Embry squeezed the pump to inflate the blood pressure cuff on Jessamy's arm. "How far along are you?"
"Twelve weeks, give or take?"
"Have you ever been pregnant before?" Embry watched the dial and pressed the stethoscope to the bend of Jessamy's arm.
"No."
"And sorry that I have to ask, but how old are you?"
She grinned politely. "Forty-two."
"I would have never guessed. Thirty-five tops." Embry winked. "Your blood pressure is pretty high, though."
Jessamy sighed. "It took a long, hot walk to get here. And–prior to that, this morning actually, we were attacked by Stalkers and Clickers… And prior to that, my boyfriend died. Yesterday."
Embry stopped what she was doing. "I am… so terribly sorry. What is your name?"
"Jessamy."
"Jessamy. My sincerest condolences. I can't imagine how hard the past forty-eight hours have been. And how you're feeling right now."
She shed a quick tear. "It's been really hard. And it's going to get harder. And I'm not sure yet how I'll manage. But I'll find a way."
Embry pursed her lips. "And that man with you?"
"He's just the kind person who… helped me with Maxton and is now… trying to help make sure I have everything I need."
The physician smiled. "Thank goodness for folks like him."
Outside the tent where Embry was giving Jessamy her check up, Val sat down in the grass with the other two individuals.
"Congratulations," Tobin said with a polite grin.
Val raised his eyebrows. "... Oh! I only just met her yesterday. I happened upon her and unfortunately had to… help her put down her infected partner." He nodded solemnly.
"Oh, God. That's so awful," said the curly haired woman. She looked toward the tent.
"I can't fathom. Bless her." Tobin looked at the woman next to him. "We should help."
"Yes. For sure. If Embry can spare some medicine or vitamins, we'd love to see if we can offer some extra food." She looked to Val. "I'm Harper. This is Tobin. And in the tent with your friend is Embry."
He dipped his chin. "I'm Val. She's Jessamy."
"This is a really nice thing you've done, Val. Helping her this far."
"Yes," Tobin seconded, "Heaven knows the world needs more people like you right now."
Val ducked his head bashfully. "I'm just trying to do the right thing. She's… got a tough row to hoe so… every little bit helps." He gestured to the tent. "Sounded like, uh, Embry was intent on doing her part, too. There's not enough doctors around to tell people they can't distribute certain expired medications."
"Definitely. And Embry is our little justice warrior," Harper said. She retrieved a bottle of water and offered it to Val who took it gratefully.
"No, no, you're our justice warrior," Tobin corrected, "Embry is our saint and angel who tries to heal everyone even though she is only one person."
Harper chuckled. "And then gets mad at herself because she is only one person." She looked back to Val. "We kind of found each other, too. I met Embry at another hot spot. She was trying to gather enough supplies to be a fulltime on-the-road medic."
"And then I met them farther West," said Tobin, "They helped me escape some Clickers. I would have been fungus fodder if not for them."
Val tried to pace himself with the water, but he was thirstier than he knew. "You all seem like you make a really good team."
"It's funny how people bond nowadays, isn't it?" Tobin mused with a smile.
Val nodded with a grin of his own. "It really is."
Embry and Jessamy exited the tent and joined the other three. Unfortunately all the shady spots had been taken by others who liked to stick close to The Hub, but the day was waning and the harshness of the sun was already deteriorating. "So, Jessamy is in about the same health as everyone is these days. Which is normally enough to get by, but not when you're supporting two bodies. I've given her some blood pressure medication, but she will need a refill in thirty days. And I would genuinely like to do an ultrasound, but the necessary equipment is harder to come by." She looked at Harper and Tobin. "So, what do you all say to a slow and leisurely trip to Harriett? There's a hospital there that doesn't really have a whole lot of help, but if I could just get their permission, I know how to use the machine."
"Back to Harriett? That place was about to crumble down when we were there two months ago," Tobin said.
"Very true. And I don't imagine it's gotten much better. But, that's where an ultrasound machine is."
Harper and Tobin looked at each other. "What else do we have going for us. I could personally use a little mood boost from helping someone," she said.
Tobin immediately nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Let's do it."
"Excellent. We'll leave tomorrow. Jessamy, you have doctor's orders to rest and hydrate for the rest of the day." Embry pushed a bottle of water at her.
"Wow, thank you all so much," Val chimed in. "Sounds like she's in good hands."
Embry looked at him. "Oh! You are welcome to come with us, Val!"
"I appreciate it, but I should be getting back to my little homestead. I just wanted to make sure she got the help she needed and—really grateful you all are interested in continuing to take care of her." He nodded to reinforce his statements.
Jessamy offered a soft smile at him.
"If you're sure. You've done a very nice thing to help," said Embry.
He pursed his lips and awkwardly stood up.
"You're leaving now?" Harper leaned forward. "You could at least eat with us!"
"Oh, thank you, that's very kind. But I really should be getting back. I've got some work to do."
"We understand. But, if you ever want to catch up, then… I suppose you know where to find us." Embry smiled.
"Absolutely." When Jessamy said his name, he looked at her.
"Thank you. So much. I'll never forget you."
