Chapter 7 - Rubber Ducks

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"Are you sure?" Captain Slattery's voice was understandably skeptical. After all, Danny wasn't the only one to have watched vaccination trial after vaccination trial fail. Slattery had not just seen it, but lived through it, watching his wife perish, assuming that his daughters would be next, counting down the minutes that they might have left. The Slattery girls survived only through a fluke of nature, and it was something that the XO never forgot, the natural immunity that his daughters inherited from him both a blessing and a curse, as they were forced to watch those around them, including their mother and brother, die. "We've gotten this far before."

"As I have explained, Captain, the last time was different. In that case, the patients' bloodwork did not show any signs of the virus at the time the vaccine was administered. It was only later that the patients began to get sick. I have since determined that it was an auto-immune reaction to the vaccine's delivery system which left them unable to fight off the virus. I have now corrected that problem."

After years of working together, Slattery had little patience for Doctor Scott's long-winded explanations. "Cut to the chase, Doc."

"I have never lied to you, Captain. When I do not know something I have told you. And I am telling you now that we have a cure to the Red Flu. I am certain. These people were clearly infected when they arrived and yet it has been almost sixty hours and they show no signs of illness. In fact, their bloodwork shows that the amount of the virus in their systems is now lower than it was three days ago. In other words, they're getting better. There is simply no other explanation."

"We cannot explain miracles," Father Jeff interjected. Slattery had invited him, along with the remainder of the civilian board, to this meeting as a courtesy, but the group had added little to the conversation. Everyone in the room knew that, ultimately, the decision of how to handle this trial rested with Captain Slattery, and nobody planned to challenge his decision. If anything, each one was thankful that they were not being put in the position of having to make such a monumental decision, one which could save or doom the camp.

"No other medical explanation." With a cross of her arms, Doctor Scott revised her statement, apparently uninterested in debating with the Priest, usually one of her favorite past-times. Danny actually enjoyed listening to their conversations, Doctor Scott being surprisingly knowledgeable about the Bible for someone who swore that believing in a higher power made as much sense as believing in Santa Clause, but today was not the time.

Slattery tapped his fingers on the table as he skimmed over the information that Doctor Scott had provided.

"I assume that you have the ethanol that I requested?" Doctor Scott demanded, not bothering to wait for Slattery to speak.

"Of course, Ensign Wiltmore is bringing it now." There was a sharp edge to Slattery's voice.

"Excellent, I'll start a new batch of the cure now..."

Slattery cut her off. "However, I wouldn't suggest using all of it, just in case this doesn't work. We had to go out almost fifty miles to find the amount that you needed. No telling when we'll get more."

"Well, you're going to have to find more," Doctor Scott retorted, never knowing when to keep her mouth closed. "If we want to inoculate the entire camp, anyway. A large amount of the ethanol is burned off during the conversion process, but it's critical to stabilizing the vaccine."

"So you won't be able to make enough for everyone?" The panic in Mrs. Allen's voice was obvious.

"First, let's make sure this works." Slattery caught Danny's eye. "Green, outside now."

Leaving Doctor Scott to manage the questions now flowing from the civilian board, mostly concerns over how limited amounts of the vaccine would be distributed, Danny trailed Slattery outside. Once alone, Slattery fell silent, allowing several minutes to pass before speaking. "I take it you couldn't reach Captain Chandler?"

"No, sir." They had tried, of course, but like the last three days, there had been no answer. It could simply be because the man was out of range. Or it could meant that he wasn't coming back, disappearing into the night like so many had before. There was, of course, a reason that the Captain insisted on going on these scavenger hunts solo. Suicide mission wouldn't be a completely inaccurate description.

Slattery rubbed a dirt-stained hand across his forehead. "It's gotten bad out there, Green. Survivors killing each other for a few cans of food. Hospitals stripped bare as people self-medicate with whatever they can find. Suicides even among the healthy. If this isn't it...I'm not sure how much longer anyone can survive this."

