Outbreak: Brave New World

by Van Dusen, Robert

  “Well…a little exercise would probably do you some good.” Tom said as he turned his attention to the little boy playing with the dog. Freddie was licking Paulie’s face making the little boy giggle. “Hey Paulie, what do you say we show Amy and Freddie around the place?”

  Tom left Frays and Paulie alone for a moment then came back with a bag under his arm. “Got you a uniform here, Airman.” he said as he handed the bag over to her and a hand receipt on a clipboard. He pointed to a line on the form. “Sign there and initial.”

  “Please, call me Amy.” Frays said so quickly she could have kicked herself. She inspected the contents of the bag and compared it to the description of the items listed on the paperwork. “Great. First I have to dress like a grunt now they make me look like a dang jarhead.” the Airman mumbled to herself as she signed the hand receipt and handed it back.

  There were a complete set of Marine Corps cammies, tee shirt and regulation brown female underwear in plastic bags piled on the bed. The young woman swung her feet over the edge of the bed and hopped down, a little unsteady for a moment. Tom caught her arm and helped her get her balance. “Thanks. Lemme just grab a quick shower and change first, okay?”

  There was a small shower stall in the room’s latrine. Frays took a very fast shower as the others were waiting for her. The water was kind of lukewarm, probably coming from a cistern on the roof or something and warmed by the sun. It kind of reminded her of Basic Training where they were only allowed a few minutes to wash. Their barracks at the Academy had been built before the Vietnam War and the hot water had been spotty at best so it was not like anybody really wanted to spend a lot of time in there anyways.

  Amy got dressed and put her hair up then went out into the room. She was a little surprised by how big her belly was starting to get. It felt like the little guy had soaked up all the vitamins and minerals that Lieutenant Haskins had pumped into her over the past couple of days and practically doubled in size.

  Frays frowned as she struggled to get her MCCUU jacket zipped up. Finally she grumbled and hung it on the IV rack and headed out, feeling somewhat self conscious because of the bulge in her belly. She scowled glumly when she caught a glimpse of herself in profile in a mirror in the hall outside her room. Frays grimaced and studied herself for a moment turning this way and that then tried to suck in her stomach a little. The tee shirt was a little too tight across the stomach and chest showing off a little more than she felt comfortable with. She could only imagine how much attention she was going to be attracting being pretty obviously pregnant and almost a C cup now.

  Amy made a face then went out into the hall with her shoulders hunched forward a little bit. Tom and Paulie were nowhere to be seen however she thought she could hear someone a little ways down the hall probably where she guessed the lobby was.

  Paulie and Tom were throwing a blue racquetball around what Frays guessed was now the Aid Station’s waiting area. The rubber ball made hollow popping sounds as it ricocheted wildly off the walls and ceiling, making Freddie go nuts as the dog scrambled around the room trying to catch it. The dog’s toenails could not get any purchase on the tile floor so the animal scratched and scrabbled and slid all over the place as he pursued the ball. Several of the plastic chairs lined up in neat rows went flying as the dog plowed into them. The boy was laughing so hard that his face was bright red.

  “Hey!” a voice shouted behind her, making Amy jump and turn around. Lieutenant Haskins stood there scowling with her hands on her hips. “Knock that off, Mister Richards!” The Navy officer walked into the foyer, shaking her head. She gave the medic an exasperated look. “Take the dog outside before you break something.”

  Amy cleared her throat. “Excuse me, ma’am.” she said quietly as she approached the other woman. “Do you know where I’m gonna be assigned?” Frays stopped a respectful distance from the lieutenant and stood at attention. “I haven’t heard anything yet and the rest of my squad’s already been put someplace.” She glanced down at her tee shirt sleeves sticking out from under her LCS and gave Haskins a strange look. “And…um…that jacket doesn’t fit.”

  “I’ve put you on light duty too. I think they’ll have you over with Base Security answering phones or something.” Haskins said as she looked the woman up and down. She frowned at the airman and readjusted the brace around her neck. “It won’t be until at least tomorrow, so just take it easy for today. Were you trying to go somewhere?”

