by J. R. Knoll
When he turned to her with a pair of medical scissors, she gasped and sat up, holding her palms to him as she barked, "No! I'll just take it off!"
The soldier watched in disbelief as the teenage zombie girl in front of him stripped her shirt off, and he shook his head as she held it in front of her.
"It's full of holes," she whined. "I wonder if we can still cut it and make it a crop top?"
"Um," he stammered, "should you be wearing a bra or something?"
"Nobody told me to," she replied as she laid the shirt down beside her against the wall of the Stryker.
He rubbed his eyes, then looked to her and ordered, "Okay, lay back so I can get you patched up."
CHAPTER 6
Bandaged around her belly and with a white linen covering her, Zoe was taken by stretcher by two of the soldiers into the hospital. Sergeant Morris walked beside her, his eyes trained on her as she looked back up at him.
"But it really doesn't hurt," she protested.
"You're still going in to get checked out," he informed. "Don't argue with me or no ice cream after lunch."
She looked away from him and grumbled, "Yes, Sir."
They arrived in the waiting O. R. where Doctor Caswell rushed to the girl and lifted the shirt, looking to her bandaged belly and ordering, "Put her on the table and let's get an IV started."
"I don't like needles," Zoe whimpered.
Tex grabbed onto the girl's hand and smiled, shaking his head as he pointed out, "But you don't mind getting shot."
As she was picked up and placed onto the operating table, she would not release the sergeant's hand and just glanced around nervously as more medical personnel were attending to some of the terrifying things that would be used on her. One of them brought over an IV pole and she whimpered and turned wide, fear filled eyes to Sergeant Morris, saying in a little girl's voice, "But it doesn't hurt."
"They're just going to check you out," he said sympathetically. "Nobody's going to hurt you." When her lip quaked, he assured, "I'll stay here with you, Princess. Just relax and let them work, okay?"
Doctor Kavorski arrived, wiping his hands on a light blue towel as he asked, "So what do we have here? I heard our zombie girl got a little too close to the action today." When he arrived at the table, he looked down at her, and he had a smile for her as he asked, "So how do you feel?"
"I'm okay," she replied. "I don't want a shot. I don't like needles!"
"Not to worry," he told her. "We're going to have a look and make sure you are going to be okay, then you can get a shower and have lunch. Is there anything you would like?"
"I like Spaghetti-O's" she replied. "Can I have some Spaghetti-O's?"
"Sure you can," he drawled. "And I think Sergeant Morris offered you ice cream, too, but only if you let us fix you up, okay?"
She looked to Tex, then back to Doctor Kavorski, and nodded.
**
In the conference room, Doctor Caswell slammed her papers down onto the table and angrily combed her hand through her hair. Colonel Halstead simply had his hands folded in his lap and watched her without expression. Captain Langley and the Lieutenant also watched her from their chairs. Sergeant Morris was leaning against the wall across the room with his arms folded and his eyes on the floor in front of him.
Drawing a deep breath, Rachel tried to calm herself and said with strain in her voice, "Okay, so let's get the story straight. You allowed a seventeen year old girl to go along with you just to check out what was inside the school, but you got sidetracked to a sporting goods store where she got in the middle of a firefight and she was shot four times." She held a finger up. "Oh, and then we have to consider that the zombies don't use guns, so she was shot four times by our guys. Now explain to me why I shouldn't be upset by this."
"Wasn't exactly like that," Tex informed. "It's all there in the report."
"I read the report," she confirmed with a sweet tone. "The only thing it doesn't tell me is why a seventeen year old girl was shot four times by people who are supposed to be friendly troops."
The Colonel pointed out, "Let's bear in mind, Doctor, that she's technically a zombie and she's already healed up from the gunshots, just like any zombie would be that was shot anywhere but the head."
"I still don't want her going out there again," Rachel informed with clenched teeth. "Zombie or not she's a teenage girl, an autistic teenage girl, and she does not need to be exposed to things like that."
