Project Airborne
Page 16
“And you’re going to take one of those pregnancy tests or all of them. I’m not really sure how those pee sticks work, but people seem to buy them, so they must work.” Kaige explained as she struggled to clear the web of mucus that was getting stuck in the back of her throat, which only succeeded in aggravating her already inflamed throat.
“I’ll take one while your soup is heating up.” Megan looked at her, though Kaige couldn’t decipher whether it was concern for her or if she was thinking the results of the test.
Nodding up and down Kaige went back to the couch, collapsing on it on her side as she balled up under her blankets once more, shivering despite the layers of warmth that kept the cold from touching her skin. Her face felt excruciatingly hot, and it felt like someone was trying to rip her limbs out of their sockets her muscles ached so badly. Clearing her throat once more, she leaned her forehead against the cool leather arm of the couch and closed her eyes just listening to Megan moving around in her living room, making her soup, caring for her. No one had taken care of her like this since her mother passed away. Some days her memory was so vivid in Kaige’s mind that the pain was as fresh as the day she lost her.
“I have a watch on my bed table you can use to time it.” Kaige spoke up with a soft murmur, her eyes sliding open for a second or two to look at Megan’s back as she worked over the fire, stirring her soup. “You have to time those pregnancy tests, right?”
“You do, yes.” Megan replied, straightening from her crouch and came over to the coffee table, looking at the box that had the digital display. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She told Kaige before leaving her to lay on the couch in her misery while she went into the bathroom to perform the dreaded task that all women faced at some point in their lives. Peeing on a stick without then getting pee all over yourself.
“I’ll just be here.” She murmured sitting up on her elbow to get another drink from her tea before she lay back again, her body aches felt like they were getting worse by the second as Megan went into her bedroom and got the wristwatch from the side table and went to the bathroom. Kaige was trying to be more supportive, but this damn cold was kicking her ass and she hoped that if she piled enough blankets on top of herself, slammed all the cold medicine she picked up she wouldn’t suffer for very long.
Sniffing, Kaige was dosing off listening to the sound of the soup beginning to bubble in the pot on the fire, she wanted to get up and check it, but she couldn’t make herself move until Megan returned to the living room with a pee stick in one hand wrapped in toilet paper and her watch in the other.
“Should have gotten some more hand sanitizer.” Kaige mumbled, prying her eyes open again as she made herself sit up on the couch. “I’m contaminating you just by you being in here with me.” Kaige took a deep breath and sighed, watching Megan place the test down on the coffee table and then go back to stirring the soup before she poured it into a bowl and set it down in front of her. Kaige didn’t really want to eat it, but she knew she needed to otherwise she was going to feel guilty for wasting food, especially when it seemed like she was being forbidden from going back out to scout until she was back on her feet.
“I’ll be fine. Kaige, just eat your soup.” Megan told her as she sat down on the other end of the couch, watching the hands tick by on the watch.
Bringing the bowl to her lips she blew until she thought it was safe to take a sip. Kaige didn’t want any of the noodles, just the broth even though she’d always hated canned chicken noodle soup. It almost seemed to have this smell to it, like hot baby vomit or something equally disgusting. Funny that Megan should make her chicken noodle soup because she was sick and just on the other side of the couch, she was waiting to find out if she was pregnant.
“Negative.” Megan sucked in a tight breath, holding it for a second as she held the test up to her eyes and examined the digital readout. “I should take another one, just to be sure.” The woman stood up, going into the kitchen and dropped the stick in the trash before coming back with a bottle of Powerade, chugging it. “Too bad we don’t have any iced tea, that always makes me pee.” She laughed, but some of the tension had left her face, making her look slightly younger than she had a few minutes before.
“Could always make some.” Kaige said, swallowing a little more broth. She was trying to take gulps of it to get it down, but it was way too hot.
“It’s okay, Kaige. I can gulp this down and surely get a little more out for this next test. If this one is negative too, I’ll be able to relax.” Megan nodded up and down, but it sounded more like she was just telling herself that.
“I’ve heard that stress can cause your period to be late, y’know.” Kaige supplied, swallowing the last gulp of broth that she could stand. What was it about being sick that made your stomach feel like it was already full when you hadn’t eaten anything in at least twelve hours? It never made sense to her and Kaige remembered her mother saying that it was because your stomach was full of the snot you accidently swallowed or that trickled down from your sinuses. Maybe she was right?
“That might be the cause, but we will find out soon enough.” Megan grabbed the next box and disappeared into the bathroom.
Kaige wrapped herself in her blankets like she was a sushi roll and laid back down on the couch, her eyes growing heavier as her head hit one of the pillows. Barely aware of when Megan returned to the living room with the test in her hands, watching as the line on this one slowly turned into a second negative symbol and she felt herself sigh in relief. At least now she could tell Tom that she wasn’t pregnant, but they were going to have to get a few things straight.
17.
She wasn’t sure of what time it was when she opened her eyes again, but there was one thing that Kaige knew, she heard a plane.
