A low knock sounded at the door and we pulled apart abruptly. It was apparent when our eyes caught that we didn’t want to reveal ourselves to Karina, or anyone for that matter, until we had actually figured out what we were to each other.
“Come in,” I said, and Karina entered.
“Three more,” she explained, all life drained from her eyes.
“Sophie and I will take care of the ill, Karina. We’ve been vaccinated. We talked to Pembrook yesterday and he’s arranged for a plane that should be here in within thirty-six hours.”
“Thank God,” she whispered, grasping her heart. “We’ll set all the ill in our cabin then.”
“Those unaffected should stay in the dorm, but those we suspect may be getting ill need to be sectioned off as well,” Ian said.
“Solomon and Ruth’s, maybe?” I offered.
“Where will they stay?” he asked.
“They’ve left with their children to Ruth’s sister’s house,” Karina told us.
“I can understand that,” Ian offered in disappointment.
“When she wakes,” Karina said, pointing to Mandisa, “move her to our house.”
Ian nodded and Karina was gone.
We looked at each other and so many emotions flitted between us. In Ian’s eyes I read the gravity of the storm that was brewing on our doorstep, selfish disappointment that we couldn’t explore what was going on between us and obvious shame in that he thought of himself when he shouldn’t have been.
I couldn’t blame him because I was thinking the same thing. I grabbed his hand to reassure him that it would happen, that we’d get our day. He smiled softly and that was all the time we allowed to acknowledge that disappointment. We had bigger fish to fry.
The next day and a half was pure chaos. Mercy was the only adult who seemed to be affected unless the virus was still incubating, but that was okay with us just as long as the vaccines came soon. Ian and I spent the next night repeatedly up and down, caring for very ill children, reducing fevers, treating symptoms and working our fingers to the bone in a futile attempt to disinfect.
Every few hours we’d get a new kid. We were running out of fever reducers and saline bags. Our only hope was the shipment and that was arriving later that second evening. We got hold of Pemmy once more and he informed us that I, personally, would have to sign for the shipment at seven.
Karina agreed to help us get the infected children in the best possible place before we left and she would sit with them until Ian and I could get back. In total, we had seven ill children, and four we suspected would eventually become ill. The remaining, we kept as far away as possible.
When we were as prepared as we could possibly get, we made our way to Charles’ truck. Karina had yet to see Ian’s jeep and we wanted to keep it that way. Charles was nervous the news of our attack would send his wife over the edge, so we repaired it as much as we could with what little we had and kept it hidden.
When he started the engine, it was quieter than Ian’s rumbling jeep. I rested the back of my head against the seat and closed my eyes, yawning. When I opened them and peered back at Ian, he laughed.
“You’re exhausted.”
“No shit, Sherlock.”
He laughed louder, making my heart sputter. “Irritable when you’re tired, are we?”
I smiled across the seat at him. “Irritable, are we?” I mocked, pathetically attempting his Sith Ifrican accent, which made him laugh even harder.
“Just a bundle of laughs today,” I teased, drawing out my words from sleepiness.
“Well, I’m a bit delirious with the only,” he pitched his brows toward the roof of the jeep, “seven hours of sleep I got in the past two days.”
I yawned loudly at the mere mention of sleep. I leaned my head against the window. “Classes are cancelled for two days after the kids recover. I’m making an executive decision and I’m going to sleep for both of them.”
“As long as I get to sleep with you.”
My eyes bugged from my head. “Pardon?” I asked in disbelief.
Ian stared at me, eyes wide. “I-I just meant...I meant that, uh, that I also wanted to sleep with you.”
I laughed out loud.