It had been many months since Danny joined the excursion teams, now mostly comprised of those who were naturally immune. But nothing that Slattery was saying came as a surprise. The desperation of the groups that trickled into the camp was unmistakable. What was a surprise was the exhaustion in Slattery's voice, the resignation. As though he, like Danny, could no longer imagine the world going back to the way it was. Perhaps it was that resignation that allowed Danny to push some enthusiasm into his tone, attempting to channel Carlton's unending optimism. "Those people outside the gate, sir, they aren't sick. I've spent the last three days with them. I've seen it myself. Doctor Scott might really have done it this time. She might have found a cure."

Slattery crossed his arms. "None of the other groups lasted this long, did they?"

"No, sir, not even close. I went over the data last night." There were some benefits to insomnia. He knew those files inside and out. "By now every prior group was showing serious signs of illness, or had been cleared for admission."

Slattery stared into the distance before his eyes swung back to Danny. "You look like shit, Green."

Danny found himself smiling despite the ridiculousness of the statement. They were in the middle of a pandemic with barely enough water to cook, never mind shower. Of course he looked like shit. "Thank you, sir."

That time Slattery was the one to smile. "Go home, Green. Get some sleep. I'm going to go over the data. I'll let you once I make a decision."

With a nod, Danny watched Captain Slattery retreat to the command center before moving back towards Doctor Scott's lab. The crowd parted, all assuming that he was here to discuss official business. "Doctor Scott, a word?"

At his nod, she stepped to the side, away from the small crowd. "Yes, Commander?"

"I was wondering," Danny paused, hoping being blunt wasn't a mistake. "That is, I haven't been sleeping well, waking up Kara. Do you have something that will knock me out for a couple hours?"

Her eyes softened and she moved towards the back of the lab, returning in a few moments with a manila envelop. "Here you go, Commander. For tonight. Be prepared, they're strong. Plan to be out for roughly twelve hours."

Twelve hours. The idea of that much uninterrupted sleep was almost overwhelming. "Thank you."

"If you need more, simply ask."

The cabin was dark when he arrived, Kara and Frankie nowhere in sight. Danny considered knocking on Ravit and Carlton's door, seeing if they were there, but instead found himself walking into his cabin, taking only the time to pull off his boots and belt before collapsing onto the bed. Reaching into the simple manila envelop, Danny dug out the two small pills. For just an instant he considered discarding them, hating the idea of being indisposed if something happened, unable to snap to attention. Then, almost as though his body had a mind of his own, his hand moved and he was swallowing the pills. Leaning back against the pillow Danny began counting sheep, praying for the blessed oblivion of sleep.

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"Five little ducks went out one day, over the hill and far away, mama duck said, quack! quack! quack! But only four little ducks came back..."

Danny twitched, Frankie's singing sounding both so close and so far away. He tried to open his eyes, but the lids were too heavy, and instead he found himself sinking back down in the mattress. How had he never noticed how saggy the bed was before? He was practically buried in pillows.

"Four little ducks went out one day, over the hill and far away, mama duck said, quack! quack! quack! But only three little ducks came back..."

"Frankie, time to finish your breakfast." Kara's no-nonsense voice was followed by the sound of dishes rattling.

Breakfast? What time was it? Danny tried, unsuccessfully, to recall what time he returned to the cabin the night before. It was early, he knew that much, Slattery and his team having made camp just after sixteen hundred and then the discussions with Doctor Scott taking place no more than an hour or two afterwards. Had he truly slept through until the next morning?

"Three little ducks went out one day, over the hill and far away, mama duck said, quack! quack! quack! But only two little ducks came back..."

Rolling to his side, Danny forced heavy eyelids open, making out the sight of Frankie sitting at the small kitchen table, several rubber duckies before her, the largest one in her hand as it bobbed across the table. They used the ducks in the shower, Kara and Frankie showering together in order to get ten minutes a session rather than five, giving Frankie a few minutes to play in the warm spray and Kara enough time to wash her hair. Maybe now they could actually take Frankie to a lake, teach her to swim, let her see real ducks.

