Chloe rolled her eyes and stood. Stomping her feet, she exited the room with Claire right behind her.
Claire stopped in front of Kevin and said, “Breakfast is on the table. I made muffins this morning.”
“Muffins, wow.”
“And there’s fresh coffee too,” she said, walking off.
With a big smile, Kevin walked into the room and said, “I feel like I’m at a bed and breakfast.”
“They’re nice,” Paul said, a grin gracing his face too.
Kevin sat on the edge of the bed and asked, “How do you feel?”
“A bit better, my leg still hurts, but the morphine is helping, a lot.”
“You look better,” Kevin said. He pulled the sheet back and looked at Paul’s leg. It was swollen but not as much as yesterday. “Leg looks good. Did you take your dose of antibiotics yet?”
Paul gave him a thumbs-up.
“Did she talk at all?” Kevin asked, referencing Chloe.
“Nope, only wrote on her little board.”
“Hmm, she’s not deaf, just mute. Odd. You know, I’ve never met a mute person before, I guess there’s a first for everything.”
“She can hear perfectly well. I asked her if they had any games and she wrote yes.”
“Going to play some games, are you?”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“You do feel better. You have pep; you seem happy,” Kevin said.
“I’m not a hundred percent, but this feels amazing compared to yesterday. So, yes, I am happy,” Paul answered, his grin widening across his face.
“Good, let me go get some food. I’ll bring you up some too,” Kevin said, getting up.
“No need, Chloe brought me up a muffin, they’re off the charts. Actually, if there are any more, grab me one.”
“Your appetite is back, that’s a good sign,” Kevin said, walking away. He stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind him.
From downstairs, loud whispers came up the stairway.
Curious, Kevin approached the top of the stairs quietly and listened.
“I don’t care…stop…stop writing…you know what Mother would say,” Claire said. “Two days, no longer…now go back to your chores.”
A loud crash sounded.
“You broke Mother’s favorite vase!” Claire barked.
Kevin leaned closer to hear. His elbow hit two small framed pictures, causing one to fall off the wall. It hit the wood floor hard, shattering the glass.
Claire marched over to the landing and looked up. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes, sorry, I accidentally hit…I’m so sorry,” he said, bending over and picking up the framed picture of the girls when they were younger.
“What broke?” Claire said, running up the stairs.
“A picture of you and Chloe,” Kevin said, holding it up for her to see.
Claire took the picture out of his hand and looked at it. “Oh, that one. I always hated that one. Go down and get breakfast. I’ll clean up.”
“No, I’ll do it. I made the mess,” Kevin insisted.
“No, please go. This will take me just a second.”
“You sure?”
“Yes,” she said with a smile.
Kevin did as she asked. He made his way down the stairs and headed to the kitchen. Along the way he saw Chloe sweeping up the fragments of the vase.
She gave him a sour look.
He ignored her and went into the kitchen. The aroma of chocolate chip muffins filled the air, watering his mouth. On the counter, an old coffee percolator was bubbling. Chocolate chip muffins and hot coffee wasn’t the breakfast of champions, but he didn’t care about putting on the troublesome ten pounds. Life now was meant to be enjoyed and enjoy he would.
The late morning and early afternoon were spent playing board games. Kevin joined in. He decided he wasn’t going to have Paul and Chloe having all the fun. The one noticeable person absent was Claire; she instead continued her chores around the house, inside and out.
Chloe scribbled on her board and held it up for them to see. It read THIRSTY? POP?
“Soda sounds great,” Paul exclaimed.
“Sure, I’ll have one,” Kevin replied.
Chloe happily jumped up and ran out of the room.
“Yesterday she was dour; now she’s happy, like you,” Kevin said, picking up on Chloe’s improved mood.
“Yeah, she’s sweet. Claire, on the other hand, what a little bossy pants.”
“Don’t be hard on her. She’s taken on the typical older sibling role. With both parents dead, she’s stepped up. I admire her. Look at this place. She runs a tight ship. It’s awesome,” Kevin said.
