The Colonel stalked into the clinic mere minutes later, Luke following close behind, sporting a purplish bruise on his jaw. I caught his eye and asked a silent What happened?
He shook his head. Later, he mouthed. I pursed my lips, but didn't push the subject.
"Where are they?" The sheer aggression in the Colonel's demand had me stepping back.
"In exam room three," Anna said, pointing to the closed door. "We've followed your rules exactly. No one has entered or left."
The Colonel pushed past her, heading straight for the room. I reached out and grabbed his arm. "You can't just go in there."
He stared at his biceps, at my hand encircling the muscle. "Take your hand off of me or I will take it off for you." I released his arm, but put my body in front of the door.
"You can't just barge in there. Her child just died. Give her a minute to grieve." The Colonel grabbed my arm and yanked me off the door, sending me stumbling forward.
Luke caught me before I hit the floor and pulled me close. "Listen, don't push him right now. He's already in a pissy mood."
"I can see that," I whispered back, regaining my balance. "But he can't just do that."
Luke gritted his teeth. "He's the Colonel. He can do whatever he wants."
"That's such bullsh--"
Emily Jackson came out of the exam room sobbing, propelled along by the Colonel. "Falls," the Colonel called. "Call Warner and Roiben."
Luke released his grip on me, my arms suddenly cold as he let me go. "Yes, sir." I couldn't tell if Luke was being serious or just too good at sarcasm, but he radioed them anyway.
The Colonel jerked Emily towards me. "Is she sick? Tell me."
I put a comforting hand on the woman's shoulder and murmured some sympathies and encouragement. "I can't tell just by looking at her. I don't know what the incubation period is. I'll have to do a blood test to be sure."
"What are you waiting for?" The Colonel gestured toward one of the empty exam rooms impatiently.
Nurse Anna had a sick look on her face, but volunteered to get a test kit.
"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Jackson." Tears streaked down her face, leaving trails of mascara on her cheeks. "I just have to take a little bit of blood to make sure you aren't sick, too."
"No," the Colonel interrupted. "I don't want you to take her blood. Falls, get her out of here."
"What?" I whirled, stalking right up to the Colonel. "Who are you to tell me how to do my job? This woman's child just died and you're screaming about her being sick and making me prick her with needles. Now you say you don't want me to. I don't--"
He backhanded me across the face, hard. I staggered back. My mouth filled with blood and I spit it right at his feet.
"That's it." Rogers and Walters picked that moment to walk in. "You, Warner. Take her to the Gard."
The man grabbed my arm. I twisted and turned, but his grip was too tight for me to escape. Rogers stood face-to-face with Luke, so he couldn't help me. Anna still hadn't returned from the supply closet.
"Come on," Walters commanded. "It'll be fine." He half carried and half dragged me out of the building. I went completely limp to make it harder for him.
"God, I'm not trying to hurt you." He blew out an exasperated breath. "Will you just get up and walk?"
"No."
"Walk or I'll make you." Walters grit his teeth and stared at me as I refused to get up from the asphalt in front of the clinic.
"I want to know what the hell is going on." I stood up from the ground where he abandoned me, using the edge of a fountain to haul myself up. "I want to go help Emily Jackson and make sure that James is taken care of."
Walter's attempt at stocity failed; his eyes gave away everything. "James was a really sweet kid. Is it true he's, you know, dead?" His voice caught at the end of the sentence.
I nodded sadly. "I don't even know why he died."
"That's so awful." His expression smoothed out. "But it doesn't change anything. You need to get up and go back to your room."
I straightened. "Only long enough to get my things. I'm done with this god awful place. I'm leaving. For good."
Walters chased me as I ran off towards the Woods.
"You can't do that. The Colonel hasn't given you permission to leave."
"Permission?" I spit. "I am here voluntarily. I serve no contract with the military. I am free to leave whenever I wish. Are you suggesting otherwise? If so, that's kidnapping and unlawful detainment."
"What are you, a lawyer? The Colonel is in charge here. You can take that up with him."
He grabbed my arm and kept an iron grip as we retreated to the Woods. He didn't release me until I was back in my room in Cal Hall.
"You're staying here until the Colonel decides to deal with you. So sit down and shut up. Any stupide decision on your parts will reflect in the Colonel's actions."
