She slowly nodded her head up and down, her lip quivering. “I want to believe that,” she answered, just as quietly.
When he reached the kitchen, Drew had already filled the kettle and placed it on the burner to heat. “I’m going to have some cider instead, what do you want?” Drew asked Micah, rummaging through the cupboard.
“Cider would be good,” Micah answered.
Mitch walked up behind Drew, “Grab a few bags of that black tea for the ladies.”
He went to the freezer and took out a bag of coffee; he’d never really liked tea. He preferred, instead, the robust flavor of coffee. He eyed their limited supply in the bag. He’d been trying to conserve it, but right now he needed the comfort. Once it began brewing, he went to the small cupboard above the fridge and pulled down a bottle of Bailey’s Irish Cream, figuring all of the adults could use a splash to help calm their nerves.
“How are you doing?” he asked Micah, who was sitting at the bar.
“It’s easier to breathe in here,” he answered, his voice still strained.
Mitch just took him in for a moment. He still looked so fragile, his color stripped away and his lips a hard line. Mitch watched the slight tremble in his son’s hands. He walked up to the counter on the opposite side of the bar, grabbing Micah’s hands. “I don’t believe that this is going to happen, don’t lose hope,” he told him again, hearing the tinge of uncertainty in his own voice.
“I’m trying to see it that way, Dad, but I’m getting blasted with fear from all sides.”
A shrill whistle pierced the air as the kettle began to steam. Mitch gave Micah’s hands a final squeeze and began pulling cups down from the cupboard. He opened three packages of tea, hanging the tag over the rim of each cup. He took the kettle from Drew and filled each cup. The simple task of preparing the tea was making him feel like he was regaining control. It wasn’t over until it was over. He had to believe that the future wouldn’t play out the way that Jimmy had witnessed it.
Drew sat a cup of cider down in front of Micah and took the seat beside him. “Little B saw something else, he told me when I tucked him in. He’s not sure what it was because it was just a flash, but both times that he saw it, he was looking right at Anna.”
Mitch stilled for a moment, letting the spoon he was holding go--causing it to clank loudly when it hit the side of the cup. The noise caught him off guard and he jumped, his arm bumping into the coffee. He cursed silently as he watched the liquid gold splash across the counter. His kid wasn’t the only one who needed to get ahold of himself.
He turned to grab a towel from the drawer and bumped into Drew, “I’ll take care of it, you can have a seat,” he told him.
Mitch quickly cleaned the mess, his mind racing with thoughts of Jimmy’s gift--or curse as it seemed to feel most of the time. Maybe they needed to change the way things were going to happen. If they could change the way the plan had been laid out before, then maybe they could actually have a chance at a different outcome.
Mitch walked to the doorway between the kitchen and the living room, “Em, I need you to go get Mike and Anna. I think we need to shake things up a bit, see if we can change the future,” he finished, beginning to feel a wave of hope rising inside. There was a chance, and that was all he needed.
Emily slowly smiled, his hope easing her fear. “On it,” she said, racing to the stairs. He could hear their muffled voices above. Good. It was time for a meeting.
He turned his attention to Kate and Juliette. They were the only ones left in the room. Juliette looked much calmer; Kate had that way with people. He had seen her work her magic countless times, and had been on the receiving end a time or two as well.
“The tea is ready; can I help you to the kitchen?” he asked them.
“Thank you, Mitchel, if you wouldn’t mind giving me a hand up, I’m sure I can manage the rest,” Kate answered.
He pulled her to her feet. Once she was steady she wrapped her arms around him lovingly, “Thank you,” she said, letting him go and making her way to the kitchen.
“Are you ready to go Beautiful?” he asked Juliette.
She nodded in affirmation before pushing the recliner back in and standing up. He laced his hand through hers and they made their way to the kitchen in silence.
Kate had moved all of the cups to the table and was sitting in her usual spot. Drew was on her right, and Micah was beside him. The others hadn’t made it down yet.
“There seems to be a little kick to my tea,” Kate said, raising her eyebrows at him. He was just starting to feel a bit uncomfortable when she let out a little laugh and winked at him. “Relax, I’m just playing with you. There’s nothing wrong with a little Irish cream, especially when the situation calls for it, and it certainly does today.”
Travis, Mike, Emily, and Anna made their way to the table filling, all of the empty spots. Not that it mattered to him, Mitch would rather stand anyway. He was feeling like he had an overabundance of nervous energy and sitting would just add to it.
“Woah, what’d you do to the coffee Dad?” Emily questioned after she took a big drink. the look on her face would have been comical if it wasn’t for the day they had had.
Mitch walked over and swiped the cup from her hand. “You must have gotten mine by mistake, go pour yourself another cup.”
“Yes sir,” she said, giving him a little fake salute on her way to the coffee pot. She always hated it when he told her what to do, it didn’t matter what it was.
Once she was sitting back down, he addressed the room, “So, Drew brought it to my attention, that Jimmy has seen something more than just the explosion. It was just a flash, but it happened twice, and both times he was looking at Anna. I don’t know what any of this means, but I see it for what it is--hope. If we can alter the future enough that these flashes become the reality instead of the nothingness that follows the bomb, then we may have a chance. So, my hope in bringing everyone together tonight was to brainstorm ideas, see what we can do to change the future.”
