Nuclear Undead: Wake the Dead

by N. J. McConnell

  Chapter Fourteen

  No Pain, No Gain

  “Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have - life itself.”

  Walter Anderson

  I’m so damned sore today that I can barely stand to get out of bed. I don’t know if it’s because of all the bending that I did yesterday or carrying the bags of mulch and fertilizer. Either way, I’m in horrific pain. This is going to be a long day.

  At breakfast, everyone seemed reasonably recovered from their labors except for me. They’re still a little tired and sore, but none the worse for wear. I’m the only one walking on tiptoes like something’s about to break. Virginia patted me on the back when she was talking to me and I almost cried. Dad just happened to be looking my direction right then and quietly bent over to whisper something to Nicole who looked at me and nodded. Damn it! I didn’t want anyone to know.

  When I finished eating, I rose to take my plate back into the kitchen, but Virginia would have none of it. “Honey, you need to take it easy today. I think maybe you overdid it working out there with the men.” I know she didn’t intend to sound sexist, but it just rubs me the wrong way when someone says something like that. Apparently, if I had stayed at home like a lady is supposed to do, this wouldn’t have happened. I just gritted me teeth and refused to let it get to me. I doubt that she realized that what she was saying went out of style years ago. Yes, I’m in pain, but it’s not because I’m a woman. It’s because I have a chronic illness. There! I finally admitted it.

  No one but my family knows about the illness because I don’t like feeling vulnerable, but the doctor diagnosed me with hypothyroidism, fibromyalgia and arthritis a few years ago. She said that it’s not normal for someone my age to have all three, but it happens. One of the reasons that I keep the illness to myself is that I hear people making jokes about fibromyalgia like it’s something in the head and hypothyroidism as an excuse for weight gain. I’d really like to be one of those people live through even one of my days and see how they handle the pain, exhaustion, brain fog and memory loss. Most of the time I just do my best to ignore the pain, but am careful not to overdo it like I did yesterday.

  Nicole walked up and asked me to meet with her after breakfast. I already know what she and Dad are up to. If I’d woken up earlier or skipped breakfast, they might have not noticed until I started to feel better. Ah heck! Who am I lying to? I wouldn’t have felt better for days and I can’t hide from them that long.

  I suppose that I slept in too long this morning because the buses were almost unloaded by the time I finished with breakfast. Shelves were set up in the garage and everything was in the process of being organized and inventoried. A room off to the side that I can only assume was originally built for the hired help to use as a break room was closed and locked. Nicole lifted a chain from around her neck and inserted a key into the lock. It clicked and she opened the door then pulled me inside.

  There was a cot against the wall with a chair next to it. Nicole told me lie down and picked up a blood pressure cuff and pulse ox monitor. She actually tusked when she saw the results. “Sidney, what were you thinking?” she lectured.

  “There wasn’t anyone else to drive the truck.” I whined in lieu of a good answer.

  “I understand that, but why did you do so much of the heavy lifting yesterday? Dan told me about your health issues and you’re smart enough to know better.”

  I couldn’t look her in the eye out of embarrassment. It was strange lying prone on a cot being chewed out by Coco’s vet who is now our people doctor, too. “Yeah, you’re right, I guess.”

  She gave me some Lortab pills for pain and Flexeril as a muscle relaxer. I’d had both of them before, so I knew that they were a good choice. She ordered me to take them until I was doing better then we’ll start pain management with Tramadol. Dad had apparently filled her in on everything. That’s exactly what my primary care doctor prescribed, but I always “forgot” to take. I’m not ready to give in and accept my illnesses, but with so many ganging up on me, there may not be a choice anymore.

  “You’re also grounded to the house until I see some serious improvement in your mobility and pain level.” Nicole ordered with a look that told me she’d accept no arguments. “You can go anywhere in or out of the house, but you aren’t to step inside of a vehicle, lift anything that weighs more than Coco or do anything that causes pain unless I approve it.”

  I was already trying to think of ways to get around her rules when she added, “If I catch you trying to do these things anyway, I’ll have you locked up in your room and you won’t leave unless someone is with you.” She bent down and looked me straight in the eyes. “I’m serious. We care about you and don’t want you to hurt yourself even more. Don’t push me, Sidney.”

  She gave me a hug, then ruffled the hair on the head of my ever present canine companion. I almost got teary eyed when she did that. I’m not a mushy person and I’m definitely not a hugger, but Nicole and Virginia just bring out the squishy side in me. I need to learn how to keep that from happening in the future.

  Since I’m grounded from doing anything physical, I did what I do best. I spent the first part of my day in the property owner’s now unused office writing a sort of Constitution and Bill of Rights for the people in the complex. I realize that we have an American Constitution, but recently it’s been politicized and amended to the point that it wouldn’t work for our apocalyptic society.

  I also started working on a set of laws and punishments based on rules that are now in place, but keeping in mind that those laws haven’t always worked. Before the world ended, the American justice system had more prisoners incarcerated than any other country in the world and many were locked up for things that wouldn’t even matter in the new world such as smoking pot or having too many parking tickets. Things are different now.

