Sequel: Bullet and a Target ›
Code of Honor
Chapter 14
~Dimitri~
No one heard her at first. Though there weren’t many of us here at the time. Most had left on another hospital run. With two people down so sick it was needed. Desperately. Jamison was the picture of stress lately. Trying to cure two people from a disease he knew nothing about. There was a lot of trial and error. Giving them both different medication and see which one reacted better. He wasn’t having much luck.
I sat up as a heard a murmur. I looked back behind my shoulder. Not sure if it had come from her. Deciding it was better to be safe than sorry I yelled out for Jamison.
“Jamison, I think Grace is calling you.”
He came out of the other room where he had been tending to Kayla. He nodded at me and disappeared straight into Grace’s room. We weren’t allowed anywhere near their rooms. Jamison said it was too much of a risk. He was the only one going in, always with something covering the bottom half of his face. It was hard not knowing if she was okay. We were all scared she was going to die but none of our feelings compared to Cameron’s. He wasn’t the same. He sat by himself most the time watching the door to her room. It had to be hard. Knowing the only child you had left was slowly dying and there was nothing he could do. He wasn’t even allowed in there to comfort her. It was slowly tearing him apart.
“Dimitri!”
I shot up. He had only been in there for a minute. I pulled my jumper over the lower half of my face and stepped closer to the open doorway. He glanced up at me. Panic in his eyes. I couldn’t see her. Suddenly he started giving me orders. He needed several things from the stash...he hesitated and finished.
“...something to cover you face. I’m going to need your help.”
That was a scary thought. But without hesitating I ran over and grabbed everything he had asked for. Everything from medication to a few needles and cloth. I grabbed something to cover my face. When they had picked it up from the hospital I had no idea what it was or why we would even need it. I guess whatever it was for we were lucky to have it now. I rushed back over to the room and stopped in the doorway to tie the cloth around my face. I moved over and placed the stuff beside Jamison.
Hesitantly I looked down at Grace. She was up on her side, facing away from me. Her breathing and heavy and wild. She seemed to be struggling with it. Jamison put his hands on her and rolled her over onto her back. Her face was covered in a fine sheen of sweat. Her eyes were closed and...She looked dead. She was so pale. Jamison motioned me down.
“Hold her,” He said filling a needle. “I need her to stay on her back.”
I leant over her and put my hands on her shoulder gently. She tried to roll back over but I stopped her. She didn’t put up much of a fight. Jamison filled another needle then slowly injected her with both. He sat there waiting for a moment until her face relaxed as the pain faded from her nerves.
“Alright,” He muttered. “This isn’t going to be easy I’m sorry Dimitri but I need help.”
I nodded. I was the only one here to help. I would do everything I could. I looked back down at her. I had to do this for her. Suddenly it struck that something was amiss. She wasn’t moving at all...her breathing had slowed even more.
“Jamison.”
He turned and instantly moved over her. “Grace...Grace!”
She didn’t respond. I tapped her cheek several times with enough force to wake her if she was sleeping. She didn’t respond to me either. Jamison moved to put his hand on the side of the neck. Feeling for her pulse. Then he put his head on her chest.
“She’s still breathing,” He said. “Grace...Grace wake up.”
“Is she’s alright,” I breathed. He didn’t answer at first.
“Her heats still strong, but her breathings slowed dramatically over the last ten minutes. I think she’s having a lapse in consciousness. She should come around...I hope.”
He continued to wait and try and wake her. As we were doing this I heard the others return from their trip on the other side of the wall. Cameron was back and it didn’t take him long to come looking. He stopped in the doorway and without hesitation was at our side.
“What’s wrong with her?”
“Cover your face Cameron.”
“What’s wrong with her?!”
“I don’t know!” Jamison snapped back. “I’m doing what I can.”
Cameron covered his face with his shirt and dropped to his knees beside her. Decided he needed to be here more than me I stepped back out of the way. I watched from a distance as they brought her back around. Slowly her eyes fluttered open and instantly fell on her father.
“Daddy?”
“I’m right here baby,” He replied. “Your okay.”
She was back. I let out the breath I’d been holding. But somewhere in the back of my mind I knew she was okay now. But we weren’t out of the woods yet.
A few days later, as we all sat around the fire eating. Kayla had taken a bad turn during the night. Grace was about the same. She hadn’t had another fit like she did that day but Jamison was constantly watching her for another. I heard him talking to Cameron as we ate.
“How bad is it?” Cameron was questioning.