  “I thought a little fresh air and sunlight might do some good, ma’am.” Tom said as he caught the ball and stuffed it into the pocket of his scrubs. Freddie and Paulie watched the man expectantly for a moment before the boy gave Lieutenant Haskins a sour look. She was always spoiling their fun. “I was going to take Frays and the kid outside for an hour or so, seeing as how it’s a nice day out.”

  Lieutenant Haskins nodded. “Alright, but see that Airman Frays doesn’t strain herself too much.” she said and smiled at Paulie. The woman knelt to look the boy in the eye. “You hear me, Mister Lacey?” The boy smiled and saluted. Lieutenant Haskins chuckled and returned the gesture. Amy and Tom’s eyes met, the two of them exchanging a secret smile.

  A few minutes later Amy and Tom were traipsing along the road outside the Aid Station. Frays was somewhat amazed to see that the building used to be a cancer treatment center. Paulie and Freddie were busily chasing each other around as they raced after the racquetball. She was a little surprised and disconcerted by what she saw just outside the confines of the Aid Station’s walls. A brief shock of panic ran through her when she realized that she did not have her weapons, though it went away when she remembered that Lacey said that he had signed them into the armory for her. Still, the realization that she was unarmed and surrounded by strangers made her feel like she was walking around without any pants on or something.

  There was enough around to remind her of the other Camp Freedom she had known while overseas, with the eight foot tall sand colored walls on either side of the streets and armed people in uniforms walking around but it was a pleasant New England summer day outside. Frays could pick up the familiar stink of burning garbage on the wind too, something else that reminded her of Iraq.

  There were parties of people in civilian clothes cutting down trees on either side of the street and loading the split logs and wood chips into pickup trucks under what looked like the supervision of a half dozen soldiers. She did a double take. No…the armed men did not look like Soldiers or Marines. They did not seem to be wearing any sort of uniform… And what were the workers doing? Storing firewood for winter? Tom glanced at the woman at his side. She looked a little dazed to him. “Are you okay?” he asked after he tossed the ball.

  Amy smiled at him. “I’m alright. It’s just…a little weird.” Frays shrugged as she watched the men and women hacking up the trees. “This place looks sort of like the FOB I was at in Iraq but the weather’s like home but it smells a lot like Iraq. I’m sorry… Does…any of that not sound crazy?” She made an attempt at a self depreciating chuckle.

  The man smiled and took her hand for a moment. “We had to abandon Brunswick Naval Air Station because of a bunch of dead people decided to get up and start eating people.” Tom said under his breath, leaning in close so Paulie could not hear him. “I really don’t think there’s anything you could say that would sound crazy to me.”

  She sighed and studied the blacktop under her boots as she searched for some way to change the subject. “Where are my guys?” Frays asked. Paulie and the dog came running up with the racquetball. She squeaked when Freddie jumped at her then once the animal calmed down Amy took the ball out of his mouth and tossed it down the street, sending Freddie and Paulie running off after the blue rubber orb.

  “Lacey and Rodriguez got put on perimeter guard while you’re recuperating.” Tom said, barely holding in laughter. He held up his hands and Paulie tossed the ball to him. The medic took a couple steps then threw the ball again sending the boy and his dog scampering after it
. “Your brother’s learning how to tend crops on the field.” He glanced at the woman walking next to him and smiled at the confused look on her face. “We planted some vegetables in between the runways at the airport. C’mon I’ll show you.”

  Amy could not help but find herself impressed with the sight of what used to be the grass between the three runways. There were neat orderly rows of corn and other vegetables sprouting up between the tarmac and the fences around the perimeter of the airport. She could see people hunched over between the rows, obviously weeding the plots or something. “Wow. Look at that...” Frays whispered.

  For the first time in what seemed like forever she actually felt a little hopeful about the future. It had not even occurred to her until right then and there just how…well…maybe not necessarily depressed but just sort of low she had felt ever since she had buried her parents. A pang of guilt twisted in her guts like a rusty dull knife when she remembered that she had not even thought about them much at all over the last couple of days. She had been preoccupied with her little boy but...still… Amy made a mental note to ask if there was a chaplain and to see if she could get him to say a Funeral Mass for her mom and dad…

  They stood there watching people tending the crops for a little while. “Well…I guess we should get back.” Tom said and smiled at the woman standing next to him. She smiled back and it suddenly occurred to him that, despite the brace around her neck and the scar on her cheek, Amy was pretty cute.

