Chapter 51
*****
9 months later
“Sir,” Rick hurried into the room, stopped and looked ready to bolt at the sight of Jessell wrapped in Ridec’s arms and the two of them staring through their bedroom window. “Forgive me your highest.”
They had taken to calling Jessell that now and had accepted her as their leader.
“If we had wanted privacy we would have locked the door,” Jessell pointed out quietly turning from Ridec and gently twisting out of his arms. Ridec groaned.
“You are well your highness?” Rick asked.
“I’m perfect,” Jessell said leaning back to press her lips against Ridec before walking towards Rick. “In fact I’m better than perfect.”
“That’s my baby,” Ridec said happily. “Better than perfect; I mean my big baby and not my little baby of course.”
Jessell smiled and rubbed her palm gently along her stomach. It was hard to imagine they had been among these people for so long, they were almost starting to feel like her people, almost.
“When are you due?” Rick asked as if to stop her from focusing on what she had left behind.
“Just one more month to go,” Jessell said smiling.
“Your baby will be a prince among our people,” Rick assured her. “Word is getting around out there and every day more and more people are coming here for the cure. What you’ve done,” Rick said glancing at Ridec and then back at Jessell. “No one on earth will ever be able to repay you for.”
“What Ridec has done,” Jessell cut in holding out a hand towards Ridec and he immediately hurried towards her.
“No, if you hadn’t agreed to stay here, and get married and settle done and live like one of us Ridec would never have stayed long enough to perfect the cure,” Rick said sincerely.
“You’ve got that right,” Ridec said pressing his lips against Jessell’s cheek. “With Jessell here with me; I’m already home. I can stay here as long as I need to fix things.”
“There’s still more to do with the cure?” Rick questioned.
Ridec sighed.
“Ridec believes in hundred percents,” Jessell explained. “As you’re aware at least three percent of the people who are given the vaccine don’t react well to it. It speeds up the symptoms in some and they turn immediately. We’re still not sure why that is.”
“He’ll figure it out,” Rick said confidently.
“In the meantime I’m responsible for the death of innocent men, women and children,” Ridec pointed out. “Gus, the guy that helped rescue us, he turned as soon as I gave him the vaccine. I thought it might have been something to do with blood type or historical DNA but it isn’t because I’d given his brother Kirk the vaccine moments before and all the orange lines disappeared, he was completely healed.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Jessell said.
“Try telling Kirk that,” Ridec responded.
“Kirk’s an idiot. He knew this vaccine was a risk, we never pretended it was anything else but. I think most everyone is happy to know there’s finally hope again on the earth,” Jessell said bluntly.
“Our Queen is right Sir,” Rick said hurriedly. “I never imagined that I’d be able to have a wife, a clean one at that and maybe raise kids with her, to not have to live in constant fear of being eaten alive.”
“Zombies are still out there and there are still millions of them,” Ridec pointed out.
“But one day that won’t be so,” Rick put in and Jessell smiled.
“Give up Ridec, you’re not going to get him down. These people are happy and you should be happy with what you’ve accomplished.”
“I am happy with what I’ve accomplished,” Ridec said resting his hand gently on Jessell’s stomach.
“That is quite obvious sir,” Rick said with a grin and Jessell chuckled.
“Once I can get more of these zombies cured then I can take my wife and soon to be baby back to our home,” Ridec said. “Merpeople have never been born on the land before.”
“We have tanks, I’ve been instructing the men to keep them filled in preparation for the birth,” Rick said.
“Jessell is a princess; she needs to be home in her kingdom. It’s my fault she’s here in the first place,” Ridec explained.
“She is our princess too,” Rick said.
“You don’t have to sell me on staying Rick,” Jessell said patting Ridec’s hand that was resting on her stomach gently. “I’m in no condition to fight my way back to the sea and protect Ridec and my baby. I shall be here for at least another three months, Ridec is sure to have solved all the problems by then.”
“Ridec has become quite the fighter, you should see him when we go out on supply runs,” Rick said grinning but then crunched up his face when Ridec glared at him angrily.
“Supply runs? You let Ridec go on supply runs with you?” Jessell demanded.
“He’s cap…” Rick began but Jessell cut in.
“I forbade you from leaving this compound. I agreed to stay here with you on the condition that you put yourself in no danger.”
“They wouldn’t know the chemicals I needed,” Ridec muttered and felt the sting of Jessell’s hand across his face.
“Maybe I should go,” Rick said but neither of them was listening to him.
“You wanted me to help these people, how can I help if I don’t have the things I need. I needed special equipment that wasn’t here and …” Ridec’s words were cut off by another slap to the face. He folded his lips.
“He was never in any danger Princess,” Rick said. “We went out with many guards and we were all committed to protecting him.”
“And how many of the guards came back?” Jessell demanded.
“Just leave us alone Rick,” Ridec said.
“I’m so sorry, I just thought…”
“Just leave us alone,” Ridec repeated.
Rick held down his head despondently.
“I just came to say that the patients for today are already waiting in the compound for your attention,” Rick said and quietly exited the room. He hated that he had caused Ridec’s beloved to be angry with him. Rick knew that Ridec’s every breath came from Jessel’s joy and he sweated Jessell from every pore in his body.
“I’m sorry,” Ridec muttered as soon as the door closed behind Rick.
“Don’t touch me.”
“I knew how anxious you were to get back to our home and I thought that my presence with the guards would hurry things along.”
“I’m anxious to get back with you, not alone,” Jessell pointed out.
“I won’t go out there again,” Ridec said.