Captain Langley countered, "She's also our best bet for getting effective recon into possibly hazardous areas without putting lives at risk. Let's face it, Doctor. She's the only one who can go into an area that is infested by moaners and not have to worry about not coming home."
"And," Tex added, "she's more than willing to help, and to be brutally honest, we need all the help we can get."
Doctor Caswell fired an angry look at him and snapped, "And an autistic girl is the best help you can get?"
"Doctor," Colonel Halstead cut in, "we are sorely outnumbered and we're losing this war. Like it or not, we need to use every advantage we can get, and if that means your teenage zombie goes in to recon for us, then that's what it means."
Rachel wheeled toward him and cried, "Like it or not, Colonel, she's still a child! Mentally, she always will be, and exposing her to combat situations will likely scar her for life! It's not ethical!"
Captain Langley laughed and slapped the Lieutenant's shoulder. "Ethics! She's talking about ethics!" He looked to the doctor and shook his head. "I guess we need to have that talk about survival again. Do you think that moaner that's stalking you out there or the one that comes crashing through the door to eat you is worried about your morality? We're on the losing end of a war here, and if your autistic teenage zombie can help us out then she needs to help us out! For God's sake, other areas are arming twelve year olds and throwing them at the zombie mobs!"
"I don't like that, either," Rachel protested softly.
"Morality aside," Colonel Halstead grumbled, "we're in the middle of a war and we have to do whatever it takes to win that war. We lose, we're extinct. It's that simple. How's she doing?"
Huffing a breath, Doctor Caswell looked to the floor and replied, "She's doing okay, I suppose." She looked to the Colonel and warned, "Just be aware that she is still autistic. Asperger Syndrome is not something that can be played around with and it is not something you can predict. If she has an emotional meltdown then whoever she's with could be in a lot of danger. If she goes off and bites somebody, then where are you? And bear in mind that she's a teenager who has all kinds of things happening to her body and all kinds of hormones and emotional turmoil that a child without autism can barely handle. That's going to complicate everything even more."
Colonel Halstead raised his head and asked, "Do you think that's a possibility?"
"Of course it is," Rachel confirmed. "Colonel, the medication she's on will only level her out so much. If something sends her into emotional overload then there is no telling what could happen or who could end up being hurt. I want more time to study her, her condition, the extent of her autism, the whole works."
Captain Langley asked, "What could set her off?"
"For starters," the Doctor replied, "loud noises—like gunfire."
With a slow nod, Sergeant Morris confirmed, "She did seem mighty tense when we were in heavy action." He looked to Rachel and added, "But she knew to stuff gauze in her ears and keep doing what she needed to."
"That time," Doctor Caswell added. "You also need to look out for other quirks she'll have. People with Asperger's are typically very tactile defensive, which means a simple touch could really set her off."
"I haven't noticed that," Tex reported.
"Two reasons," Rachel informed. "First, you probably didn't do anything that would startle or surprise her. Second, she has a crush on you."
He rolled his eyes and looked away. "No she doesn't."
"Open your eyes, Sergeant," the Doctor advised. "That girl
is fixated on you, and that's another issue those with Asperger's have to face. They fixate on something or someone and that becomes all important to them."
"Great," he snarled, looking to the floor.
With a smile, the Lieutenant said, "You could do worse, Sergeant. She's a little young for you and she's a zombie, but she's a hot little number."
"Down, Lieutenant," the Colonel warned. Looking back to Doctor Caswell, he raised his chin and informed, "You need to come to grips with something, Doctor. She's an advantage, and I intend to use that advantage against our enemy. Get your assessments done, but she's going back out into the field as soon as she's ready."
Rachel forced a breath through her nose and just stared across the room, then she finally looked to the Colonel and said, "I want her here tomorrow so that we can test her properly. It will take some time and I'd rather not have her pulled away in the middle of it."
