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I wasn't trying to
stalk her. I swear.
My lunch just
happened to coincide with hers.
I couldn't help it
if my view of her was good. It was just
an accident in the table I chose. And it
just happened to be the seat that had good sight access to where she was
sitting.
But there she
was. Her long blonde hair, her aquiline
nose, her beautiful blues eyes enhanced by her glasses. Was it wrong of me not to want to hold her
again? To stroke her hair? To feel those lips one more....
This reverie was
doing me no good. Lisa had shown little
interest in wanting to talk to me, or even be near me. As painful as it was, I struggled to accept
it.
She sat at a table
with some of the other nursing staff, kids who were learning fast about medical
care and how best to help with the aches and pains and contusions we were
subject to. At the center of the group's
conversation was Morgan LaDonna Tigh.
You could even see from the distance it was all revolving around her. She laughed regally, her auburn hair flashing
around as she turned from one person to another. Everyone was smiling and responding to her,
even Lisa.
Two of Morgan's
closest friends were also at the table with them, Amy James and Karen
Gellenraad. Amy was tall and willowy,
long brown hair that was a dusky blonde at the ends. Many of the girls were turning to their
original color as commercial hair dye was something that never was really in
the trap. There was a small amount in
Home Ec, but that was gone in the first month. Karen, whose parents were
first-generation Dutch, and Lisa were natural blondes and maintained their
coloring. There were two other girls at
the table of whom I was less familiar with, and who they were escapes me
now.
Our people with
medical experience were highly limited.
The school Nurse, Carolyn Justin, was probably our most experienced,
having attended one year of medical school.
One of the biggest boons, as a result, is that she had a number of
medical texts in her office. Another
teacher, Ronald Courson, had been an ER technician a few years before taking up
teaching. Miss Ellen Symms, the health
teacher, kicked in with what she knew.
But we had no qualified doctors, and the medical staff did the best they
could.
We had very few
crippling injuries. We had a lot more
that died or disappeared then ended up maimed.
We had had some minor cold and flu outbreaks, but none extensive, and
nothing life-threatening. The biggest
crisis was with the injuries surrounding the tunnel collapse, with Nathan
Harkin winding up with crushed legs, and now dependent on crutches. Roger Tomlin had his arm in sling, but that
was on the verge of healing, and it should be not needed soon.
The latest shift
in tunnel access resulted in the discovery of basic medical supplies -
bandages, penicillin, disinfectants, and pain relievers. There was nothing to help those who needed
regular medication for such things as diabetes, epilepsy and blood pressure. We had lost an elderly teacher, English
teacher Gary Donaldson, just last week due to a suspected heart attack, and it probably
was related to his loss of blood pressure medication. Grace Kelman hurt herself in a Grand Mal
seizure, but she did survive.
I could not hear
what Morgan's group were saying. Just
that they were laughing and having a good time.
That actually made my heart glad, to see Lisa happy. As much as I missed her, it was more
important to me that she be okay.
Mark Granite came
up behind Morgan, and put his hands around her eyes. She gave a squeal of delight, and turned
around to kiss him. Behind Mark Granite
was Robert Pelley, standing in his sneering glory, stringy black hair dangling
partially in his face, adding to his menacing aura. It was disconcerting to see our star athlete
associated with such lowlife scum, but what did I know? I certainly wasn't part of their circle.
Robert Pelley hung
back, and in my mind, he was leering at Lisa.
My stomach churned and my head spun.
Lisa turned away from his glare and saw me. I shrunk down a bit, and tried to give a weak
smile. She looked back at me with a
slight frown.
Mark took Morgan
and they went off, the girls giggling (except Lisa, who looked distressed) as
the two walked off hand in hand.
Thankfully, after giving Lisa a jagged smile, Robert took off after Mark
and Morgan.
Lisa came over to
my table. I wanted to get up, but my
heart was pounding and I feared I was visibly shaking. She stood in front of me, looking very
serious. It seemed she was looking at me
for minutes, but it was only a few seconds.
I started to say
something, then though better of it.
Finally, she
spoke.
"Pick another
lunch hour, Lance. It will make things
easier."
And then she
walked away.
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