“Maybe she’s too strict.”
“You’re crazy. The world has fallen apart, but if you only saw this place, you’d think the world hasn’t changed one bit. I don’t know how they’ve managed so far, but it’s quite impressive,” Kevin said.
Chloe appeared in the doorway, holding three bottles of RC cola.
“I haven’t had RC in…heck, I don’t think I’ve ever had it,” Kevin remarked, taking the chilled bottle.
Paul couldn’t wait to get his hands on the ice-cold soda. He took it and immediately poured half the bottle down his throat.
“Easy,” Kevin scolded.
Paul pulled the bottle away from his mouth, burped and said, “Sorry.”
Chloe smiled and clapped.
“Where’s Claire?” Kevin asked.
Chloe replied by simply shrugging her shoulders.
Kevin looked over his shoulder and out the window. The afternoon sun was still riding high. It was hours before sunset. He hadn’t heard Claire moving around downstairs, so he decided to take a break and go look for her. “If you’ll excuse me.” He got up and left the room.
Downstairs, he couldn’t find her. Maybe she’s outside? He headed for the back door but stopped when he heard several loud bangs on the front door. He was close enough to see through the glass in the back door and spotted Claire exiting the barn. Who is it? he suddenly thought.
“Maggie, Tom!” a female voice cried out.
The doorknob rattled but didn’t open. Kevin had seen to that by making sure he locked the doors.
“Maggie!” the woman called out.
Kevin ran back to the stairs. He wasn’t sure who it was and he had no intention of letting in someone who meant him harm. He reached the landing and heard a scream.
The woman was staring at him through the side window. “Who are you? Where’s Tom and Maggie?”
Deliberately ignoring her, he raced up the stairs and to his room. He grabbed his pistol and headed back out.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Paul asked from his room.
Kevin walked in. “Not sure, I think she knows them, but I’m not taking any chances,” he said, holding his pistol firmly.
Chloe walked to a window that overlooked the front drive. She peered down for a second and came back. She wrote on her board and showed them. MY AUNT TERRY. SHE’S FINE.
Voices came from out front.
Kevin ran to the window and looked down to see Terry hugging Claire. Seeing the woman was a family member, his urgency melted away. He shoved the pistol into the small of his back and covered it with his untucked shirt.
Knocking from the front door.
“Open up. It’s just Aunt Terry,” Claire called out.
Kevin waved Chloe over and said, “I’ll follow you down. I think it’s important you open the door, not me, a stranger.”
She nodded.
“Hurry up!” Claire yelled.
Chloe rushed down, unlocked the door and opened it fully.
Terry leapt across the threshold and snatched her in her arms. “Oh, I’ve missed you.”
Chloe just stood, her arms plastered to her sides.
Tears flowed down Terry’s cheeks. She pulled away and said, “Let me get a look at you. Oh, my sweet little girl, how I’ve missed you. Are you good, healthy? Claire, tell
me, who is this man?”
“Visitors who arrived yesterday. His name is Kevin. His friend Paul is hurt. One of those monsters broke his leg,” Claire replied.
“Have they hurt you, touched you in any way inappropriately?” she asked.
“Listen, we came here because we saw the signs posted along the road. My friend was attacked; he was hurt badly. We needed meds, that’s all. We’re not bad guys, just in need is all,” Kevin said defensively.
“If you have what you need, then move on. This isn’t your home,” Terry barked.
“We will leave as soon as Paul is able. He’s on the mend, but he needs a day or more.”
Chloe chalked a note on her board and showed it to Terry. It read THEY ARE NICE.
“I’m sure they are, but this isn’t their home and you’re alone,” Terry said.
Chloe looked at Claire and furrowed her brow.
“I told her both Daddy and Mother are gone,” Claire said directly to a clearly concerned Chloe.
“Chloe, honey, why are you writing on a chalkboard? Is something wrong with your throat?” Terry asked.
Kevin perked up; he too was curious about this.
