180 Days and Counting... Series Box Set books 1 - 3

by B. R. Paulson

  Cassie stood there, hanging her head and with the phone still pressed to her ear. She was so tired and achy. She hadn’t wanted to admit just how scared she was. Bobby’s rash had started on his neck and spread down his back. He wouldn’t smile, no matter how much she played with him. He had stopped eating and would just stare lethargically at the T.V. from the inclined seat she had for him.

  She wasn’t the best mom. She knew that. It wasn’t that she didn’t love Bobby. She did. She just didn’t love the life around being a mom. No one had told her being a parent would be so time consuming. In all honesty, Cassie had hoped she would be able to still fit in all of her favorite things. She hadn’t realized a child took up all the time and then some.

  Bobby coughed, but the sound was half-hearted. Fine. She’d take him to the hospital. Maybe they’d admit him and she could sleep on the bed beside him. They had good insurance.

  She packed up her laptop and Bobby’s favorite blanket and the diaper bag she’d gotten to do a review on for her blog. Carefully, she picked up her boy and put his limp body into the car seat. He stared at her listlessly. The only sign he was alive was the slightest movement of his chest, the bright pink of his cheeks, and the very slow, occasional blinking of his eyes.

  Loaded into the car, she picked up her phone and dialed Sinna, a friend she’d made blogging. Sinna was a bigger blogger and a better mother. She would know what to do. They’d only seen each other less than a week ago, after Bobby’s vaccinations. Sinna had gone into lecture-mode, recanting all the cons of vaccinations and telling Cassie she needed to think before just doing what the doctors told her to. Cassie had listened with half her attention. Sinna always had an opinion. It’s why her blog was so big. She had half a thought and she put it up.

  Controversy was huge on the internet.

  After a fourth ring, Sinna answered, tears in her voice. “Yeah, Cass.”

  Starting the car, Cassie tilted her head to the side. “What’s wrong, Sin?”

  Sinna cleared her throat, her voice hoarse. “I’m in the hospital with Billy Jay. He’s not feeling all that great.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “My other two are having similar symptoms. I think they have chickenpox.”

  Chickenpox. Cassie reversed the car out of the drive, glancing in her rearview mirror for any sign of movement from Bobby. He had a vaccine for chickenpox. She wasn’t worried about that. Sinna’s children had never been vaccinated and they were vulnerable to anything out there. Cassie didn’t allow her smugness to enter her tone as she replied, “Chickenpox? That’s horrible. Are they alright?”

  “Yeah, there’s evidence of a slight rash on Billy Jay’s neck, but he isn’t scratching it and he doesn’t have a fever or anything. I took him to the doctor for a well-checkup and they found evidence of the rash at his hairline. They admitted us without really asking.” But she didn’t sound too upset. Someone else was taking care of the problem. Sinna was all about grandstanding over her convictions, but only as long as it was convenient and paid the bills.

  A rash on his neck. A shiver of dread crept up Cassie’s spine. They couldn’t be connected.

  Sinna cleared her throat again. “Where are you?”

  “I’m headed to the hospital, right now. Bobby isn’t feeling well. Things have been off since he got his vaccines.” The irony escaped Cassie as she turned the direction the hospital signs pointed her. She was going to the hospital because of what she believed to be a vaccine related illness while she was happily judging her friend for being in the hospital for a disease that she hadn’t vaccinated against. “I did a WebMD search, but the answer keeps coming back to smallpox. Is that even a thing? I wasn’t offered a vaccine for that one.”

  “No.” Sinna laughed. “Smallpox was eradicated. If I remember correctly, natural immunities – not vaccines – got rid of that horrible disease. Oh, I better go. The doctor is here. Come find me when you get in.” She clicked off the phone.

  Cassie tucked her phone into the side pocket of her laptop bag. She’d show the doctors and nurses her findings. They had to at least know why the site was saying Bobby had smallpox. It couldn’t be chickenpox. He’d been vaccinated and vaccines were supposed to keep everyone safe.