  He had to wonder what she looked like before she got pregnant because she seemed to have a really nice little body. Tom studied her out of the corner of his eye as they walked taking in the way the tee shirt showed off her breasts and snuck the occasional peek at her butt. Amy sensed the man’s eyes on her and turned her head a bit to try and catch him at it. She gave the man a knowing little grin when he quickly glanced away.

  “I was thinking.” Amy said as they wandered back towards the Aid Station. They ambled along slowly, enjoying the warm sun on their faces and smell of the growing things on the air. Tom smiled at the woman walking next to him. Paulie was sitting on his shoulders, the little boy resting his hands on the top of the man’s head. Freddie wandered along with them thoroughly exhausted from all the playing.

  “Uh oh.” Tom said quietly as he glanced up at the little boy on his shoulders. “This sounds like trouble.” Amy snickered and playfully swatted at the man’s shoulder. The two of them snickered, Frays shaking her head a little bit.

  “Jerk.” she muttered, still grinning at the man. “Do you guys have an engineering department or something? I think I’d be more useful there.” Frays glanced at the man, trying to think of a way to make her case without sounding like she was bragging or anything. “I was going to get my Masters in Electrical Engineering pretty soon. Plus, I can do the job right up until I’m ready to pop.”

  The image of Amy popping like a balloon sprung to Paulie’s mind. He seemed somewhat startled by the prospect. “You’re gonna pop, Amy?” he asked suddenly looking a little scared. “Don’t do that! Don’t you go asplode!” Amy and Tom laughed at the little boy.

  “Amy’s not gonna asplode, Paulie.” the medic explained as he looked up at the boy sitting on his shoulders. “She’s just going to look like she will is all.” This earned him another swat on the arm from Frays. “Ah! Hey!” he shouted and took a couple quick steps away from her. The boy giggled and Tom took off running, leaving a trail of Paulie’s laughter behind him.

  Lacey jumped to his feet when Amy, Paulie and some guy in hospital scrubs walked into the lobby. “Hey, kiddo!” he called as the boy hurried over into his father’s waiting arms. “I can’t stay long but how are you, Paulie?”

  The little boy hugged his father. “I’m okay.” Paulie gestured towards the medic and grinned. “Tommy took us for a walk. It was boring in the hospital. He showed us the garden.” he informed his father. “Tommy and Amy played catch with me and Freddie. It was fun.” Adam noticed the way the dog’s tail wagged slowly as it stood near Amy.

  He glanced at the woman. She looked a little tired, but Frays seemed to have enjoyed herself as well. “Hey Frays.” Adam said and smiled awkwardly. “Glad to see you up and around. When are you getting that thing off your neck?”

  “I dunno.” she smiled back at him and picked at the foam and plastic device holding her head still. “I hope it’s soon. Figures I get itches where I can’t scratch them. What they got you and Rodriguez doing, anyways?”

  “We’re on a guard tower on the other side of the compound.” He set down his son and let him go over to the dog. There was an awkward moment of silence. “I’m on lunch break. Do you think it’d be okay if I took my squad leader and son to lunch?”

  Tom frowned. “I don’t think that would be a problem.” he said and grinned at Paulie then checked his watch. “Just have them back over here by twelve thirty hours. I think Lieutenant Haskins was going to check on you guys.”

  “Roger that, sir.” Lacey said as he checked his own watch. He caught a weird look between Tom and Amy. Did she just smile at him? “C’mon, let’s have a seat over here.” He dug around in his rucksack and pulled out three MREs when they got situated on a wooden bench under a tree outside. “Nice duds, Frays.” Adam said, pointing out the woman’s new uniform. He could not help but notice the way the tee shirt showed off her figure, which was only spoiled a little bit by the baby.

