The End With You

2

Ben got up slowly and he limped to the bathroom. He saw the extra rag and towel under the sink and he began to shower. Washing off all of the dirt and blood stains.

Ben felt refreshed as he put on the clothes and he walked out of the bathroom.

Miranda looked up as Ben came out of the bathroom, the black wifebeater against his muscular body was not what she needed to be starring at but she couldn’t turn away from him.

She cleared her thoughts and looked him in the eyes. "Is your wound fine? I also have pain medication if you need one." Miranda offered.

"That would be great thanks." Ben said with a smile.

He sat down at the table and Miranda grabbed the pill bottle and a bottle of water.

"Here you are."

"Thank you so much." Ben said reaching for the bottle but then clasped her hand in his causing Miranda to pause looking up in his eyes nervously.

"I really mean this Miranda. Thank you for saving my life and this." Ben enlighten seriously.

"No problem Ben Warren. A few tips.." Miranda started as she pulled up a seat at the table.

"When shooting. Always shoot fatally. Every bullet counts and if you can kill them with out shooting do that. Noise of the shots will attract more." Miranda told him seriously.
"Blades are our best friend. Use your head... cut off theirs. Blades also don't need to be reloaded. I’ve noticed that there are five types of zombies… slow moving. I think those have damage to the cerebrum.  Then there’s the ones with amnesia due to the loss of the hippocampus, next there is the ones with immunity to pain, there is an easily distracted one and lastly the misconception… some type of delusion they have.” Miranda added.

Ben nodded listening. "So you have Blades?" He questioned.

Miranda got up and walked to the closet opening the door. "Ben's eyes widen at all the type of weapons she had. "Wow you are a live G.I Jo- Jane." Ben fixed amazed and Miranda laughed.

"This is a real zombie apocalypse. I have no choice but to be prepared. What were you doing before today? Were there others with you?"

Ben cleared his throat. "There were four of us, doctors."
"You're a doctor." Miranda questioned.

"Anesthesiologist." Ben said and Miranda nodded.

"It happened while I was at work."

"I was at work too. Finished up my last patient before it was time to go home." Miranda said sadly.

"Exactly, uh I worked at Mercy West. And I noticed that it seemed as if nobody was a work after I got out of surgery. It was only me, two surgeons and the scrub nurse left and then we saw them. We fought our way out of the hospital and we all decided to stick together. We were hiding out at the clinic and everything blew up. They were coming so fast. I tried to shoot and fight them off the best way I could but the others weren't so lucky. They were bitten and I had to make my escape so now it was just me...until you." Ben told her

"My son and ex husband hopefully made it to Baltimore and is hiding out. I was going to go with them but I needed to figure out a way to stop this and I’m so close."

Ben looked at her confused and Miranda got up. Going to grab her books and research journals.

"I've extracted blood from them and I just need to get to Seattle Grace to code it. I've been trying to figure out a way to Un do this but I've just been scared about going into the hospital and lab with out help."

"I'm here now, I can help you." Ben assured her.

"I'm trying to invent a new drug that can identify cells infected by any type of virus and then kill them, thereby terminating the infection." Ben nodded again in understanding.

"So once your leg heals we can make a plan to get to Seattle Grace and get to my lab." Miranda added.

"Okay great, until then, the books. I don't mind helping you figure this out." Ben replied.

"What about your family?" Miranda questioned wanting to know about him.

"I have a brother and my dad. They were together and I tried to call them but the line rang busy and I never knew what happened to them. I feel better to just assume they got into hiding and is waiting this thing out."

"That's how I feel about my parents and son." Miranda responded sheepishly.

"I'm going to make dinner any allergies?" Miranda questioned.

"No I eat about everything." Ben responded.

Miranda cooked a pasta dish and she sat a plate in front of her and Ben. "Just know we are going to be eating off of this for about a week...I'm trying to stretch everything out." Miranda enlighten with a light laugh.
"Hey, I totally understand." Ben laughed picking up his fork.

Miranda and Ben ate and talked back and forth. It felt good to have company for once and someone to talk to and Ben was a great conversationalist.

"I'm sure this family have games and stuff that we can play so we just won't be bored in here for a couple of weeks." Miranda said thinking.

"Hey, I'm sure this is better than being alone."

"That much is true"

Miranda grabbed the plates but Ben hopped up. "Hey let me do it." Ben offered as he walked over to the sink.

"I'm going up into the main house to get to you a bed."

"A bed?, Miranda that's too heavy to bring down here." Ben scolded worried.

"I brought the first one down. I mean yeah I struggled but you need a place to sleep, covers and stuff."

Ben looked back at the bed and he thought. "Okay, I know you just me but I promise I won't ever hurt you or do anything crazy but... If you go up stairs and get extra pillows and a blanket then I how about I sleep on one end of the bed and you sleep on the other. It's a queen size bed already down here so.

Miranda thought to her self and she gave in again. He was and easy persuader. "Fine but try something mister and expect to be taken out of this world." Miranda sneered and Ben laughed.

"Scouts honor." He replied as she walked up stairs.

Miranda came back down stairs and she looked at Ben on the couch looking at a movie.

"Look what I found up stairs." Miranda smiled showing him the games in her hand.

She sat his blanket and things on the bed.

"Is that Mario and Mario kart?" Ben asked excitedly.

"Yeah and they had sonic, donkey Kong and card games. "

"I mean I don't want to toot my own horn but I was a Mario champion and nobody can touch me in the carting game." Ben smiled and Miranda raised her eyebrows.

