7: A New World

It was getting light outside, Ellis had been awake for some time and he was thinking about many things. The door to his hospital room opened and in came the nurse that had been taking care of him. "Your buddy is waiting for you outside, shall I call him in?" Ellis nodded and Keith soon entered the room. "Good morning Ellis", Keith said. Ellis explained his plans for the day to him and Keith volunteered to help his buddy. "Let's go down to the register. That would be the best place to search for any family. And guess what, this morning, once again no reports of any zombies anywhere."

Keith pushed Ellis' wheelchair out of the hospital. The two had plenty of stories to catch up on, and Ellis also told Keith about what he wanted to do once Zoey woke up, if ever. Ellis had definitively committed himself to this course of action. Keith thought to himself that he had never seen Ellis so determined and certain about something, and of course he would agree to help in any way he could.

Twenty minutes later they arrived at the building where the register was housed. Ellis explained his situation to the clerk that came to help him. He gave them his name, birth date and also everything he remembered about his immediate family. It took some time for the clerk to find anything. Ellis asked how many people had survived, and the clerk wasn't too sure, but did indicate that he thought that the survival rate was higher than fifty percent, and since not everyone would have reached a safe zone, it could be even higher than that. But it would certainly not beat seventy percent. Both Ellis and Keith were quiet for some time after hearing that. Ellis was shocked at the devastation the so-called Green Flu seemed to have caused. He thought to himself "So much death, how can there ever be joy in life after this? And how could he ever think about going anywhere with Zoey, if she ever did recover? She had seen her parents die, could she ever experience happiness again?" But Ellis was determined, "Life must go on, we owe it to those we lost. They would want us to have happiness too."

"Let's see", the clerk said, "I've got a lady here with the same surname as you, matches the birth date as well. She and her daughter are in the safe zone. "My sister is here too", Ellis said to Keith. "Yeah, my parents are still alive as well", Keith said. Ellis remembered how his father had died in an accident some years ago and how badly affected his mother had been. And how his mother always told him he looked almost exactly like his father. She would always call him "her little boy". In the hours that followed Ellis found more and more of his family in the register, cousins, aunts, uncles and even his grandmother from his mother's side. But it was also clear that not everyone had made it. His uncle Jimmy was reported missing. Ellis fondly remembered how uncle Jimmy had looked like his hero, race car driver Jimmy Gibbs jr. The real Jimmy Gibbs was dead, that Ellis knew for sure.

The clerk gave Ellis and Keith directions, and they used the transport service to go find his family. It wasn't long until they arrived where they needed to be, and Ellis nervously rang the doorbell of the apartment. After a few seconds the door opened and there was his sister Jennifer. "Hi Jen", Ellis said. "Ellis! You made it!", she exclaimed. She shouted into the apartment "Mom, come quickly! Mom! Ellis is here!". A middle-aged brown-haired woman appeared in the hallway. "Oh my God, my little boy, you're alive!", his mother exclaimed in a state of near shock. "Mommy", Ellis cried out. She invited Ellis in, and Keith as well. She remembered Keith very well, as she had often been called out by neighbors and other people to come and pick Ellis and his buddies up after they'd been up to some mischief. But all she could get out of Ellis about his other buddy, Dave, was that Dave hadn't made it.

Ellis explained how he and six other survivors had been flown in to the safe zone some days ago. He had been in the hospital with a broken ankle, and that's why he was in a wheelchair for now. His tearful mother told him how she had almost given up hope, and had actually stopped visiting the register for fear of bad news about him. Ellis asked about other relatives and got confirmation of what he already heard from the clerk at the register. Plenty of cousins, aunts and uncles were still alive. And grandma too, but she was away visiting one of her friends that had also survived.

"You know, my buddy Ellis here has a love interest in the hospital", Keith suddenly said. Ellis gave him an angry look as if Keith had betrayed a secret. Keith put his hand in front of his mouth and realized his mistake. Ellis' mother became very curious and wanted to know more about this girl Keith had spoken of. Ellis' face turned all red and his sister teased him about it. Finally he did tell his mother about Zoey. "But she isn't really my girlfriend, mom. We hardly know each other. I will say she is special, so unlike any of the girls you ever saw with me. If she ever recovers, I'd love to take her places, do all sorts of things with her. But mom, can there ever be any love in the world after all that has happened?".

