When we finally approached the gate at Hargrove, the guards had done their duty and cleared the way for us. Grant was the first one out of the truck, enlisting Mark to help move Sheri. The gate hadn't even been closed behind us when they started to remove her from the backseat.
Sheri had paled considerably. Blood loss tended to do that to a person. She was still breathing; it was just labored from being jostled during the drive. We had managed to turn the hour we had left into thirty minutes thanks to some speed driving. It would have been fun under other circumstances.
People started to swarm us immediately.
"What happened?" Wyatt demanded at the forefront.
"Friendly-fire incident. Where's Oscar?" Grant wasted no time.
If I remembered correctly from my day of introductions, Oscar was a surgeon and the resident medical doctor at Hargrove.
"I think he's in his condo. Get Sheri to the doctor's office in the meantime and prep her for surgery. We'll find him." Wyatt patted Grant on the back and took off down the street.
Ethan joined us just in time to see Sheri being carted away.
"What happened to her? She get bit?" I didn't care for the blatant concern in his voice.
"No, Mark accidently shot her," I said back tersely.
Ethan turned to John, "And what happened to you? Geez, what went on out there?"
"Had a little bit of a disagreement with the Sergeant, that's all," John replied.
"You should get some treatment for that too," I pointed to his face.
"No use botherin' 'em. Sheri needs their attention more. Hope the poor girl is alright," John waved off my comment.
"How did Mark accidently shoot her?" Ethan asked.
"He's no-so-good with a gun."
"I'm gunna go help find Oscar," Ethan bowed out and I couldn't help feeling irked.
It's not like Ethan and I were dating, but we had been through an awful lot together. It wasn't just the Sheri thing either; it was that he assimilated so easily to this place that I felt left in the dust. I wanted to smack him upside the head.
"Jealous are we?" John cracked a grin, despite the pain his face must have been in.
I crossed my arms, "Shouldn't you go put some ice on that or something?"
"I'll go see if the kitchen staff can spare any."
I watched him walk away, not really sure of what to do with myself. The rest of our training crew had begun to take back the weapons and park the trucks. I decided to head back to my condo and wait to hear any news.
When I opened the front door, I found Chloe and Amanda on the living room floor coloring away. Roy was seated at the island going over some papers. The scene was very domestic; I fought the urge to yell, "Honey, I'm home!"
"Bailey!" Chloe hopped up and gave me a tackle-hug.
I patted her head, "How was school?"
She made a scrunched up face, "Borin'. But they gave us some markers and colorin' books to keep."
"I was starting to get worried. You were gone for a long time just for a shooting lesson," Roy said as he put down his papers.
"That's because they took us two hours away from here so that the noise could never be linked back here."
"Jesus, that's a long trip," Roy's brows shot up.
"Wait till you hear what happened," I sighed and plunked myself on a stool beside Roy at the island.
When Chloe and Amanda returned to their homework, I recounted the afternoon to Roy in a low voice.
"Is she going to live?" Roy asked about Sheri.
"I don't know," I said honestly. "She didn't die on the way back, so I'd take that as a good sign."
"Actually I was talking to Oscar today for a little bit. I can't remember what it's called, but he specializes in surgery on specific organs. A resident had a ruptured spleen a while ago and he was able to save them thanks to his skills and the medical equipment they have here. Apparently they have a fully functioning, make-shift operation room in one of the condos at the front that they outfitted as a doctor's office."
"Wow, that's lucky."
"Now-a-days it sure is. By the way, we had them make up a plate for you for supper." Roy walked over to the apartment-sized fridge and pulled out a plate wrapped in tinfoil. My stomach growled at the sight.
"Thank you," I said around the first bite I shoved into my mouth.
It was some kind of noodle dish and it tasted delicious. There was even some bread to go with it.
"And guess what else we brought you back?" Chloe said excitedly from the floor.
"More food?" I said hopefully.
Roy shoved a plate in front of me that had a small slice of chocolate cake resting on it.
"Oh. My. God. You guys are the best!"
The cake was divine. It tasted like one of those boxed, powder mix ones, but any cake was better than no cake.
"Amanda shoved her piece in her mouth all at once!" Chloe exclaimed.
Amanda turned red, "I did not!"
"Well, at this rate, I'm going to gain some of that weight back," I said after all but licking the plate.
"You just missed Ethan and the others before you got here," Roy said.
"Yeah, I saw him when we drove in. He went to hunt down Oscar. Didn't see Zoe or Darren, though."
"You might want to talk to Darren; he said he's doing a run soon and was wondering if you wanted to go with him."
I thought about it, "Do you know when he was planning one?"
