Juan went on, 'So we get the bodies into storage. I think we should do a quick count of inventory, list all the cars and trucks we have keys too, the number of phones we have working, how much food we have and how much space we have cleared here. Think we can do that in twenty minutes. I am not saying to count every packet of sugar or anything just more like how many days we could go without food, how long the generators could last before they run out of power, that sort of thing.' Juan was not sure how he was going to get people to volunteer for these jobs, however Jack jumped in and just started pointing at people and telling them what to do, adding several things that Juan had not thought of before turning back to a few men, including Charlie and Juan on the roof and saying, 'We get to pull up the bodies.' He sent three men down to the ER for gurneys and then the three men left went to work hauling up the ropes with their grisly remains on the end.
Leaning out over the edge of the building Juan pulled on a rope with one hand and was surprised to find he could pull it up quite easily, bracing his feet against the side of the building he started hand over handing the body up. Charlie and Jack shared a disbelieving look, Juan was a hundred and sixty pounds soaking wet, though he was wiry and strong, the men below were all muscular and probably weighed in at over a hundred and ninety pounds each. Juan was not even breaking a sweat in the cool morning air. The door opened up just as Juan got the first body to the rooftop, Jack and Charlie hurriedly pulled it over the edge, Juan glanced over and saw Nanci standing with a large thermos and a plastic bag that looked to hold many coffee mugs, she was standing there with a slight 'o' on her lips, when she made eye contact with Juan her lips pursed into a grimace and she nodded slightly and continued forward.
'I saw a lot of people running down the stairs, not panicking, just with a purpose, you guys do that?' Nanci asked.
'Kind of a group effort. I told 'em what needed to be done, Jack assigned them tasks.' Juan answered.
Holding up his finger and pointed up into the air Jacked nodded at his hand, 'Yeah this is a powerful tool. Just point and say, 'You! Do this! You! Do that!', it seems to work. I think I should have pointed at someone else to do this job though.' Jack frowned.
Shaking her head, Nanci said, 'No Jack, they jumped and did what you said because, you gave yourself the worst job, they know you guys lead from the front and that makes them respect you and want to help you.'
'Yeah, probably. I am too smart for my own good. Juan here though, he is doing most of the work himself, me and Charlie are just gawkers.'
Juan flushed a bit and shrugged his shoulders.
'You think these military guys know what might have happened to you Juan?' asked Jack.
'I don't know, maybe, maybe not, I don't think the guys at their base were really out yet, you know? They might have seen a lot of stuff though and some of their guys had to make it back, right? Do I tell them anything? Could be risky, I don't want to end up in a room somewhere with doctors prodding me all day long.'
Nanci had a fearful look come over her face, 'Maybe we shouldn't say anything?' she looked at Jack and Charlie's faces expectantly.
'No probably not, maybe if you could talk to a doctor, if they have one, you know, privately, try to invoke 'patient confidentiality', maybe that would work?' said Charlie.
'Hm, when you put it that way, I say 'Hell no!'. I am sorry I mentioned it, this is 'the man' we are talking about, even if the man does not exist anymore, I mean the whole U.S. Of A. Is not this bad is it?' Jack asked.
The four of them stood looking at each other for a long while contemplating that thought.
Chapter 28
Whitney was laying on a bed with her arms around her sister Lauren. Next to her on one side was a black man, who she thought was named Kevin, he had been shot. Lauren, was softly crying to herself trying not to wake up the other patients, Whitney's tear stained face was a testament to her own grief at not being able to find their parents and almost losing her boyfriend Michael in the early morning battle with the zombie named Dave. Graig was lying on the bed on the other side of her, he was arguably the second most wounded of the survivors, the doctor they had suspected he had a broken arm, a concussion and a broken nose. The doctor has set the nose before Craig regained consciousness. Michael's brother, Matt, was nowhere to be found and Whitney had been trying to find out what happened to him. She loved Michael, and she was afraid of losing another friend more than anything. Whitney was pretty sure that her parents were dead, however she did not know for certain and that somehow made it worse.
An Hispanic woman came by and brought her another box of tissues, taking away a plastic bag full of used ones. Her name was Evaine, maybe Whitney could get some information out of her.
'Miss? Miss?' Whitney called quietly. The young woman, who had been walking away, turned back questioningly, 'What happened to the others who came in with us?'
'Oh, your friends?' the woman came over Whitney's beside and put her hand on Lauren's head, 'The doc gave the boy a tranquilizer, he was not doing really good and we, well, we had to do something. One of your friends, Angie?'
'Aggie.' interjected Whitney quickly.
'Aggie? Okay Aggie is with him, the boy Ron he is feeling better, doc gave him pain medicine, but doesn't think his…his testicles, suffered more than bruising.', the woman blushed, 'The other guy, Juan…John, he is doing okay, but doc is pretty sure his jaw is busted. Doc set it up and wrapped him, he is with the other three over with the older kids. Doc said Michael, he needed a surgeon, so he put him in a pickup truck and took him over to the hospital after getting him stable here. Doc doesn't know about your ribs and doesn't want you moving around much, but he says even if they are broken there is not much he can do for them. He', Evaine pointed at Craig, 'is probably the worst off person we have here and rates a bed. Your sister, she can probably go with the others or stay here, she is okay, just has some scrapes and bruises.'
'Can I leave? I mean, if I feel up to it?'
'Ah, you mean will I stop you? No. We want to bring you down to the real hospital though, on the next trip, you and him.' again Evaine pointed at Craig, 'You both need x-rays. Hank says there is a guy from the military that is going to meet them at the hospital, so he is going down there and you guys are supposed to go with them. I brought you fresh Kleenexes for the trip, you are supposed to be leaving soon.'
'I don't want to leave my friends, if they are not going I am not going. Neither is Craig.'
Evaine's smile faltered a bit, 'You'll have to fight the doc about that, I don't know who is going on this trip, they want to move all the wounded and children down to the hospital today, you should go though, it is a real hospital and they can take care of you better there. Look here they come now. Please just go get checked out. Michael is there, so you can check on him, right?'
A balding older man approached the beds beside a taller middle aged guy. The taller guy came up and thrust his hand out at Whitney, he spoke with a mild southern accent, and Whitney recognized him, 'Whitney right? I remember you from the clinic, Juan and I ran into you there.'
'Yeah, I remember, Hank, huh? I don't want to leave the others here. I think we should stay together.' said Whitney.
'Yeah, I thought you'd say that. We got a bus, the wounded will take up half of it, I think we can fit everyone in. I just hope no one else complains about you kids getting to go before the other kids, still you killed Dave, and most of you need medical treatment.'
'Hank…' the older man began. Whitney recognized him as the doctor from the clinic where they had met Hank. Hank shushed the doctor with a wave of his hand.
'They are all they have, like family, we are not splitting the other families up. They can go together. Michael was already rushed over there.' Hank's words carried authority and 'Doc' just nodded. Whitney appreciated the gesture.
Doc spoke up, 'We don't have any gurneys or easy ways to get you onto the bus, I wrapped your ribs, but it is still going to be uncomfortable.' He held out two tablets in his hands and Evaine got a water bottle from the
