Deadland Rising (part 3 of the Deadland Saga)

Fortitude (Chapter 14)

Twenty-four hours later

"It's perfect," Deb said as she looked over the baby seat Marco had brought back from the store. Marco beamed with pride as he knelt near her, helping her figure out the new baby seat. "Thank you," she added as she bent down and gave him a tender kiss. "Did you tell them?"

"No," Marco replied. "I thought you'd want to be the one to tell them the news."

Deb looked up at us, her face beaming, and grabbed his hand. "We're getting married!"

Surprise was quickly washed over with joy. Everyone in the living room cheered.

"'Bout time you manned up the nerve to ask her," Griz said, grinning.

I hustled over to the couple, and hugged them both. "Congratulations!"

"Way to go. Will you have white cake? It's my favorite," Benji said, evidently knowing what weddings were all about. He broke out into the chicken dance, while Diesel and Boy danced around him in mutual excitement.

"We'll have cake, Benji," Vicki said, wearing a rare smile.

Deb motioned for the older woman. "Vicki is going to be my maid of honor," Deb said.

Vicki laughed. "I'm long past being a maid. But I'll gladly be your matron of honor."

"Griz is standing in as my best man," Marco said.

"As long as I don't have to wear a tux," Griz said. "Although I would be the finest looking man around here."

"Justin is going to make it a town event next week. We hope you all can be there," Deb said.

"We wouldn't miss it for the world," I said.

After the celebration simmered down, I headed out to tell Clutch the good news. He'd been with Justin, debriefing him on the last several days' events while the rest of us had returned to the house as soon as our night in quarantine was over. The Marshall survivors were still in "quarantine," but really, Justin was keeping them in a separate building until he figured out how to handle them-and the two kids. He hadn't mentioned the kids to the rest of New Eden yet, and we weren't talking, though I had no doubt the rumors would quickly spread.

Marco had said the girl yelled until she passed out on the drive back to New Eden. I could only imagine how the two kids must've latched onto each other when they were brought back together. I suspected no one would be able to separate them as easily again.

I tromped through the six inches of snow that covered everything in a pristine white. My smile stayed glued on my face, despite the cold and despite having seen two men die only a day ago. Marco and Deb proved that good things could still happen in this new world.

Even though the baby wasn't Marco's, for all intents and purposes, he acted as though he was the father. Whenever Deb needed to go to the clinic or was too sick to pick up her rations, Marco was there, as though they'd been married for years. That was only one example of how things had changed since the outbreak. There were no longer things such as dating or drawn-out engagements. Life had no guarantees, especially now, and everyone knew it.

Their wedding would remind us that happiness wasn't extinct, a reminder each one of us desperately needed. Benji, with his innocent child resilience, had always been our poster child for a future that was worth protecting. Marco and Deb also belonged on that poster.

By the time I reached Justin's house, the cold had seeped through my skin, and I shivered. I jogged up the steps and walked inside. Justin was in his dining room-where he always was-with his two assistants, Clutch, Zach, Dr. Edmund, and Dr. Gidar. It was a full room.