Journal of the Undead (Book 1): Littleville Uprising (40 page)

Rolling her eyes, Emma ordered Evan to follow her to x-ray.

“I don’t need an x-ray, Em, I’m fine,” Evan insisted, slipping off his mask and kissing her.

“Evan! I’m under quarantine.”

“Yeah, I know. Now I am too.” Evan’s grin lit up his face.

“It will probably take three days before Ray cools down enough to hear your apology anyway,” Doc joked, giving Evan a playful slap.

“But, Evan, we can’t see each other anymore,” Emma choked and tears spilled down her cheeks.

“Why?” Evan demanded.

“Your dad said he was going to forbid you from seeing me.”

With everything that had happened, Frank forgot his earlier threat. He tried not to laugh as he set her troubled mind to rest.

“Emma, Evan has always been an obedient kid but I am certain, in this instance, he would be openly defiant if I tried to keep you two apart. Now dry your eyes, sweetheart, and go take those x-rays.”

Emma wheeled Lucy down the hall and, despite his protests, Evan was ordered to go have his nose x-rayed as well. Matt tagged along for moral support and prayed he hadn’t broken Evan’s nose. Emma draped the lead apron over Lucy and quickly snapped the first film.

As she readjusted Lucy’s position, she could hear Matt and Evan in the hallway talking. They were wondering aloud if the virus could be spread through an open cut rather than a bite and whether Lucy could have been infected. Emma stormed into the hall and demanded that they shut up immediately.

“We can hear you! Just because Lucy’s drugged doesn’t mean she can’t hear what you’re saying.”

Lucy drifted in and out of consciousness, dreaming she was skulking in the mist looking for fresh meat. After the final film, Emma removed the lead apron, draped it over her shoulder, and called Evan in. As he entered the room, Lucy sat up. Still dreaming, Lucy bit down on Emma’s shoulder. Emma shrieked but the lead apron kept Lucy’s teeth far away from her skin.

“Cut that out!” Emma shouted, slapping Lucy’s cheek. “Do you want us to think you’re one of those monsters? You’ve seen what we do to them. Is that what you want to happen to you?”

Lucy sobbed and slurred an incoherent reply. Matt, having seen everything from the hall, sprinted back to the exam room for Doc. Seconds later, Doc burst through the door.

“Let me see your shoulder, Emma,” Doc insisted.

“I’m fine. The lead apron was over my shoulder. Not even Dracula could have pierced my skin through that thing,” she joked, but Doc wasn’t backing down.

He checked her shoulder anyway. Relieved, he told Emma to develop the films while he wheeled Lucy back to her room. Grabbing some meds from the pharmacy, Doc pushed Lucy back into the exam room where her parents were anxiously waiting. He explained what had occurred in the x-ray room and eased their minds by explaining that Lucy could have just been reacting oddly from the sedative.

“Emma’s fine. Not even a mark … but just to be safe, I think we need to keep Lucy sedated and restrained.”

Kate protested, but Frank convinced her it was for the best. Doc pushed the medication through Lucy’s IV before restraining her arms and the uninjured leg.

***

When Emma and the boys returned with the developed films, Doc snapped the x-rays into the holder and clicked on the light. Lucy’s leg was fractured in two places but Doc was confident the leg would heal quickly once he applied a cast. After years of practice, he had the leg set in no time. Next, he popped Evan’s x-rays in. He closely studied them for a minute, without saying a word.

“Well, it looks like you have a hairline fracture across the bridge of your nose.”

Without hesitation, Doc reached out and caught Emma’s arm in mid-swing on its way toward Matt’s face.

“We have enough patients right now, Emma. I don’t need you giving us more. Keep your hands to yourself and, Matt, do yourself a favor and stay out of arm’s reach for awhile.”

Evan smiled, pulled Emma close, and kissed the top of her head. Just to be safe, Matt took an extra step backward. Frank held Kate in a tender embrace as she cradled Lucy’s hand in hers. Kate asked the question that everyone else was thinking, but too afraid to ask.

“George, you’ve been through this before. Could Lucy be infected even though she hasn’t been bitten?”

Doc’s face remained stoic, not giving anything away. He paused for a moment before answering.

“Well, it’s hard to say. By the time I saw her, Lucy was all cleaned up. I’m not going to make guesses, Kate. I’m just going to take care of her to the best of my ability.”

Matt watched Doc’s face, hoping for a hint as to what would happen. He made a mental note never to play poker with the doctor because he had absolutely no tells.

Kate’s face fell, wishing he had given her a clear-cut answer. “That’s fair enough. I have no doubt that you will do everything in your power for her. So, what do we do now? ”

“Now?” Doc answered. “Now, we wait.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

S.G. Lee was born in Philadelphia and raised in its suburbs. Forever a die-hard Philly sports fan, S.G. bleeds a dedicated swirl of Orange & Black, Red & White, or Green & Silver, a phenomenon that baffles nurses and phlebotomists alike. Still, it is the love of reading and writing that trumps all else ... all except for an encouraging spouse and a rambunctious puppy. Currently, all three reside in North Central West Virginia but this author's heart still belongs to the City of Brotherly Love. 

Though it is rumored that the desire to write about zombies was spawned by intense road rage, and a secret longing to club slow drivers with a tire iron, that claim has yet to be substantiated. S.G. is also a contributing author for the Zombie Response Team's blog in addition to a personal blog containing free horror stories and random musings at
www.sgleehorror.blogspot.com
. You can always connect with S.G. on Twitter:
@sg_lee_horror
and Facebook
:
https://www.facebook.com/sg.leehorror.