  But Cassie was brushed off by the nurses and doctors. As soon as they read Bobby’s chart as recently vaccinated, they packed Cassie up with some rash cream and smiled, reciting the same line she’d heard from everyone’s mouths as if they’d been paid to repeat the lines. “It’s perfectly normal to have slight symptoms after vaccines. Come back, if there’s a high fever or the rash develops pustules.”

  That was it. Watch for a high fever or pustules on the rash. How had Sinna gotten into the hospital with a slight rash, but Bobby was still out of being admitted when his rash ran down his body and he was so lethargic? Something wasn’t right.

  When they got back home Cassie recorded a video of Bobby doing nothing but stare with eyes half-mast.

  She tucked him into his bed and he lay there, staring at the wall, his small chest rising up and down.

  Out in the living room, Cassie parked in front of the T.V. and pulled out her laptop. She had some posts to write.

  ~~~

  Three nights later, Cassie jerked awake. Her pulse was racing. Something was wrong. Had someone broken into her home? She’d locked all the doors and canceled all of her parties since she’d realized how sick Bobby was. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but he would only drink sugar water over the last two days and his eyes had become sunken in.

  Since she was awake, Cassie crawled from bed and used the bathroom. She stepped into Bobby’s room, approaching the crib on tiptoe. There was no sound of breathing in the room besides her own.

  Fear racing along her limbs, Cassie reached in carefully to touch the mound she knew to be her son. Faint light from the nightlight on the side of the wall revealed the world in long shadows and lumpy shapes.

  His body was cold. He wasn’t breathing and his eyes weren’t open.

  Cassie shoved her fisted hand over her mouth, rushing toward her purse in the living room. With shaking hands, she pulled out her phone, and dialed 911.

  “911. What’s your emergency?” The woman’s voice was almost robotic.

  “My… help. My baby is dead. He’s…” Cassie closed her eyes, lowering to the ground in a jumbled heap. “He’s… not breathing and his body is cold. I don’t… He’s been sick.”

  “Okay, ma’am. Where are you? Can you see your son? Do you know CPR?” The woman’s voice faded as Cassie lowered the phone to her side.

  She slumped forward, leaning on her drawn up knees. She’d failed so hard. Her son… her sweet little boy hadn’t stood a chance with her so wrapped up in herself. He’d tried to always be happy and Cassie still hadn’t been pleased with him. She’d acted so much like he wasn’t there and suddenly he wasn’t.

  The sobs ripped from her in heaving gasps and she didn’t move from the floor, even as the paramedics arrived. They had to break in the door and escort her from the floor in the living room so they could get by her. Two big men and a large portable gurney for a small baby who hadn’t even been able to talk yet.

  They asked her questions, but Cassie didn’t register much of anything. At one point, she reached up to scratch her neck, recoiling when she felt the presence of a rash with small bumps just under her hair. She winced as she realized she hadn’t just been tired, she’d been getting sick herself.

  The paramedics retrieved Bobby’s body, touching him with gloves and then touching the handles of the gurney as well as the door handle of their rig. Inside the back of the ambulance which had no lights on, the men pulled off the gloves and tossed them in the garbage. One of them climbed into the front seat while the other sat beside the gurney, avoiding looking at the deceased child. The truck hit a bump and he reached out, gripping the rail of the bed, reconnecting with the germs he’d avoided getting.

  As the road evened out, he pulled out a clipboard and filled out the log, then
used the radio to call central.

  By the time he and his partner were done for the evening and into the morning, they would have shared Bobby’s virus with over fifty-five more people.

  What no one realized was that the virus was evolving, becoming faster and deadlier with each generation it passed through.

  CJ180d wasn’t going to fit inside Jackson’s parameters anymore.

  What would Jackson do when he found out he wasn’t as smart as he thought he was?

  Chapter 21

  Cady

  Cleaning the chicken coop, Cady marveled that Bailey always seemed to disappear when the work started. She washed her hands in the garage sink wondering what she was supposed to do with the vaccine. Everything came back to that vaccine.

  But she had plenty of time. Almost two weeks. She had more than enough time. Pretending she didn’t have a vaccine in her freezer was the best way for her to cope with it at the moment. And Scott… he hadn’t stopped by and that was driving her nuts, too.

