Don't Eat Moose

New homes, new beginnings.

The next morning, light filtered in through the sheer drapes, painting the room in color and rousting Josh from his slumber. He nestled into the warm bed, gripping the sheets and enjoying their feeling as he shut his eyes and attempted to go back to sleep. Images of the snowstorm that had made him black out came rushing back at him. He hadn’t seen any of his old tribe members. Curiosity as to their whereabouts filled him and forced him to waken fully. He looked over at Ileana who sat diligently by his side with drooping and bloodshot eyes.

 

He gave a grunt to get her attention as she stared out the window with her arms crossed. She raised a brow and looked over at him.

 

“I guess you’ll be hungry. Won’t you? We should get you cleaned up and then we’ll go eat. God knows I need to.” She wrung her shaking hands as he noticed the slight sheen covering her pale face. She stood and steadied herself on the railing of Josh’s bed as Rafe came walking in. “This damn sun is blinding me!”

 

“Well good morning, Miss Grumpy Pants!”

 

“Just leave me alone.” She huffed and struggled for a moment to lower the railings then pulled the covers off of Josh even as he held on to them, not ready to relinquish their warmth. “Come on, Josh. Don’t be stubborn.”

 

“He’s not ready to get up yet. Just let him chill. It’s not like he has a job to go to.” He put a hand on her back when she tripped over her feet. “You’re graceful this morning!”

 

“Just….” She took a deep breath and ran a hand over her hair. “Just leave me alone. Okay?”

 

Rafe turned her around and felt his cheerful face to fall when he saw her disposition. “Doc, you’re not okay. Here, sit down and I’ll go get your insulin and something for you to eat.”

 

“Okay….” Before she could sit, her eyes rolled up into her head and she dropped to the floor, hitting her head with a gut-wrenching crack. Josh simply watched as Rafe called for Doctor Hamilton anxiously as he worked on Ileana. Josh tilted his head curiously and shifted to watch. Whenever one of his old tribe members had fallen, they would leave them to their fate. What more could they have done?

 

This new tribe was much better equipped to help its people and soon enough, Doctor Hamilton came jogging into the room. Josh cried out when he saw the needle and moved to stop the man from sticking Ileana until Rafe stopped him and held him firmly.

 

“It’s alright, man. It’ll help her. She doesn’t feel anything.”

 

After injecting Ileana, Hamilton scooped Ileana’s limp body up and began to carry her out of the room until Josh gave another cry.

 

“Can he come along? Maybe if he stays close to her, he’ll feel better.” Hamilton nodded and waited until Rafe had helped Josh into a wheel chair then followed Hamilton down to the X-Ray room. They only had to wait a few moments until the scans came back clear. “You see, buddy? She’ll be okay. No worries.”

 

“We should still monitor her carefully.” He shook his head and moved Ileana to a gurney and led the way back to Josh’s room. He and Rafe moved her to the bed beside Josh’s and allowed Josh to stay by her side, content that he hadn’t the strength to move himself yet. Rafe clapped his hand onto Josh’s shoulder and left the room with Hamilton. “So, what’s going to happen with Kenneth? Is he going to be a problem here?”

 

“No. I reported him to the board and filed a restraining order against him. I’m sure he won’t be an issue any longer.” Hamilton rubbed a finger below his chin thoughtfully. “I want you to stay close just to be on the safe side. I’m also considering that Josh be moved outside the mortuary. He needs to learn the world while recuperating.”

 

“Are you sure, doc? I mean, won’t that be a little too much, too fast?”

 

“This mad world will always be too much too fast.” Hamilton shook his head and rolled his eyes with a sigh. “You kids and that twitter nonsense. What the world is a twitter?”

 

“It’s a tweet, doc.”

 

Hamilton simply grumbled and quickened his pace, leaving Rafe to turn and head back to Josh’s room where he found the older man holding Ileana’s hand as he watched her while grunting to her as though he were talking to her. He looked up at Rafe, continuing to grunt and shudder. “I don’t understand you, man. It’s good that you’re trying to communicate though. Are you cold? Boss lady would kill me if I let you stay cold.”