This time he wasn't sure what his face did, but he didn't imagine it was too appropriate. Instead of attempting to reply vocally, he simply tipped his hat and began walking toward the forest.
Dusk arrived before he made it back. Val was so lost in his thoughts, he wasn't really taking in much of his surroundings. And every time he tried to rein it back in for the sake of his own safety, his mind began to wander again.
Jessamy. She ha sa hard road ahead. She's set up to be as well off as anyone can be though, he thought. How nice of those strangers to escort her to a hospital just to do an ultrasound for her. People like them were uncommon. Especially nowadays, when one's circumstances forced them to turn colder for found himself straddling the fence on this one. On one hand, it's necessary. Who could be blamed? Surviving day to day was all anyone was responsible for now. But on the other hand, it's hard to forget the society one knew and human decency that once was.
Jessamy. He hoped she remained healthy. And had a healthy baby, and in a couple years when this pandemic had reached its end, she could build a new life with her little one. That was the hope for everyone. Every person alive was holding out. Two to four more years.
Due to the nature of this fungal infection, it is estimated that as long as the mass of the population left remains uninfected, the most dangerous part of this pandemic will be over. Studies indicate that those who have been infected for nearly three years accumulate such abundant fungal growths on their bodies that they become immobile and one with their environment. While the infected are still cognitively active, their ability to cause harm is restricted only to releasing spores–providing you don't get too close.
It was good news, right? Some didn't think so. How could you put Pandora back in the box? While what was left of the government likes to think that enough of society is still intact to eventually recover from it, people out here disagree. Survival was a mindset now. Sure, one person might be able to remember, "oh yeah, I don't have to clear corners, loot, or be suspicious of everyone anymore." But was everyone capable of that? Doubtful.
Jessamy. Why the hell did he keep seeing her face when he blinked? Come on, Val. Get over it. Of course she is beautiful, but you're coming up on a year of a dry spell, so who doesn't look beautiful? He shook his head a little and adjusted the mask on his face, cursing his male brain.
When he arrived back within the outer perimeter of his hut, he paused upon finding things out of place. One of his traps had been triggered, but there were no bodies. Proceeding with an excess of caution, Val silently slipped his knife from his boot and lightly advanced. When his hut came into view, his shoulders drooped.
Ruined. Absolutely torn apart. Pieces of… everything littered the area. The tarp covering his hut and his makeshift greenhouse had been utterly shredded. His plants had been stomped, broken, snapped. Everything once built was destroyed.
And everything was covered in a thin, golden layer of spores. Intentionally.
He couldn't even bring himself to walk any closer to inspect the damage in detail. Val stood motionless and eventually knelt, bowing his head and struggling to not cover his face with his hands. Tears began stinging the backs of his eyes, and the emotion made his throat start to hurt. This home he had worked so hard to create… It was humbling in a way. To see something he had spent so much time improving and perfecting positively dashed in what appeared to be just a few minutes.
There was no sleeping here tonight. He needed to be careful what he touched even where he knelt right here. His home. His home…
Val lifted his head again, gazing into nothing through his goggles. Something sparked inside his chest. A change of course? All their faces flashed through his mind's eye. Jessamy. Embry. Tobin. Harper. Did meeting them all mean something? He sat for an indeterminable amount of time as this premature thought began to grow and take shape. They appeared to have a good thing going.
No, Val. You can't really trust anyone. But they are taking her to a hospital, that's an action of someone you can trust. Unless they plan to take her out and kill her or something. In which case, shouldn't I be there to help?
Was this the turning point? Was this the end of his isolation? He could have bargained with himself for the next ten hours on this subject. But the past two days had a way of poking fun at his plans. So, what use was it to plan?
Val exhaled into his mask. He reached into his pocket for the one piece of money he would never spend. His lucky quarter. Truth be told, it was just a quarter. But it was also his last quarter. And something about that fact made him dub it his lucky quarter and he'd used it to aid him in choosing a path when his mind wouldn't get off the fence. Now was the perfect time.
Heads, he trusted his instincts. He remained solo, moved to a new location farther away from that Stalker hive, and built himself a new homestead. Tails, he did something he had never done, and promised himself he would never do.
Flip. Catch. Slap. He left his hand covering the back of his other for a moment before revealing.
A silver bald eagle looked back up at him. He took a deep breath through his nose as his heart began to race in a way he had forgotten it could. Val marched over to his tattered shelter and began salvaging what was salvageable. He promptly took it to the water to wash the spores off all of it. If it could not be rinsed, he didn't take it. Val loaded up his backpack and set back out on the path from which he had just returned, perhaps with a little more pep in his step.
It was strange how he found himself moving quicker and smiling behind his bandana. It was exciting. A flavor of fun he had not tasted since college that involved spontaneity and hijinks. What tides would turn for him next?
Jessamy.
Val arrived back outside the fortress of The Hub and made his way to the couple of tents belonging to Embry and the others. While it was well after dark, he saw Tobin stamping out their fire, sending smoke up. He let out a trill of a greeting that bubbled from him like a kid too excited to wait for Christmas morning to open presents. "Hey!"