“How do you know that we need to change something? If he’s already seen it, then wouldn’t it already be a possibility?” Emily asked.
“Well, from the way it sounds, it doesn’t seem like a very sure thing. It’s not even clear enough for him to interpret, I want to try and make it a stronger reality.”
“How do you propose we do that?” Mike asked.
“I’m not sure, I was hoping you guys might have some ideas,” Mitch answered.
“What if we change who goes? You said, he saw the flash when looking at Anna, so it’s clear that she needs to go, but what if I took her instead of Mike?” Travis asked, getting ramped up about the idea.
“Cool your jets, T, I’m taking her. I can’t wait to get on that chopper and get to where the action is, besides, I don’t see how that would change the outcome of anything. It’s the princess who needs to do all the smooth talking once we get there,” Mike said, clearly irritated at the thought of losing his ride.
“Maybe what we need to do is change when we arrive. If we wait another four days before we leave, that’s four more days for them to grow accustom to this bomb idea. If you toss something around enough, it starts to feel comfortable. I think we are giving them too much time to justify all of the reasons that they should do this. We need to shake them up--get them thinking in a way that they clearly aren’t at the moment,” Anna said, rising from her seat.
“Do you think if you explained the situation to your guy, maybe they could pick us up tomorrow?” she asked Mike. “The sooner we get there, the better our odds will be.”
“Now that’s a move that could potentially change the course of the future,” Mitch said, slapping the table.
Mike let out a booming laugh, “I thought you were crying about me leaving, but now you want to shove me out the door sooner,” he finished, shaking his head.
“Hey, I might not want to see you go, but if you can save my ass--and the rest of the survivors on the continent--the
n yes, I’ll put my feelings aside and help pack your bags,” Mitch joked.
“It took me over an hour to convince him to make room for Hayden. You think I can get them to just switch days?” Mike growled, his jaw flexing in irritation.
“I think it’s worth a shot, it’s the best idea we’ve come up with,” Mitch answered.
“So, what’s your plan when you get there?” Drew asked Anna.
“I’m hoping to get the attention of whomever is in charge now. I’ve been gathering and printing data from the internet, and I have a lot of really good information. If I can get them to listen, I think the best course of action may be telling them about Jimmy and his immunities. I think if they are aware of that, it will go a long way toward getting their support with the rest of it,” she finished.
“Your plan is to just hand them Jimmy? Are you fucking serious?” Travis exploded, surprising everyone in the room.
“No, Travis, I’m not going to hand him over. I didn’t even plan on telling them who he is, I just have to show them what his blood can do. I haven’t worked it all out yet, but trust me, I’m not going to jeopardize his safety,” she finished, the hurt caused by Travis’ reaction evident in her voice.
“That sounds logical to me. Of course, you will have to give them the samples. I don’t know how you could convince anyone of anything otherwise,” Mitch said, resting his hands on her shoulders.
“You know it’s not as simple as that, Mitch. They are going to want him. What’s she going to do then? You can’t tell those men no, you know that just as well as I do,” Travis said, shaking his head.
“He would sacrifice himself for all of us,” Juliette said, her voice weak and shaky. “You all know it’s true. That little boy is braver than anyone else in this room, and there is nothing he wouldn’t do to ensure our safety.”
“We’ll have to do everything in our power to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Mitch said, trying to ease her mind.
“Ha! What power? You’re as powerless as the rest of us, Mitch. We don’t have any pull here, can’t you see that?” Juliette shook her head, clearly frustrated.
“I think we need to take everything one step at a time. The universe has a way of working things out,” Kate said, placing her empty cup on the table. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s past my bedtime,” she added, standing to go.
“I think we should all call it a night, there’s nothing more to discuss. Let’s just move forward with the intent of getting you guys in the air tomorrow,” Mitch said, suddenly weary under all of the pressure from the day.
“I’ll go see if I can talk to my guy again. I don’t know how I’m going to convince him to send the chopper three days early, though,” Mike growled as he left the room.
“For what it’s worth, thank you for trying to do something. Even if it doesn’t amount to anything,” Anna said, wrapping her tiny arms around him in a fierce hug before she left the room.
“I know it’s hard, Dad, but you’re doing the right thing,” Micah said on his way out.
One by one, all of the others left until it was just Mitch and Juliette in the room. He let his gaze fall on her, and welcomed the wave of emotion that hit when he did. She was his now, there was no denying it. Everything in him felt as if it belonged to her, was made just for her, and he would do whatever it took to keep her safe.
“Let’s go to bed,” he said simply, helping her to her feet and leading her up the stairs.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Juliette
Juliette sat on the edge of the bed unsure of what to do. Mitch was taking a quick shower, and she didn’t know if she should just lay down or wait for him to come out. It felt weird being in his room without him, so she just continued to sit, her nerves kicking up a commotion in her belly.
