The Flu 1/2 (29 page)

“No, Mick, the point is...you weren’t thinking,” Dylan told him. “Yeah, run about, be the hero, but what the hell are me and the boys supposed to do if something happens to you? Huh? What?”

Officer Haddock cleared his throat and whispered to Mick, “She’s right.”

“Who asked you!” Mick barked then noticed Dylan walking away. “Dylan!” Mick’s hand raised then dropped. He grumbled softly, “Haddock, you’re a married man. Quick, what do I say to rectify this?”

Through clenched teeth, like telling a secret, Haddock moved toward Mick. “Just tell her you’re sorry, you weren’t thinking, and she should be foremost in your mind. That type of stuff.”

“Got it.” Mick nodded. “Thanks.” Quickly he trotted off after Dylan. “Wait.” He called out to her when he saw her on the street. “Dylan.”

Arms folded tight, Dylan stopped and turned around. “What? And don’t come too close, you disgust me.”

Mick paused in shock. “I disgust you?”

“Yes. Your ear is half gone.”

“It is not. See.” Mick turned his head, but the attempt to show her was in vain. Dylan closed her eyes. “Never mind. Dylan....”

“What? Mick, I have to go.”

“Where do you have to go?”

“To work. Thank you very much for opening businesses again.”

“Dylan, wait.” Mick took hold of her arm. “You were right. I was wrong.”

“About?”

“What do you think?’

“You tell me. You’re a man. You’ll apologize just to get peace, and you’ll never know what you’re apologizing for. So tell me.”

“For taking a risk.” Mick looked at her. “Was that right?”

“Go on.”

“OK.” Mick took a breath. “I wasn’t thinking. I was just acting. But I will not do that again. It was a dangerous situation and I should have called for backup. I’ll be more careful. The last thing I want is to leave you and the boys. Okay?”

Dylan nodded. “That works.” Quickly she darted in and kissed him. “But I do have to go. I want to share the news with the boys before I head to the video store.”

“What news?”

“Oh. I don’t have the flu.”

“Of course you don’t have the flu.”

“No, Mick. Really,” Dylan stated, “I don’t. I went to Lars and he checked. Whew, what a relief.” She rattled on, “At first I thought, ‘He’s gonna run out of fingers to prick.’ But he took four tubes out of my arm. Boy, that had me worried, then I realized it was only to help Patrick learn, which was okay. He did good. See?” Dylan showed her arm. “Boy, he has good hands.”

“Dylan, you have to stop going to Lars every day.”

“But, Mick, I thought I had the flu. I felt bad. Really bad this morning.”

“And how do you feel now?” Mick asked.

“Fine.”

“That’s because it’s all in your head. There is no flu in Lodi. Leave the man alone.”

Dylan gasped in offense. “There is nothing wrong with being careful. Nothing.” She glanced at her watch. “And I have to go. See you tonight?”

“Yeah. Hey, I’m gonna take the boys over to my mom when she gets out of quarantine.”

“They’ll like that.” Dylan kissed Mick on the cheek. “Remember what you told me. You’ll be careful and think first.”

“Absolutely.” Mick smiled and watched Dylan walk away. As soon as he turned, he heard the call on his radio.

“Chief. Come in.” Haddock called.

“What’s up?” Mick spoke into the radio.

“We have two of the campers trying to sneak in through Barker’s property on the south.”

“I’m on my way.”

“Want backup?” Haddock asked.

Mick looked over his shoulder to see Dylan slowly disappearing down the street. “Nah,” he said. “I can handle it.”

* * *

Reston, Virginia

“I never thought I’d feel better.” Cup of tea in his hands, Kurt walked to a chair and sat down. “Still not a hundred percent.”

“You’re not supposed to be walking around,” Henry reminded him. “Lars was able to pull through fourteen so far of our biker wall.”

“What about the campers that showed up a couple days ago?” Kurt asked.

“Mick said his man Russ estimates now about two hundred.” Henry sat down, breathing out in exhaustion. “They are keeping them a good fifty yards from the Lodi boundary. But it won’t be long before the shepherds that flocked there start dropping like flies.”

