Anna was standing at the window, watching whatever was lurking outside. Her arms were folded tightly across her front, giving her the appearance of someone who is trying desperately to stave off the cold. Mike walked up to her, “What’s got your attention out there, Princess?” he questioned when he reached her side.
“You know exactly what has my attention, don’t ask ridiculous questions, and don’t call me Princess,” she snapped.
“Oh yeah, sorry about that Cupcake,” Mike finished with a laugh as he turned his attention to Henry.
“No one was hurt, well except for Dave, but there was nothing we could do about that,” Emily told him, grabbing his sleeve. “Are you going to tell me where you hurt, because I know that you’re hurt Dad,” she asked, her face burning with concern.
“It’s just where the horse kicked me, I think it cracked a few ribs. Nothing some tape won’t fix,” he replied, hoping to put her at ease.
“Let me check it out, do you have the supplies we’ll need to tape you?” Juliette asked, glancing around as if the tape was already here somewhere.
“In the infirmary. But first I need to see to Hayden’s ankle, she needs to be wrapped too, before the swelling gets worse,” Mitch replied, looking down on the girl. Her eyes were closed and he could tell she was trying to breathe through the pain, as silent tears made their way down her face. “If you could gather supplies for that, I’d really appreciate it,” he told Juliette, bringing his gaze back to hers.
“Of course, just tell me where to find everything and I’ll be happy to get it,” she replied.
“I’ll go with you, I know where everything is,” Emily responded before he had the chance.
“Thanks, Em,” he told his daughter, thankful she was always so helpful.
Chapter Twenty
Juliette
Juliette stared in quiet disbelief as she watched Emily pour through boxes, gathering supplies. They were in the basement, which didn’t really feel like a basement at all because It was completely finished. The section they were in was full of medical supplies.
“Where on earth did your dad get all of this stuff? This is insane, hospitals in third world countries would kill to have these kind of supplies,” she marveled as the lid fell off of the box that Emily had just sat down in front of her. This one was completely full of dressings for wounds. There was different size gauze, nets, and wraps-- a little of everything. She began searching through the box, looking for the right kind of supplies for the girl’s ankle.
“His teacher and friend from the fire department--Dr. Juris was his name--he trained all of the new EMT’s that came to the house,” Emily paused in her story, a light smile on her face, “Anyway, Dr. Juris would just save all of the extra things that were left over after a surgery, things that would otherwise be thrown away, and he would give them to my dad. He knew about this place, and I think that he liked the idea of it. Wanted to help my dad be truly ready for anything,” she finished, finding a few ace bandages and some sports tape.
“He sounds like a wonderful man,” Juliette said, feeling a small pang of worry for this man she didn’t know. She couldn’t help but wonder if he was okay, if he had his own place of safety somewhere.
“He’s a very kind man, one of the best. Some people thought he was tough, scary even. But really, he was just passionate about saving lives. I think that he could read people, and he naturally liked the ones that were also passionate about caring for others. If your heart wasn’t in it, he showed no mercy. At least that’s what my dad said. Of course, he never had anything to worry about, my dad is as passionate as they come,” Emily finished, glancing up at Juliette with a raised eyebrow, before she let out a soft chuckle at the look on Juliette’s face.
“We better get this stuff out there. We need to get that poor girl’s foot wrapped before it gets any bigger,” Juliette said, gathering what she found, hoping that her face would cool before she reached the front room.
“You don’t have to be embarrassed, Juliette. I like the idea of him having someone, and if the two of you want to be together, well, you have my blessing if that’s what’s holding you back. If you have a chance at happiness, take it,” Emily said to Juliette’s back as she left the room.
Juliette took a deep breath, trying to find her center as she walked down the hall. Was she that transparent? She was on feeling overload, still trying to process the loss of her sister, and the devastation of the world. She wasn’t certain that there was room for the type of feelings she was having for Mitch, and what it would mean if she gave into them and then lost everything.