I made an obscene gesture as Walters closed the door in my face. Screw this place. I was going back home. They needed me there and this place was out to get me.
All I had to do was escape.
----
Ian came banging on my door about a half an hour later, taking over Walter's vigil as my babysitter and bringing along some friends. Fortunately for me, Ian and co. were much for forgiving about boundaries. My room was no longer my prison.
"We need to go see the Colonel." Ian couldn't hide his emotions to save his life. Fear coated his features.
"Good," I snapped. "I can tell him all about his bullshit and how I'm getting the hell out of here for good."
"You can't leave," Ian insisted.
"Watch me." I kept walking, hopefully towards the exit, but I didn't really remember my way back. Not that I would remind them of that.
"Please, Lizzi. You just got here. At least talk it out with Luke. He's the one who brought you here after all." With his eyes pleading at me like a baby seal, it was so hard to resist. But I was an adult. I had to resist temptation and do what was best for me.
"Sorry, Ian. I've got places to be. Ones that won't lock me up for doing my job. In fact, they'd be happy to have me."
"How do you know that?" He jumped in front of me cutting off my path.
I dodged around him. "I'm a doctor. A damn good one at that. If a well respected hospital wanted me, then any clinic that is in desperate need of medical personnel will, too."
"Fine." He let out a sigh. "Yeah, it was a messed up move. Is it really that big of a deal?" Seeing my face, he hurried to continue. "Sure, it's a big deal, but maybe you could be the most amazingest person ever and forgive them and stay."
Keep your cool, Elizabeth. You can say no. But I really couldn't.
Ian saw my resolve falter. "Please, Lizzi."
When I finally gave in, Ian got so excited that some of the other soldiers in our entourage raised an eyebrow. As Ian ran ahead to grab the admin building door for me, I heard one of them say, "Looks like little Warner has a crush," which elicited some quiet snickers.
I rolled my eyes, but still blushed. It was always flattering to be liked, but for more than a few reasons, that relationship was never going to work out. I was engaged, and even if I wasn't, he was way too young for me.
"Thank you," I told Ian as I walked through the door. I wanted to let him down easy, but that didn't mean I wasn't going to be polite.
Once we had entered the brick building, I collapsed in a chair just inside the main room. The wood was hard and uncomfortable, but my body was so tired that I didn't care.
"So, you've decided to stay?" Ian asked, sliding into a chair next to me. Another guard sat on my other side while the other two stayed just outside the main entrance. Faint squabbling on their radios drifted in, too soft to be intelligible.
I closed my eyes and leaned back, resting my head against the wall. "I don't know. At least for the next few minutes."
"When was the last time that you slept?"
I shrugged, not bothering to open my eyes. "I got a few hours last night in the clinic."
Ian muttered something back, but I didn't quite catch it.
A gentle tap on my shoulder made me shift in my seat. "Elizabeth?"
"Mmm?"
Another little shake. "Come on, you gotta get up."
"What?" I asked, yawning. Luke knelt in front of me, extending his hand out to help me up. He sported a purpling bruise on his jaw and bloody slice across his forehead. I bolted awake. "What happened to your face? What time is it?"
"You were only asleep for less than a hour. I didn't want to wake you up, but there are some things we gotta talk about, darlin'."
I waved him off. "I'm used to the interrupted sleep. Don't worry about it. I'm more worried about your face." I reached up to probe his wound. "This looks pretty rough."
"That's your official diagnosis? Some doctor," he said, laughing.
"Hey." I gave him a playful shove. He winced when my hands pressed on his ribs. "Are your ribs bothering you, too?"
"They're fine." A blatant lie.
"Are we needed here? If not, we should go to the clinic so I can clean up your injuries." I paused considering. "What happened to James and Mrs. Jackson?"
Luke frowned. "Nothing good. I haven't seen them since before you got sent to the Gard."
"Do you think that she's okay? And that they'll give James a funeral?"
"I don't know," Luke said honestly. "It's tragic, but I think that the Colonel views them both as a threat to the safety of the camp since they both could be infected. You know how the Colonel handles threats."
I swallowed hard. That poor family.
Seeing my expression, Luke nodded. "I know." He shook off the horror, putting up a facade of nonchalance. I could see right through it. "The clinic. Let's go now."