"He didn't say, he just said soon."
I definitely preferred not being cooped up. We spent too much time like that at the cabin and now the thought of being trapped in these walls made me itch. I could see myself being part of the scavenge team, maybe that could be my job here. I could have a cool nickname like The Runner. But I was getting ahead of myself. I'm sure there were some requirements they had, just like the gun training process.
"I'll have to talk to him. Sounds like the job for me."
"I figured," Roy smiled, but it faltered. He leaned in closer so that the girls wouldn't hear.
"I heard some things about Darren from the people here."
Thanks to John, I knew exactly what Roy was going to say.
"That they're all stupid and think Darren killed that girl?"
Roy seemed shocked, "I take it you heard it too, then?"
"Trust me, Darren's innocent. I admit I was... weary of him when we first met, but we shared a cabin with him for over three months. Don't you think he would have done something then?"
Roy looked me in the eyes, "I believe you. And from what I've met of him, he seems okay enough to have won over your friend, Zoe."
Leave it to Zoe to ensnare a man in the apocalypse.
"I think it's the Sergeant," I whispered.
"Well you said he was a combat medic and after what he did to John, he seems like a more likely suspect."
"I think it's a conspiracy between Wyatt's group. Like they are covering it up."
"You sound like the alien guy from the History Channel," Roy pointed out. "You don't like this place, do you?"
"It's not a matter of liking it here; it's a matter of trusting the people running it."
"We've all got secrets to hide," Roy said darkly.
He wasn't kidding.
I jumped down from the stool, "I'm going to return these dishes and see if I can hear any news about Sheri."
"It's almost surreal to be able to safely walk down the street again without fear of the sick ones," Roy said.
"Now we have to worry about other things going bump in the night," I muttered.
"Do I have to go?" Chloe asked.
"You can come with me and we can find Ethan. It's getting pretty late."
I pulled back the curtains to see the darkened street. If we waited any longer, we'd need flashlights to navigate the street.
"Can I leave these here for tomorrow?" Chloe pointed to her coloring supplies.
"Of course," I nodded.
Chloe said her goodnights and we headed outside. She slipped her hand in mine as we crossed the street.
"Are you goin' to be gone all the time?" Chloe asked, her head down as if she was talking to her feet.
"Depends on what kind of employment I can get here," I answered honestly.
"Do you like it here?" Chloe looked up at me.
I hesitated, "Sure, we have walls and food."
"You don't sound like you like it."
Chloe wasn't one to be fooled. Distracted perhaps, but not fooled.
"I think I just need some time to adjust."
Chloe nodded, "Ethan said this place is exactly what we could have hoped for."
So Ethan was now spewing their propaganda for them? Seems like he needed something harder than a smack upside the head.
"We'll see."
I opened the clubhouse that served as the cafeteria and deposited my dirty plates. One of the cooks was still inside, prepping for tomorrow I assumed.
"Excuse me, but can you point us towards the doctor's office?" I asked the lady.
She explained how it was only two condos down from here. We thanked her and headed off to see if Sheri would make it. There were people all over the front porch and grass. I had to worm my way through the crowd. Some people were even holding lit candles as some sort of vigil. Once we finally got inside, I tried to spot Ethan.
I quickly had to shuffle out of the way as a brown haired woman rushed past me with tear stained cheeks on her way out the front door. Sheri seemed to really have a place in this community. I tried to ignore the spike of unwanted jealousy surge through me; now was not time for that.
The living room had been made to look like a waiting room fitted with various chairs. The wall separating the living area and bedrooms had been knocked down to allow for more room and easier access. There was a sign on the bedroom door letting us know that it was the operating room.
Chloe tugged on my hand, "There's Ethan."
I let her lead me over to him. He was talking to Grant and Byron.
"Dis some tough shit, yeah?"
I was still having a hard time with his Cajun accent and wasn't sure if that was an actual question or just a statement.
"So what's the verdict?" I asked Grant.
He still had his green scrubs on and was just removing his latex gloves.
"As I was just tellin' these two, Sheri is goin' to live. The bullet punctured her left kidney, but Oscar was able to save it. Her injured kidney won't ever run at a hundred percent again, so it's a good thing you can live with just one."
The Sergeant wiped at his sweaty forehead. He had a nice shiner under his right eye.
"That's good news," Ethan let out a sigh. "Is she still out?"
"The anesthetic will keep her under for 'bout another hour or so, and then the morphine will help keep her doped up and she'll probably fall back asleep."
"Dat means no visitors?" Byron asked Grant and this time I'm sure it was a question.