Colonel Halstead looked to the Sergeant, only getting a shrug from him. "Okay, Doctor," he conceded. "We don't have any operations planned for tomorrow, we've resupplied with ammo and food and it looks like we've rescued nearly two hundred people. I guess the rest can wait."
"She's asking about her family," Doctor Caswell informed. "We'll need to tell her something soon one way or another."
"I'll take a strike force out that way in the morning while you do what you need to with her," Sergeant Morris said. "She doesn't live too terribly far from here and we can recon the area and be back in a couple of hours." He turned his eyes to Rachel and continued, "No matter what we find, that's one mission she definitely does not need to go on, just in case."
She responded with a slight nod.
Doctor Kavorski finally arrived, closing the door gently behind him as he held a palm to them and offered, "Sorry I'm late, people. Had a little issue with our girl."
Raising her chin, Doctor Caswell barked, "What issue?"
"Something you can talk to her about," he answered. "Apparently she's not fond of the idea of wearing certain undergarments, and the white tee shirt we found for her fits a little… Well, snug."
Closing her eyes, Rachel shook her head and assured, "I'll have a talk with her."
Kavorski looked to Sergeant Morris and informed, "She's in the cafeteria, and she's been asking about you."
He rolled his eyes and nodded.
CHAPTER 7
Zoe had never liked hospital gowns and found herself sitting cross legged in one of the waiting room chairs in Radiology wearing one. The doctors were both in the lab looking at the results of her MRI. She still had the ear plugs in and was still a little unnerved about all of the noise in the confinement of that tube she had been in. MRI's were nothing new to her, but she did not like them, and only participated as she had with the promise of sprinkles with her ice cream after lunch. That would surely make the whole ordeal worth it! She was also accustomed to being bribed for her cooperation and knew exactly how to negotiate to get what she really wanted, and a pouty lip and a few tears were not beneath her.
The door finally opened and she looked that way, seeing both doctors, who wore white lab coats, emerge from the door that led to the back.
Doctor Kavorski reached into his pocket, then he knelt down in front of her and held his hand out, asking, "How much do I have here?"
She looked down to his hand, seeing a quarter, two pennies and a nickel, and she turned her eyes back to him and replied, "Four."
He smiled and nodded to her. "Good. Do you know how much money that is?"
She looked again, considered, and finally replied, "Thirty-two cents."
With a nod, he commended, "Very good. That's just what I thought." He stood and shoved the change back into his pocket. "Okay, Princess. We have a few more tests and then we can get to lunch and those sprinkles you want."
Zoe looked down and vented a frustrated breath through her nose, mumbling, "Okay."
"Oh," he scoffed, "they'll be fun." He reached down and touched her shoulder, raising his chin as she cringed and shrank away from him. "So, how about we play a game first?"
She just stared at the floor for long seconds, and finally shrugged.
"Let's go back upstairs," he suggested.
"Where is William?" she asked, still staring at the floor.
Doctor Caswell answered, "He had some things he had to do this morning. He said he would try to be back in time to have lunch with you."
Zoe nodded again, then she glanced up at Rachel and asked, "When can I go home?"
"When we're sure it's safe," Doctor Kavorski answered for her. "You've been out there and you can see that it is very dangerous in places."
Huffing a breath, Zoe nodded still again, then she asked, "If it's so dangerous, why can't we bring my mommy and daddy and brother here where it's safe?"
The two doctors exchanged looks, then they looked to the girl again.
Rachel assured, "We have people out looking for them. That's part of what you were doing, looking for people who need our help. If we can find them of course we'll bring them here."
"What if you can't find them?" Zoe asked in a little girl's voice.
"We'll keep looking until we do," Doctor Kavorski insisted. "Now let's get upstairs and finish up so that you can have the rest of the day to yourself."
"I want to go with William again," Zoe insisted. She looked up to Doctor Caswell and continued, "I was able to be really helpful before and I can help find my family."