Jamison sighed. “I don’t know completely,” He replied. “I don’t think they’ll...kill her. Her hearts still going strong.”
“So where’s the problem?”
“From what I can tell from watching her it’s attacking the lungs and respiratory system. It’s a concern but at least I know what I’m looking for and treating. Some good come out of this Cameron. Her chances have lifted.”
Cameron sighed. Not really eating the food he had. “I can’t lose her.”
“I know,” Jamison replied gently putting his hand on Cameron’s shoulder. “I’m going to do everything I can to make sure she pulls through this. I promise you.”
“Thank you.”
“I already lost my children,” He replied sadly. “I won’t lose another.”
With that he got up and walked in to check on her. Cameron and I watched the door until he came back out. He shot us a small smile as a sign. She was okay.
“Sleeping,” He informed before he went into the next room.
This time he took a little longer. Cameron was still watching. He may not have held the same concern he held for Grace but he still worried about the other woman. Slowly Jamison walked out. He showed no good sings this time. He glanced at Cameron and shook his head. I knew exactly what he meant. Kayla was dead. It had killed her.
The next day a few of us went out to bury her somewhere safe. It was a long task, and a morbid one but had to be done. We went for the closest grassed area outside main area of the city and dug a hole. She was wrapped in a blanket so I didn’t have to actually see her. I was thankful for that. We may not have known her all that well but to bury another human was a sad event for anyone. Cameron seemed to take it the hardest.
He took it upon himself to look after anyone who came to us. He’d always looked after me like he would Grace. At the same time I knew that this was probably a horribly distressing thing to do. When the only child you had left was close to suffering the same fate. It wasn’t until now that I realized how serious this really was. I had always pictured Jamison pulling them through. Now we were burying one, and may have to bury another. I hung my head. It may have sounded cruel but it would be harder to bury Grace. She was the only friend I had left.
~ ~ ~
Penny was the next to go down.
Jamison was already keeping an eye on her. He seemed to have a good idea who was at most risk of this and had been caring for anyone who may have been exposed. He said Penny and Grace were most likely going to the definite cases. They had spent time Kayla in the small closed off room alone. So the second she started showing the same signs as Grace he instantly put her into isolation. Well into the same room as Grace just on the other side so they were separated. It was hard to keep isolation in such a small area.
We had been sitting around eating what we could scrape together for dinner. Suddenly Penny went into a fit similar to the same as the one Grace had fallen victim to. She started coughing so badly she eventually couldn’t breathe and lapsed into unconsciousness. Jamison quickly dropped what he was doing to jump into action. With the help of Cameron and myself. I helped Cameron pick her up and carry her into the room with Grace. We laid her down gently on the other side of the room and Jamison soon joined us.
I stood back not sure if I was needed anymore but wanting to see what was happening. I glanced over to where Grace was lying. She was up on her side and watching us with weary eyes. But there was a spark there. I could just see the cogs turning in her head. I frowned at her but she wasn’t looking at me. She was watching Jamison. Eventually she spoke just before he was about to inject Penny with the medication.
“Jamison,” She called. Her voice was rough and croaky.
He glanced up. He must have seen what I seen because he dropped what he was doing and walked over and kneeled beside her.
“Could...could you give that to someone who was...pregnant.”
Her words came out slowly. Not only because of her sore throat but she seemed hesitant to share what she wanted to ask. Jamison frowned.
“No why?” he asked then slowly pieced it all together. “Grace, is she pregnant?”
Hesitantly Grace nodded and the room fell into silence. Penny was pregnant. How long had she been pregnant? I glanced down at her lying on the bed. Her eyes closed in a restless sleep. I had only even seen one pregnancy and that had been my mother’s many years ago. I didn’t know much about pregnancy but know that I looked at her I could see the small belly starting to grow under her shirt.
Jamison moved quickly and left the room. Cameron walked over to Grace and sat down beside her. Putting his hand on her head gently. Her eyes closed as he gently patted her hair down. I looked away from Grace and up to Cameron. His eyes were concerned but at the same time there was something else there I couldn’t put a name to. Something was bothering him. I put it down to stress and concern over the girls.
Jamison came back soon after with a new medication to give to Penny and asked for me to leave the room. I nodded and left them alone. He wasn’t kicking Cameron out as much anymore. I wasn’t sure whether or not to take that as a bad thing or not. Maybe he was just stubborn. I sat back down and stared into the fire more question raising in my mind.
If Penny was pregnant, who was the father?
