Carol snapped out of her secondary shock and closed the distance between them. “Get off of her. I’ll inspect her!” She snapped her fingers in front of the orderly’s face to get his attention. “Get off!”
The larger man slowly came to his feet and tried to hide his anger. “She kicked me in the balls.”
“Be that as it may…” Carol did her best to act professional. She reached for the rubber surgical gloves and snapped them on. “Lift her up please.”
“I’ll have your ass for this!” Vivian barked as the two men picked her up. They placed her as gently as they could on the examination table and Carol came around with scissors in hand.
“You know I have to inspect you.” She held the scissors up. “I can cut off your clothes or I can cut your bindings.” She glanced to the two orderlies. “Pull the curtain please.”
She stood aside and avoided Vivian’s wild glare as the two men pulled the curtain closed. Carol stuck her head out and pointed to the two men. “You’re next as soon as I inspect her.”
Both men nodded and glanced at each other, noting the blood saturating their white uniforms.
Carol turned back to Vivian and blew her breath out hard, ignoring the hate filled glare. “How did he get loose I wonder?”
Vivian practically snarled through clenched teeth. “He attacked me so fast, I didn’t get the chance to ASK HIM!”
Carol stepped back and held the scissors up again. “Easy way or the hard way?” She snipped the scissors a few times to get her attention. “Doesn’t make a difference to me.”
Vivian glared once more then forced herself to calm down. “Easy way.”
Carol nodded and stepped behind her. She placed the shears between the plastic cuffs and cut them. She stepped back expecting Vivian to lash out. Instead, she pulled her hands in front of her and rubbed her wrists. “These things really hurt.”
“I’m sorry, Dr. LaRue. You seemed…panicked when you first came out.”
“You think?” Vivian shot her another dirty look.
“Do you know if you were scratched or bitten?”
Vivian shook her head. “Too much adrenaline. He could have gnawed my leg off and I probably wouldn’t notice.”
Carol handed her a bag of shower wipes. “Let’s at least get you cleaned up. I’ll find you some scrubs to wear.” She stepped from behind the curtain while Vivian undressed with shaky hands.
Carol stepped back behind the curtain with a pair of green medical scrubs folded neatly in her hands. “You can change into this once we…” her voice trailed off as she noted the deep scratches down her forearm.
Vivian looked up at her and her jaw trembled. Carol pursed her lips and shook her head. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I am so sorry…”
She half expected Vivian to scream or curse. Instead she continued to wipe the drying blood from her body. When she finished, she looked to Carol. “I guess he got me.”
Carol bent low and looked at the wounds. “That doesn’t look like it was done by fingernails.” She glanced up at Vivian. “Or teeth.”
Vivian’s eyes widened. “What are you thinking?”
Carol stood up straight and glanced toward the isolation ward. “He threw you into the cabinets, didn’t he?”
Vivian nodded.
Carol reached for her shirt and lab coat. She inspected the garments and found no tears. “This could be an abrasion from striking something in the room…” She turned slowly and met Vivian’s gaze.
“But I was covered in blood. His blood.”
Carol nodded. “But this is more of an abrasion. A scrape. The wounds aren’t bleeding.” She tapped her foot while she thought. After a moment she nodded. “Let’s get these scrubs on.”
“What are we going to do?” Vivian asked as she reached for the scrubs.
“We’re going to get you dressed and then we’ll put you on observational lock down. If symptoms don’t manifest…” She shrugged.
Vivian nodded. “It took Charles longer to show symptoms.” Her eyes were tearing up as she spoke.
“I’m aware. We’ll add a few extra days. Just to be safe.”
“Great.” Vivian huffed as she pulled the top over her head. “I get to wait a week to find out if…” She choked on her words. Her eyes met Carol’s and both knew what was at risk.
Carol handed her a pair of slip on deck shoes. “Just stand by while I inspect these other two guys. We’ll do everything we can to make sure you’re comfortable.”
