hope that their research allowed them. Dax entered the room with his brows furrowed.
“Really, I want to know how you really are. I know you have Sherri to talk to and all, but I am honestly concerned if you ever need another ear,” Dax offered.
“I appreciate that, but everything is fine,” Jayda said in a shaky voice.
Dax nodded at her and turned to leave the room.
“Shit! Wait. Even I don’t believe myself,” she sighed. As tears stung her eyes, she went on, “I don’t want to have this baby. I can’t say that to Sherri, not to a woman who didn’t get the chance to have a baby before the world went to hell.”
“Uh,” Dax stumbled. “I don’t know what to say. I’m really out of my element here, but I really want to help.”
“Don’t worry about it. It just felt good to say it out loud.”
“No. No, I want to help. I offered and I meant it,” Dax said as he moved back into the room closer to her. “You are a strong woman, Jayda. At least from what I’ve seen and heard. You and this baby will be all the stronger for having survived this. This baby couldn’t ask for a better mother to teach him or her how to survive anything. I know you will do everything in your power to not only bring him or her into this world, but to provide for the baby after it is born.”
Jayda just stood there, stunned to hear such words from this man. In all honesty, she’d told him because he seemed safe to tell, as in he wouldn’t overreact. She’d thought him cynical enough to actually agree with her.
“Sorry, I should have kept my mouth shut,” Dax stumbled.
“No! Actually what you said, it helped a lot. Your words struck just the right chords inside me. Thank you, Dax.”
“Anytime,” he smiled. “You know, anytime I questioned myself when I was young, my father used to tell me this story about some great, great, however many greats, grandfather who was one of the first settlers in the colonies. I’ll spare you all the details, but you remember the stories from history, the way they survived those harsh winters, the odds against them. The world here was new and they had to build it up from scratch. I’ve thought about that story a lot. And I believe that once this virus is stopped by people like Chase and Lucas, then we too will rebuild from scratch. And, honestly, I couldn’t be more thankful to be with people like you and Chase to do so.”
“Thank you, Dax. Now I don’t know what to say,” Jayda moved over to give him a hug.
He patted her back and finished with, “I trust Chase and I believe in you. Don’t worry about anything,”
* * * * *
Lucas kept working. Slamming down instruments he knew he couldn’t break and writing notes till his fingers ached at how he gripped the pen, he looked over the results before him. With trepidation and celebration looming, he hoped he was reading the result right. If he was, he’d finally stopped the cell decomposition in the mouse. He’d stopped the disease.
Looking around him, his whole body shaking now, he noticed that Chase had left the lab. He walked out in the halls to find him, but didn’t see him in any of his usual places. He started knocking on doors, but his shaking turned to trembling as not Jayda or Sherri or Dax had seen him anywhere. The place wasn’t that big.
As a group, they looked again, expanding their search. He tried to control himself, keeping his mind from tossing out all the worst scenarios. Finally, he heard his voice coming from a room.
When Lucas looked in, Chase growled, “Close the door.”
* * * * *
Chase listened to static. Since he’d answered his phone, he’d heard a voice a few times, but couldn’t make it out yet.
“Hello,” he asked for what felt like the millionth time.
“Chase, are you there?” the voice came through.
“Daniel?”
“Yes! Sorry I didn’t show at the checkpoint we’d established.”
“Sure,” Chase offered, unsure himself what he even meant by it.
“It’s not
“Really, I want to know how you really are. I know you have Sherri to talk to and all, but I am honestly concerned if you ever need another ear,” Dax offered.
“I appreciate that, but everything is fine,” Jayda said in a shaky voice.
Dax nodded at her and turned to leave the room.
“Shit! Wait. Even I don’t believe myself,” she sighed. As tears stung her eyes, she went on, “I don’t want to have this baby. I can’t say that to Sherri, not to a woman who didn’t get the chance to have a baby before the world went to hell.”
“Uh,” Dax stumbled. “I don’t know what to say. I’m really out of my element here, but I really want to help.”
“Don’t worry about it. It just felt good to say it out loud.”
“No. No, I want to help. I offered and I meant it,” Dax said as he moved back into the room closer to her. “You are a strong woman, Jayda. At least from what I’ve seen and heard. You and this baby will be all the stronger for having survived this. This baby couldn’t ask for a better mother to teach him or her how to survive anything. I know you will do everything in your power to not only bring him or her into this world, but to provide for the baby after it is born.”
Jayda just stood there, stunned to hear such words from this man. In all honesty, she’d told him because he seemed safe to tell, as in he wouldn’t overreact. She’d thought him cynical enough to actually agree with her.
“Sorry, I should have kept my mouth shut,” Dax stumbled.
“No! Actually what you said, it helped a lot. Your words struck just the right chords inside me. Thank you, Dax.”
“Anytime,” he smiled. “You know, anytime I questioned myself when I was young, my father used to tell me this story about some great, great, however many greats, grandfather who was one of the first settlers in the colonies. I’ll spare you all the details, but you remember the stories from history, the way they survived those harsh winters, the odds against them. The world here was new and they had to build it up from scratch. I’ve thought about that story a lot. And I believe that once this virus is stopped by people like Chase and Lucas, then we too will rebuild from scratch. And, honestly, I couldn’t be more thankful to be with people like you and Chase to do so.”
“Thank you, Dax. Now I don’t know what to say,” Jayda moved over to give him a hug.
He patted her back and finished with, “I trust Chase and I believe in you. Don’t worry about anything,”
* * * * *
Lucas kept working. Slamming down instruments he knew he couldn’t break and writing notes till his fingers ached at how he gripped the pen, he looked over the results before him. With trepidation and celebration looming, he hoped he was reading the result right. If he was, he’d finally stopped the cell decomposition in the mouse. He’d stopped the disease.
Looking around him, his whole body shaking now, he noticed that Chase had left the lab. He walked out in the halls to find him, but didn’t see him in any of his usual places. He started knocking on doors, but his shaking turned to trembling as not Jayda or Sherri or Dax had seen him anywhere. The place wasn’t that big.
As a group, they looked again, expanding their search. He tried to control himself, keeping his mind from tossing out all the worst scenarios. Finally, he heard his voice coming from a room.
When Lucas looked in, Chase growled, “Close the door.”
* * * * *
Chase listened to static. Since he’d answered his phone, he’d heard a voice a few times, but couldn’t make it out yet.
“Hello,” he asked for what felt like the millionth time.
“Chase, are you there?” the voice came through.
“Daniel?”
“Yes! Sorry I didn’t show at the checkpoint we’d established.”
“Sure,” Chase offered, unsure himself what he even meant by it.
“It’s not
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