Page 93 of Night of the Living Manny
“Okay. You too, baby girl. There should be some clothes.”
“’Kay. Clothes. I hope there are purple ones!”
Brenden hoped there was something that fit her. Still, she seemed happier.
Liam stayed with him. “I’ll have breakfast with you before I go see Susanna. Then I’ll have to get to work.”
“What are you working on, babe?” Brenden wanted to make sure he understood the situation.
“I’m going to make sure we’re replicating things right, make sure nothing mutates, and then we’re still at only a seventy-five percent survival rate. I want better.”
Brenden nodded. That made sense. “I was worried about Susanna. That the sample might not be the same as her strain.”
“Me too. But it seems to be doing the job, you said? She was still improving this morning?”
“Appeared to be. They had drains in, but she was resting easily, and her color looked good.”
“Good. Good. The drains will get any infection out.”
“I’ll go see her after breakfast,” Brenden said. He wanted to see her awake and moving.
“We’ll go.”
“Huh?”
“Together. We’ll go.”
“Oh! Okay. I got your timing all mixed up.” Brenden touched Liam’s face. “Why don’t you go get dressed? Peter is starving.”
“Yeah.” Liam kissed him, just like it was the most honest, natural thing on earth. “Love you.”
“Love you. I’ll be right here.”
Liam headed back to their room, and not a minute after, Britt came out in a purple shirt with a unicorn on it and a pair of yoga pants. “Unicorn!”
“Gorgeous.” He grinned at her. “So, let’s go have breakfast, huh?”
“Yeah. Do you think there will be other kids here?”
“Your dad says there are other kids, yeah. Now, whether they’re at breakfast, I don’t know.” He needed to check on things like schooling and group play. “We’ll figure it out. We’ll figure everything out. Together.”
She took his hand. “I’m glad you’re here, Brenden.”
“Me too.” He laughed, feeling lighter than he had in days.
For the first time in all too long, he felt like there was hope.
“HEY,baby girl, how are you feeling?” Liam thought Susanna was looking better today, her color bright. She’d come home yesterday, slept in the little apartment that they’d claimed as their own.
“Glad to be out of there and here with you.”
“I bet.” She’d told him how hard it was to listen to the sick ones, how they’d moaned and cried. God, he was grateful that she was going to be okay. “Where’s your sister?”
“She and Moose went with Carly. The one whose dad is a captain? He took them to play ball.”
“Oh, good deal. She knows to be back by supper, right?”
“She does.” Brenden came out of the kitchen to hand Susanna a grilled cheese sandwich. “This one was hungry now.” Brenden offered a kiss, and he gave it easily. “Peter’s over at Tom’s playing video games with that group of hooligans downstairs.”