Vivian stepped aside then clenched her jaw again. “I guess this is one way for you to be in charge, isn’t it?” Her tone was sharper than she intended but the message was clear.
Carol lowered her head and shook it. “I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy. Much less my direct supervisor.”
She stepped out from the curtain and motioned to the larger orderly. “Next.”
Simon and Sinner sat in the pickup while Shooter and Stinky crept through the shadows. The two men darted between buildings, using anything they could for cover.
Sinner reached out and smacked Simon on the shoulder. “We got company.” He nodded down the street at the van that slowed and turned two bocks up. “Want to check it out?”
Simon stared in the direction the van had come from. He shook his head slowly. “Wave down the shitheads. Let them know what we saw. Maybe they can see something.” He unscrewed the cap from the whisky and took another pull to fight the adrenaline building up.
Sinner opened the door and stepped onto the running board. He gave a bad bird call to get Stinky’s attention then waved him back to the truck.
Stinky and Shooter both hurried back and Sinner pointed to the corner where the van disappeared. “Don’t get too close but see if anything rings a bell.”
Shooter took the lead and the two worked their way down the street and to the corner. A moment later, Stinky came back, nodding his head. “He says that’s the place.”
Simon grinned and leaned back in the seat. “Now we wait.”
Sinner gave him a curious stare. “We just gonna sit here?”
“Unless you got a date, yeah.” Simon turned and gave him a toothy grin. “You plan to go dancing there, Sinner?”
Sinner growled low in his throat then rested his head on the back of the seat. “I hate just sitting and waiting.”
“Get used to it.” Simon took another pull from the bottle. “Once Shooter plants the seeds of dissent with the local losers, we can go back and make some real plans.”
“Fine.” Sinner motioned to Stinky. “Crawl your ass in back. We wait.”
Time ticked by slowly.
The three men ducked low in the cab as the van and a flatbed truck pulled back out and drove away from them. Simon watched the flatbed as it faded from view.
“I wonder where they’re going?”
“Who cares as long as they come back.” Sinner grunted. “I want as many of them assholes there as we can get when we burn the place down around them.”
Simon smiled. “Agreed.”
23
Hatcher was actually happy to use the barbed wire as an excuse to check on the men’s progress at the retirement home. As soon as the rolls of wire were loaded into the truck he grabbed Roger and anxiously drove to their future home.
He was actually surprised to find three men walking along the rooftops with rifles as the other men erected the framework for the solar panels. He slammed the door of the truck and pushed through the gates to a flurry of activity.
Dave Cooper handed off his checklist to another man and approached him, a huge smile on his face. “There were more than just panels on that dock.” He hooked his chin to the rooftops. “The framework bolts directly to the roofs. We just have to drill through the tiles.”
Hatcher gave him a nod of approval. “Is Stanton around?”
Cooper escorted him through the grounds which now looked a lot less creepy with people in it. The sound of 80’s music could be heard as Hatcher made his way through t
he courtyard.
Cooper pointed to the outbuilding with the well equipment, a brand new solar panel mounted to the roof. Will Stanton stepped out of the building and pointed at another man across the way. Hatcher watched as the man turned the handle on an outdoor spigot. Air blew through the faucet for just a moment until water began to flow. The man gave Stanton a toothy grin and a thumbs up.
“We have water?” Hatcher asked.
“We most certainly do.” Will extended his hand. Hatcher took it and Will spoke as he pumped it. “All we need are a few deep cycle batteries and we’ll have water 24/7.”
Hatcher groaned. “We haven’t had much luck with that.”
“Consider any boat repair shops or RV dealers. Both of those use deep cycle batteries. They’d be more than adequate for our purposes.”
Roger grinned broadly. “I’ve seen both. It wouldn’t take long to check them out.”
“We brought the barbed wire for the wall.” Hatcher pointed to the truck. “After the guys get it unloaded, we can go search for them.”
