Robin's house was about a half hour away from the hospital on the freeway. I pulled up outside, got out of my car, and walked up to the front door. Her husband Jake pulled open the door before I had even made it up the steps.
"Where's Robin?"
I looked up at him, shaking my head, "She said she had to stay. She sent me to tell you she's okay."
"Fuck that! Do you even know what the hell is going on over there?"
He grabbed my arm, dragging me inside, to the living room. The giant television was on, the news was on, and the anchorwoman was talking about the hospital. Apparently, there was some kind of outbreak. People had been pouring into not only my hospital, but those of the entire city. The military had stepped in, quarantining everything. No official reports were being released, but the typical crazies were being interviewed. They were claiming a conspiracy of some sort, military overstepping their bounds. Someone even suggested the idea that the dead were coming back to life and biting people. Really? Like that would EVER happen!
I looked at Jake, "They're not serious are they?"
He shook his head. A second later, "They started an hour ago. I've heard choppers overhead, sirens everywhere. I have no idea. Please say that Robin will be coming home."
"Of course! She said she would, she never lies."
Honestly, at this point I had no idea what the hell to think about any of it. I hadn't witnessed any of this stuff being reported. I knew people had come in with fevers, pain, and eventually bites. But to think that people were dying, and coming back was entirely too much.
Robin's son, Tyler came out to the living room. He was carrying his blanket and pillow. I assumed he was getting ready to watch cartoons, but Jake saw him, and led him to the kitchen. Looking back at me, Jake inclined his head, inviting me to follow. I didn't really want to, but some sort of obligation to Robin made me go. In the kitchen, Tyler sat himself at the breakfast bar overlooking the stove. Not knowing what else to do, I sat down next to him.
Jake pulled out a large frying pan, some pancake mix, and went to business prepping everything; I looked at him questioningly. Pancakes? Seriously? I hadn't had pancakes since the last time I went home to my parents' house. Jake saw the look on my face and laughed to himself.
"It's a family tradition. Any time not-so-great things happen, pancakes make it better."
Tyler just grinned, "Yup, pancakes make everything better! My nana always said as long as there are pancakes, the world is still a good place to be."
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at this; he was a kid after all. So, I just smiled and took it for what it was, a free meal. I'm not a horrible person, but I definitely won't turn down free food. Within just a few minutes, Jake had two plates filled with some pancakes, and he was still making more. Tyler jumped up, grabbing the maple syrup from the cupboard and butter from the refrigerator. While Tyler was walking around the kitchen, I heard the Emergency Alert sound on the television in the living room. I looked at Jake, seeing the concern in his face.
"I'll go check it out, keep cooking." I looked over at Tyler, he was being an airplane.
Jake caught the look, nodded his head in agreement, and started to chase the boy around. I walked out to the living room, listening to the anchorwoman and trying to read the crawl across the bottom of the screen. We were being told to stay in our homes, lock our doors and windows, and to not open our doors for anyone. They emphasized the Anyone. I was beginning to feel that same nervousness that had flirted with me at the hospital. Things were starting to get real scary. The video on the screen showed officers barricading the entrances to hospitals. I wished to hell I knew what was going on. I hoped Robin would try to call us, but I tried not to get my hopes up in case she didn't.
I walked back to the kitchen, saw Jake and Tyler sitting at the bar, slathering butter over their pancakes and drowning them in syrup. I couldn't help but to watch, the scene was such a happy one, completely different from what I had just watched. Jake looked over at me, I could see in his eyes how concerned he was for Robin. I shook my head.
"We're being told to stay inside and eat our pancakes."
Jake almost said something, but stopped himself. I guess he kind of got my message.
Tyler jumped for joy, "Pancakes forever!"
Jake leaned over, kissing the top of his son's head before looking back at me. I mouthed the words, "It's bad." He nodded, looking out the window before turning his attention back to present. He reached over, pulled out the third stool, and pointed at it.
"Sit. Pancakes are getting cold."
The tone in his voice reminded me of Robin. Now, I was really scared. Tyler didn't notice any of this; he was enthralled with his syrupy goodness. I walked over, sat down, picked up my fork, and started to eat. My appetite had completely left me, but I felt the need to placate the kid. Tyler was dancing in his chair, singing, "Pancakes!" over and over again. It was kind of cute.
"That's right," I said. "As long as there are pancakes, everything's alright."