A tear streamed down Ellis' right cheek and his mother pulled out a handkerchief to wipe it off. "You can't fool me, Ellis", his mother said to him. "I've known you for over twenty-three years. I can see the determination in your eyes. It reminds me of your father, he had a similar look in his eyes when we had only just met. I've never forgotten it. And I do think that you should act on your feelings. Be a gentleman, my little boy. Remember what I taught you."

Coach, Louis and Rochelle went to the hospital in the late afternoon to check up on Ellis and Zoey. They found that Ellis had left earlier that day. "He's down at the register, looking for family", a nurse told them. Coach figured they would check up on Zoey without Ellis, whom he had intended to take with them. When the three arrived at the intensive care department they saw a flurry of activity in front of the room where Zoey was being treated.

A nurse recognized Coach from his earlier visits and ran up to him. "The doctors are in there right now, there's a very sudden and spectacular improvement in her condition. She's not quite awake yet but the doctors think it could be any moment". Rochelle and Louis embraced each other at hearing the good news. Coach quietly muttered "Thank you Lord" before expressing his joy to the nurse. Coach remembered that his grandmother had once told him to "pray harder, because it ain't workin'" and he had spent much of the previous evening doing just that. Coach said to Louis and Rochelle that the three of them should go and tell Ellis about this. "First we will get something to eat because I am starving", Coach exclaimed. "Then we will keep watch at Ellis' room. And one of us needs to stay here to see if there is any news on Zoey". After their dinner, Louis headed back to sit near Zoey's room while Coach and Rochelle headed to Ellis' room.

Coach queried Rochelle about Francis. She told Coach about Francis and his biker buddies. "They're not bad men. Francis, deep down, is actually a very nice guy. He's promised to take me for a ride on his bike once this whole thing is over." Coach considered Rochelle's news a good omen. It was now past seven o'clock in the evening.

Coach and Rochelle were busy talking when they suddenly saw Ellis' in his wheelchair now being pushed by a young woman they didn't know. Another woman walked next to Keith. Ellis introduced Coach and Rochelle to his mother and sister. "Pleased to meet you", Coach said to them, "We need every bit of good news we can possibly get".

The six of them spend some time talking. Coach mentioned his daughter and her boyfriend, Rochelle mentioned Francis and Keith said he had been staying with his parents who had gotten evacuated at about the same time as him. Ellis wanted to ask Coach and Rochelle if there was any news about Zoey. But just as Coach wanted to give Ellis the news, a nurse alerted them to a news broadcast and they went to a nearby hall to view it on the television. The news broadcast mentioned how there had been no reports of zombies for nearly two days. Also, communications were being increasingly restored across the South and even across the Mexican border. It would clearly still be some time before people would be allowed to travel outside the safe zones again, but according to the reporter the end of the nightmare was in sight.

Louis entered the hall where the news broadcast was shown on the television and headed towards his fellow survivors. Coach told Ellis that Louis had agreed earlier to stay near Zoey's room for any updates on her status. The last Coach had heard was that Zoey's condition had been improving. Louis confirmed what Coach said, "She might wake up any time now, doctors say". Ellis could hardly contain himself. He wanted to go and see her immediately. Coach suggested that Keith should take him there, while the rest of them would stay behind for the time being. Ellis' mother was very interested in seeing this girl that they had talked about, but as her daughter was about to get up to follow Ellis, she told her daughter that it would be best if Ellis went with only his best friend to accompany him. "I know what my little boy is up to", she thought to herself. "And if this girl was going to wake up, the last thing he needs is me there to cause him embarrassment or to interfere with what he wants to do". Ellis' mother smiled within herself that she had guessed her son's intentions without him ever even mentioning them. Her little boy was never any good in keeping things secret from her. She could wait until the next day.

Ellis got more and more nervous the closer Keith pushed his wheelchair to the intensive care department. The department was quiet, there were few people about. Some nurses passed back and forth. Just as Ellis and Keith arrived a doctor came out of the room. He recognized Ellis. "She's asleep. Her condition is vastly improved, and we can't explain why, but something must have happened. I've never seen such an improvement in such a short time. You should come back tomorrow."

The doctor left to see other patients, and Keith wanted to take Ellis back to his room. "No", Ellis said. "I need to be with her, if only for a few moments". Keith agreed to keep watch and to use whatever tricks he could think of to keep any nurses or doctors away from the room.

