Chapter 8: Nothing but Nothing
Quinn sat in the manager's officer. Since the death of all of his patients he'd taken to sitting alone in this office. The view from the huge doublewide windows was amazing and he was currently watching the sunrise from behind the pine-covered hill. He lent back in the chair holding the glass of whiskey. The manager had always had good quality whiskey. Quinn may have hated him but he certainly had good taste. It had been three days now since the electricity had gone down and the patients had died. His feet were up on the hand carved desk and he took another sip from the glass.
He couldn't get his mind away from Rachael his was constantly wrestling back and forth between self guilt telling himself it was all his fault and the thoughts of Rachael. The way her hair shined in the sun and it caught the edge of her eyes and made them twinkle almost as bright as the sun. The way he looked into those deep blue eyes and see a clearer reflection of himself than if he were to look in a mirror. A tear forced its way out of the side of his eye and he shut his eyes stopping himself from crying and he looked out of the window and began to focus on the beauty of the landscape.
BONG
The lift outside signified the entrance of someone. He didn't care who as long as it wasn't that Seth guy, that guy pissed him off. He was like a kid locked in a toy store he loved being able to wonder around and shoot things. When he'd found the body of the zombie and Quinn stood over all he said was "Nice shootin' buddy"
" Quinn?" A soft voice said, it was Becks
Quinn turned in his chair to face her, she could instantly see he'd been crying his red eyes and the watery look behind them was a dead give away.
"'You been thinking about her, haven't you?" she asked softly approaching him.
Quinn nodded trying to hold back the tears. "It hurts Becks, and what hurts even more is that I'm worrying about myself and how I feel rather than the patients I let die," he said in little more than a whisper.
"It's not your fault, Quinn, and you know it" she said putting an arm round his shoulder.
"It is! Those nurses and doctors who left, left the responsibility on me it's my fault I was the doctor in charge." he said standing up away from her embrace.
"You know that's not true" she protested.
"It is and you know it" Quinn almost shouted.
"It's NOT," she shouted over him. " Quinn look at yourself, look at what you've done to yourself in three days, you've become so withdraw people are almost talking about you in the past tense. You sit up here and get drunk so drunk you haven't even noticed that I've crept up to look at you. I've seen you huddled in the corner crying and that isn't something you'd do. NOW SNAP OUT OF IT"
Quinn was taken back, she'd never shouted at him. He stood silent for a moment and looked her in the eye. "I'm sorry," he uttered.
She then embraced him. "It's okay"
He eventually stood back from the hug and looked her in the eye again trying to dispel the tears. After a few moments he stifled them back and managed to get a hold of himself. He was still partly drunk but not much.
"Your right I've locked myself away long enough, I'm no longer the doctor of the hospital." He agreed. Taking his white coat off and casting over the desk.
"That's more like it," she said smiling.
He went to grasp the shotgun from the table when he noticed the ring from his third finger on the left hand was missing. He quickly fumbled with his pockets ad managed to produce the ring he'd put there several days ago and he slipped it back on.
"Is the T.V back on yet?" he asked as he collected the two guns he had, the saw off shotgun and the revolver.
"Not yet but Steven said that he almost had a signal that's why I came up here. To fetch you." Rebecca said the smile on her face growing. She'd come to terms with the situation quicker than he had she'd always been the stronger one even when they were kids.
Quinn then rolled up his shirtsleeves he was still wearing his shirt with a black tie and black suit trousers, his jacket was still in the locker room.
"Let's go, see if he's got it then," he said tucking the revolver into his trousers.
The pair walked to the lift and headed down the third floor where his officer contained the TV.
They entered the room and everyone was gathered around the TV, which was now working. On screen the same news reporter that had been on the TV three days ago was back on.
"For those of you that have just joined us we have been back up on the air since four o'clock this morning, I know this is not the time we had originally said we would be back but there were complications. The top stories we have at the moment internationally are we have currently lost contact with our correspondents in the following countries. The United Kingdom, China, Japan, Russia. We are still receiving signals from Scotland, which is one of the countries in the north of the United Kingdom; we are still receiving signals from Australia and New Zealand. But most countries have set viral warnings on their boarders and traveling is not advised even if it was possible. All airports have been shut down and there are no flights in or out of the U.S.A. However there are ships currently leaving from secure ports and people are being transported to Australia and New Zealand after the passengers have been inspected and it is clear that there is no chance of the virus spreading."
"On home affairs, the evacuation of Washington D.C has begun by plane, all refugees are being taken to New York. A city that still remains safe by the valiant efforts of the army."
"Thank God" Quinn uttered
"After they refugees land they shall be taken to assigned houses in New York where they shall stay till they can be transported out of the country. The Australian military and New Zealand military are shipping aid to help the feeding of the New York citizens. All American citizens who are not at New York are advised to travel there as soon as possible. People are also being advised not to travel to Los Angeles as we have lost contact with the city last night. You are advised to find a strong vehicle and stock up on fuel and weapons and come to the Manhattan Bridge as it the only bridge that is left in and out of the city."
By now the atmosphere in the room was almost electric. Quinn could sense the eagerness of the group they were only several hundred miles from New York, about eight hundred. It was possible they could make it to New York. Plus Rachael would be waiting at least he hoped she would be she must have felt what he too had felt. Nothing but nothing was going to stop him leaving this hospital that now felt like death as well as smelling like it. He would do as she'd asked countless times he was going to go back to her and stop there with her nothing on the earth would part them again if he found her.
He walked up to the TV and turned it off. He turned to face the group and smiled. "So are we leaving then?"