The walk to the clinic was short, but hot. The late afternoon sun pounded down on us, the sun burning my skin. I wanted to stop for a moment to bask in the heat, but Luke's cut needed attention.
The clinic was packed. The chairs in the waiting room were full of children and adults alike, all with various injuries and illnesses.
Marge waved at me from the desk. "Thank goodness you're here, honey. We've got quite the crowd today. We've got two nurses here working hard, but maybe you can speed up the process." She looked at Luke. "Maybe take care of him and Captain Warner in room two."
"Thanks, Marge." I pointed at the second door, marked with a big two. "Luke, go find Warner and meet me there, okay?"
He winked and began maneuvering through the crowded waiting room while I quickly jogged to the back to get some supplies. I still had my scrubs on from earlier, so I didn't have to worry about clothes. I grabbed some betadine, sutures, gauze, and some gloves from the supplies room and went back to the exam rooms.
I knocked twice on the second door, peeking my head in to check for Luke and Warner. They were both in bad shape. Bloodied, bruised, and coated with dirt.
"You two are quite a sight." I held up my supplies. "Who wants to go first?"
They exchanged a glance and then proceeded to play a game of rock paper scissors, which Warner lost. He shot a dirty look at Luke and then hauled himself onto the exam table.
"Alright," I said, examining his face. A few bruises, but no split skin. His knuckles were busted up, but there were no other visible injuries. "I'll clean up your knuckles and give you some ice for your bruises, but otherwise you're in pretty good shape, relatively speaking. Is there anything else that's bothering you?"
His eyes flicked to Luke and then back to mine. "No." I didn't believe him. From the way that he was supporting his body with his arms, his back had to be hurting. I just didn't understand why they were lying about having more injuries.
"Can I take a look at your back, please?" I added a smile for good measure.
Warner sighed and tugged off his shirt. Trying to be professional, I ignored his sculpted figure and focused on just his injuries. I let out a sharp breath. "What happened?"
"Nothing." His back was marred with bruises, many small cuts lacing between them.
I pulled on a pair of nitrile gloves. "Lay on your stomach." The rustling of crinkling packaging filled the room. Luke sat in the other chair, watching and waiting. Using betadine, a brownish iodine disinfectant, I cleaned the wounds on his back and knuckles. None needed stitches, but they still looked pretty gruesome. "Ask Marge at the desk for some ice and ibuprofen for the pain and then you're good to go. Come find me if the pain gets worse."
He smiled grimly. "Thanks, Elizabeth." He inclined his head to Luke. "Good luck, buddy," he said and walked out.
"And then there were two," Luke said, taking Warner's spot on the exam table. "Is it true that you're leaving?"
I sighed. "Do you really expect me to stay after what happened?" I traced my finger along his face, probing the cut. "You need stitches."
"Just give it a shot. It doesn't have to be a long time." He winced as I slathered betadine on his cut. "No warning?" I raised an eyebrow. "Fine, it doesn't matter. But, just stay for a few days. I can help you figure out how to get back, if that's what you really want."
My voice was barely perceptible. "It is." He didn't look convinced. "I'm going to start your sutures now," I told him, this time more loudly. "What happened after I left?" I ripped open a small container of 6-0 prolene, a good size suture thread for facial lacerations.
His eyebrows flicked up, but he didn't answer. He blew out a long breath and finally spoke. "Commander Stewart wasn't exactly happy with my run. I didn't bring back enough supplies. All I did was waste bullets and his time." He made quotation marks in the air with his fingers, then slowly dragged his hand through his dark hair. "Getting in a fight with Warner was the last straw. He got in a couple punches, but he'll probably discipline us later. Everything's gone to hell so quickly." He shook his head. "I just can't believe we're already cracking under the pressure."
I didn't know what to say, but I understood. For me, this situation felt simultaneously infinite and rapid. Time seemed to stretch on forever. So much happened v d in these past few days that I could barely remember what normal life was like.
It seemed that in the wake of destruction, we focused solely on what happened. We stared helplessly as we watched the train wreck spiral out of control. We never stopped to think if we were in the train's path. We never thought it could get worse.
I started the sutures, pulling tightly and making them clean. Maybe I wasn't a plastic surgeon like Oliver, but my sutures were done well enough that there wouldn't be too much scarring. "I'm sorry," I said because I wasn't sure what else to say.
