SWNOVELS Chapter The Wait
State senators, the President, members of the CDC, and other political affiliates, had all made television and radio appearances. They all said one of two things. It was either, “Everything will be ok.” or “We’re doing our best, but we just don’t know how it will turn out.” Neither of these options were true. Not, at least, by the speaker's meaning.
Kay kept going to work. Her patients never really got better, but their quality of life improved with changes in medications, and for that she was grateful. She did her best to keep her mind busy. She hung out with Alan and his wife. She met the new neighbors that had moved into Jon’s old place. Kay didn’t have the heart to tell them that the previous tenant passed from Covid. They seemed like a nice, normal, couple. Kay did wonder how they had the money to move during these times, but she wasn’t going to ask. Sometimes it was better to not know than to go snooping into business that wasn’t your own.
There were no more excursions planned for the near future. So much had changed since Kay had arrived in Wisconsin. Businesses were temporarily closing due to mass employee illnesses. Some were closing permanently because they didn’t have enough customers or workers to warrant staying open. Kay was blessed that her profession had no shortage of clients.
While Kay continued working, following precautions, and seeing her regular clientele, she also watched the news more. She had recently heard that a lot of people were hiding out in doomsday bunkers during Covid. Supposedly quite a few had managed to purchase these premade nuclear bunkers for $35,000! Even Wisconsin had its share of doomsday preppers, one of whom had a 1 million dollar survival shelter in Beaver Dam that boasts almost 9,000 square feet on 37 acres. Even Milwaukee still has fallout shelters from the Cold War era that were being used.
“This is all so crazy!” thought Kay. “If these people only knew what was really going on. I bet every single person on the planet would be killing one another to buy a bunker. Of course, that would just prove that we should be wiped out.” Kay laughed internally at her last thought. Here she was trying to save the planet and, if word got out about what was really going on, billions of people would likely seal their fate before The Creator even heard her petition.
Days turn into weeks. Weeks turn into months. Months turn into years. Kay has almost forgotten what she was waiting for. If it weren’t for the ever evolving strains of Covid, Monkeypox, and the Bird Flu, she would have forgotten.
Since the Overlord left, Kay’s practice has acquired numerous new patients. So many that she had to hire another doctor to help with the workload. It’s her third year in Wisconsin and Kay has not been able to visit her family in Louisiana yet. She’s busy, and worried, and they understand. She calls her parents as much as possible and texts her cousins daily.
Alan even introduced her to a long-time friend of his named Eddie. They hit it off immediately and have been dating seriously for the last year. Obviously Kay can’t tell him anything about The Creator and its connection to Covid, but she talks to him about everything else. They both get tested for Covid once a week and they alternate making dinner for one another. He loves Asian foods and she is all about Southern cooking, but they are both willing to try new things. College football is a big thing for them as well. Eddie likes the Wisconsin Badgers and Kay roots for the LSU Tigers. They never play against each other so temporarily supporting another team isn’t a problem. Kay doesn’t want to jump the gun, but she wants this guy to stick around for awhile. Maybe he’s “the one”. She’s reluctant to think too far into the future since there’s no way for her to know if, or when, the Overlord will come back with news about Earth’s fate.
Alan and his wife have twin boys, Alabaster and Alain. They’re 4 months old and Kay knows they’re going to be a handful when they hit the toddler years. Alan really likes Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, and creating his own characters, so of course his children had to have unique names too. He’s already planning on dressing them up as a Druid and a Paladin. Hopefully the boys will roll higher numbers for Constitution. (If you know, you know.)
Kay’s parents are doing well. They dealt with the empty nest syndrome as well as possible in her absence. This meant fostering 3 children from the Louisiana Department of Children's Services. They were siblings ages 7, 9, and 11. Though there was very little hope of parental unification, Kay’s parents were adamant about letting the kids visit their biological family as much as possible. The caseworker said as long as the bio-parents weren’t high, or a danger to the kids, it was in the children's best interest to allow short visits. The kids' names were Kyle, Body, and Cory and they were very polite and respectful. Kay really hoped she could see them soon. She really wouldn’t mind being a big sister and it would be cool to take them to some of her favorite childhood hangouts.
Her grandparents were now in an assisted living community due to their ever evolving dementia. Apparently grandpa left dinner in the oven for 12 hours one day. Needless to say, dinner was burnt to a crisp and the house needed some serious airing out before they could go back inside. Grandma periodically forgot who she was talking to or where she was. It really was safer for them to be somewhere that offered nurses aides. Kay called them as much as she could and reminded grandma of things that may have slipped her mind.
Her cousins were all fine. A few of them had contracted Covid, and one or two were hospitalized. None had died, so that was good news at least. They all still thought it was a joke and there was nothing she could say or do to change their minds. They were a haphazard bunch on the best of days anyways.
Kay waits.