Desolate The Complete Trilogy

Two



Dave walked around the partition into the area where Howard was. He was surprised to see Soo Kim talking quietly to Dr. Wilson.

“Hey.” Wilson waved him over. “This is Soo Kim.”

“Yeah, we met outside.”

“Well, hello again,” Soo said. “I didn’t mention before that I’m a nurse practitioner. Thought I’d come in here and see if there was anything I could do to help.”

Wilson beamed. “And get this. She’s a surgical assistant. She was on a two-year contract at the Falmouth Hospital. Did we get lucky or what?”

“Dr. Wilson just filled me in on what’s going on with your friend,” she said. They all looked at Howard. His face was covered in sweat and twisted with discomfort. Soo shuffled through a few printouts of the ultrasound. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

“Do you think you’ll be able to help?” asked Dave.

“I can certainly try. It’s hard to tell from these images, but this placenta-looking sack appears to be floating among his small intestines. I don’t see any connective tissue so it may be as simple as pulling it out through a small incision.”

“He’s running a fever,” Wilson added. “Whatever we do better be pretty soon.” He jabbed a thumb at the curtain behind him. “I’m going to go check on the motorcycle accident patient.”

Minnie walked into the room holding a plateful of steaming paper cups. Emily stayed by her side, sipping on a can of white soda. Dave accepted a cup of instant coffee and sat down in one of the chairs up against the wall. He sipped the coffee and sighed. It was bitter, left a chalky residue in his mouth, and was probably one of the worst examples of a cup of joe he’d ever had. Despite that, it was the closest thing to proper coffee he’d had in over two weeks and was heavenly.

Dave didn’t realize how tired he was until he sat down. The air in the room was thick and muggy and his eyes grew heavy.

Dr. Marshall and Colour Sergeant Arscott rounded the corner. They spoke in hushed tones before reaching Dr. Wilson and Soo Kim. Dave took another sip and watched as the four of them stood and talked beside Howard’s bed. He looked to his left and was surprised to see Emily sitting in the chair next to him.

Soo handed the ultrasound papers to Marshall. Dave watched his face as he digested the news of the strange discovery. A frown of concern and confusion melted into fascination. Arscott’s expression remained unchanged, as always. Dave thought of Tre lying in the bed of the truck, napping, and felt a flicker of jealousy. He wished he could go off and mind his own business, catch forty winks himself, but he needed to keep an eye on the situation and watch his people. He got to his feet with a groan and approached the others.

Marshall gave him a half smile. “Ah, Sergeant. Dr. Wilson has explained the situation with your friend. Quite fascinating.” He turned to Wilson. “Please keep me informed of the situation.” He gave everyone a nod and went to check on the other patient.

“We’ll do the operation tonight,” Wilson said. “We just need to prep the operating room and get things ready.”

Dave downed the rest of the coffee. “Sounds good. If you need anything, just let me know.” He walked with Minnie and Emily out to the parking lot. It was getting late in the day and they needed to set up camp, even if it was just the corner of the lot.

At the truck, they set about making dinner. While the others were inside the hospital earlier, Tre and Ann bartered with a man who caught a few fish down by the docks. Tre had already cleaned the two fish that cost them a can of potted meat and a few coconuts they had gathered along the side of the road on the way to Montego Bay. Tre lit the fire in their small charcoal grill while Minnie set a pot of water on their propane stove to boil some rice. Outside of Kingston they had come across a crashed delivery truck and were able to wrestle away a thirty-pound bag of rice from dozens of other scavengers all vying for the same food. It had been their main staple while out on the road. Fresh fish would certainly be a nice addition to the plain rice they were all getting tired of.

They ate their simple meal in the grassy area next to the truck. As daylight faded they lounged in the grass, enjoying the warm evening air and the notion of staying in one place long enough to rest. Dave figured they could sleep on the grass for the night, but tomorrow they would have to start looking for something a little more substantial in the way of shelter. At least until Howard was back on his feet.

It was time to come to terms with the fact that they were in this for the long haul. There probably would be no rescue, no return to any semblance of a normal life like there had been before. Not for a long time anyway. Dave wasn’t sure what tomorrow might bring, but the sooner everyone came to grips with this new world the better. Most of the survivors didn’t appear to be ready yet, including Dr. Marshall, who just assumed he was in control because he had been a member of the government. A government that no longer existed.

Dave was stretched out in the grass when the sound of approaching footsteps cut through his dozing consciousness. Jake Wilson appeared, his hands shoved into the front pockets of his lab coat. He looked tired but satisfied.

“Here you guys are.” He sat down in the grass. “I think your friend is going to be fine. Soo practically did all the work. I just stood there and helped her. That guy really lucked out.”

Ann gave him a bowl of the fish and rice.

“That’s great,” Dave said. “Thanks a lot, Jake.”

Wilson shoveled rice into his mouth and smiled. “It’s my job, right? I guess instead of a six-figure paycheck and a Jag in the garage, I should get used to this as my reward.” He lifted the bowl and took another mouthful.

“What happened to those things?” Ann asked. “Did you kill them?”

“You know what? That Marshall guy wanted them. He acted like a kid winning a goldfish at the fair or something. Stood outside the OR and watched us the whole time.”

“Wanted ’em for what?” Tre asked.

“You got me. He said he was some sort of biologist before he got into politics. Probably just wants to study them. Can’t blame him, I guess. Under normal circumstances I’d probably be pretty fascinated too, but after the last couple of weeks my brain feels like mush. I just wanna go to bed.”

He finished off the last of the rice. “I think they’re still alive. The sac they’re in is really tough. We made an incision in the abdominal wall and just pulled the sucker out with forceps.”

Dave handed him a bottle of water. “How long before Howard is on his feet?”

“As long as there’s no sign of infection he should be fine in a couple of days. He’ll be sore but I can give him a bottle of Vicodin.”

Wilson thanked them for dinner and returned to his cot in the hospital to get some rest. Darkness fell quickly over the parking lot refugee camp and people settled in for the night. Dave stared at the brilliant stars above and tried not to think of his family back home. He tried not to wonder if his parents were immune, like him, or if they were able to hunker down in their house up in the hills of Pigeon Forge and stay isolated from the infection. He tried not to think of his sister, living in the upper west side of Manhattan among eight million other people. He tried not to think of his buddies in Oceanside, tried not to feel guilty he wasn’t among them when their country needed them.

Most of all, he tried not to think of Linda, eighty miles away in room 342 of the Courtleigh Hotel and Suites. He wanted to forget the madness and collapse of the local clinic, the mobs in the streets, him carrying her back to the hotel when she became too weak to walk. He tried not to think of her last gasps for breath while he sat by her side, holding her hand, and never feeling more helpless and alone.

Dave Penske decided then and there, staring at a night sky no longer spoiled by the lights of man, he’d return for her. No matter what happened, he would someday find his way back to room 342 and give his wife a proper burial.