She walked back into the front room, giving the supplies that she had brought to Mitch. “Emily’s coming with some ace bandages and tape,” she said, as she handed everything she had over to him.
He had sat back down on the stool beside Hayden, and chose some soft wrap to begin wrapping her ankle tightly. When he reached the end, he tucked it in before sliding a soft sleeve over the wrap.
Emily walked back into the room and passed a few of the ace bandages to Mitch. She sat the rest of the supplies on the table behind him, then walked across the room and squeezed in beside Drew on the oversized recliner.
Mitch took the bandage and winced in pain as he bent back over the girl’s foot. “Why don’t you let me finish this,” Juliette said, reaching down and taking the bandage from his grasp. “Then we’ll see to your ribs.”
She made quick work of the dressing, pulling it just snug enough to apply the right amount of pressure to the injury. “Micah, would you go and get me some ice?” she looked up at the boy who was standing beside his father, a room full of emotions playing across his face. His eyebrows were furrowed as he stared at the floor.
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, looking relieved to have a momentary reprieve from the onslaught of feelings.
“How is it, Hayden?” she asked the girl, hoping that the wrap had relieved a bit of the pain for her.
Hayden took a moment to respond, pulling in a deep breath before she did, “it still really hurts--but I can handle it,” she finished, reaching up to brush a stray hair from her face. Her startling blue eyes locked onto Juliette’s, sizing her up.
“The ice should help,” Juliette answered.
“Em, why don’t you go and get some Tylenol for Hayden. I’m going to have Juliette wrap my ribs in the infirmary, will you stay with Hayden until I get done?” Mitch asked.
“On it,” Emily responded, heading toward the kitchen to retrieve the medicine.
“I don’t need a babysitter Mitch, I’ve been tied up in a room watching helplessly as one by one the others were taken by that mad man. I think I can handle sitting here by myself for a few minutes,” she huffed. Her arms crossed her chest, she leaned into the big blue pillow behind her and let out a quick breath, causing the hair that hung in her face to do a sudden little dance.
“Don’t worry Mitch, I’ll stay with her too,” Jimmy said, smiling down on Hayden from where he stood by the arm of the couch.
“Thanks kid,” Hayden replied with a little smile of her own. “See, we’re fine. Now go get wrapped,” she told Mitch, shooing him out of the room.
Juliette had to suppress a laugh as she retrieved the tape from the table and followed Mitch down the hallway. That girl has some serious spunk. She was impressed with the way she was handling herself after all that she had been through.
After she walked into the room, she closed the door behind her. Mitch was already undoing the buttons on his outer shirt. He winced as he shifted his arm out of it, and she hurried over to him.
“Let me help, I know it hurts, no sense in making it worse,” she said as she took the shirt from him and pulled it down his other arm. “See, much easier.”
“Thanks,” he replied, his voice deep and raspy.
“Can you lift your arms?” she asked. As she untucked his undershirt at the waist of his pants, she felt her cheeks flush at the proximity to him, she felt a shift in that moment--one that
went beyond nurse and patient.
Goosebumps rippled over her as he slowly raised his arms, his fingers grazing her arm on their journey upward. She stepped back from him and took a deep breath, when her eyes met his, her flush deepened because of the amusement she saw on his face.
She looked away quickly and tried to gather her thoughts. Because he was so much taller than her, she would need to stand on the stool to pull the t-shirt over his head.
She glanced around the room until her eyes landed on it, where it was pushed against the wall over by the sink.
After she rushed over to grab the stool, he let his arms back down; realizing her dilemma. “Sorry about that,” she said. She placed the stool in front of him and stepped up to the highest level.
“No problem,” he answered lifting his arms again.
She gently held the hem of his shirt as she pulled it up and over his head. Finished, she stepped down off the stool and took in the sight of his injury. Deep red and purple bruising had already formed where the horse had kicked and was spreading out to cover his whole side and onto his lower back. She hoped that there was no internal bleeding.