  A buzzing came from her pocket and she pulled the phone out as she pushed the door open to the mudroom. A text message from a restricted number made her bite her lip. She didn’t want to open it. She didn’t want him to say something that would shatter her preparation beliefs.

  She held the phone to the side as she approached the counter and leaned against its edge. Rolling her head on her shoulders, she stretched her neck, anxiety cramping between her shoulder blades. Cady placed the phone carefully on the counter and stared at the dark face. Did she have to read it?

  Yes, because if she didn’t, she would be eaten alive with curiosity and worry. As far as she was concerned, not knowing what he had to say was worse than the virus at that point.

  Swiping the screen, she pulled up the text.

  Timeline has been moved up. You have three days. Don’t waste it.

  Cady might as well have been punched in the stomach with a sledgehammer. She doubled over, leaving her phone on the counter. Stumbling to the dining room table, she flopped onto the chair which faced the backyard.

  She’d known, deep in her gut, opening the text wouldn’t be good news. Nothing from Jackson was.

  Three days. Cady only had three days. Jackson had cut her time down so much. She couldn’t breathe. Why would he do that? The timeline… She’d counted on it and he’d cut it in half, no, he’d cut it even more so.

  In a roundabout way he was warning her that the virus was out.

  Cady reached up, gripping the base of her throat with aching hands. That was it. She had to choose. She had to figure out what she was going to do and she had to figure it out in less than seventy-two hours.

  There was so much desperation pushing through her. She’d avoided it for too long. The fact that she had no more time was crushing and she couldn’t breathe with the new information. She’d suspected he would do something, but she hadn’t known… not really.

  Three days.

  Her stomach cramped, taking her breath and she leaned forward, taking a deep breath. Turning her face to the side, Cady stared unseeingly into the kitchen. What was she supposed to do? She had to warn Scott. She had to… the reality was, there was nothing she could do. The fact that he’d moved up the deadline did nothing about her choices – except shorten her waiting time.

  She didn’t have to wait anymore. The suspense wouldn’t drag out so long. Holding on to that small comfort was difficult in the face of the trials ahead of her, Bailey, and the world.

  Blinking at the green numbers on the stove clock, she pushed up from the chair. The news would be on. Maybe she could catch something about a sickness that was spreading or not spreading.

  Jackson could be messing with her. He might not have released anything. He might have constructed the whole thing to see just how traumatized Cady could get. Well, Cady had another think for him. She couldn’t get more traumatized.

  Before dropping onto the couch, she stopped, looking around. Good thing she hadn’t said that out loud. The way things were going, the universe would accept her challenge and send even more her way in an attempt to see just how traumatized she could get.

  She had no doubt about it.

  Slowly, she eased onto the couch cushion, stretching out to grab the remote. She turned on the news, unwilling to believe that anything could be going on. He was just messing with her. He had to be.

  Two women news anchors were on the screen. Cady left the twenty-four-hour news channel as her default station, certain they would continually keep information in a loop and she wouldn’t miss anything. Flipping between the World News and the news-all-the-time station, Cady stopped on the default station since the World News was on commercial.

  “In related news, the flu season seems to be coming back into full swing again. Doctors are encouraging everyone to renew their flu vaccines. If you haven’t gotten one this winter season, stop on in and get a second one. And remember, stay home, if you’re not feeling well.” The red head looked at her brunette companion.

  “I’d rather have to cover a few extra shifts rather than get sick. Just sayin’.” The brunette said with a smile, holding her hands up to chest level. She lowered them, her toothy smile maintaining the wattage of being on camera. “But don’t stay in, if you have tickets for the lottery. Up to three-hundred-million and the Powerball is bound to drop this Wednesday.”

  Cady pushed mute on the remote and took a deep breath. Okay, three days. She could figure out what to do. She had to. The only thing she could thing of was the flu they were reporting was actually the virus, but she couldn’t be certain. Not 100% anyway.