Throwing blankets off her body, someone had taken her from the couch to her bed in her blanket burrito and covered her up again, her clothes were wet with sweat as her heart leapt in her chest and beat harder as she stumbled, her feet tangled in the blankets as she hurried to the window, she couldn’t see it. But she heard it, that distinct sound of a plane flying low through the sky, the sound of the wind hitting the propellers almost caused a kind of vibration noise through the sky. But it was dark out and she couldn’t see anything.
Coughing, she clutched her hand to her chest, hurrying to another window, the living room –yes, she might be able to spot it there, but Kaige couldn’t spot any lights in the sky it was pure darkness. Her eyes watered as she bent at the waist, her cough shaking her entire body. Her feet pounded along the hardwood floor as she jerked the back door open, coughing, she slid into the wall, her head spinning struggling to inhale. She had to get outside, the sound was getting further away now, and she had to somehow find a way to flag it down, there were survivors here.
Across the hall, Kaige fell, hugging her chest as another fit of body wracking coughs escaped her lungs and the door opened. Tom was standing in his pajamas and socks, Megan standing behind him.
“Did –,” Kaige tried to catch her breath to speak, but she only felt her lungs seize once more and squeeze what little oxygen she managed to inhale right back out. “Did you... you hear it?” Kaige strangled.
Neither Tom or Megan seemed to understand her urgency as they came out into the hall. Megan was crouching in front of her, her cool hands felt so good on her cheeks as Megan touched her face, tipping her head back before her hands ran down her back to help ease her through the coughing fit.
“She’s burning up, Tom. Help me get her back into bed.” Megan was saying as Kaige caught her breath and she was heaving against the wall, her lungs expanding and working overtime to take in air.
“Did you he-hear it?” Kaige asked again, panting, her voice going in and out. She wasn’t even aware of how badly every muscle in her body hurt. Those blue eyes wildly searching Megan’s face and then her husbands as Tom’s arms came down, scooping her up with a low grunt as he walked with her back into the apartment, Megan running ah
ead with the solar lantern in her hand, throwing the covers of her bed back. “Stop.” Kaige managed weakly as Tom placed her back down on her pillow. “Please, there was a plane. I heard it, didn’t you hear it?”
“Sweetie, there’s no plane.” Tom told her, helping her ease back down into the bed when she tried to pop right back up like a cork.
“You were dreaming, Kaige.” Megan assured her, piling the blankets back on top of her and running into the living room, grabbing a drink and some more of the same medicine that she’d given Kaige earlier that morning.
“No, I wasn’t dreaming. I –I know that I heard a plane.” Arguing she tried to slow her breathing and listen, praying that she could still hear it, but there was only a faint electric hum and her eyes lit up. It didn’t sound like a plane, but it was something. “There, can’t you,” Jerking upright in bed, her lungs were screaming as she held one of her blankets over her mouth trying to hide her cough from them.
Megan was back again, holding a bottle of Powerade and the pills, waiting for her to finish her coughing spasm before she gave her the pills, helping tip the bottle so she could drink from it.
“Oh, honey.” Megan shook her head softly, almost laughing. She’d missed so much through the day sleeping, but Megan reached out pushing some of her sweat dampened hair back from her face. “That’s the electric heater humming, there wasn’t a plane. I’m so sorry Kaige.” The level of pity that laced the woman’s voice made Kaige shake her head and try to sit up again, but she was just too weak, and she lay back against her pillows.
“No, Meg... I swear I heard a plane flying over.” Kaige whined, she was so desperate that she was almost in tears, but she could hardly expend the energy to bring herself to argue with them further and she stared up at them blinking, every now and then murmuring. “I heard it, I know I heard it.”
“Shh-shh-shh.” Megan hushed her until eventually she saw that Kaige’s eyes had closed once more and she was asleep again. The poor thing, Kaige hadn’t even noticed that the heater was running in her room, but subconsciously in her mind, she equated the abnormal sound to a plane flying overhead. Megan wished it was true as much as Kaige was sure that it happened, but Megan had long ago given up that hope even if she never told anyone about it.
“Do you think someone should stay with her?” Tom asked as they tiptoed out of Kaige’s bedroom and out into the living room. Tom bent down and tossed a few extra logs onto the fire. While Kaige slept and the news of her cold reached the other members of the household they had all been taking turns checking on her while she slept. Logan moved her to her bed and when the generators had charged Megan had set up one of the heaters in her bedroom for her to keep her warm while she slept.
“I don’t know.” Megan shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest, slightly rubbing them. While it was no longer arctic cold inside the apartments thanks to the heaters it was tepid enough that she wanted an extra layer to cover her arms from the mild chill. “I don’t want anyone else to get sick, but she obviously isn’t well enough to take care of herself right now.” Megan said, explaining her thought process to her husband.
“What should we do?” Tom reached up, scrubbing his hand through his messy, greasy hair a moment, causing the overgrown hair to stick up at odd ends.
“I’ll get my pillows and some blankets and sleep on the couch just in case she wakes up again and needs help.” Megan decided ultimately. After she’d taken both pregnancy tests yesterday she told Tom all about it.
Megan was never good at keeping secrets let alone from Tom. He admitted that he was relieved, but they’d also had a very strong talk about how he handled the situation. Zombies or no zombies, medical professionals or not, if Megan had been pregnant, Tom needed to man the fuck up and just deal with it because whether the world was upside down or not, life found a way to go on.