Kurt cringed. “Can you be any less inhumane?”

“Probably,” Henry snickered. “Truth is, they will all start to show symptoms, or at least most will. Lars just can’t help them. He can’t. The supplies belong to Lodi. Speaking of supplies…” Henry pulled forth a tablet. “I have three trucks, emergency food and so forth from the Columbus bomb shelter heading their way. They should be good for a little while. We’ll order another truck from somewhere else in about a week.”

Kurt snickered. “In a week? From where?” He turned his chair and looked at their map. “I see Alaska is finished.”

“Yep. Haven’t had any new reports in a while. Lexi said they were finished in Anchorage so I marked the state finished as well. Montana, too. California is still kicking, but then again they’re more densely populated.”

Kurt shook his head. “The west dies while up in New York...what is the word from New York?”

“Mid-crisis,” Henry replied. “In the thick of things. Another week, they too will die down.”

“Won’t everything?” Kurt stared ahead.

“Do you realize how fortunate you and I are at this moment in history? No family, no pain. Objective observers of...well...of nothing before long,” Henry said.

“And what then?” Kurt raised his eyes to Henry. “When it’s all over. When there’s nothing left. What...then?”

“Then...” Henry stood up and paced across the room. “Then, my friend, you and I...” his hand rested on the map. “We go to Lodi.”

Lodi, Ohio

Mick rubbed his throbbing temple. As if his ear wasn’t sore enough, his head had started to hurt as well. He had felt fine five minutes earlier when he picked up the boys. Perhaps it was caused by limited space in the squad car. Mick never did like driving the boys, and the arguing between Chris and Dustin hammered that fact home.

“Well, what was he supposed to do?” Dustin snapped. “Haul us all on his bike? God, you’re an idiot.”

“Shut up,” Chris barked back. “I just feel like a criminal.”

“Oh, yeah. Big criminal.” Dustin shook his head. “Thank God, we’re here now. I can get away from you.”

Mick mumbled under his breath as he shut off the car, “Yeah, thank God.” He turned and looked at Tigger.

Tigger smiled at him then peered out the window. “Your house is bigger than our house, Mick.”

“Trust me, I realize this now.” Mick stepped out of the car and opened the back door. He undid Tigger’s strap and straightened his hair. “Let’s go, guys.”

“Hey, Mick?” Dustin asked. “How come if your mom got out of quarantine three hours ago, we’re just going to see her now?”

Chris snickered. “That’s because Mick’s afraid of his mom.”

“Shut up, you goof,” Dustin quipped. “Mick’s not afraid of his mom, you moron...are you, Mick?”

“No. Yes.” Mick shook his head. “No. It’s just she may be a little upset.”

“What did you do?” Chris asked.

“Nothing.” Mick moved up the walk.

“Is she gonna yell, Mick? Is she?” Chris badgered.

“Maybe.”

Stopping, Chris flashed a grin at Dustin.

Mick spun around. “And if she doesn’t, make me a promise, don’t remind her that she’s supposed to be mad at me.”

Dustin raised his right hand. “We won’t. ‘Cause we don’t want to get you in trouble, even though it would be funny to see her yell. She swears a lot. Your mom is funny.”

“Oh, yeah. She’s a blast.” Mick rolled his eyes.

A thickly built woman, a little taller than average, wearing blue jeans and a tee shirt opened the screen door as they all stepped onto the porch. “Hey!” Rose Owens smiled. Despite the sprinkling of gray in her short hair she was in good shape and didn’t look her age. “Come on in.”

Mick let the boys go first, saving his entrance for last.

Dustin embraced Rose. “You’re staying at Mick’s, huh?’

“Looks that way. Against my goddamn will.” Rose embraced Chris then hugged Tigger. “Look at you boys. How are you doing? Honestly?”

Dustin bobbed his head. “Good. We’re doing good. It was tough.”

“I know.” Rose winked. “I think about your dad all the time. Nice boy. Nice. Unlike some.” She shifted a quick glare at Mick. “And what the fuck is up with this one’s hair.” She reached down and tousled Tigger’s perfectly smoothed hair.