Claire cleared her throat and replied, “After what happened to Daddy and Mother, she stopped talking.”
“Oh, baby, I’m so sorry,” Terry said, hugging Chloe once more. “I’m here now. I’ll take care of you two.”
“Anyone with you?” Kevin asked.
Terry gave him an odd look and answered, “Ah, yes. Soon, I have a boyfriend coming soon. He could be here anytime.”
“You came separately?” Kevin asked.
“Yes, I had my car and he had a truck. You know, with all our stuff,” Terry replied.
“Um, okay, then I’ll keep the gate open. Actually, I was thinking, Claire, I want to take those signs down. No need drawing attention to your place.”
“I agree with him. What were you thinking? Why would you direct people to the house?”
“I thought we should help. Daddy always said we should help people. We have so much, we should share,” Claire answered.
Terry glanced at Kevin, then put her gaze on Claire. “You need to take those down. Not everyone out there is nice, trust me. After driving all the way from Sandpoint, it’s a tad bit different. If those things don’t try to get you, the bad people will try.”
“Tell me about it,” Kevin agreed.
“Let him—what’s your name?”
“Kevin.”
“Yes, let Kevin go out and gather those signs up. And let us go inside and catch up. I want to hear everything.” She put her arms around both girls and walked them towards the living room.
Kevin closed the door and locked it. He turned back around and said, “I’m going to get some gear and head out to grab those signs. Please check on Paul while I’m gone.”
No response.
He headed upstairs, got his stuff and headed back. On his way past Paul’s room, he called out, “I’ll be back shortly.”
Paul replied, “Huh?”
At the bottom, he found Chloe standing there.
She held up her board. I’LL WATCH PAUL.
Kevin looked deeply into her green eyes. He saw tenderness, but also much pain. Like so many children who were still alive, they had suffered through a lot. He couldn’t imagine being left or orphaned. The thought was heartbreaking. He bent down and softly said, “You’re very nice. Thank you.”
She nodded and ran upstairs.
CHAPTER SEVEN
A scream jolted Kevin awake. He dashed from his room, pistol in hand.
A second scream, this time more of a wail. It was coming from Paul’s room.
He burst through the door to find Paul on the floor, covered in blood. He was grabbing at his broken leg. “You okay? What happened?”
“I slipped. I landed on my leg. I think I broke it again,” Paul cried.
Kevin slid over and looked. He couldn’t see anything that looked like a break, but two of the sutures were broken open. They clearly were the source of the blood.
“What’s going on?” Terry asked, running into the room.
“I’ve got this. Go back to bed,” Kevin ordered.
Claire and Chloe appeared in the door, but only stood watching.
Terry ran to Paul’s side and began examining the leg. “Dear God, this is horrible. Who—”
“He’ll be fine. He slipped and landed on it getting out of bed,” Kevin said. He looked at Paul and continued, “And what were you doing getting out of bed?”
“I had to pee. The bed is so high, I slipped.”
Kevin shoved his arms underneath Paul and lifted.
“Where are you putting him?” Terry asked.
“On the bed, I need to clean him up and re-suture the wounds.”
“He’s going to get the mattress soaked in blood. It will ruin it,” she said.
Holding Paul, Kevin asked, “Then what should I do with him?”
“Put him back down on the floor. From the amount of blood coming from his leg, I have a distinct feeling his little mishap resulted in him cutting an artery.”
“What?” Kevin asked, shocked.
“There’s too much blood. It has to be that,” Terry said confidently.
“You’re just guessing, how would you know?” Kevin mocked.
“Because I’m a nurse practitioner. This sort of falls into my wheelhouse, as they say,” Terry snarled.
“Oh.”
“Kev, listen to her, please,” Paul said.
Terry grabbed a pillow and put it on the wood floor. She stripped a blanket off the bed and laid it down. “Put him down, gently.”
On the floor, Paul squirmed from the pain.
“I’m going to need you to go get some fresh bandages, warm water, hell, just bring up the entire trauma kit. I know they have one,” Terry ordered.
