeks convinced Michelle was still in love with her old boyfriend. Pure paranoia convinced Kevin she could be seeing Wayne, even though logically he knew it was impossible. The experience changed him, made him more aware of his deficits.
“Michelle, you’re my wife and I love you. I don’t have room in my heart for anyone but you, and I don’t have the slightest inclination to stray. But feel free to talk to Carolyn and Lee. You can ask them anything you want. In fact, I hope you do. I’ll even go one step further: please talk to them. I’m completely transparent. You’re the only woman I want. Forever.” His voice was earnest but warm. She felt somewhat reassured.
Kevin was feeling damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you don’t. Both Lee and Carolyn had opened a door he declined to walk through. He did the right thing; he was loyal to his wife. But she was mad at him anyway.
They walked along in silence for a few seconds, then turned onto the street leading to the hospital. As they walked along, Michelle reached over and took Kevin’s hand. It was a kind of unspoken apology and was glad to hold her hand.
Within a minute, they were both breathing fast from the exertion of climbing the hill.
They walked the last few feet to the hospital, breathing hard. “We enter through the emergency room,” Kevin explained, “all the other doors are locked. The hospital is vacant, only the ER has power.”
They walked into the hospital and approached the nurses’ station holding hands. “May I help you?” a nurse asked.
“A friend of ours just checked in. An older man. Carolyn and Doctor Nunn brought him in on the cart. We just arrived in town.”
“Are you family?”
“Yes,” Michelle said. “I’m his adopted daughter.”
“I’m sorry, old habits die hard. We don’t usually ask anymore. The old HIPAA nonsense doesn’t apply anymore. He’s in room seven,” she concluded, pointing down the hall.
“What’s your name?” Michelle asked.
“I’m Tracey,” she said, holding out her hand.
Michelle and Kevin both shook hands with her as Michelle explained “I’m a nurse practitioner. I look forward to working with you. And my father is a retired doctor.”
Tracey’s eyes lit up when she looked at Kevin. “I recognize you from last week. You brought us an NP and a doctor? You folks are definitely welcome, youbetcha!” she said warmly.
Kevin and Michelle thanked her and proceeded to Doc’s room. He was asleep with an IV drip attached to his arm. The wetsuit had been folded and put in the chair. Michelle took a quick look at the chart clipped to the end of the bed.
“How is he?”
“Not much change, but he just got here, what, 20 minutes ago? He still has a fever, he’s dehydrated, his breathing is shallow and he has tachycardia and palpitations. Hmm. They’re probably worried about viral myocarditis.”
“Which is…?”
She took Doc’s hand in hers and instinctively checked his pulse. “Older people are at risk to have a heart attack following influenza virus. A lot of times myocardial infarction is disguised by flu symptoms.”
The door swung open and Doctor Nunn entered, having picked up the tail end of the conversation. “That’s right, I’m glad you’re aware of it. It’s not well known among the public, only among health professionals.”
Hearing his friend might be having heart trouble worried Kevin. “So what are you able to do?”
“We have an EKG scheduled. We have to do them late at night when our limited power supply isn’t quite so strained. We’ll know a whole lot more then.”
“What can you do while you wait for the EKG?”
“Get him hydrated and administer a course of antivirals along with antibiotics to eliminate any secondary symptoms. Get his fever down, which should also help with the tachycardia. He needs to rest. His prognosis is good, but he’s not out of the woods. At his age he’s more likely to have secondary problems related to the flu. The next twenty-four hours will make all the difference, and once we do the EKG we’ll know whether there’s any heart disease.”
Carolyn walked in carrying a solution bag. “Oh! Hi! I didn’t know you were here!” She added the solution bag to the IV drip line. “Doctor Nunn, we’re running low on antivirals FYI.”
Doctor Nunn nodded. “Soon we’ll be out of almost everything. I’m dreading it. We’ll be consigned to using leeches and eye of newt infusions.”
“Mmmm, I love newt infusions!” Carolyn joked, “especially if the newts are fresh!”
“Figures,” Doctor Nunn added.
“Carolyn, I’d like you to meet my wife, Michelle,” Kevin said.
“Good to have you with us,” Carolyn said as they shook hands. “We need all the help we can get.”
Doc stirred and briefly opened his eyes. “Hey, Doc!” Michelle said, squeezing his hand. “It’s Michelle. Kevin and I are here with you. You’re in the hospital.”
Doc tried to speak and Michelle leaned over so her ear was closer. “What did you say?”
Doc moved his lips again and Michelle smiled. “No, I don’t think they’ll give you any bourbon, but I’m sure they’ll give you some water.” Turning to Carolyn and Doctor Nunn, she said, “I’ll get the water for him if you’ll tell me where to find it. I might as well get to know my way around.”
“I’ll show you,” Doctor Nunn said as he and Michelle exited the room.
“It’s good to see you again, Kevin,” Carolyn offered.
“Same here. And I was serious when I said I hoped you and Michelle will be friends. You’re both smart, beautiful women.”
Michelle walked in carrying a tumbler of water and gave Carolyn a suspicious glance. Uh-oh. Did she hear Carolyn call me a sweetheart? Kevin thought. Michelle put the straw in Doc’s mouth and held the cup as he took a couple of long sips before closing his eyes once again.
“Physically he appears strong,” Carolyn said, “I think he’s going to be fine. I’m glad you didn’t wait any longer to bring him, though. Another day and you might have been too late!”
Kevin shuddered. He realized once again how lucky he was to have Michelle as his wife. She knew how sick Doc was and insisted they immediately leave Ann Arbor for Frankfort.
Doctor Nunn walked back in. “Okay, visiting hours are over. Let’s give your friend some undisturbed rest.” Kevin took one of the Petoskey Stones out of his pocket and put in on the bed next to Doc.
“For luck, my friend. Get better. We’ll be back tomorrow.” On their way out, Doctor Nunn asked Michelle to come in early the next day for a crash course on post-apocalyptic medical care. Carolyn suggested they head downtown, get a room at the guesthouse and check out the Spring Fling festival.
CHAPTER EIGHT
On their way down the hill, Kevin and Michelle held hands and discussed what they had seen. Kevin steered the conversation away from Carolyn, but even while they were talking, Michelle was once again wondering if something had happened between Kevin and Carolyn.
They stopped at the guesthouse and agreed to take a room on the ground floor. They grabbed a lantern and stored their few belongings. Kevin flopped down on the bed with a sigh, then invited Michelle to join him with a wink. “Not right now. I’d like to go to the festival.” It wasn’t like her to turn down an offer for affection, Kevin noted. As they left the guesthouse he offered to show Michelle the bay and breakwater.
It was an hour or so before sunset. The lighthouse stood watch as always, even if it was only symbolic. It was rare for modern watercraft to rely on sight for navigation. Even though navigation systems were now part of the past, there wasn’t enough power for the light to operate, and not enough watercraft to justify it. Kevin pointed out Old Baldy among the bluffs and the outlet of Lake Menekaunee into Lake Michigan. The surf was fairly quiet, but occasionally large waves broke onto the lighthouse concrete pad. They walked down the beach and onto the breakwater but stopped about halfway to admire the view. Kevin was surprised by the number of fish he saw swimming near the rocks necklacing the breakwater. It was quite picturesque, and once again Kevin pictured skinny-dipping in Lake Michigan with Michelle. But not today. They left the breakwater and headed toward the riverfront.