“How bad does it hurt? Do you think there are any other injuries besides the ribs?” she questioned as she began taping his ribs.
“It hurts like a bitch, but every time I’ve had broken ribs, it’s always hurt like this, so hopefully nothing else was injured. I guess time will tell,” he said, his voice still raspy from the pain and exhaustion.
“Thank you for getting Micah out of this room. I was relieved to hear that he was upstairs with you when I got back. I shouldn’t have snapped at him about the shooting. I’m just on edge-- worried about everything and trying not to show it,” Mitch talked quietly as she continued to wrap his torso in tape one small piece at a time.
“There’s something going on with him that you need to be aware of, some odd side effect of Jimmy’s blood I guess, it’s the only explanation that I have anyway,” she continued, talking through it as much for her sake as Mitch’s. “It’s like he absorbs the feelings from all of the other people he’s around. It’s bizarre, and I’m sure very scary for him. I’ve noticed he responds most to his sister, who must be incredibly on edge, because he is almost like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde when she’s around. It’s intense,” she finished as she waited for him to respond.
“What?” he said, shaking his head at the absurdity of what she had told him. “What, so Jimmy’s blood not only transferred the antidote, but a part of his weird voodoo magic shit? How is that even possible?” he questioned, shaking his head in disbelief.
“I don’t know. Medically, it wouldn’t be because things that pertain to the psyche, if you will, should not be transferable through blood. Can you imagine? Receiving a blood transfusion would take on a whole new meaning if it did,” she said in awe as she thought about the ramifications of such a thing and wondered again about how it had even happened.
“How is he handling it?” Mitch asked, concerned for his son.
“The best he can. I think a room full of people so over loaded with all of these terrifying feelings is a bit much for him to take, and it would probably be in his best interest to stay away from large groups. He responds really well to Drew. He must be a very calm person,” she finished as she added the last piece of tape.
“A lot can happen in a day,” he observed taking in what she had said. “Yeah, Drew has always been really low key, level headed, he has never let circumstances determine his outcome. If it wasn’t for Drew, I don’t know if Emily would have ever overcome losing her mother. Here he was grieving the loss of both of his parents, and even though you could still see his sadness in subtle ways, his main priority was Emily. Making her happy again was his sole purpose in life for years after. Maybe it still is,” he stopped suddenly, his eyes locked on hers as he reached up and ran his hands down the sides of her arms. “Thank you, I feel like I can breathe a little better now,” he finished, glancing down at his wrapped torso.
“We won’t be able to leave the tape for long, two days at the most. They don’t recommend taping or wrapping anymore, but I think in this situation it’s the best thing for you. We have no way of knowing about internal damage, so the less movement the better,” she said, sounding uncertain.
“Whatever you say Doc.” He smiled before he reached up and ran his thumb under her lip that was tucked between her teeth again. She released it as his thumb grazed her skin, causing a flutter of motion in her stomach.
“Well, there is greater risk for pneumonia when your chest is wrapped,” she whispered.
“I thought of that, but it’d be worse if a rib punctured something,” he replied, as he eased down on the sofa, looking weary and tired from what had no doubt been an incredibly trying day.
“Would you mind grabbing me a change of clothes? I’d like to clean up,” he said, looking down at the splatters of blood that were on him.
“No, not at all. I’ll be back in a few,” she told him as she walked quickly to the door.
She felt her head clear as she stepped into the hall. There was something about being in proximity of that man that made her head fill with clouds; every thought just a little bit hazy. She knew that the feelings were ridiculous in the face of all of their challenges, but she couldn’t seem to chase them away.
She needed to be thinking about keeping herself alive, and possibly trying to find her parents. She didn’t need to be thinking about starting a relationship with a man who obviously lived life a little too dangerously for her to be comfortable with.
She was startled from her thoughts when she reached Mitch’s bedroom door and there was suddenly a hand on her shoulder. “Holy shit! Don’t do that,” she exclaimed, clutching at her heart as it ran rampant in her chest.