“Grab as many as you can find, Mr. Hatcher. What we don’t use we can keep as backup.” Will pointed to two men and directed them to unload the wire from the truck. When he turned back to Hatcher, he seemed pleased. “The panels are mounting easy enough. The hardest part will be running the cabling and mounting the inverters. Then we tap into the existing wiring and we should be good.”
“Can you give me a ballpark idea?”
“On the completion?” Will blew his breath out hard. “If we keep going at this pace, just a few days. Barring any trouble, of course.”
Hatcher looked to Roger and nodded. “We could be moved in by the end of the week.”
“Don’t jinx us, man.” Roger peered across the courtyard at the men working. “I don’t suppose you’ve heard anything from the workers, have you?”
Will gave him a confused look. “Like what?”
Roger shrugged slightly. “Discontent?”
Will seemed shocked. “Not that I’ve heard.” He turned and watched as the men carried on their tasks. “They all seem excited to get the place up and running. Personally, I think they’re happy to finally have a safe place to build a life.”
Roger glanced to Hatcher then finally turned to Will. “We had a handful that didn’t like that idea. They opted to leave rather than rebuild a life. Call it paranoia, but I wonder if there are others in the flock who feel the same way.” He shook his head at the idea of being stuck on the outside, fending for himself. “This just all seems a little too good to be true. Forgive me for expecting the worst.”
Will placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Trust me, after all that we’ve been through, I can understand the fear you must be feeling.” He waved his hand out over the courtyard. “But this is a new beginning for all of us. Change can be scary, true, but this is our future.”
Hatcher felt an ominous chill run up his spine. “I hope you’re right.” He turned to face Will. “Believe me, I want this to work as much as anybody. But I think Roger may have hit the nail on the head. The more we build…the more we create, the more others will want it.”
“And there are some like Simon who just want to take a dump on something because he can.” Roger added. He looked to Will. “If they can’t have it, then nobody can.”
Will swallowed hard. “I see your points. Both, quite valid.” He thought for a moment then squared his shoulders. “I’ll get a team on the wall immediately. It will take priority.”
Hatcher gave him a nod. “Security first, luxuries, second.”
Will shrugged. “I don’t know that I would consider clean water a luxury, but yes. Powering the individual units would be.” He reached out for Hatcher’s hand again. “No worries, Mr. Hatcher. This project is in capable hands.”
Hatcher clapped the man’s shoulder. “Just call me Hatch. Or Daniel. Mister Hatcher was my dad.”
“Of course.” Will gave him a broad smile. “Now that we have the mounts and wires, I’ll ensure that the walls are reinforced post haste.”
Roger leaned toward Hatcher and lowered his voice, “What do you think of guard towers? Nothing huge, just something that puts our sentries high enough that they can see something coming?”
Will lowered his voice and leaned toward the pair. “I actually have an idea for that as well.”
Both men turned and gave him a curious look. “Hit me.” Hatch replied.
Vivian fought the urge to cry as she sat in her stateroom, attempting to focus on the reports stacked on her desk. She nearly jumped when the knock at her door broke the silence.
She quickly stood and wiped at her face, ensuring that if any tears had slipped past her, she erased them. She wiped her hands nervously on the legs of her scrub pants and pulled the door open.
Colonel Vickers stood next to the armed guard standing watch over her. His eyes were lowered and he held his hat in his hands. He looked up slowly and she saw something in his face that she had never seen before.
Compassion.
He seemed to inflate slightly, squaring his shoulders as he met her gaze. “May I come in?”
She stepped aside. “Of course.”
“I uh…I just wanted to say how sorry I was to hear about the incident with…” He trailed off, his voice not finding the words.
“It’s okay, Colonel.” She pushed the door shut behind him and offered him a chair. “I know you wouldn’t say, ‘I told you so’, but you would have every right to do so.”
