“I remember,” Joe said. “We had a special moment.”
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Singing is like writing a book. The best books are when the writer lets it all hang out. The good, the bad…it has to come from here,” she said, patting her heart. “I can’t hide who I am when I sing, otherwise, what’s the use? Singing is an expression of the artist and allows them to share their true self, and to tell you the truth, it’s frightening. I bare my soul on stage, and I believe it’s the only thing that sets singers apart. Sometimes I cry when I sing because I’m feeling the emotions of the words. Hiding it destroys the connection. Although, I will tell you, I’ve never connected with anyone in the audience like I did with you at the honkytonk.”
“Good to know,” Joe said. In reality, he was more than good to know Lexi hadn’t connected with anyone else in her audience the way she connected with him. If she had, he would have been extremely worried.
Minutes passed, and Joe and Lexi ate in silence. The sounds of the remaining survivors waned as the sun began its descent below the horizon. Joe and Lexi tidied up their corner of the stadium, threw away their trash, and each made a trip to the restrooms. When darkness came, they slept on the rubber mats behind the counter. Oscar curled up next to Lexi, providing extra warmth on the chilly February night.
~ ~ ~
In the first light of the morning, Lexi blinked open her eyes, stretched her arms and as her lips parted to yawn, she winced. She mouthed, “Ouch.” The throbbing ache in her jaw had worsened. She touched the side of her face where it was sore to find it swollen more than the previous day.
She eased up so as not to wake Joe, then placed the makeshift blanket on the floor. In the restroom, she inspected her appearance. It startled her. She appeared worse than something a cat might have dragged into the house after swatting and toying with the poor creature. Dark circles under her eyes gave her the appearance of ill health, and her cheek was swollen and hot. On top of everything, she generally felt like crap.
She turned on the faucet and a trickle of water came out. She splashed water on her face and used the pumper soap to wash. What she really wanted was a hot shower and clean clothes. A hot bowl of her grandmother’s homemade chicken soup would be the best thing for her. Today, hopefully, she, Joe, and Oscar could start the long trek to her grandmother’s house.
Returning back to where Joe slept, Lexi knelt next to him and nudged his shoulder.
“Hmm?” he groggily mumbled.
“Let’s get an early start to my gramma’s place.” Lexi spoke like she was drunk and unable to form her words correctly.
Joe yawned. “Alright.”
“I’ll pack what we need,” Lexi managed to say.
“You sound funny.”
Lexi stood, wobbled, then used the edge of the bar to steady herself. Her vision went blank for a moment and her knees buckled.
“What’s wrong?” Joe asked.
Lexi didn’t answer him. She felt lightheaded, like she couldn’t control her movements. When her knees gave out, she slumped over and crumpled to the floor. Fortunately, Joe caught her on the way down. She woke a minute later to Joe inches away from her face.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I must have fainted.”
“You did. There’s no way you can make the trip to your gramma’s home.” Joe gently turned her head to the side. “Your face is swollen. I’m guessing your sore tooth is abscessed. I hate to say this, but it needs to come out. Plus, you need antibiotics.”
“It’s not like I can go to a dentist.” Lexi pushed herself up to a sitting position.
“We don’t need a dentist to pull a tooth.”
“What!” Lexi exclaimed. “I’m not letting any Tom, Dick, or Don the dentist pull my tooth.”
“I wouldn’t either, but you can let a Joe pull it.”
It took Lexi a long second to understand Joe’s last comment. Her mouth fell open – or as open as it could – and she wasn’t one bit impressed by his attempt at humor. “You?”
“Got a better idea?”
“No. I’d rather not lose my tooth.”
“Better to lose a tooth than your life,” Joe said.
“Good point. What do we do about antibiotics?”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Joe said.
“And?” Lexi put her hands up, waiting for him to explain.
“The summer after my first year of college, I worked at a zoo as one of the veterinarian’s helpers. I thought I wanted to be a veterinarian, so I managed to get an internship. I know exactly what type of antibiotic you need.”
“Wouldn’t it be easier to go to a pharmacy?”
“It would if the stores hadn’t already been looted of drugs.”
Lexi put her hand to her swollen cheek, cupping it. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
“It’s happening,” Joe said. “I’m going to pack a bag and start walking to the zoo. Oscar will stay here with you, and with any luck I’ll be back by nightfall. If I don’t make it back…” He trailed off, unable to face Lexi.
“Then Oscar and I will be on our own.” Lexi’s apprehension was evident.
“I’m afraid so.”
“Then there’s only one outcome. You need to succeed.”
“I will,” Joe said. “You have enough food to get you through the day. Be careful to get up slowly