Ellis wheeled himself into Zoey's room. He put his wheelchair right next to her bed. "Hi Zoey", he said. "I don't think you can hear me yet but I got things I need to say. In fact, I got something I want to give to you". He reached out and held her left hand. He caressed her fingers. He felt his heart beating faster. "She's might not even be awake tonight and already I'm a nervous wreck", he thought to himself. He decided to lift himself up from his wheelchair, and he reached over to give her a kiss.

He had closed his eyes the moment his lips touched her soft left cheek and he found himself completely overwhelmed by the moment. As he was about to sit back down in his wheelchair, he looked into her eyes. Her eyes were looking at him. At first he gasped for breath. He recovered from the shock and asked her "Zoey? Can you hear me?". At first he wasn't sure if she could, but he imagined he saw her softly nodding at him. It made him even more nervous than before. "Zoey, it's me, Ellis. Do you remember what happened?"

And then, for the first time in many days, he heard her voice. It was like the voice of an angel. She spoke very softly and he could hardly hear her at first. "Hello Ellis. It looks like we both made it." Ellis, in his shocked and overwhelmed state, started telling her about all the things that had happened. Zoey thought Ellis was very incoherent with what he said to her, but she listened intensively anyway. She enjoyed listening to him, even when he kept rambling on. She looked at him and thought that there was something more than just nervousness about him. She now vaguely remembered what he had told her on the bridge before she had lost consciousness.

"Zoey, I'm so glad that you're gonna get better. I thought we lost you. Zoey I don't know… I wanted to say something… but I don't know if this is a good moment… you're only just awake…". Ellis kept talking nervously for a few more minutes before she decided to interrupt him. "I'm so sorry, Ellis. I'm so sorry I tried to push you away. I was gonna push you away out of fear". Ellis' heart sank and he despaired at what he feared was coming next.

"I was afraid I was gonna lose you, Ellis, and after losing my parents and losing Bill I couldn't bear to lose another person dear to me."

"But Zoey, I would never leave you. I really want to do so many things together. I can… I think… I mean I would take you anywhere. We barely even know each other but I'm too involved now. I… emm… not sure this is the appropriate moment to say this."

Zoey smiled at him, and thought to herself how cute he looked when he was nervous. However, it wasn't his good looks that attracted her to him. It was something else. And though she loved how he was like a devoted puppy around her right now, it wasn't that either. She felt very close to him in spirit, they had shared loss and tragedy together, she felt they were kindred spirits. And now for the first time she realized that she was deeply in love with him.

Ellis was still trying to find the right angle to say the thing he wanted to say the most. "Zoey, I just wanted to say you're the purdiest girl I've ever met and… I'm so nervous… I'm sorry… I would never try to… I would never hurt you. I mean, all of this what's happened is so bad, and it makes you think if anything good could ever come out of it." Ellis started audibly gasping for breath. And then suddenly he figured that he should just say it to her now. "Now is as good a time as ever", he thought.

"Dear Zoey, I don't know how you feel about me, but I have to tell you this. I love you Zoey. And I couldn't bear being without you. When I said I would take you anywhere I meant it. If you would give me a chance. My darling angel, can I call you that? I think I called you that on the bridge. I also said on the bridge that I would die for you if necessary, and I meant it. I could not leave you behind there and I cannot leave you here without knowing."

Ellis took off his mechanic cap, fumbled around in his pocket and produced the little box that Nick had given him the day before. Zoey was now starting to feel nervous herself. Ellis felt his heart beat even faster than only minutes before. "Zoey, I don't ever wanna lose you again. I love you so much. Zoey, I want to take you anywhere you want. I might just be a simple guy from Savannah, without much to offer but I need you and I'm kind of hoping you need me too. Will you marry me?". And right at that moment he showed her the red and blue sapphire rings in the little box.

She felt overwhelmed. Where had he gotten those rings? It took a few seconds for her to regain her wits but to Ellis it felt like hours were passing by. Ellis had closed his eyes for a moment. He'd done it, he'd laid out all his cards on the table, and now it would lead to the inevitable rejection. At least he would get closure, he thought.

Zoey felt overcome with emotion, and she looked him deep into his eyes, he was crying. "Sweet, sweet Ellis. I knew from the moment I saw you here tonight you wanted to ask me something. I think I'm now supposed to say that I don't know what to say. But I do know what to say. Ellis, I never want to be away from you again. I need you too Ellis. I want to be with you forever. My answer is yes."