Kevin ran out of the room with Claire just behind him.
Chloe stood frozen, tears moistening her eyes.
Terry removed the bandages and began a careful examination.
Blood seeped from the broken sutures and his leg started to swell.
Out of breath, Kevin re-emerged holding a large blue trauma kit.
Claire came in next, holding a large bowl of warm water. “I got the water.”
“Good,” Terry said.
“Aunt Terry, we have a long folding table, would that be better than having him on the floor?” Claire asked.
“It would. Go get it. Kevin, go help,” Terry ordered.
The two left and came back within minutes.
“Here,” Kevin said, setting up the table.
Claire laid out a thick blanket on top.
Terry and Kevin picked Paul up and set him on top.
Paul groaned.
“Get me a belt, hurry,” Terry said.
Kevin grabbed Paul’s from the dresser and handed it to her.
Terry wrapped it around his thigh and cinched it down tight.
Paul cried out in pain.
The blood flow from his leg slowed.
Terry got up and motioned for Kevin to step aside with her.
Noticing this, Paul cried out, “What is it? What’s wrong?”
Terry whispered, “From my brief examination, I’m pretty sure one of the broken bones cut open an artery. He’s bleeding out badly. I’m going to have to perform surgery just to examine where and to what extent the artery is damaged, that’s not even getting into how badly the bones are broken or if they’re even set right. I don’t know what happened to him, but the damage to his leg is catastrophic under these conditions. Without the proper tools, etcetera, he probably won’t be able to walk again, but that’s if I can find the artery and sew it up. Also, his knee, did you see it? It’s also suffered. It appears the breaks came from the leg being contorted or twisted.”
“His knee is broken?”
“The cap is off center. What happened?”
“A Variant grabbed his leg and, just as you guessed
, twisted. The leg snapped like a twig.”
“I’m right here, guys. What are you discussing? I have a right to know!” Paul yelled.
Ignoring Paul, Kevin asked, “I’m following your lead. What do we do?”
“I can’t keep a tourniquet on it forever. I’m going to have to perform surgery to find the damaged artery and try to sew it up. If I fail, the only other option is to amputate the leg.”
Kevin exited Paul’s room, his clothes covered in blood. Tired and emotionally run-down, he sat on the top step and hung his head.
Terry followed. “I’m sorry. We’re going to have to take the leg.”
Kevin didn’t reply.
She stood over him and said, “The sooner we get going, the better.”
“How do we know he won’t wake during the procedure?” Kevin asked, referring to the cocktail of drugs they had given Paul to make him unconscious.
“I don’t, but the longer we sit around, the greater the chances are he’ll wake.”
“Can we give him more?”
“I don’t want to risk it,” Terry said. Her face turned dour. “I’m truly sorry, I wish I could have done more. Two of the breaks have jagged edges, and the damage they’ve done to the artery and surrounding veins is too much, not to mention the calf is filling with blood. I either take the leg or we need to give him some blood, but we can’t wait much longer, the loss of blood is putting stress on his organs.”
“I’m coming, it’s just that…I don’t know how to put it.”
“You’ve been a great help, thank you, but your friend needs just a bit more of your time.”
Claire appeared on the landing below. “Can I help in any way?”
“No, dear, just stay downstairs. How’s Chloe?”
“She’s upset, but she’ll be fine,” Claire answered.
“We’ll be done soon,” Terry said.
“Okay,” Claire said and walked off.
“They’re good girls,” Kevin said.
“They are. Now, let’s finish this.”
Kevin got up and walked into Paul’s room. He looked at Paul lying unconscious. Thoughts began circulating on how he’d tell him his leg had been cut off. How does one tell someone they had to cut their leg off?
Terry quickly assembled all the items she was going to need.
Unsure of how to help, Kevin just stood by Paul and waited for orders. “Sorry, buddy,” he said, patting Paul’s arm.
Extinction Cycle (Kindle Worlds): Mother Page 5