JOLTING AWAKE HOURS later, the early morning sun was breaking through the clouds and casting golden rays of sunlight on the hardwood floor through the slats in the blinds. Her bedroom was warm, and her eyes slowly slid over the room, blinking. There was something she was dreaming about, but she couldn’t remember exactly what it was, the memory flitting around just out of her grasp as she inhaled a wheezing breath and immediately began to cough up a big wad of green brown mucus. Gagging on the taste Kaige was pushing the blankets off, looking for a box of Kleenex, but she couldn’t find any as she hurried out of her room, running to the kitchen to spit into the sink.
“Ew...” From the time she was a little girl she closely inspected her mucus density and color. It was probably her mom’s fault she did this. If she got sick and coughed up mucus, her mom demanded to see it, apparently, how thick it was and what color it came out in was somehow directly correlated to how sick you were and judging by this she must have been sick as a damn dog.
“Oh my God, are you okay Kaige? Did you get sick and vomit?” Megan was stumbling into the doorway in the kitchen with sleepy eyes and moving with a sense of urgency as she came up behind her. Kaige had completely missed her sleeping on the couch when she was looking for someplace to spit.
“I didn’t throw up but look at my mucus.” Kaige pointed, before she pumped hand sanitizer into her hands quickly and began to rub them together.
“Honey, that’s disgusting.” Megan said, shaking her head.
“I know. At least it’s not inside me anymore. My mom always said it was better to cough and get it up so that it wasn’t just sitting in your lungs.” Sniffling, she grabbed a bottle of water and twisted the cap off, sprinkling some into the sink to rinse the mucus, down the drain before she inhaled through her mouth because her sinuses had instantly closed back up.
“Are you feeling any better?” Megan asked her, initiating an all over scratch as she yawned and stretched.
“I’m not sure yet.” Kaige murmured, feeling chilly as she scuffled through the kitchen into the living room again, headed for the bedroom to get her robe and house shoes back, a shiver taking over her limbs. “My throat doesn’t hurt like it did yesterday.” She explained. “That was yesterday, wasn’t it?”
“It was. That cold medicine really knocked you out good, but you had bad dreams.” Megan explained, as she tossed another log onto the fire which she’d kept going most of the night, although Kaige’s couch was very comfortable to sleep on. It was like being sucked into a full body cuddle without someone else’s hot breath flowing all over you while you tried to sleep.
“Bad dreams?” Kaige sat down on the end of the couch, hugging her robe around her shoulders, fumbling with a pack of cigarettes and shaking one out. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep on the couch yesterday morning.
“Yeah, you woke up sometime in the middle of the night, having a coughing seizure and went out into the hall. I think you were trying to go outside because you thought you heard a plane.” Megan explained, plugging the old coffee pot into the generator that was sitting on an end table in the living room.
Kaige hadn’t even noticed that and her eyes lit up slightly.
“Holy Crap the generators work!” She croaked, getting up from her seat to come stand close and look.
“They do. We could stand a few more, just to back these up on. Logan and Brian are going to go out later today and get them and you are not allowed to go.” Megan told her with the tone of a mother telling her child that they couldn’t go outside and play in the snow if their nose was still running.
Kaige instantly wanted to argue, but she knew better, she also didn’t think she had the energy to argue and decided to save that for another time when it was a more serious issue.
“I haven’t noticed anything in here.” Kaige laughed a little, her chest rattling with congestion as she went back to her seat.
“Not a lot happened while you were sleeping.” Megan laughed.
“So, I thought I heard a plane?” Kaige asked, her bottom lip slowly pouting as she tried to remember the night before, but the details just wouldn’t come to her.
“What little I can smell, is amazing.” Kaige murmured around her cigarette, poking through the different cold medicines that were now lined up on the coffee table. Megan must have done this at some point. She didn’t know how she was going to repay her for taking such good care of her.
“The guys are talking about getting power restored to the house, at least if they can find a power bank large enough to do it.” Megan commented, pouring creamer into their coffee mugs as the apartment door opened and Logan came stumbling inside.
“I smell coffee.” He mumbled, scrubbing a hand over his eyes and looking around, finding Kaige on the couch a smile split over his sleepy face. “You look better than yesterday. When I put you in your bed you were burning up.”
So, that explained how she got into her bed, although the redness that burned through her skin yesterday due to high fever returned in another form when her cheeks turned red from blushing with embarrassment.
“Thanks.” Kaige mumbled slightly.
Logan looked somewhat bashful himself as he entered the living room and took a seat in the recliner. Whenever he came into her apartment that seemed to be the seat that Logan claimed. Kaige was beginning to call it Logan’s chair in her head.
“I’m not sure yet, but I feel a little better or it could just be all the sleep.” She admitted as Megan placed her coffee down in front of her on the coffee table and gave Logan the one she was making for herself.
“Your color looks a lot better.” Megan said while placing the back of her palm against Kaige’s forehead testing her temperature. “But you are still running a fever.” The tone of her voice didn’t sound pleased as she turned away and began to make her own cup of coffee, again.