I did not have the authority, but on my orders, two firefighters, geared up with hazmat-suits, loaded all the sick into the two EMS vehicles and drove them, and an exhausted Gary, to Marquette General. These people will be better cared for in a hospital than they will be here.  I hope.

I found Pete at his house, drunk and weeping.  At 55 years old, he was the baby in his family; the one who never married; the one who stayed to take care of his aging mom.  I left him alone with his grief, but only for now.

Moose Creek is like a ghost town.  No one is on the street; no one in any office; The Stone Soup Kitchen is empty; not even Carolyn was at the church.  The only way to reach any one is to go to their house and hope they have the strength to answer the door.  So that’s what we did: First on the list was Darlene – I really wanted her better, and soon!

I was surprised when Darlene answered the door, and was relieved when she said she was doing much better and should be back in the office in a few days.  Darlene had lived in Moose Creek her entire life; she knew how brutal the winters – and consequently the roads – could be.  Like many of us, she had stocked up on some necessary supplies in November.  They were eating, not well, but they weren’t starving.

Kim was next.  I was shocked when Beamer answered the door!  John was beside me instantly, with his Beretta pulled.  Beamer took a step back with his hands opened wide.  I can’t help but wonder why he was released from jail.  Attempted murder was still a crime.

“I’ve no quarrel with you, either of you,” he glanced at John.  “I was wrong and I admit it.  Ok? So what do you want?”  He’s still a nasty, angry piece of work, but I explained that I was just checking on Kim, since I knew she was exposed.  That’s when she came up behind her husband, laid a hand on his shoulder to calm and to move him aside slightly.  Reassured she was doing ok, we left.  She must be one with a natural immunity, but could still pass the virus.

Donna must have heard or seen us pull up in the driveway.  She stepped out on the porch before we got out of the car.  We stayed near the car.  She didn’t look well.

“Donna?  Can I be honest?  You look like crap.” I was hoping for and got a smile from her.

“Thanks,” she coughed.

“Flu?”

“I’m not sure, it might be just a cold.  It started a couple of days ago, but hasn’t gotten any worse.  I’m just really tired, drained, ya know?” she coughed again. “Either way, you need to keep your distance. You don’t want even a simple cold.”  She pulled her jacket hood up and shivered.  “On a good note, Paul is improving every day.  He was really bad for a while, but as long as he stayed upright he could breathe. He slept in his lazy-boy.  He would have been in heaven if he weren’t so sick.”  It was good to hear Donna making light of a serious situation. “We’re both just really weak.”

“Is there anything you need? That I might be able to get that is,” I really didn’t know these two real well, so had no idea about their supplies or how well prepared they were.

“We could use some food, but since everyone needs some, that might be asking for the moon,” she was accepting of that fact.

“Well, funny you should ask,” I smiled. “I happened to get my hands on some supplies.  Limited, but I took what I could.”  More lies.  John opened the back door of the car and took out two cases of ramen noodles.  When Donna saw the soup, I thought she was going to cry.  I reached in my pocket and tossed her a bottle of aspirin.  She smiled, but never said a word.  I said, “If you step inside and close the door, we’ll leave this on the porch so you don’t have to come out.”

We no sooner got home and in the house, when an excited Jacob came running up to me.

“Nahna! Nahna! It’s growing!” he pulled me over to the seed sprouter.  Sure enough, some of the seeds were showing signs; the mung beans were splitting apart and the wheat berries were well on the way, a hint of green showing.  I couldn’t help but feel good over his joyous discovery.

Jason volunteered to make dinner, a tuna noodle casserole, and I gladly accepted.  I’m not sick, but after all that has happened, I’m exhausted to my core.  I’m beginning to question how much more I can take.