"Not till Oscar gives the go ahead, but I assume in a few hours."
Grant left and we hunkered down in the uncomfortable plastic chairs. My mind wondered off to my Beretta. No one had mentioned that I had pulled it out during our excursion and Grant knew I had it on me. What was he waiting for? Had he forgotten in all the excitement? Did he unilaterally decide that I was good enough at handling it to carry it around? Ugh, all the questions made my head hurt. Just in case they did come a knockin', I would hand over the plain black handgun that we also had stashed at the condo claiming that was the only weapon we had and hope they bought it.
We waited for another hour before Ethan and I took Chloe back to their condo. It was really dark this time, making the trek harder than it should have been. John was lying on the couch in the living room with a bag of ice on his face.
"How's the face?" I asked.
"Fine, thanks to some Advil and ice." He lifted the bag to reveal his bruised face. At least the swelling had gone down a bit.
Zoe and Darren were sitting at the island.
"Hear anything about Sheri yet?" Zoe asked.
While Ethan parroted what Grant had told us, Darren walked over to me.
"So how'd you feel about going on a run with me?"
I couldn't help myself, "I prefer the elliptical."
Darren shot me a droll look, "You know what I mean."
"Depends. Do I have to qualify or something?"
"Nope, this job is purely based on who volunteers for the job."
"Beat's babysitting all day," I shrugged.
Zoe was too busy talking to Ethan about Sheri to hear my jab.
"Good, because looks like I'll be going out again at the end of the week and I already volunteered you," Darren grinned.
"What if I had said no?"
"One day of dealing with kids and you'd be begging me to take you along. We're kind of alike you and I and I couldn't deal with whiny kids all day."
That was a slightly disturbing thought, him and I being alike.
"Did you forget that I was on my own with Chloe?" I pointed out.
Darren looked at Chloe who had just emerged from the bedroom in her pajamas.
"She's a little different than most kids, though."
"Fair point."
I stayed and visited until almost everyone decided to call it a night. Ethan and I walked back to the clinic in silence. We had never had to force conversation before. The vigil had dispersed and we no longer had to fight our way inside. Grant was just leaving as we entered the front door.
"She's awake, you can go and see her if you'd like," Grant hefted a thumb towards the back.
We headed to the converted bedrooms where Sheri was currently resting in single bed propped up on multiple pillows.
"Hey," she smiled weakly at us as we entered.
A tall man in scrubs was standing beside her. He was very tan with black hair and dark eyes. It took my mind a few seconds to remember that he was Oscar, the surgeon.
"I'm glad to hear you're okay," Ethan walked over to her bedside and gave her a light hug.
"It's all thanks to Dr. Perez here."
Oscar waved off her comment, "I couldn't have had a better patient. Your body handled the operation better than I could have hoped. I wish all my patients had done so well."
He laid a hand on Sheri's shoulder in a friendly gesture. Oscar had really good bedside manner for a surgeon.
"Now you get some rest," he said and I had a feeling that more for us.
"Will do, and you get some rest too," Sheri said sternly.
Oscar laughed, "You don't have to tell me twice. If you need anything, Annie will be right outside."
He walked out, giving Ethan and I a nod.
"Wait doc, I got a question for you," Ethan said as he followed Oscar out of the room, leaving Sheri and I alone.
We awkwardly stared at each other. I hadn't expected to be left alone with her.
Sheri broke the silence first, "So I think I know why you aren't too warm towards me."
Instead of playing aloof, I answered her directly, "Yeah, and what would that be?"
Sheri grinned, "Ethan."
Her smile wasn't a malicious one, more like she had a private joke she wasn't let me in on.
"And what would Ethan have to do with anything?"
Before she could answer, the brown-haired young woman that had rushed passed me in the waiting area earlier, burst into the room.
"I step out for a minute to use the washroom and you decide to entertain more people," she exclaimed, as she ran over to Sheri.
"Of course, anything just to screw with you," Sheri took her hand and they kissed.
On the lips.
Her joking smile made all the more sense now. They pulled apart and Sheri looked at me, her face splitting into a big grin at the dumbfounded look on my face.
"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I'm not into guys," Sheri laughed. "And I believe Ethan falls under that category. If not, he had one hell of a plastic surgeon."
I couldn't help but laugh in response. The brown-haired woman turned to me with an eyebrow raised, her silver piercing glinting.
"You thought Sheri was after Ethan?" she snorted. "All he talked about when he was here was Chloe and Bailey and when he wasn't here, he was heading back to that gun shop to see if you guys had found the map. I'm Crystal by the way."
I took her outstretched hand. Her finger nails were painted deep red making me think of the bloody claws of a tiger.
