Bloody Sunset by Gwendolyn Harper (classic books for 11 year olds TXT) 📗

every day Auntie Caitlin rules and that Uncle Booker drools,” she said, playfully wiggling her finger at the little girl, who stared in wide-eyed fascination.

“Hey, I heard that,” Booker called from a table away, still handing out odds and ends they’d picked up.

Caitlin smirked. “I know.”

“Want me to get you some food?” David offered. “Some of the guys went hunting. I’ll admit I didn’t think I was a venison man, but now that I’ve smelled it, I think I’m a convert.”

“’S good meat,” Booker said, striding over. “Especially grilled like a steak. Y’wanna talk about living high on the hog…” He half-grunted, half-hummed at the back of his throat, much to the delight of Matilda.

Reaching down gently, Booker ran his hand over her mop of blonde curls.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he murmured. “Gotcha more fruits and veggies we know you’ll just spit out. But at least we’re tryin’.”

Max looked up from where he was pulling the duck out of its packaging.

“She likes apples. And peaches. But anything green…”

“Oh, I remember,” Booker said, clapping the man on his shoulder. “Like that scene from The Exorcist.”

Scanning the room, Caitlin searched for Nicole but couldn’t find her.

“Is Nicole in the kitchen?” She asked.

David shook his head. “No, I haven’t seen her in here yet. She might be helping Scott with the new patients. We had a little accident yesterday.”

Caitlin and Booker both froze.

“What kind of accident?”

“Nothing catastrophic,” Max urged. “Some of the fencing materials fell on top of a few of the work crew. Most are just bruised or banged up, but one guy broke his wrist, and another got a piece of pipe through his leg.”

“Jesus,” Booker said. “They’re lucky it won’t worse.”

“Very lucky.”

Zipping up her bag, Caitlin said, “I’m going to go find her. Save me a plate, okay?”

David nodded, already making his way back to the kitchen.

She wasn’t surprised Booker followed her.

Even after days of being together, cramped inside the Jeep or in an occasional empty farmhouse they could use for a night or two, he never wanted to be far from her.

Not that she minded.

“Can’t wait to take a hot shower,” he muttered, running his hand over his face and growing beard. “Trim this up a bit too.”

Caitlin smirked over her shoulder. “I dunno, I kinda like it.”

“Y’say that now, but just wait. You’ll wake up one mornin’ next to the guy from Castaway and you’ll wish you’d had me shave it.”

“Alright, fine,” she conceded. “But don’t you dare touch your hair. It’s the perfect length.”

Closing the distance, Booker playfully swatted her ass, making her giggle.

“All the better for ya to grab onto,” he murmured in her ear.

Caitlin winked. “Why else do you think I want you to keep it that long?”

Turning down the hall towards the science classrooms the group had converted into a makeshift clinic, they poked their head into the first doorway.

“Nicole?” Caitlin called.

Whirling around, red hair fanning out, Nicole beamed. “You’re back!”

She jogged over, nearly toppling both of them in a group hug.

“Were you gone longer this time, or did it just feel that way?”

“Steve said basically the same thing,” Caitlin said with a smile. “Glad to know we’re missed.”

“Always.” Nicole released them and glanced back at Scott and the man they were fitting for a splint. “We’re almost done here.”

“Got some goods for ya doc,” Booker announced, moving into the room.

Holding a piece of the brace still, Scott nodded, offering a smile. “Thank you. You can put everything over on that table while I finish up with Clark here.”

“We heard about the accident,” Caitlin said, lowering her backpack to the floor.

“Yeah, that was a rough day. But thankfully Clark here missed that.”

The other man winced as Scott adjusted his foot.

“Didn’t miss that gopher hole though,” Clark said between gritted teeth. “Should’ve been watching where I was going.”

Scott gave him a reassuring pat on the knee. “At least you only sprained it. That’s a much faster recovery time than a break.”

Retrieving a few boxes from her bag, Caitlin took Nicole by the hand and tugged.

“Hey,” she whispered, jerking her head towards the door.

Following her, Nicole waited until they were in the hallway before asking, “Were you able to find it?”

“Yeah, I got you a two pack,” Caitlin said, handing them over. “They didn’t have name brand, so I figured… In case the first one isn’t clear…”

Nicole stared down at the pregnancy tests and nodded.

“Thank you.”

Caitlin worried the inside of her lip for a moment.

“I also got you these,” she said, giving her the second small box. “I’m not saying you have to use them, or putting any judgement on whatever choice you make, but I saw them and thought… Well, just to cover all your bases.”

The label read like a glaring neon sign. Mifeprex.

“Abortion pills,” Nicole breathed.

Caitlin reached for her, holding her wrist gently. “It’s just in case. It’s a ‘maybe’ on top of an ‘I don’t know’. And you don’t have to use them if—”

“God, there are a lot of bridges to cross all at once,” Nicole said, glancing up at the ceiling.

“Did you tell Scott?”

Nicole nodded. “Yeah. He’s… Well, you know. He wanted kids, but that was before we had to worry about protecting them from zombies. Now, we’re not sure what we want.”

Pulling her friend into a hug, Caitlin whispered, “Whatever you decide, I know it’s the right choice. You’ve always been good at making the tough calls.”

“Hey, you ready to—” Booker pulled up short. “Sorry, I didn’t mean t’interrupt.”

Backing up, Nicole wiped a thumb under her eye and smiled.

“It’s okay,” she said, giving Booker a pat on his arm. “I’m going to finish up here with Scott and we’ll meet you for