  The time apparently got away from me because I sensed movement and looked up to see Nicole staring me down from the doorway with her arms crossed and tapping a foot on the hardwood floor. It was lunch time and I hadn’t shown up to eat. She searched my room and asked several people before eventually finding me working in the office. I almost laughed at the stern expression on her face.

  “In my defense,” I clarified. “I’m not lifting anything heavy or doing any physical labor. I’m just writing.”

  “Let’s see how well you can stand up and walk after sitting in that chair all day,” she suggested with an ornery grin. I thought about sticking my tongue out at her. Seriously.

  I did my best not to show the pain I felt when standing, but Nicole noticed it anyway. She’s like a pit bull when it comes to things like that. Even though I was standing upright on two feet, I was still somewhat hunched over. It hurt too much to stand erect. The pain was almost unbearable and I hadn’t yet attempted to walk.

  Yep, this is a disaster in the making. I took one step and almost fell on my face. I glanced over at her and noted she was trying to hide a giggle. I’m sure she’d deny it, but I’m not blind. Nicole is very sweet, but she has a wicked side, too.

  She quickly turned around and walked out of the room as I stood there with my jaw dropped trying to figure out why she left so fast. By the time shuffled my way to the doorway by holding onto furniture, she was back and handed me a shiny black cane. I was startled and touched the thing like it was a poisonous snake or something.

  A cane! How embarrassing! It’s not like I’m middle aged and disabled.

  I started to hand it back to her and say “no thanks”, but she wasn’t having any of it. She adjusted the cane to my height and then proceeded to teach me how to walk with it. By the time we reached the dining room, my face was beet red, but I was in extreme pain and ready to sit down and rest for a while.

  Dad had a couple of spots waiting for us and no one stare
d. I don’t know if Dad had a talk with them before I got there of if they were just being polite, but there’s no way that they didn’t notice the cane and my moans and groans as I took my seat.

  Lunch was simple, but filling. Virginia made a beef stew, but she left meat out of my portion. There was hot cornbread to serve with it and an peach cobbler for dessert. Damn, but that woman can cook! Teresa is in charge of tonight’s dinner and it’s going to be authentic Mexican, so there’s nothing that’ll keep me from being on time for that.

  I ate a few bites when I felt Nicole elbowing me to get my attention. I looked over and she was holding the medication bottles that she gave me this morning and I subsequently left sitting on the office desk. She motioned for me to swallow my medication. I dropped them in and took a swig of tea to gulp them down with. Hopefully, they would start working by the time that lunch was over. If not, the men might have to carry me to my room. Yeah, the pain is that bad. Maybe I can just sit here until dinner and act like nothing’s up. No one would notice. Right?

  I decided to be a good patient for once, so after the medication kicked in, I took a hot bath and lay down for a nap. Coco nuzzled up close to me and we slept like that until someone knocked on my door and announced it was time for dinner. My head was still foggy and I couldn’t stop wondering why it was dinner time already. Didn’t we just finish with lunch?

  Dinner consisted of fajitas with homemade tortillas and salsa, guacamole, black beans, rice, chili relleños filled with cheese and various kinds of enchiladas. My mouth began to water as soon as the smell hit me and by the time I staggered through the door, I was ready to beat someone with my cane if they got in between me and the food. Maybe having a cane isn’t such a bad thing after all. Mexican food is my absolute favorite.

  As we sat there eating, the kids spread themselves out in the living area in front of what is now a roaring fireplace, I scarfed down the food in front of me and tried my best to keep from acting like a pig. We were fast becoming one incredibly big family.

  “So, Nicole told me that you were working in the office all morning.” Dad inquired.

  I gave Nicole “the look” and said “traitor!” I don’t suppose it bothered her very much because she just laughed.

  “What were you working on that had you so engrossed?” he asked nonchalantly, but he wasn’t fooling me. I know my dad. He’s conducting an interrogation and I’m the suspect. He knows that I can’t get up and walk away from Mexican food.

  “I just thought that it makes sense to have an updated book of laws we can follow if a problem comes up so there won’t be a question about what steps we need to take. If it’s written down and voted in by the majority, everyone will be aware of what the law is ahead of time and the punishment if they’re found guilty.” I explained in a soft voice. “It was just something to pass the time. I hate just sitting around doing nothing,” I added a bit louder and gave Dad the look that if done properly should make him feel guilty. It didn’t work.

  Dad, Pete, Beau, and Jason exchanged glances, then Dad said, “We’d really like to take a look at what you’ve gotten done so far if you feel up to showing us after dinner.”

  “S-Sure.” I stuttered and dug back into my food trying to recall what I had written and wondering what their reactions would be.

  After dinner, we regrouped in the office. I sat on the sofa with Coco in my lap while Dad sat at the desk and read a few pages, then passed them along to the others. I saw the gears turning in his head. It’s that look again. He’s up to something.