“Promise me,” Jessell said firmly. “And this time I mean it Ridec. Promise me that you won’t go out there again until I can come with you and protect you.”
Ridec nodded.
“I said promise me.”
“I promise.” Ridec knew it would mean a slow down in the curing process but the last thing he wanted was to upset Jessell.
Jessell sighed running her hand along his cheek along the red marks from her fingers.
“I’m sorry; I just can’t bear to have to go home alone, not after everything I’ve been through.”
Ridec slipped Jessell’s slender hand into his and pressed her fingers against his lips.
“No, I’m the one that’s sorry. You should be safely at home, surrounded by your trusted guards with your mother and sister hovering around you with excitement. Instead you’re here in a zombie infested world eight months pregnant and having to depend on just me to keep you safe.”
“That does sound pretty dire doesn’t it,” Jessell muttered.
“Don’t joke; I’m only too aware of everything you’ve given up for me.”
“Well I had some fun making this kiddo too,” Jessell said running her hand along Ridec’s chest playfully.
“Mmmmm,” Ridec murmured. “Zombies aside, this has been the best eight months of my life. Living here with you as your husband is a dream come true.”
“Keep talking like that and you might not get to go look after the patients; I just might drag you off to my bed and ravage you a little more.”
“I’m up for that.”
“You’re always up for that,” Jessell said laughingly. “I had no idea you had so much stamina; but I like it.”
Ridec chuckled.
“Go on, go take care of today’s patients and try to come up with a way to make your cure more easily distributable.”
“Are you sure? I’m certain I could spare a few more minutes to be ravished.”
Jessell laughed.
“I’m starting to wonder if I’m ravishing you or if you’re ravishing me,” Jessell said.
“I’m not really bothered about who takes the lead as long as some ravishing gets done,” Ridec opined and Jessell laughed.
“I don’t even know how you find the energy to give the patients the vaccine, I’d think you’ve been burning up all your energy up here with me making love.”
“Not all my energy,” Ridec said pointedly.
“You’re incorrigible.”
“But you love me.”
“With all my heart,” Jessell said earnestly. “You know, there was a time I thought I could never love you more, but seeing everything you’re doing for these people changes that.”
Ridec pressed his lips against Jessell’s gently.
“Unfortunately I can’t say the same.”
Jessell pulled away and stared at Ridec.
“What, there’s no way I could love you more, it’s ‘absolutely positutely’ impossible to ever love you more than I love you. I’d die for you in a second and I’d die without you just as quickly.”
“You’re really going to make me take you to my bed,” Jessell said lovingly.
“Who’s stopping you?” Ridec asked.
A sharp knock on the door brought a frown to Ridec’s face and it deepened at Rick’s voice.
“Everyone is getting a little restless and more people are coming.”
Ridec groaned.
“Scoot, I’m going to plan something really hot and sweet for you when you get back.”
“Maybe you can give me now.”
“Nope.” Jessell hustled him towards the door. “The sooner you leave the sooner you’ll return.”
“Then I’m out of here,” Ridec said pressing his lips against hers and flitting through the door to Rick. “Come on Rick, let’s get today’s quota’s out. I think I have an idea to help with the distribution of the cure as well.”
Jessell grinned, Ridec was right; inspite of the situation with the zombies she had never been happier in her life.
***
It was several hours later that Jessell rolled off the bed and slipped her feet onto the floor, she hadn’t realized how tired she had been. The pregnancy was really taking everything out of her; it was because she wasn’t in the water of course. Where was Ridec? Almost on cue Ridec’s thoughts came slamming into her mind. He was under attack, he was telling her to keep the door locked and he would come for her.
Jessell’s heart jerked with horror. Something was going on out there and Ridec was in danger, she had to help him. Tears sprung to Jessell’s eyes, what good would she be to Ridec in her condition? Maybe she could get the guards that protected her door to go and see how they could help Ridec. Jessell grabbed her sword from the mantel, threw open the door and hurried outside. It was completely deserted and then suddenly five zombies turned into the passageway.
“Oh no.”
Jessell hurried back to the door, she felt a cramp in her stomach but tried to ignore it. Was she moving slow or were these creatures moving so much faster than she remembered. She gripped the door knob pushed the door open slipping inside as quickly as she could. She was not quick enough. One of the zombies had managed to follow her, had wedged part of his body in the doorway and was stopping her from closing the door. She swung the sword at his head lobbing it clean off, he fell in the centre of the doorway.
“Darn!”
Jessell gripped his hand and tried pulling him in so she could clear the doorway and close the door but even that task seemed too difficult for her. Two more of the zombies arrived. Jessell raced off towards the bathroom, she would have to lock herself inside. She didn’t like the idea of being cornered in a little room like that but she was in no condition to fight these creatures. Another cramp hit her and she buckled to the ground.
“No!” She screamed dragging herself back to her feet; she had to make it to the bathroom. Three more zombies had entered the room and one of them was already on top of her.
“No!” Jessell screamed again just before she managed to wriggle out from beneath him, slip into the bathroom and slam the door shut behind her.
“Jessell!” Ridec came bursting into the room a sword swinging in his hand. “Jessell!”
“I’m here,” Jessell called from the bathroom.
Ridec hurried over to the door.
“Open it, open it.” He was breathless and she knew he must have defied all odds to try to get to her.
Jessell opened the door slowly and Ridec stared in horror at the blood running down her arm. Laying on the floor around him were the three zombies that had been pounding at the door, they were headless now.
“I’m sorry Ridec,” Jessell said sadly. “I couldn’t keep them off. I’ve been bit.”