Tobin turned and widened his eyes in the dark. "It's Val!"
Harper stepped closer. "Are you okay?"
"Yes! I-I changed my mind! I want to come with you!" He trotted up to them.
She grinned. "Really?"
"Yeah! Is that okay?"
"For sure," chuckled Tobin.
Now Embry exited one of the tents. "Val? You want to come with us?"
He nodded kind of stupidly, gripping the straps of his backpack. What a sight he must be.
Embry smiled and put her hands on her hips. "Well, that's great news. I think we could use a little more muscle in this outfit of ours. No offense, Tobin."
He shook his head. "None taken."
Val kept grinning, his heart still pounding.
"Well, I've sent Jessamy to bed so she is rested for our walk tomorrow. I'm sure she will be glad to find that you have changed your mind." Embry smiled. "That said! Let's all get some shut eye. It's gonna be a hot one tomorrow!"
"Val, do you want to sleep in one of the tents?" said Harper.
"No! No, I'm fine to camp out right here." He took his backpack off and fashioned it into a pillow.
Harper must have caught his euphoria, because she giggled. "Okay. Rest up. Goodnight and we'll see you in the morning."
"Goodnight!" He waved as Harper and Tobin ducked into a tent and Embry went into another, presumably with Jessamy. Val took a deep breath through his nose again and sat down on the ground next to the recently-snuffed fire. Leaning back against his backpack, he stared up at the stars with his fingers laced over his belly. He couldn't believe he'd done this. His head was still reeling with all it meant. He was responsible for sharing what he found for food now. He was responsible for doing what he could to keep the others safe. And that meant things he wasn't ready to consider quite yet. In this sort of post-apocalyptic life, protecting others sometimes meant removing others. Val shook his head a little. There would be tomorrow to go over those implications. For now, he was still vibrating with the rush of having flown his coop.
So, this definitely made two nights in a row he didn't sleep well, but that was all right. He was up and at 'em first thing in the morning. Val was content watching the buzz around The Hub, people beginning their day and coming and going, but he looked to the tent when Harper emerged. "Good morning!" she said.
"Morning! I'm sorry, I would have started breakfast or something, but I didn't have anything on me."
"No worries, man! We got some stuff. You hungry?"
"Yeah," he smiled. "Can I help?"
"Sure!" Harper shared some dehydrated eggs and some pans with him and the water he would need.
Val figured he should have been working on the fire before now, but he got it going and stoked it hot. He glanced up at her. "Are you and Tobin together or just sharing a tent?"
"Just sharing," she said politely. "Tobin likes men anyhow. Too bad he ended up with me and Embry, haha!"
Val chuckled.
"No, we only have the two tents and just wanted to make sure Jessamy felt most comfortable. So, she bunked with Embry last night. But now that you're joining the crew, we'll have to invest in at least one more!" She stood upright and put her hands on her hips. "I wonder if there are some still for sale inside."
"I will buy a tent to share with someone, or take turns, whichever. I have some money."
"Are you sure?"
"Definitely." He handed over the spoon he had originally been given to fluff the eggs. "I'll go check and will return directly." And so he did. Thankfully, The Hub, as was typical, had a little bit of everything and someone was indeed selling a couple cheap tents. Val delved into his thirty-something dollars of reserve cash to pay eleven dollars for a little riggable tarp. It was certainly better than nothing.
When he returned, he was pleased to see Jessamy sitting by the fire enjoying some breakfast. He was not pleased, however, about the weird flippy fluttery thing his stomach did upon laying his eyes on her again. She stood up to meet him. "Val." She opened her arms and wrapped him in a polite and happy hug. "I'm so glad you decided to come with us."
"Me too," he said, hugging her back and feeling his face flush a little. Stop it, Val.
"Curious what made you change your mind," asked Tobin, offering him a small cup of coffee.
He took it. "Thank you. Uhhh… Well…" He glanced at Jessamy. "To be honest, when I went back to my little homestead, it had been totally bulldozed by Stalkers."
Everyone looked at him with wide eyes. "You're kidding!" Embry exclaimed.
"No. We… pissed them off yesterday and I suppose they came looking for me." His eyes drifted. "And… I mean, I didn't really have anything left except what I could put in my backpack. And I just weighed my options and decided that… it was time for a change of pace anyway."
Jessamy watched him sadly. "Val, I'm so sorry. That's my fault."
"It–absolutely is not your fault. It's mine. I shouldn't have gone back so soon with so much less of an offering and an additional person. It was a stupid mistake and I paid for it. That's all." He fiddled with his coffee cup.
"In that case, we're really glad you came back," said Harper, nodding her assurance.
"For sure. You can't… even rebuild anything there because they know now!" Tobin looked between them all.
"You definitely made the right decision to come back," said Embry. "We'll take good care of you." She gave him a warm smile then looked at the rest of the group. "Well, if everyone's full, we better pack up and get ready to get our walk on."
Jessamy spoke up around the top of her coffee mug. "Or we could… not walk."
The others looked at her and blinked. And that's when Val gasped and remembered. He couldn't believe he had forgotten!
"How would you guys like to travel and camp in style?" She winked.
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