Chapter 37 The Plague
It had taken almost a full week before the ferry Badger was fully loaded with equipment, people and vehicles. Originally designed to haul railcars across the lake, the deck wasn't even half full when everything was onboard.
It should only have taken 3 days since they followed Sheldon's loading plan but they needed the additional time to decompress, allow others to enjoy reunions or to mourn, and, of course, for the wedding.
Somehow Jenny had scrounged up a wedding dress and Penny and her friends had taken great pains with her hair and makeup and so things were almost – almost – normal as far as wedding go.
The first surprise was when Sheldon presented her with a huge diamond ring he'd come across during their travels. "I wanted you to be engaged, if only for a few moments, Penelope. It seems only proper."
Howard and Bomber were 'best men' while Leslie and Bernadette and Tasha were her bridesmaids. Wyatt almost broke down in tears when Sheldon kissed his bride for the very first time. Jenny just elbowed him and handed him a handkerchief and then went to properly greet her new son-in-law.
The second surprise was an all-expenses-paid honeymoon getaway. The couple disappeared into a secure motel room while the rest of the colonists threw a raucous party that went on until dawn. There were many massive hangovers as well as a few embarrassed faces the next morning.
Sheldon woke up early, as was his habit, but instead of getting up and showering, he was yanked off his feet and onto his back and then assaulted by wet kisses and 'salacious mutterings'.
"Penny, I have to use the facilities. My word, woman, you were never this needy in the past."
"Go, do your thing and then come back. I've never been on a honeymoon before, and I want to spend every moment making love so I hope you're not hungry because you're not getting out of this bed – "
She shrieked with surprise and then started to laugh. Sheldon had scooped her up and was carrying her into the bathroom.
The third surprise was that Sheldon Cooper really enjoyed shower sex and so did his bride who confided that she'd 'never done it' before.
All too quickly reality set in. Another group of refugees from the Chicago area had asked to join them. They were clearly on the run and on their last legs. No one had the heart to openly ask, but it was quite apparent that some were sick from radiation exposure.
Penny and Sheldon were 'summoned' for a meeting on board the Badger.
Winkle was adamant that they turn away the people with radiation sickness.
"We simply don't have the means to care for them. We have no one with real medical training and these people are 'walking around dead' and will just use up resources the rest of us might need to survive."
"Then I suppose if one of us gets an appendicitis, you'll just leave us along side the road? Jesus, Leslie, when did you become so heartless?" Howard asked, unwilling to turn his back on the sick.
"That's different, Howard, and you know it. We can't take on people who are obviously dying. This is a new world and only the strong survive. In a few years things might be different but for now…"
Sheldon hadn't said a word. On one level he agreed with Leslie but on another he agreed with Howard. He wasn't willing to make a choice. He couldn't. He would abide by the will of the majority even if it sickened him. 'The needs of the many…'
But then he had an epiphany of sorts and he softly asked Winkle a simple question, so softly that only a few people heard him.
"Leslie, what you say has the weight of logic on its side. At what point would you have turned Hideki out?" Dirty pool. A rotten thing to ask, but ask it, he did.
Winkle looked like someone had punched her hard in the guts. She turned to look at Bomber but he wouldn't meet her eyes, instead looking down at his feet.
"Bomber, this is a different situation. Surely you can see that? We can't just – " She loved him and would have done everything in her power to save him. Surely he knew that? She couldn't abandon him, not now, not ever.
"We're here in Manitowoc because Bernie said there was the chance of finding the insulin substitute or its formulas. All of you made the decision to come here and it was beneficial to me, sure, but look what we've done."
His voice got louder and soon he was no longer talking just to Leslie, the woman he loved but didn't like right this minute.
"We've freed people from virtual slavery and found secure transportation that will save us days and days of possibly hazardous travel, all because on the needs of one man. I say we take them aboard and nurse them back to health. Sure, some will still die but some will live. And I say we don't turn our backs on our fellow humans. If we do that, I don't think we deserve to survive – as a group or as a species."
Author's notation:
Before anyone starts to complain (1) it's how it's pronounced and (2) MSWord's redlining it bugs the crap out of me so live with it. It's pronounced Mak – IN – naw by some but MAKinaw by the locals.
The Lake Huron left the next morning, bound for their ultimate destination – Mackinaw Island in the Mackinaw Straits. Twenty heavily armed men and women lounged around on the deck while in the pilot house, Howard Kaminski conned the cutter towards the Straits.
It was their mission to reconnoiter the Island, make contact with any survivors and then 'negotiate' landing rights. According to Sheldon's miracle atlas, there were less than 500 full time residents of the island and they certainly didn't want to appear as invaders and stir them up. They were asking for sanctuary.
"Sheldon, I don't want you going with the contact team. I don't want you risking yourself. Let someone else be the hero, honey, you've done more than enough."
"Is that why you think I'm doing this, Penny? To be a hero? To quote something I read somewhere, 'a hero ain't nothin' but a fuckin' sandwich'. I simply feel that I am most suited to making 'first contact'. Look at me, Penny. Would you be afraid of someone like me if they walked up onto your front porch and asked for a meeting?"
"Sheldon, honey, believe me, you'd scare the shit out of anyone right now. You look like a bandido with your BDUs and your knives and crossed bandoliers and your shotgun in your back scabbard. The beard and longish hair makes you look sexy as hell, baby, but that's not the look I want you giving anyone but me, understand?"
Wyatt led the small squad from the wharf where they moored the Lake Huron to the landward side where four people waited for them. The Lake Huron had slowly entered the small harbor, navigating between the inner and outer breakwaters and sounded both its horn and sirens to get the attention of anyone on the island within hearing distance.
The four women were the only ones to respond. Everyone else was dead or gone to the mainland before winter set in and closed the lake.
It took two days to prepare to leave Manitowoc after word came back that the way was clear. The Badger steamed into the small harbor and tied up to the old pier and 'Captain' Howard Wolowitz ordered 'all stop'.
They were finally home.
A/N: Tempted to leave it here but still a few things need to be handled. Have patience. Or quit reading. Machs nichts.
Reparata