The room was sparse but comfortable. The dusty blue walls making it feel soft and warm. Dark wood frames held hand drawn maps like the one on the wall in the infirmary. She resisted the urge to get up and take a closer look. She wondered if there was a significance to the location of each map, or were they simply just for decoration? They were beautiful with their muted colors and myriad of lines. They gave the room an old-world feel--that reminded her of Mitch--he had always seemed well-traveled and knowledgeable about countless things. She was pulled to him by his intelligence and kindness, and if it weren’t for the zombies outside their door--and the loss that they had delivered--her life would feel perfect.
As the minutes ticked by, and the weight of the day continued to press down on her, she decided to relent. Pulling back the blankets, she slipped inside the cool sheets and felt the warmth begin to seep in as the weight of the down comforter soothed her. Her body was exhausted from the onslaught of emotion that had overcome her today. Even now as thoughts of Jimmy’s vision crept in, she felt her heart race as the panic began to take her over.
She pulled in a deep breath, holding it until her vision began to darken around the edges and her chest filled with fire, and then she slowly released it. Concentrating on the feeling of the next breath going in and out, she willed her heart rate to return to normal. Juliette had to get control over herself, she could not fall apart again.
Mitch seemed to think that he could just move things around a bit--like pieces on a chessboard--and then, voila! everything would work out differently. She wished she had that kind of faith, but she didn’t. Jimmy had shown her a clear picture of what he could do, and she knew that he wouldn’t mess around with something like this. The vision he’d had was all too real to him, and thus, too real for her as well.
At least it would be quick. Here, and then poof...gone. The idea of it made her sick inside. She couldn’t fathom the United Nations coming together to just obliterate a whole continent full of people. She heard the water shut off in the adjoining bathroom and her thoughts changed paths. She saw Mitch whenever she closed her eyes, she knew the first time she really let herself stare at him that the effects would be permanent. There was no getting over a man like that. He was everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. If it weren’t for everything else in this world, she would be happy.
Her last relationship was so long ago, it almost felt made up. It felt like watching a movie--the emotion wasn’t real and she wasn’t the girl who starred in it. Once she was accepted into the nursing program she set everything else aside. She never went out, choosing to study instead. Then, she’d gone from graduation to belonging to the whirl wind of the hospital. They’d been constantly short staffed, and she’d always been the sucker who worked extra shifts regularly. Life had been simple--there was no time for sleep, much less men. Stress and emotions from work had been so high, the last thing she’d needed was the same thing from a man. But this was different. This was an awakening of her soul--one she was powerless to stop.
“Hi,” he said, stepping out of the bathroom.
“Hey,” she replied, her cheeks reddening at the thought of him laying with her. Even though they had slept beside one another for the last several weeks, this was different. They had been together, but each in their own space. Now that the division of space was gone, there would be nothing separating them. Nothing to keep her from reaching out to him and being enveloped by his touch.
He walked around to the other side of the bed, a soft smile on his gorgeous face. When his green eyes met hers, she could see the weight of the day in them; he held such sorrow there. She couldn’t imagine being a parent in this zombie infested world, and the fear he must live with in every moment. “What are you smirking about?” she asked.
“Well, I was trying to decide if I would tell you that you took my side or not. You looked so adorable laying in my bed, I decided that it didn’t really matter,” he said, slipping under the covers.
“I can move,” she said, throwing the covers off and quickly sitting up.
“Relax, I said it was fine. I wouldn’t have even told you, but you asked what I was smiling about, and that was it. You’re perfect just where you are.”
She pulled the covers back up, feeling even more uncomfortable. “I really wouldn’t mind moving.”
“I know you wouldn’t. That’s part of what I love about you--your need to make sure everyone is comfortable and has everything they need. You can rest easy, because right now, the only thing that I need is you, laying here beside me,” Mitch said, wrapping his arm around her.
She relented, letting herself relax into him. It felt good to be held this way. “I wanted to ask you about the maps,” she said, nodding in the direction of the biggest one on the wall. “Are the places significant to you?”
She felt a light brushing of fingertips run across the skin on her thigh, right where the hem of the t-shirt she was wearing ended. “They’re all of the places that I’ve been. When I was in the Navy, we traveled often. When I came home after Isabelle’s accident, this helped me. Late at night when the kids were sleeping--when they could sleep--I would work on the maps. I was numb; couldn’t let myself feel anything. This kept me centered gave me something to focus on, and as I’m sure you can imagine, it takes a long time to make a map.”
“How long ago was it? Your wife’s accident?” She asked, letting her hand explore his chest, enjoying the vibration she felt there as he spoke, her body moving closer to his.
“It was a lifetime ago. Twelve years, let me tell you something,” he said, his hand still caressing her thigh, his fingers brushing the edge of her panties now, just barely, each movement soft and careful. “I used to have this dream, almost every night since she died. I would dream that I was in the car with them, helpless to do anything to stop it. It was horrible, my own secret hell. I went to counseling, tried anti-depressants. Finally, I had to just learn how to live with it. But since you’ve been here, it’s gone away. I’ve had the best sleep I’ve had in over a decade, and we’re in the middle of the zombie apocalypse, how fucked up is that?” he finished with a harsh laugh.
Side Effects: Book Two: Visions of Despair Page 19