Recovery: V Plague Book 8 by Dirk Patton Read Free Book Online

through into the surrounding structure.  Door secure,
we packed up and headed down to eat.
    The meal
they had prepared was simple, and unsure of the last time I’d eaten I devoured
every bite.  Katie is normally a very lite eater, consuming about a third of
the calories that I do, but she ate like a ravenous teenager.  So did Martinez. 
I noted this, wondering if it had something to do with whatever effect the
virus was having on them, but chose not to bring it up and spoil their meal. 
Dog devoured whatever it was they had put together for him, burped loudly and
stretched out under the table.
    Bellies
full, Crawford and I cleared the table, returning the dishes to the kitchen and
washing them before all of us headed down the hall to select our rooms.  He and
Martinez each took a room, Katie following me down the hall to Room 5.  We walked
in, Dog leading the way, and I locked the door behind us.
    “Wow!” 
Katie said, looking around.  “I always knew there were good things in store if
I stuck with you.”
    She looked
over her shoulder at me, smiling as she headed for the bedroom.  I followed
after tightly closing the heavy drapes that covered the window looking out onto
a greenbelt.  By the time I caught up with her she had already stripped off her
meager clothing and cranked on the shower.
    “Hot
water!”  She said, holding a hand under the stream. 
    She grabbed
a wrapped bar of soap and bottle of shampoo off the granite counter and stepped
under the steaming water.  I tossed a fluffy towel onto the top edge of the
shower wall, stripped and followed her in.
    Sometime
later I stepped out, dripping water on the shiny floor and rummaged through the
cabinets.  Thankfully there was a supply of disposable razors.  Back in the
shower Katie shaved my head, careful to avoid all the gashes in my scalp.  Twenty
minutes later I was clean and had a freshly shaved dome and face.
    Leaving my
stinking clothes where they were I carried my weapons into the bedroom while
Katie finished showering.  I deposited everything on and near one of the
nightstands before crawling into the bed.  Dog tried to join me but I made him
stay on the floor.  He curled up at the foot of the bed with an indignant
grunt.
    The linens
were crisp and smelled like an April shower.  The mattress was firm and the
pillows were soft.  The ceiling fan over the bed turned lazily, stirring the
air and keeping me just cool enough.  I lay my head back, thinking I’d close my
eyes for a few moments until Katie joined me.
    I woke to a
dark room, still in the same position.  Katie’s nude body was sprawled across
me, her steady breathing telling me she was asleep.  Careful not to wake her, I
craned my head around to see the clock on the nightstand.  11:37.  Had to be PM
since it was so dark.  We’d just slept almost fourteen hours.
    Katie has
always been a lite sleeper, and as I turned back to lay my head down she raised
her face and kissed me as her hand began wandering down my body.  Soon I didn’t
care what time it was.

8
     
    It was 0300
by the time Katie, Dog and I walked out of our suite and down the hall.  We
were both freshly showered and wearing thick, terrycloth robes that had been
hanging in the bedroom closet.  I probably looked ridiculous with a rifle slung
over the robe and flip-flops on my feet, but I didn’t care.  I was in the best
mood I could remember being in for some time.
    Martinez
looked up and smiled a bright smile when we entered the bar area.  Katie smiled
back and I groaned inside, just waiting for it to start.  Mercifully, Martinez
somehow managed to keep her mouth shut, but the look on her face told me she
had several good one-liners prepared.
    “Seen the
Colonel?”  I asked as we walked over to where she was sitting with a tumbler of
something from the bar in front of her.
    “Nope,” she
said, taking a sip.  “Still sleeping as far as I know.  Care for a drink?”
    “Maybe some
food first,” I