He rubbed his eyes, then looked to her and ordered, "Okay, lay back so I can get you patched up."
CHAPTER 6
Bandaged around her belly and with a white linen covering her, Zoe was taken by stretcher by two of the soldiers into the hospital. Sergeant Morris walked beside her, his eyes trained on her as she looked back up at him.
"But it really doesn't hurt," she protested.
"You're still going in to get checked out," he informed. "Don't argue with me or no ice cream after lunch."
She looked away from him and grumbled, "Yes, Sir."
They arrived in the waiting O. R. where Doctor Caswell rushed to the girl and lifted the shirt, looking to her bandaged belly and ordering, "Put her on the table and let's get an IV started."
"I don't like needles," Zoe whimpered.
Tex grabbed onto the girl's hand and smiled, shaking his head as he pointed out, "But you don't mind getting shot."
As she was picked up and placed onto the operating table, she would not release the sergeant's hand and just glanced around nervously as more medical personnel were attending to some of the terrifying things that would be used on her. One of them brought over an IV pole and she whimpered and turned wide, fear filled eyes to Sergeant Morris, saying in a little girl's voice, "But it doesn't hurt."
"They're just going to check you out," he said sympathetically. "Nobody's going to hurt you." When her lip quaked, he assured, "I'll stay here with you, Princess. Just relax and let them work, okay?"
Doctor Kavorski arrived, wiping his hands on a light blue towel as he asked, "So what do we have here? I heard our zombie girl got a little too close to the action today." When he arrived at the table, he looked down at her, and he had a smile for her as he asked, "So how do you feel?"
"I'm okay," she replied. "I don't want a shot. I don't like needles!"
"Not to worry," he told her. "We're going to have a look and make sure you are going to be okay, then you can get a shower and have lunch. Is there anything you would like?"
"I like Spaghetti-O's" she replied. "Can I have some Spaghetti-O's?"
"Sure you can," he drawled. "And I think Sergeant Morris offered you ice cream, too, but only if you let us fix you up, okay?"
She looked to Tex, then back to Doctor Kavorski, and nodded.
In the conference room, Doctor Caswell slammed her papers down onto the table and angrily combed her hand through her hair. Colonel Halstead simply had his hands folded in his lap and watched her without expression. Captain Langley and the Lieutenant also watched her from their chairs. Sergeant Morris was leaning against the wall across the room with his arms folded and his eyes on the floor in front of him.
Drawing a deep breath, Rachel tried to calm herself and said with strain in her voice, "Okay, so let's get the story straight. You allowed a seventeen year old girl to go along with you just to check out what was inside the school, but you got sidetracked to a sporting goods store where she got in the middle of a firefight and she was shot four times." She held a finger up. "Oh, and then we have to consider that the zombies don't use guns, so she was shot four times by our guys. Now explain to me why I shouldn't be upset by this."
"Wasn't exactly like that," Tex informed. "It's all there in the report."
"I read the report," she confirmed with a sweet tone. "The only thing it doesn't tell me is why a seventeen year old girl was shot four times by people who are supposed to be friendly troops."
The Colonel pointed out, "Let's bear in mind, Doctor, that she's technically a zombie and she's already healed up from the gunshots, just like any zombie would be that was shot anywhere but the head."
"I still don't want her going out there again," Rachel informed with clenched teeth. "Zombie or not she's a teenage girl, an autistic teenage girl, and she does not need to be exposed to things like that."
Captain Langley countered, "She's also our best bet for getting effective recon into possibly hazardous areas without putting lives at risk. Let's face it, Doctor. She's the only one who can go into an area that is infested by moaners and not have to worry about not coming home."
"And," Tex added, "she's more than willing to help, and to be brutally honest, we need all the help we can get."
Doctor Caswell fired an angry look at him and snapped, "And an autistic girl is the best help you can get?"
"Doctor," Colonel Halstead cut in, "we are sorely outnumbered and we're losing this war. Like it or not, we need to use every advantage we can get, and if that means your teenage zombie goes in to recon for us, then that's what it means."
Rachel wheeled toward him and cried, "Like it or not, Colonel, she's still a child! Mentally, she always will be, and exposing her to combat situations will likely scar her for life! It's not ethical!"
Captain Langley laughed and slapped the Lieutenant's shoulder. "Ethics! She's talking about ethics!" He looked to the doctor and shook his head. "I guess we need to have that talk about survival again. Do you think that moaner that's stalking you out there or the one that comes crashing through the door to eat you is worried about your morality? We're on the losing end of a war here, and if your autistic teenage zombie can help us out then she needs to help us out! For God's sake, other areas are arming twelve year olds and throwing them at the zombie mobs!"
"I don't like that, either," Rachel protested softly.
"Morality aside," Colonel Halstead grumbled, "we're in the middle of a war and we have to do whatever it takes to win that war. We lose, we're extinct. It's that simple. How's she doing?"
Huffing a breath, Doctor Caswell looked to the floor and replied, "She's doing okay, I suppose." She looked to the Colonel and warned, "Just be aware that she is still autistic. Asperger Syndrome is not something that can be played around with and it is not something you can predict. If she has an emotional meltdown then whoever she's with could be in a lot of danger. If she goes off and bites somebody, then where are you? And bear in mind that she's a teenager who has all kinds of things happening to her body and all kinds of hormones and emotional turmoil that a child without autism can barely handle. That's going to complicate everything even more."
Colonel Halstead raised his head and asked, "Do you think that's a possibility?"
"Of course it is," Rachel confirmed. "Colonel, the medication she's on will only level her out so much. If something sends her into emotional overload then there is no telling what could happen or who could end up being hurt. I want more time to study her, her condition, the extent of her autism, the whole works."
Captain Langley asked, "What could set her off?"
"For starters," the Doctor replied, "loud noises—like gunfire."
With a slow nod, Sergeant Morris confirmed, "She did seem mighty tense when we were in heavy action." He looked to Rachel and added, "But she knew to stuff gauze in her ears and keep doing what she needed to."
"That time," Doctor Caswell added. "You also need to look out for other quirks she'll have. People with Asperger's are typically very tactile defensive, which means a simple touch could really set her off."
"I haven't noticed that," Tex reported.
"Two reasons," Rachel informed. "First, you probably didn't do anything that would startle or surprise her. Second, she has a crush on you."
He rolled his eyes and looked away. "No she doesn't."
"Open your eyes, Sergeant," the Doctor advised. "That girl is fixated on you, and that's another issue those with Asperger's have to face. They fixate on something or someone and that becomes all important to them."