The Infected Dead (Book 2): Survive For Now by Bob Howard Read Free Book Online Page B

moat being closed, too?”
    The Chief drew the southern tip of Mud Island and showed them how the sand would be deposited over a long period of time. “As long as the sand keeps building up in this area,” he shaded in the drawing with his pencil at the place where the southern jetty touched the beach, “Mud Island will just grow a larger beach. Eventually, the sand will start going around the tip of the jetty, and a sandbar will form.”
    “How long will that take?” asked Kathy.
    “Maybe years,” said the Chief, “but we should start a regular program of monitoring the depth of the water. Years may seem like a long time, but since we’re likely to be here for years, we need to be thinking about what we’re going to do then.”
    “When do we move the houseboat?” I asked.
    The Chief switched on the TV screen and brought up the camera view of the dock. It was a clear day, but we could tell it was windy. That might mean there was a storm offshore.
    “I don’t see any reason to wait,” said the Chief. “The tide is coming in, and the wind is from the East. That should help us move the houseboat once it clears the end of the dock. Let’s park facing to sea in the channel right along the L shaped part of the dock. We won’t have protection for the plane and the boat during bad weather, but they should be okay. We’ll also have a new blind spot, but the water is deep at the end of the dock. Nothing can cross there.”
    Kathy looked around and said, “Looks like a nice day for some fresh air. Anyone care to join me for a stroll?”
    Jean said, “Count me in. I could use some fresh air, and I think it will do the baby some good, too.”
    One thing I had learned about our group that was really fun was that each of us was capable of saying totally absurd things while keeping a straight face. Then we would all exchange looks with each other like we were in a movie and looking right at the camera.
    This was one of those times, but instead of the usual fits of laughing that would follow whatever absurd comment had been made, this moment went on for a few more heartbeats. I don’t know if we were waiting for a punchline or what, but Kathy was the first one to make everyone snap out of suspended animation.
    “Oh, my God, Jean,” she said as she wrapped her arms around Jean and pulled her into a really sweet hug. “You aren’t, I mean really?”
    Jean hugged her back and said, “Yes, really.”
    I was still standing there looking like I didn’t have a clue about how to react. I looked at the Chief and Tom, who were both looking at me, waiting for me to do something. The Chief had his tongue in his cheek, probably to keep from swallowing it, and Tom had a neutral expression. Since Jean had just said what she had so naturally, Tom wasn’t really picking up on the fact that this was news to me.
    If I had been a cartoon character, a lightbulb would have appeared over my head. I looked at Jean, first at her face and then lower. I didn’t know you could be paralyzed by hearing such things, but apparently you can.
    Kathy let go of Jean and turned to me next. When she put her arms around me, I was still looking at Jean. She had a big smile on her face, and then I finally understood that glow I had been seeing every time she looked at Molly. She really had been seeing what a little Jean would look like.
    My paralysis ended just as Kathy finished hugging me, and I managed to get my arms around Jean next. I couldn’t think of what to say, or I wasn’t capable of speaking. I wasn’t sure which one it was.
    I finally managed to croak past a big lump in my throat, “I love you, Jean”
    The Chief, always looking for the right time when I would provide him with comedy material he could use, said, “I told you he can talk. You just have to wait for it, and by the way, what happened to Uncle Titus’ private stock of optimism?” That’s what Jean had called the big supply of condoms she had found in the infirmary