He just shook his head. "That's life, darlin'. You play the cards you're given."
Wasn't that the truth? "Let me look at your ribs," I said. "I know that they were bothering you earlier."
He rolled his eyes. "They're fine," he insisted, but pulled off his shirt anyway. Again, I tried not to stare, but I can only handle so much temptation. I gently pushed against his chest, examining the bruising. He sucked in a breath when I pressed down on his lower right ribs.
"You definitely bruised your ribs on the right side, but there's not much I can do to treat them. Ice. Don't take ibuprofen for 48 hours because it'll mess up the healing process. And if it doesn't feel any better or gets worse, tell me."
"My hero," he said, taking my gloved hand and kissing the top.
I kept holding his hand and offered him a small smile. "Thank you. Not just for bringing me here, but for helping me and keeping me safe. Thank you for caring," I whispered in the space before us. "I can't even imagine where I'd be now if I didn't run into you."
"Literally," he retorted as I dropped my jaw. "My car is totaled because of you."
"It's not totaled," I protested. "It just has more character now. Mine's totaled." I flashed him a smile.
He shook his head in disbelief. "How many cars have you totaled?"
"What's your definition of totaled?"
"How many times have you hit things with your car or driven off the road?" He gave me a smug smile.
I shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I've backed into a few ditches and hit a refrigerator, but I've only completely totaled two cars. Otherwise my track record is perfect."
He burst out laughing, supporting his ribs with his arms as he did. "Only two? I've never been at fault in an accident. Knock on wood." He rapped his bruised knuckles on the underside of the exam table. "How do you even back into multiple ditches? Did you not learn from the first time? And a fridge?"
"Well, I was driving backwards. It's hard to see behind you. The fridge story is for another time." I shook my head, holding up my hands in surrender. "I'm done. I concede that I am a bad driver, but my many other talents compensate for this vice," I said, laughing.
"I'm sure," he agreed. "But, on a more serious note, we need to talk about you." He paused, grimacing for a moment before looking at me. "Do you know what you're doing here? I know I brought you to base, but I understand that you still have your own plans. I still think you should stay for a few days, but we can think about hitting Georgia on one of our runs. If you tag along, we can drop you off there." He closed his eyes and shook his head. "That just sounds like a disaster waiting to happen though."
I had to agree. Dropping me in the middle of Georgia with no car and no idea what the city was like. Besides, it was illogical for them to drive all the way to Altlanta to get supplies. It would just waste time and resources.
My gloves snapped as I pulled them off, tossing them into the nearby garbage can. "I don't know what to do. I'm so torn. I know that there is so much danger outside of the base. Here, I know that I'm safe. As much as the Commander bothers me, I know that he'll do whatever it takes to protect the base." I rinsed my hands in the sink and dried them before pressing one to my head. "But at the same time, there's so much that I need to do. I need to analyze this illness and figure out why it's making some people crazy and killing others. It doesn't make sense. I don't know if I can make sense of it here or if I need to go back to the lab at my hospital. I honestly have no idea what I'm doing anymore. I thought I had it all figured out. That I knew exactly what I was doing." I scoffed as I realized the truth. "But now here I am and I'm no closer to helping anyone than I was when I was just sitting at home."
How did I end up here? My family was still sick and I hadn't done anything to help them. I had no idea what was happening in Georgia and no way to contact Oliver or any of my friends.
Luke listened, watching me as I paced. "What can I do to help?" His voice was rough, grazing on some emotion I hadn't seen from him before.
I smiled sadly. "Thank you, but I'm not sure there is much you can do. It's something I have to figure out for myself." I paused, considering. "Actually, do you think you can get me a working phone?" I fished out my phone from the pocket of my lab coat. Despite it not working, I kept my phone with me habitually, especially since it functioned as my pager at the hospital.
"Well," Luke said, hopping up from his spot on the pale blue exam table. The paper crinkled as he shifted, echoing through the quiet room. "That might be a difficult one, darlin'. The only working phone I know of is in the Colonel's office. We're not allowed in there."
"But does the phone work?" I raised an eyebrow and leaned closer to him.
He matched my mischievous smile. "Yes."
"I need to break into the Colonel's office."