"I know you can," Rachel assured. "That's what we are here to do, make sure that you're ready for what you will face out there."
"But I am ready!" Zoe cried as she stood up. "I went before and I did okay!"
Doctor Kavorski strode to her and informed, "We know you did, but we want to see if you can do even better. We all think that you could do very well with the search teams and Sergeant Morris wanted to see what else you could do out there. Everyone has to be evaluated to see how they'll handle the stress of the missions before they can go out."
"You're just testing me for Asperger's," Zoe pointed out. "I've been tested lots of times and I know what you're doing. You think I'm stupid just like everyone else does!"
"I don't have stupid people on my team," Sergeant Morris informed from the doorway. When all looked to him, he was standing there with his weapon slung over his shoulder, staring at the zombie girl with eyes that betrayed strain. He glanced at the doctors and asked in a distant voice, "Can you two give us a minute?"
They both nodded and slowly turned toward the door they had entered through. Walking side by side with his colleague, Doctor Kavorski mumbled to her, "It doesn't look like good news."
Reaching the door, they both looked down to the report, but half turned and focused their attention to the girl as she sat back down, her eyes on Tex as he knelt down in front of her. Rachel was near tears as he took the girl's hand, keeping his eyes on hers as he spoke to her with a gentle and understanding voice. Zoe nodded to him, then her mouth curled down and her eyes glossed with tears. Breaths entered her deep and quick and she held her brow high over her eyes. She nodded again as he spoke, and finally she squeezed her eyes shut tightly and bowed her head as tears poured forth, and she leaned forward and fell into him. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him as she slid from the chair, holding her arms to her chest as she wept in loud cries.
Kavorski's mouth tightened to a thin slit and he said, "This is one of those times when I sure don't envy him."
**
Time would be required to heal such wounds, but time was in short supply.
In Zoe's room, the blinds were closed and the curtains drawn and the only light that came into the room was what filtered in around the curtain and the bathroom door, which was open just slightly to allow that one sliver of light to glow along the floor and ceiling.
Dressed in hospital scrubs again, Zoe lay in the middle of her bed, curled up on her side and facing the window. She hugged her teddy bear to her and just stared at the window with blank eyes
that had cried all they could. Those around her were sure not to disturb her and she was left alone for most of the remaining day.
Sometime after noon her door finally, slowly opened and Rachel peered in, just watching the girl for a moment before she entered. Padding to her with gentle steps, the Doctor sat on the edge of the bed and slowly stroked the girl's hair. She did not know what to say, though she had thought about it for hours, and she knew there was no way the girl could be consoled.
So, she just sat there and stroked the girl's hair, just to offer her a little comfort.
A little while later, Zoe finally spoke, just over a whisper. "I hate those stupid zombies."
With a nod, Rachel assured, "You have every right to, Sweetie. You have every right to."
"Why do I have to be one of them?" the girl whined in a child's voice.
"You aren't one of them," Rachel corrected. "You may look a little like them, but you are still one of us."
"I've always been different," Zoe said with only a wisp of a voice. "I just always wanted to be like everyone else, but now I'm even more different than everyone."
"You're still a sweet, delightful girl, Zoe, and we're all glad you're here with us."
Zoe drew a deep breath and nodded slightly, then she informed, "You'll get tired of me. Everybody does."
"No, I won't. I can't imagine anybody getting tired of you."
"Everybody does," Zoe whispered.
The door closed and Doctor Caswell looked to see Colonel Halstead standing right inside the room with his arms folded. His eyes were on the zombie girl as he said, "Doctor, you're needed in the O.R." His eyes shifted to her and he added, "Right away."
Rachel loosed a hard breath, then she looked down to the girl and stroked her head once more, asking, "Do you need anything, Sweetie?" When Zoe shook her head, she assured, "I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?"
"Okay," the girl responded in a whisper.
The Doctor slid from the bed and made her way slowly to the door, pausing at the Colonel's side before she looked back to the girl one more time.