He shook his head slightly as he took the offered chair. “No, I would never…especially not with something as…” He paused, his mouth unable to form the words.
She sat on the mattress and watched him. He seemed to be as frightened as she was. “Did you just stop by to check on me?”
He looked up at her and nodded slightly. “When I heard what happened, I was stunned. Shocked.” He swallowed hard and tried to lick his dry lips. “When all of this happened, I…” He seemed to drift away, his mind taking him back to Yellowstone and that fateful afternoon.
“Colonel?”
He snapped back to the present. “I’m sorry. I just never would have thought that things would get this bad so quickly.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I think that in the back of my mind I always thought that you’d find us a way out.” He gave her a weak smile.
She nodded and sat back in her chair. “Even when you found me strung out on speed?”
He shook his head slightly. “We’re only human, doctor. We all sometimes make mistakes for what we think is the better good.”
She knew that his words held a double meaning. She was starting to believe that he was taking personal responsibility for the state of the world. For the briefest of moments, she wanted to grab the handle of that knife and twist it. She opted for compassion instead.
“You’re right. Sometimes we think we are doing the right thing when we aren’t. If only we could be afforded 20/20 foresight instead of 20/20 hindsight.” She rested her hand on his leg. “I’m sure there are a lot of things we would do differently.”
He nodded slowly. “Definitely.” He sighed and looked up at her. “I’m sorry, Vivian.”
“This wasn’t your fault. That’s why it’s called an accident and not an ‘on purpose’.” She gave him a soft smile.
He shook his head slightly. “Actually, it is my fault.” He seemed to suddenly become colder. His voice almost detached. “If I had made a different call in the beginning…or if I had ensured that Dr. Carpenter was secured…or…” He trailed off again.
“Or?”
She thought she saw his eyes reddening. “Or if I had simply waited and allowed you to do things your way. Maybe if he was still in the lab working, they could have seen the warning signs earlier.” He shrugged. “Then he would be securely contained and none of this would have happened.”
Vivian gave him another soft smile. “I’m afraid I can’t let you take the responsibility for this.” She sat up straighter
and shook her head at him. “I was the one that barged into the ward without a guard…without even knowing the situation. I should have known better.”
“You couldn’t have foreseen him chewing the fingers off of his hands to get loose.” Vickers stood and cleared his throat. He seemed hesitant to speak but he forced the words out. “I…regret to inform you…that Doctor Carpenter passed away just a short time ago.”
Vivian gasped, her hand coming to her mouth. “I wouldn’t have thought his wounds were that bad. Surely they sedated him and treated his…” She choked on her words and turned away.
Colonel Vickers nodded solemnly. “They did. It took enough sedative to knock out a horse, but they got him down. They treated his wounds and released him to an observation room.” He shook his head again, his mouth forming a tight line. “They couldn’t get the frequency generator to work for him. He became agitated and…” He swallowed hard again. “He chewed off the bandages and reopened his wounds. They said that he used a finger bone to slash his neck open. He bled out before they could get him sedated again.” He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
She came to her feet and threw herself at him, her arms wrapping around his chest as she sobbed. Colonel Vickers wasn’t sure the proper way to react. He gently patted her back as she cried.
Vivian couldn’t be sure if the tears were for Charles or herself. All she knew was, she couldn’t stop.
It was nearly sundown when Shooter crept back to the truck. He seemed to appear at the passenger window and Sinner nearly jumped when he popped up. “You sneaky little shit.” Sinner gripped the steering wheel tightly. “I was beginning to think you bailed on us again.”
Shooter gave him a hurt look. “I told you I was in.” He glared at Sinner. “When I say I’m in, I’m in. Even if I’d prefer to be out.”
Simon yawned and scooted up in the seat, his hand automatically reaching for the nearly empty bottle. “So, how’d it go?”
Shooter gave him a crooked smile. “Funny you should ask.”
Caldera (Book 5): United We Fall Page 18