“Hey,” Mick moved her hand. “It takes forever to get it to lie down.”

“Then don’t fuckin’ make it lay down. If it’s meant to stick up, let it. He’s a child. And who the hell are you to talk with that mane? Grown man. I like a man with long hair, not a law man with long hair. And you wonder why no one fuckin’ respects you in this town.”

Mick’s mouth dropped open. “I’m respected. And can you please not swear around these boys?”

Rose looked at Dustin and Chris. “Does it bother you?”

“No ma’am.” Chris answered. “We have cable.”

“See?” Rose noticed Tigger darting from the room. “Where’s he going?”

Dustin answered, “Being nosey. He does that all the time. Should I get him?”

Mick gave a wave of his hand. “Let him go. He can’t reach anything he shouldn’t see.”

“Look at you picking on that child’s size,” Rose scolded.

“Mrs. Owens?” Chris drew up a sneaky look. “You aren’t mad at Mick, are you?”

Mick cringed.

Dustin hurriedly looked at Chris. “I can’t believe you opened your mouth. Mick asked you not to open your mouth. We don’t even know what it is she’s supposed to be yelling at him for, now you’ve gone and reminded her.”

“My son told you not to mention why I’m mad?” Rose questioned. “Well, I’ll tell you why I’m mad. The fuckin’ asshole locked me up. No, he padlocked me in a fuckin’ tin box for three days. I didn’t want to be in there. I wanted to hold a border patrol with my boys.”

“Well, your
boys
,” Mick stated harshly, “are dropping from the flu. So be happy.”

“And what the fuck happened to your ear?” Rose reached out and touched it.

“Ow!” Mick jolted back a step. “I got shot.”

“You got shot?” Rose questioned. “You didn’t get shot.”

“I did too,” Mick argued.

“If you got shot in the goddamn ear, why do you still have your head?”

After shooting a scolding look to a snickering Chris and Dustin, Mick returned his attention to Rose. “He missed.”

“Then you didn’t get shot. What the hell were you doing in a bullet’s way anyhow?” Rose asked.

“I was chasing border breakers.”

“Did you get them?”

“Of course I got them,” Mick responded with offense. “I do my job very well.”

“Mick?” Tigger innocently reentered the room with a large envelope that had white paper poking out the top of it. “Why is mommy naked with another woman in these pictures?”

Mick hunched against the loud cries of disgust that came from Dustin and Chris. Then amidst their, “Oh my God, Mom’s a lesbian” commentaries, Mick snatched the envelope from Tigger. He flashed a smile to the boy, then after clearing his throat he threw an embarrassed look to Rose.

Rose smugly folded her arms. “Naked pictures of Dylan and another broad, huh? What was that you were saying about doing your job?”

* * *

The dainty little fingers rested upon her grandmother’s hand as Amy Turner’s chest gurgled with every breath she took. Lars didn’t need to listen to her chest to hear how badly the flu had stricken her, but for the sake of appearances, he listened. He had been called to quarantine trailer one to give his diagnosis.

Sadly, he removed the stethoscope from his ears, letting it dangle around his neck. With his gloved hand, he reached for the tube of blood he had just removed from the seven year old girl. He placed it in his lab coat then glanced again at Amy. The white pasty skin; the thick brown mucus that clogged her nose; the swollen blackness under her throat. Lars wanted to scream in frustration.

By his granddaughter’s bed, Lyle Turner peered at Lars. “Well, Doctor?”

Lars stood up. “I’m sorry, it’s the flu.”

“You can’t be sure. How can you be sure without running tests?”

“You’re right.” Lars held up his hand. “I’ll wait to see the results. I’ll get back to you.” He just wanted to leave. Turning, Lars tried to do just that.

“If it is...the flu,” Lyle spoke up causing Lars to stop. “Is there anything we can do?”

Lars wanted to spin around in outrage and blast the older man and tell him, “
Why in God’s name weren’t you asking this two days ago when this girl first got sick? Didn’t I tell you to call me with any symptoms? Why did you wait?”