Caught In The Gray

Chapter Twenty-Three

I sigh and take a drink of coffee. Last night was a mess, with Alaric and I don't know what I think about it. I barely got any sleep last night, part of it being the fact that I was in the same house of him and other part being my emotions.

I rub my eyes and look back at the book on my lap. I'm sitting down against the wall by the Transit platform. I couldn't stay and see Alaric this morning and this seemed like a good place. I'm not sure what time the information is being released to the public, but my shift starts soon.

I stand up and shove my book in my backpack, balancing the coffee mug in my hands. I wait for the Transit to come, stepping onto the platform.

When it arrives, I step on and sit down. I stare at the wall ahead of me as thoughts rage through my head. I know that I love Alaric, I just feel like I can't be with him right now. This is too big and there are other things that are involved like Genevieve, Fiona and Vanessa.

I step off the Transit and walk to the Medical center. I open the doors and it's filled with people. It's insane and I duck through the crowd, walking up to the staff lounge. I set my bag down and sit down, drinking coffee. Linc comes in and I stand up. "What's going on up there?" I ask and he looks at me.

"The Epidemic's vaccine information was released to the public," he says, pinching his nose with his fingers. I stand up and finish the rest of my coffee, setting the empty mug by my backpack.

"It's insane," I say and he nods, we start walking towards the clinic.

"Yeah, everyone's pissed and wants to know more information that we don't have. People are flooding into the clinic and are trying to see if they have it or don't have it." Linc says and I nod as we turn down a corner.

"Do people know about the stickers?" I ask and he stops.

"Shit, no." Linc says and frowns. "Damn, I going to go and tell everyone working in the clinic to look for the sticker colors."

"How are Fiona, Genevieve and Vanessa doing?" I ask and he frowns.

"I'm not sure," he says and I nod.

"I'm going to go and check on them," I say and Linc nods. I start walking towards Fiona's room and I knock on the door before stepping in. She's laying limply in the hospital bed, her skin a yellow color and she looks really weak.

Her brother is sitting beside her, with his head in his hands. He looks up as the door closes and nudges Fiona. Fiona rolls over and looks at me, her eyes dark and heavy. "Hi," I say and she gives me a small smile.

"Hi," she says weakly. Reese looks at me, almost pleadingly.

"Do you mind if I talk to your brother for a minute?" I ask and she shakes her head. I step into the hallway and Reese follows me.

"Is she going to be okay?" Reese asks and looks at me. He looks like he's barely slept, there are dark bags under his eyes and he looks like a mess.

"I'm not sure," I say and he looks at me.

"What do you mean by that? She has to be okay, she's just a kid." Reese says and starts pacing. He stops and looks at me. "What do you think she has?" he asks and I sigh, sitting down. Reese sits down next to me.

"I'm not a doctor," I say and he nods. "But if I had to guess, I'd say the Epidemic's." I say and he looks at me, his eyes puzzled.

"But she hasn't been exposed to it, how could she have it?" Reese asks and I sigh thinking about how to explain it.

"Did you hear an announcement today about the Epidemic's?" I ask and he shakes his head.

"No, I was working the night shift and I got here late," Reese says and I nod.