No one heard her at first. Though there weren’t many of us here at the time. Most had left on another hospital run. With two people down so sick it was needed. Desperately. Jamison was the picture of stress lately. Trying to cure two people from a disease he knew nothing about. There was a lot of trial and error. Giving them both different medication and see which one reacted better. He wasn’t having much luck.
I sat up as a heard a murmur. I looked back behind my shoulder. Not sure if it had come from her. Deciding it was better to be safe than sorry I yelled out for Jamison.
“Jamison, I think Grace is calling you.”
He came out of the other room where he had been tending to Kayla. He nodded at me and disappeared straight into Grace’s room. We weren’t allowed anywhere near their rooms. Jamison said it was too much of a risk. He was the only one going in, always with something covering the bottom half of his face. It was hard not knowing if she was okay. We were all scared she was going to die but none of our feelings compared to Cameron’s. He wasn’t the same. He sat by himself most the time watching the door to her room. It had to be hard. Knowing the only child you had left was slowly dying and there was nothing he could do. He wasn’t even allowed in there to comfort her. It was slowly tearing him apart.
“Dimitri!”
I shot up. He had only been in there for a minute. I pulled my jumper over the lower half of my face and stepped closer to the open doorway. He glanced up at me. Panic in his eyes. I couldn’t see her. Suddenly he started giving me orders. He needed several things from the stash...he hesitated and finished.
“...something to cover you face. I’m going to need your help.”
That was a scary thought. But without hesitating I ran over and grabbed everything he had asked for. Everything from medication to a few needles and cloth. I grabbed something to cover my face. When they had picked it up from the hospital I had no idea what it was or why we would even need it. I guess whatever it was for we were lucky to have it now. I rushed back over to the room and stopped in the doorway to tie the cloth around my face. I moved over and placed the stuff beside Jamison.
Hesitantly I looked down at Grace. She was up on her side, facing away from me. Her breathing and heavy and wild. She seemed to be struggling with it. Jamison put his hands on her and rolled her over onto her back. Her face was covered in a fine sheen of sweat. Her eyes were closed and...She looked dead. She was so pale. Jamison motioned me down.
“Hold her,” He said filling a needle. “I need her to stay on her back.”
I leant over her and put my hands on her shoulder gently. She tried to roll back over but I stopped her. She didn’t put up much of a fight. Jamison filled another needle then slowly injected her with both. He sat there waiting for a moment until her face relaxed as the pain faded from her nerves.
“Alright,” He muttered. “This isn’t going to be easy I’m sorry Dimitri but I need help.”
I nodded. I was the only one here to help. I would do everything I could. I looked back down at her. I had to do this for her. Suddenly it struck that something was amiss. She wasn’t moving at all...her breathing had slowed even more.
“Jamison.”
He turned and instantly moved over her. “Grace...Grace!”
She didn’t respond. I tapped her cheek several times with enough force to wake her if she was sleeping. She didn’t respond to me either. Jamison moved to put his hand on the side of the neck. Feeling for her pulse. Then he put his head on her chest.
“She’s still breathing,” He said. “Grace...Grace wake up.”
“Is she’s alright,” I breathed. He didn’t answer at first.
“Her heats still strong, but her breathings slowed dramatically over the last ten minutes. I think she’s having a lapse in consciousness. She should come around...I hope.”
He continued to wait and try and wake her. As we were doing this I heard the others return from their trip on the other side of the wall. Cameron was back and it didn’t take him long to come looking. He stopped in the doorway and without hesitation was at our side.
“What’s wrong with her?”
“Cover your face Cameron.”
“What’s wrong with her?!”
“I don’t know!” Jamison snapped back. “I’m doing what I can.”
Cameron covered his face with his shirt and dropped to his knees beside her. Decided he needed to be here more than me I stepped back out of the way. I watched from a distance as they brought her back around. Slowly her eyes fluttered open and instantly fell on her father.
“Daddy?”
“I’m right here baby,” He replied. “Your okay.”
She was back. I let out the breath I’d been holding. But somewhere in the back of my mind I knew she was okay now. But we weren’t out of the woods yet.
A few days later, as we all sat around the fire eating. Kayla had taken a bad turn during the night. Grace was about the same. She hadn’t had another fit like she did that day but Jamison was constantly watching her for another. I heard him talking to Cameron as we ate.
“How bad is it?” Cameron was questioning.
Jamison sighed. “I don’t know completely,” He replied. “I don’t think they’ll...kill her. Her hearts still going strong.”