  Amy smiled a little when Lacey handed her a beefsteak MRE, one of her favorites. “Thanks, man.” she said as she started tearing open the meal packet. Paulie was having a little trouble with his. Lacey cut open the boy’s meal with his pocket knife and handed it back. She frowned ever so slightly when Adam moved closer to her on the bench. Was he going to try and put his arm around her or something?

  They were quiet for a few minutes as they ate. “Tom seems like a nice guy.” Lacey said around a mouthful of buttered noodles. Paulie was splitting his MRE with Freddie, who the boy was using as a pillow. He was holding little pieces of ham slice over his shoulder and the dog would ever so gently take them from the boy’s fingers. His first instinct was to take a picture of the scene with his cell phone camera so he could show Laura when he saw her. Then he remembered that he had lost his cell phone somewhere and Laura was dead…

  Amy smiled sympathetically at the troubled expression that ghosted across Adam’s face as she finished off her meal’s entrée. She could only guess at what the man was thinking as he watched his child. “He’s alright.” Frays said and shifted around on the bench. She was pretty sure that Tom was more than alright. Amy glanced at Lacey then turned her attention back to the little boy and his dog in front of her. The woman frowned slightly and scooted ever so slightly away from Lacey. He was giving off that weird vibe again… There was that thing in the foyer back at the cabin and those other times… Amy started kicking herself all over again for letting things get so far out of hand between the two of them. She resolved to have a long talk with Frannie the first chance she got.

  “How’s the kid doing?” he asked, turning his gaze towards Amy’s stomach. Lacey could make out the little guy pretty well as her tee shirt looked maybe a size too small. He hesitantly reached out and put a hand on the woman’s abdomen. He jumped and a surprised grin leapt to his face.“It moved! I felt the baby move!”

  Amy grinned back and put her own hand on her belly, feeling a faint almost creepy twitching under her hand. “Paulie, come here quick!” she said and put the boy’s hand under hers. “Feel that? It’s the baby in my belly. Neat huh?”

  The look of awe on the little boy’s face almost brought tears to Amy’s eyes. “Cool!” Paulie exclaimed then pressed his cheek against Frays’ belly. “He’s dancing all like crazy!” The two grownups started laughing as the little boy hugged Amy and danced a little jig with the fetus in Frays’ belly. The young woman ran her fingers through the boy’s hair and smiled down at him then tentatively kissed the top of Paulie’s head.

  Adam and Amy let Paulie feel the
baby moving for a few more minutes. Lacey grumbled under his breath when he glanced at his watch. “Gotta get back to work, buddy.” he said quietly as he hugged his son. “I’ll get Becca from the day care and be back when I get off duty. You make sure Amy stays out of trouble, alright?”

  “Okay, Daddy.” Paulie said and laughed. The boy hugged his father once more and smooched him on the cheek. “Give that to Frannie, okay? I miss her.” Frays and Lacey laughed, especially when Amy pictured Lacey trying to hug Rodriguez and kiss her on the cheek. He set the boy down and looked at her for a second then smiled.

  To her surprise the man took a step closer and pulled her into a tight hug. He felt her tense up in his arms, which made him jumpy as he half expected Frays to knee him in the junk again. “I can’t tell you how happy I am you and the baby are okay.” Adam whispered in her ear and gave her a polite peck on the cheek. She felt her cheeks turn red as she hugged him back. They stood there holding each other for a moment, his hand moving up and down slightly between her shoulder blades.

  Amy was unsure of what was going to happen when she finally let go of the man. “You gotta go.” she said quietly into Adam’s chest. After a half second she let her hands drop to her sides and smiled up at the man. She could see in his eyes what he wanted to do… “Time for our check up, buddy.” Frays told Paulie as she backed away.

  Lacey’s face fell in on itself and he waved goodbye then walked off while Frays took Paulie by the hand and led him into the building. “Were you mad at me or something?” the little boy asked suddenly, making Amy stop just inside the front door. “You didn’t play with me or anything before.”

  Amy frowned, knelt and hugged the child to her chest. “No, no buddy…” she said quietly, trying to think of a way to explain what had happened to her in a way a four year old would understand. “You’re an awesome little guy. I…um…you didn’t do anything, okay? It’s not your fault and I like you very much.”