"Well, I feel like a jackass now," I said, scratching at the back of my head.
"How about we start over?" Sheri offered.
"Deal."
Ethan chose that moment to re-appear. He took a step back.
"Did I miss somthin'?" At the confused look on his face we all burst into fits of laughter.
"Not a thing," I said, wiping the tears from my eyes. I can't remember the last time I laughed like that.
"Sounds like the doc thinks you're gunna make an almost full recovery," Ethan said, choosing to ignore our hysterics.
"I guess Mark owes you a kidney," I joked.
"Poor kid was here the entire time. Crystal had to shove him out twenty minutes ago," Sheri sighed.
It was pretty big of Sheri to not hold a grudge against Mark for shooting her. If it were me, I'd be demanding his kidney as my due.
"Speaking of that, thanks for the visit guys, but Sheri needs her rest," Crystal said, placing a hand on her hip.
Ethan and I said our goodbyes and headed out.
"So you gunna tell me what that was all 'bout?" Ethan questioned me as soon as we hit the last front step.
"Girl stuff."
"Right... girl stuff." Ethan didn't sound the least bit convinced.
I sighed. Didn't I really want to have this conversation with him?
"I haven't been the nicest to Sheri because," I bit my lip; this wasn't coming out easily, "well I thought there was something between you two."
Ethan stumbled. "You know she's," he searched for the right word.
"Gay?"
He nodded.
"Now I do."
"So," Ethan raised a finger, "you were jealous then."
I pursed my lips. I knew this is how this conversation would go; me having to cop to my feelings. Instead of teasing me, Ethan's face split into a giant grin.
"Guess we haven't really talked 'bout it, have we?"
"Not like the normal dating rules apply here. We can't just go out to a dinner and movie, you know," I shrugged, still uncomfortable with this conversation.
Ethan stopped and grabbed my arm, swinging me to face him. We were standing in the middle of the road under the starlit sky. There were a few solar powered lampposts blazing along the sidewalk, but not enough to see properly.
"Bailey, would you like to go steady with me? Whatever that means now."
His words were casual, but Ethan was standing ramrod straight. I smiled at him.
"Can't say I've ever been asked that way before."
"Is that a yes?" he asked hopefully.
I put my arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips. For a millisecond he stayed still until he must have clued in that I was saying yes. His arms encased me and he kissed me back excitedly. I pulled away and his lips stayed on mine until it was either part, or fall over together.
In a very unlike-me manner, I pulled him towards my condo.
"How about we finish what we started at the cabin?" I shot him a sly grin.
He looked shocked, but was allowing me to pull him towards the other side of the road. Slowly a goofy grin caught on his face.
"You sure?"
"I'm even sober this time," I laughed.
We quietly walked into the house and tiptoed to my room like a couple of teens out after curfew. Luckily Roy and Amanda were already in bed. As soon as I shut the door behind us, Ethan pushed me up against the wall and started to kiss me like he was on death row. The tingling that had started in the pit of my stomach now began to spread. With each deep kiss, warmth pumped through my veins.
We stumbled to the bed, which was only three steps from the door thanks to the small size of the room. Ethan fell back taking me with him. Using my dominate position, I kissed him languidly, my hands running along the sinews of his muscled chest. His hands roamed down my back, giving my butt a squeeze and pushing my body closer to his.
Our breathing was almost embarrassingly labored from the heavy making-out. Ethan grabbed onto me tight and flipped us over so that he was now on top. His lips moved from my mouth to my neck in a sloppy-kiss trail. His lips landed lower, between my breasts as his hands moved to unbutton my jean shorts.
He reared up and pulled his shirt up over his head, revealing a toned torso. I ran my hands over his bare skin, it contracting at my touch.
"Do all country boys look like that with their shirt off?"
"Too bad you'll never find out."
I grinned at his possessive tone.
"You have protection this time?"
"Oh yeah, I'm not lettin' you get away twice."
Ethan stopped the laugh that was threatening to escape my lips by lowering himself back down and kissing me gently. He ran his hands up and down my bare legs as helped me tug off my shorts. I resisted the urge to shiver. My bottoms fell to the floor where his shirt was currently resting. I wrapped my legs around him, pulling him closer to me, our lips meeting again.
Sometime later, I woke up still half asleep. A noise like a tree branch scraping on a window had woken me. Weird, considering there were no trees by my bedroom window. I lifted my head, Ethan still breathing deeply behind me. I could have sworn I saw a shadow cross my window. But a wave of drowsiness drew my head back to the pillow and I fell back asleep without giving it another thought.