“So where’s the problem?”
“From what I can tell from watching her it’s attacking the lungs and respiratory system. It’s a concern but at least I know what I’m looking for and treating. Some good come out of this Cameron. Her chances have lifted.”
Cameron sighed. Not really eating the food he had. “I can’t lose her.”
“I know,” Jamison replied gently putting his hand on Cameron’s shoulder. “I’m going to do everything I can to make sure she pulls through this. I promise you.”
“Thank you.”
“I already lost my children,” He replied sadly. “I won’t lose another.”
With that he got up and walked in to check on her. Cameron and I watched the door until he came back out. He shot us a small smile as a sign. She was okay.
“Sleeping,” He informed before he went into the next room.
This time he took a little longer. Cameron was still watching. He may not have held the same concern he held for Grace but he still worried about the other woman. Slowly Jamison walked out. He showed no good sings this time. He glanced at Cameron and shook his head. I knew exactly what he meant. Kayla was dead. It had killed her.
The next day a few of us went out to bury her somewhere safe. It was a long task, and a morbid one but had to be done. We went for the closest grassed area outside main area of the city and dug a hole. She was wrapped in a blanket so I didn’t have to actually see her. I was thankful for that. We may not have known her all that well but to bury another human was a sad event for anyone. Cameron seemed to take it the hardest.
He took it upon himself to look after anyone who came to us. He’d always looked after me like he would Grace. At the same time I knew that this was probably a horribly distressing thing to do. When the only child you had left was close to suffering the same fate. It wasn’t until now that I realized how serious this really was. I had always pictured Jamison pulling them through. Now we were burying one, and may have to bury another. I hung my head. It may have sounded cruel but it would be harder to bury Grace. She was the only friend I had left.
~ ~ ~
Penny was the next to go down.
Jamison was already keeping an eye on her. He seemed to have a good idea who was at most risk of this and had been caring for anyone who may have been exposed. He said Penny and Grace were most likely going to the definite cases. They had spent time Kayla in the small closed off room alone. So the second she started showing the same signs as Grace he instantly put her into isolation. Well into the same room as Grace just on the other side so they were separated. It was hard to keep isolation in such a small area.
We had been sitting around eating what we could scrape together for dinner. Suddenly Penny went into a fit similar to the same as the one Grace had fallen victim to. She started coughing so badly she eventually couldn’t breathe and lapsed into unconsciousness. Jamison quickly dropped what he was doing to jump into action. With the help of Cameron and myself. I helped Cameron pick her up and carry her into the room with Grace. We laid her down gently on the other side of the room and Jamison soon joined us.
I stood back not sure if I was needed anymore but wanting to see what was happening. I glanced over to where Grace was lying. She was up on her side and watching us with weary eyes. But there was a spark there. I could just see the cogs turning in her head. I frowned at her but she wasn’t looking at me. She was watching Jamison. Eventually she spoke just before he was about to inject Penny with the medication.
“Jamison,” She called. Her voice was rough and croaky.
He glanced up. He must have seen what I seen because he dropped what he was doing and walked over and kneeled beside her.
“Could...could you give that to someone who was...pregnant.”
Her words came out slowly. Not only because of her sore throat but she seemed hesitant to share what she wanted to ask. Jamison frowned.
“No why?” he asked then slowly pieced it all together. “Grace, is she pregnant?”
Hesitantly Grace nodded and the room fell into silence. Penny was pregnant. How long had she been pregnant? I glanced down at her lying on the bed. Her eyes closed in a restless sleep. I had only even seen one pregnancy and that had been my mother’s many years ago. I didn’t know much about pregnancy but know that I looked at her I could see the small belly starting to grow under her shirt.
Jamison moved quickly and left the room. Cameron walked over to Grace and sat down beside her. Putting his hand on her head gently. Her eyes closed as he gently patted her hair down. I looked away from Grace and up to Cameron. His eyes were concerned but at the same time there was something else there I couldn’t put a name to. Something was bothering him. I put it down to stress and concern over the girls.
Jamison came back soon after with a new medication to give to Penny and asked for me to leave the room. I nodded and left them alone. He wasn’t kicking Cameron out as much anymore. I wasn’t sure whether or not to take that as a bad thing or not. Maybe he was just stubborn. I sat back down and stared into the fire more question raising in my mind.
If Penny was pregnant, who was the father?
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Crappy I know >.< Will try and have another up soon sorry. things have been more than hectic lately.