Induction

Meg decided to forgo her psych degree and instead elected to help with childcare. Many children had been orphaned in the initial outbreak and a small home had been established for them. Women suffering the loss of a child took an active role in ensuring that those kids wanted for nothing.

A small physician’s clinic had been repurposed for use as a small treatment facility. There was only one doctor in the group of survivors. When I paid him a visit, he was ecstatic to find I was a week shy of graduating from nursing school and immediately offered me a position. We weren’t set up to handle much, but just knowing there was at least some medical staff available put the people at ease.

Doc Robbins was a forty-something gastroenterologist. Translation, he’s the guy that gets up and personal with your colon when you have poop problems. Pretty fitting, considering the extreme change in diet we’d all undergone.

Ever watch that show Survivor? Jake and I never missed an episode. They never discuss the result that a rice diet has on your system. And you just know that when they win the luxury challenges and get whisked away to eat that five-course meal, they’re pissing out their ass for the next two days. Raging diarrhea wouldn’t really make for good ratings, so I get why they keep it on the down-low.

The doc had beady little brown eyes with an abundance of crow’s feet, most likely from scrutinizing over an operating table at the inside of rectums. I’ve heard that the most coveted nursing jobs are working in those little day surgery places where they do endoscopies and colonoscopies all day. It makes sense. Anyone who has ever had a colonoscopy will tell you the worst part is the day before. The actual procedure is a breeze. Doc Robbins was nice enough. He always had a smile on his face, and he didn’t exude the arrogance that many doctors do. No God complex that I could see.

Life on the island was so serene. It was almost possible to forget what was waiting for us outside the walls. Jake was assigned to the day shift, and we met at North Station for dinner every night with the rest of our group. At our first dinner we learned that Adam took a position in central supply, cataloging and organizing the community food stores.

It was no surprise to discover that Nancy had also chosen to work at the orphanage. She and Gabby were rarely apart, and Gabby spent her days playing with the other kids and attending the small school that had been established shortly after the perimeter went up. Daphne, too, had changed. She wasn’t nearly as skittish as she had been. She also, thankfully, wasn’t a barker anymore. I guess too many close calls had taught her a lesson.

The one thing that hadn’t changed was how much I adored her. She was with me twenty-four hours a day. She would sit quietly outside the shower, trot along next to me when I went to the clinic, and even lay under my table during meals. Sure, there were other dogs on the island, but they held no interest for her other than the random butt sniff.

My marriage had always been great, but Jake and I had grown even closer. His welcome home kisses gave me butterflies, and we held hands like school kids. I found his constant big brother heckling endearing. Poor Will was scared stiff around him, so much so that he had spent the first three evenings sleeping on the sofa. The best part was that Jake was only messing with Will to watch him squirm. Will was a stand-up guy, and Jake was really fine with him and Meg being together. Finally on the third night he gave the kid a reprieve. Jake was on his way to the kitchen for a bottle of water before bed. When he walked into the living room, Will jumped off the sofa like a fire had been lit under his ass.

He strolled over and clapped his hand on Will’s back. “I can’t keep it up.” He blew out a low laugh when he saw Will’s confused expression. “I’m just messing with ya, kid. You’re a good man and you’ve done right by Meg, and the rest of our group. I’m fine with you being together. Now stop camping out in here and go to bed.”

A goofy grin spread across Will’s face and he bounded out of the living room before Jake could change his mind.

Chapter 28 A Little Bit Louder Now

It was noon on my third day in the clinic. My only patient so far was an elderly woman complaining of arthritic pain. Without modern medicine readily available, I was limited in what I could do for her. So I gave her a massage to help loosen up her joints.