"Is that so....mmmm well I'll have you know I was too. So I need to put you to the test."

"Well pop it in then Ms. Bailey."

Miranda laughed and set the game up. They played round after round of Mario kart. Sometimes Miranda won and other times Ben won.

"Okay see I'm still King." Ben teased as he won putting the remote down.

"It's a tie." Miranda rolled her eyes.

"Fine I'll let you be my queen Miranda." Ben stated and Miranda blushed at his words.

"Rightly so." Miranda mused as she got up.

"I'm going go take a shower and then we can play or do something else."

"Alright." Ben replied watching her walk away.

Miranda went and took a shower and she changed into shorts and a t-shirt.

She came back out and walked over to the chair.

"So how did you find this set up?" Ben asked turning.

"After everything went down and my ex husband left with my son and I missed the opportunity to go with them. I just drove until I came to this neighborhood. When I saw this place at the gate. I stopped because it looked abandoned. I broke in and walked around and then I looked out the back window and saw the cellar door so I knew it was an attic down here and this was much safer to stay in just in case the living dead come." Miranda explained.

"May I asked why your ex husband didn't try to come get you?" Ben asked seriously.

"He didn't know if he had enough time or if I was a zombie."

Bens eyes widen at her response and he wanted to roll his eyes but refrained.

"What's that look?" Miranda asked intently.

"Nothing." Ben said sheepishly.

"No I wanna know."

"Miranda I would have never left the mother of my child. I would have came for you and saw for my self if you were one of them. I'm not leaving no city and leaving you behind. He didn't know if he had time. Time for what? The city didn't lock down. "

Miranda was quiet for a while as she thought about it. Now that Ben put it out there, it did seem like a bull shit excuse.

"Yeah, he's an ass 10 years gone down the drain." Miranda mumbled.

"10 years." Ben spoke surprise and Miranda nodded.

"How old are you?" Ben questioned.

"Is that what you really ask a woman?" Miranda chuckled.

"Sorry but."

"32." Miranda informed.

"I'm 34." Ben told her.
"So married at 22?" Ben questioned.

"18. I didn't recently get divorced. I've been divorced for 3 almost 4 years. I was a 4th year resident." Miranda explained.

"Hmmm." Ben said and Miranda looked at him waiting on him to continued.
"I wanna ask you more but I don't want to pry."

"We have nothing but time. Ask me anything. As long as you answer my questions." Miranda responded with a smile.

"So why the divorce?" Ben asked.

"Uh I'm a surgeon and I couldn't juggle both my marriage, child and home life. It uh- it slipped through the cracks."

"I'm sorry." Ben said and Miranda shrugged her shoulders.

"Don't be, he wasn't man enough for me and he was cheating away."

"Cheating? Who in their right mind would cheat on you." Ben said shocked looking her up and down.

"You say that on the outside looking in." Miranda responded.

"The outside definitely looks good." Ben mumbled biting his lip and Miranda blushed.

" I don't know you at all but you risked your life and saved mines and I know that's in you to save. Hell you are trying to save man kind. So I know you didn't have much of a choice. You are beautiful, strong, funny, and selfless when needed. I haven't seen you mad or anything else but as of right now you are miss universe to me."

Miranda blushed once again as she looked at him. "Well tell me about you. Married... divorced...bachelor"

"Bachelor at its finest." Ben laughed and Miranda raised an eye brow at him.

"Kidding. I am single though. I've been going on dates but I just haven’t found the one yet." Ben answered honestly.

"How will you know if she is the one?" Miranda questioned as she moved to the bed.

"I think she will be a special kind of woman... She's the one with the ability to be that rock and that foundation. She's the woman who will sacrifice for my happiness and I will sacrifice as well, support my every dream and be my biggest fan. She's the one that will inspire me, motivate me and challenge me to become a better person in every aspect of my life. She's the woman who will fight to make things work and never take the easy way out. She's loyal. She's intelligent. She's passionate about life. She has soul. She has substance. She has a heart of gold and she knows how to love unconditionally and she's entirely too special to be with anything less than a king." Ben explained.


Miranda nodded her head listening.  Ben was very intense and meaningful. She knew he was a special kind of man. That didn't come around often. He was rare.

Ben got up to walk over to the bed. "Can you cut the lights off first?" Miranda asked getting situated.

Ben did as asked and got onto the bed. He grabbed his blanket and wrapped up in it.

"Just in case something happens... there are two loaded hand guns in the night stand beside you." Miranda voiced.

"Okay." Ben replied softly

Both of them were silent and stared up at the ceiling.

"One day,  I was going to work as a doctor and next thing you know I'm a survivalist in the Zombie apocalypse." Ben breathed out and Miranda blew out a breath before chuckling.

"A fucking zombie apocalypse." Miranda laughed. She still couldn't believe it and they had been dealing with this for months.

Miranda woke up at two in the morning and despite her sleepy state, her eyes widen but then relaxed. Some how Ben's arm was around her body and her arm was laid on top of his as they laid on their sides. How did he get rid of his covers and end up in just hers. The world will never know but Miranda took in the fact that it felt good. His body pressed against hers and the way she was curved into his frame. The arm that weighed her down. It made her feel safe. For the first time in 3 months she felt grounded. Like she had someone she could count on and oddly enough it was a stranger. A man she hadn't known but for about 8 or 9 hours.

She sighed and snuggled into him enjoying his body warmth falling back to sleep.