  “Pumpkin, we’ve been discussing your circumstance…” I was startled and opened my mouth to interrupt, but Dad held up a hand for me to wait until he finished. “We feel that you’re being wasted by doing hard labor. We have more than enough people here now to take care of that. If we need a driver, you can come and do that and after you’re feeling better, taking a few turns at guard duty wouldn’t be out of the question, but nothing physical.”

  I was beginning to fume and opened my mouth to argue, but he cut me off. “And while you’re home, your job is going to be to sit in this office to finish drafting the laws and Constitution. We’ll all read them and if the majority of us agree, they’ll become the official rules of this complex. You’re right about being proactive. It’s best to have these rules in place before we have a problem develop than to wait until something happens and people are trying to make decisions that are influenced by emotions.”

  He looked over at the others again who nodded in agreement, then back at me and added, “We’ve also been talking about giving you a permanent position and that’s actually what we wanted to talk to you about before we learned about what you’d been doing today. We’d like for you to write up everything that you see and hear so that we can have a historical record of the apocalypse for the generations that come after us. With your background in law, you’ll also be our judge if anyone breaks a rule. So, how do you feel about our idea?”

  I was stunned, but I couldn’t think of any reason not to agree. I love to write and putting our history down on paper would be enjoyable even if it is time consuming. I wasn’t thrilled about being the judge very much because it carries a heavy weight. This means that the future of a person’s life will depend on whatever decision I make. That’s a terrible responsibility that shouldn’t be taken lightly. I’m better trained for that position than anyone else here, so there’s no question about doing it, but it wouldn’t be enjoyable. Maybe someone else will come later who can take the burden from me, but right now, we need someone who can make unbiased decisions based on rule of law instead of emotions.

  “Sure. I’ll do it.” I answered.

  Pete slapped the arm of the chair he was sitting in and made Jason jump. “Didn’t I tell you? Yep, I told you boys that she’d be okay with this, didn’t I? Somebody owes me a drink!”

  They jumped up after that and went to unlock the cabinet where they kept the alcohol to find a bottle to toast with. I followed them, but was stopped by Nicole who told me that I can’t drink with the medication that I’m taking and gave me something to help me get enough rest tonight even though I’d already slept through most of the day. I would have growled at her, but that woman would have thought it was funny and laughed at me.

  I stayed in the front room sipping on hot chocolate and watched the glimmering flames from the fireplace casting reds and yellow across the walls of the living room until my eyes began to close and someone – I don’t remember who - led me to bed. Somehow I figured out how to undress, but slept in the nude because I was too loopy to search for something to sleep in. Coco doesn’t care. She goes around naked every day and I’m sure she wonders why I keep throwing material on top of me instead of walking around like her.

  Somewhere in the night, I heard people running through the halls and the sounds of gunshots, but I was so loopy between the pain medications and the sleeping pill, that I couldn’t stand up and walk, much less get dressed and shoot a gun. With that thought, I glanced over to where I hung my gun belt and saw that the holster was empty. I guess someone was trying to protect me in this doped up state, but what if someone broke in my window or was able to get into the house another way? I wouldn’t be able to defend myself.

  I will definitely give someone a piece of my mind whenever I’m able to think of a coherent sentence to yell at them. It might be awhile, though. I seem to be slipping back into the fuzzy dream world. I can’t lie. It feels really good to not feel pain and to be able to rest. I just have to be careful not to become addicted. That’s easy to do with prescription medications.

  Sometime later, I was awakened by someone knocking on my door and when I raised my head to see who it was, Jason was peeking in. “You okay?” he inquired. “Your dad sent me to check on you.”

  I most certainly was out of it because I forgot about being buck naked and sat up in the bed to talk with him. When I saw his face flush a crimson red, I glanced down, saw the state of things and in order to save face, lobbed a p
illow his direction and pulled the covers over my head until he left.

  It wasn’t his fault and I had no right to be angry with him, but I still hoped he would trip on his way back down the hall, hit his head, suffer from amnesia and forget everything. Yeah, I know. I’m being overly dramatic. It’s just that I’m not in the habit of flashing men that I barely know. I’d still be turning the incident over and over in my head except for the medicine that I had taken earlier. Sleep is my best frie…..

  I was still in pain when I woke up, but at least was able to make it out of bed and to the bathroom before I had an accident and wet the floor. Without the medications, that would have been questionable. I threw on the easiest clothing to wear consisting of a pair of sweats and forgot wearing a bra since I can’t reach back to attach the hooks without help or even lift my arms and try to slide it over my head. Maybe Nicole or one of the other girls will be able to help me with it later, but I need to get Coco taken care of before she has an accident. There’s no way that I can bend over and clean it up right now if she does.

  The house was a whirlwind of activity and I could feel thick tension filling the house as I entered the dining room for coffee and breakfast. A smell of something burning was in the air and I wondered if someone had forgotten to put out the fireplace last night. It would explain the rushing footsteps and sounds that I overheard in my drugged state last night if something had caught on fire.