“Sorry, Juliette, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Micah said from behind her.
“It’s okay Micah,” she assured him. She took a deep breath and released it slowly, hoping to steady her heart.
“How’s my Dad, do you think he’s going to be okay?” Micah asked, slipping his hands into his pockets as his worried expression fixed on a spot on the floor.
“I think he will. Why don’t you go see him? He’s sitting in the infirmary waiting for me to bring him a change of clothes. Take it easy on him, he’s worried about you,” she said, turning to head into the room.
“Ok, I guess I will,” he replied, sounding a little unsure of himself as he made his way down the stairs.
Chapter Twenty-One
Mitch
Mitch’s head began to lull as the exhaustion from the day took hold. Now that he was sitting still in the quiet infirmary, he was helpless to stop it. He thought that perhaps a quick cat nap would help until he could get cleaned up. Though, he didn’t think he would be able to sleep lying down, instead, he’d likely have to camp out in one of the recliners for the next few nights.
A hesitant tap at the door roused him from the edges of sleep. The nap would have to wait. “Come in,” he called, his voice raspy and tired.
He was surprised to see Micah step into the room. The boy had been doing his best to avoid him since they’d arrived at the cabin days ago. Maybe he was finally ready to talk about everything. Mitch held back, not wanting to say the wrong thing.
Micah came over to the sofa and cautiously sat down. “How are you feeling, Dad?” he asked, his face full of concern.
“A little rough, but it’s nothing that time won’t mend. No need to worry, son,” Mitch told him.
He could see the tension leave his son’s shoulders and he sighed in relief. The kid had enough going on, he didn’t need to add anything to it. “How are you holding up? Juliette told me about what’s been going on with you, I’m sure that’s a tough thing to get used to.”
Micah turned toward him, “I’m surprised she would say anything about it. I don’t even know what it is. Not really,” he replied, slumping further into the sofa. As his son searched out a comfortable position on the couch,
Mitch resisted the urge to wince from the movement.
“How does it work? Can you hear what people are thinking?” Mitch asked.
“Nah, but that would be sweet. Could you imagine?” Micah said in awe, resembling a carefree kid for the first time since this all started.
“That would be pretty cool.” Mitch smiled, as he eased back into the sofa next to his son.
“So, explain it to me, what’s it like?” Mitch asked, curiosity lying like a blanket over his concern.
“Well, when I get close to someone--or maybe it’s when I first talk to them, I’m not sure--their feelings just sort of invade me. It really freaked me out when I felt Juliette’s pain, it was like I couldn’t breathe,” Micah paused, staring straight ahead. “She’s really sad, Dad. You’ve got to help her,” he finished, rubbing at the goosebumps on his arms.
“I’m trying Micah,” Mitch told him, patting him on the knee. “So, tell me about your sister. Juliette said it was pretty intense between you two.”
Micah let out a short laugh. “She’s nuts! I swear, when she was in a rage, I don’t think I’ve ever been that mad,” he paused, shaking his head. “What do you think made her that mad?”
“I did,” Mitch ran his hand over his face, releasing a heavy sigh, “I should have just told her I was leaving, instead I snuck out like a coward. She has every right to be angry, but she’s going to have to let it go, there’s no time to hold a grudge.”
The gravity of what he said settled over both of them. Mitch held his breath, wanting to reach out to his son, to bring it up and talk it through. Mitch had felt it with every moment. He would close his eyes, and there it would be...eating at him. What he’d done had become a palpable thing, and if he didn’t set it free, it would destroy him. This felt like the only chance either of them had.
Micah glanced at him, his face was ashen, and small beads of sweat peppered his brow. The lightness from just moments ago was gone. “I shouldn’t have blamed you, Dad. I’m sorry I made you feel like that,” he whispered, overcome with the waves of guilt and self-loathing that were rolling off of Mitch.
Side Effects: Book Two: Visions of Despair Page 15