  Rubbing her temples, Cady leaned forward and closed her eyes. She couldn’t even reply via text to the restricted number. There was no more pleading, no more trying to negotiate or make attempts to understand.

  Jackson had taken all the control into his hands and Cady finally let herself be disgusted that she’d let him take it.

  She didn’t have to sit around and wait. She had to be proactive. Okay, he’d given her a vaccine. There was two of them in the house who needed to survive. Cady had to figure out who was the best option. If she administered the vaccine, Cady ran the risk of Bailey or herself experiencing any side effects. It was an untested dose. On the other hand, if neither of them took the drug, the likelihood that they would survive was very low.

  The vial in the freezer seemed to pulse even though she wasn’t even in the same room.

  Where was Bailey? Just thinking about the entire situation made Cady antsy. She had to make sure Bailey was okay, just see her for a second.

  Hollering up the stairs, Cady waited beside the door, listening carefully for Bailey’s answer. Nothing came.

  Was there a possibility that Bailey had ignored Cady’s warnings and went out with her friends anyway? No. Cady refused to believe it. She took the stairs two at a time, checking each room as she made her way down the long hallway.

  Bailey was nowhere to be found.

  Cady stopped in the laundry room, letting the white pain, white cabinets, and white appliances sooth her. A skylight facing north let the sun in without being overwhelming. She loved that room. It was her favorite in the whole house.

  Taking a steadying breath, Cady thought back through the last time she’d seen Bailey. Bailey had been walking along the garden fence while Cady was gathering the things to clean the coop.

  That had been almost an hour ago.

  Cady rushed downstairs. Had the neighbors stopped her? Why wasn’t she back? Maybe she’d stopped in the coop to help and had seen Cady had finished and then… what? There was nothing else she could be doing. Bailey wasn’t a “wander in the woods” kind of girl.

  Glancing at the clock, Cady avoided the table. She would never be able to sit still, at least until Bailey came in and Cady knew the quarantine was still unbreeched. For sanity sake, Cady could pretend Bailey was the walkabout type. Hiking the perimeter of the property couldn’t take more than fifteen to twenty minutes. She’d been gone three times tha
t at least.

  Bailey knew what was at stake. She wouldn’t put them at risk. Would she?

  Cady stood from the couch, moving to watch for Bailey at the glass slider doors. The sun set, leaving little doubt behind that Bailey was just out walking around.

  Another thirty minutes passed with Cady pacing the wood floor, her arms crossed and worry choking her. She couldn’t even call anyone. She didn’t know who to reach out to. Where would Bailey go?

  She didn’t want to call Scott. Already the strain between them was strong. Of course, he knew she was hiding something. Scott knew her better than even Zach had. Cady had to drive a wedge between them before he found out she had a vaccine she couldn’t share. She had to separate her feelings for him and squash any he might have for her.

  Nothing was going to stop time and Jackson had even sped things up for them. Nothing was going to get things back the way they were. Not even crazy wishes and self-denial.

  Cady had tried. She didn’t think she could find any more falling stars to wish upon.

  Movement caught her eye. In the dark, a white shape bobbed toward the back of the house, closer and closer until Cady could make out the shadowy figure of her daughter coming home.

  Bailey didn’t make it to the porch before Cady thundered outside, grabbing her daughter by the arm and dragging her inside. “Get in here.” Cady snapped the door shut, searching the dark for anyone who might have followed Bailey. She turned on her daughter, her eyes wide, searching for a sign the virus had attached itself to Bailey. “I shouldn’t even have brought you in here. Are you infected? Where did you go? Do you have any idea what kind of danger you’ve put us in?”

  Bailey’s confusion gave way to anger. She thrust her jaw out and glared at Cady. “I haven’t been anywhere but Scott’s place. He texted me this morning we needed to watch over his chickens. He went to get his parents. He took Ranger with him. He checked in a little bit ago and said the neighbors on the north side are still in Arizona. If we need anything, we can raid their place and not have to worry about getting shot.” She knitted her eyebrows together and scrunched her nose. “You don’t need to treat me like this. I took the back path to his place. I made sure not to cross anyone. I’m almost fourteen, Mom. I’m not stupid or a child.”