The thought popped up unbidden and he quickly pushed it away.

"Two little ducks went out one day, over the hill and far away, mama duck said, quack! quack! quack! But only one little ducks came back..."

Kara was humming along as Frankie continued singing, scrubbing at the dishes before dipping them into the small basin of water that was set aside for that purpose. Her hair was loose down her back and she was dressed in jeans and a knit top rather than her uniform, apparently off-duty today. He could see a hole forming at her elbow, the article of clothing pushed well past its intended use, and he considered the possibility that they might be able to go further abroad, actually locate a clothing store that wasn't already raided. Perhaps find something new, maybe even with tags, holding that fresh store smell.

"One little ducks went out one day, over the hill and far away, mama duck said, quack! quack! quack! But no little ducks came back..."

"Why did the ducks go away?" He asked, his voice gravelly from sleep.

Not that Frankie seemed to notice as she scrambled down from the table. "Daddy! You're awake! Mommy said I had to be really quiet this morning and I was, wasn't I?"

"Yes, you were super quiet," Kara replied, although she shook her head behind Frankie's back. Danny chuckled, not looking up when Kara set down the dishes, moving to the other side of the bed. "What happened to the ducks, though?"

"Oh! My ducks!" Frankie stopped halfway to the bed and doubled back to retrieve her toys from the table.

Danny noticed that the manila envelop from Doctor Scott was now sitting on the kitchen counter. He pushed himself into a seated position. Even if he hadn't left the evidence in plain sight, Kara would have figured it out. She was a med tech for God's sakes. "Anything happen while I was sleeping?"

"Nothing pressing."

Danny turned to look at Kara, trying to recall the last time he saw her with her hair down like this, brushing around her face. Weeks, at least, maybe months. She looked so young - too young for what life had thrown at her. He reached out a finger, brushing some hair off her cheek, noticing a silver strand mixed in with the chestnut. When had that happened? "I should go check in."

"Captain Slattery said that he didn't want to see you before noon but would let us know if anything changed," Kara replied, wiggling until she was leaning against his shoulder. "Did the sleep help?"

Danny considered the question. His head wasn't aching the way it had for days, his body not protesting the very idea of moving, yet the reprieve didn't feel permanent. More like the warm glow after a shower, the kind that lasted half an hour before he returned to being cold. Still, at least he got a solid fifteen hours of merciful blankness, no faces to haunt him. "Definitely."

"You could go talk to Kelly. She's very discrete, Danny. A lot of us go."

Kelly. Kelly Tophet was an enigma, her "rescue" from the Russians shortly after their arrived in Norfolk feeling too easy, too coincidental to Danny. He had spent the next few months waiting for the other shoe to fall, watching her for signs that she was somehow still in contact with the Ruskov. But in the almost three years since her rescue, neither Quincy nor Kelly had done anything to confirm his suspicions. If anything, Kelly's counseling background had been an asset to the camp, with large numbers of the camp inhabitants, including both Kara and Carlton, visiting her on occasion. Her services were so popular, in fact, that Kelly was in the process of training several other civilians to assist her, with one specializing in dealing with the large number of orphaned children.

This wasn't the first time that Kara had made the suggestion that he speak with Kelly, but it was the first time that Danny didn't reject the suggestion out of hand. Talking had always seemed so pointless to Danny - why talk about a future that would never come? But now things were different, now maybe there was a chance. Now maybe it would help. "I'll think about it."

"All five little ducks came back!" Frankie jumped onto the bed again, her hands full of plastic ducks. "See, Daddy! I told you they would! The baby ducks always come back."

Danny chuckled. "Yes, they do."

Scooting his arm around Kara, he relaxed against the wall as Frankie began her song again. He wouldn't wait until noon, but he would take fifteen minutes, just fifteen minutes, with his wife and daughter.

To remember why it was that he wanted to live.