 

Rafe pulled the comforter from Josh’s bed and wrapped it around Josh’s shoulders. Eventually, Josh settled back into his chair, refusing to let Ileana’s hand go as he grew quiet.

 

 

Hours later, Ileana awoke and cringed, pressing a hand to her head as the world spun around her. She opened her eyes and looked over to find Josh hunched up on the foot of her bed with his knees drawn up to his chest and the blanket over his shoulders. His back was up against the wall and his eyes were trained on the door.

 

“Hey.” He looked back at her with a grunt then turned his eyes back on the door. “What are you doing? Are you guarding me?”

 

She eased herself out of her bed and carefully went to stand in front of him.  He grunted with a slight frown marring his otherwise smooth skin.

 

“There’s so much I want to know about you.” She tilted her head thoughtfully and cupped his cheek gently. “You’re so much sweeter than I thought you would be. I thought you’d be a monster that was terrified of everything because nothing was the way you knew it.”

 

“Hey, you’re awake!” Rafe came in with an orange and handed it to her. “There’s been some good news since you conked out on us. You gotta be more careful watching your blood sugar levels.”

 

“Yeah, I know it.” She shrugged and peeled the orange. “What happened?”

 

“Kenneth resigned. He felt awful for doing what he did to Josh and handed in his notice just about an hour ago. Also, John wants Josh to venture into the real world. He says this place is no good for a rehabilitation facility. He needs to see the world and learn to adapt now.”

 

“That makes sense. So, where’s he going to go?” Rafe stared at her blankly as she chewed on a wedge while handing Josh one as he watched her curiously, enjoying the scent of the food and edged closer to her. “What?”

 

“Where else do you think he’s going? He’s got to go with you.”

 

“With me? Are you kidding?” Ileana sank on to the edge of her bed, handing Josh another wedge before popping one into her mouth. “I live in the middle of nowhere. He won’t be able to interact socially with anyone besides me and Moose. That’s no way for him to learn. He really should go with you.”

 

“And live with Rebekah and in my tiny little apartment in the middle of the city? People would shun him left and right thinking he’s got some kind of learning disability.” He shook his head. “He has to go with you until he’s at least able to minimally communicate with people. Then we can slowly socialize him until he’s ready to go out on his own.”

 

“You think he’s really got a chance to survive in this mad world on his own?”

She looked over at Josh who was coyly sneaking his hand around her to take another wedge of orange. She perched a brow when he realized he was caught and sank back into his spot.

 

“He just tried to go Gollum on your a*s!” Rafe chuckled as Ileana handed Josh the rest of her snack. “He has a chance. We just gotta work really hard with him.”

 

“What about my work?”

 

“You’ll still be able to work. You’ll see. I’m sure he’ll pick up quick.” He looked back at Josh who was leaning against the wall while munching happily on the food. “We should get you two a proper meal. How’s your head?”

 

“I’m alright.” She turned to Josh when he eased off of the wall. “Has he had any side effects from the lumbar puncture?”

 

“None so far, luckily. Come on. We gotta get you fed.”

 

 

After eating, Ileana bundled Josh up as snow began to fall outside. He stared at her as though she were ridiculous through the fur-lined hood of the second thick coat she zipped up his slender frame. A frown fell into his brow as she tugged leather gloves on to his hands and moved one of the scarves to cover his nose and mouth.

 

“Don’t look at me like that. It’s rude.” She tossed her own scarf over her shoulder and guided him out to the cab that was waiting for them alongside Rafe and Hamilton.

 

“Careful now.” Rafe chuckled as Josh pulled Ileana against him as they stepped outside. Nothing was as he once knew it. The air smelled different, the sun looked different and the energy in the air was different as well. Fear and confusion made his heart thunder loud enough to drown out nearly all rational thought. “He could go King Kong on your a*s. Throw you over his shoulder and climb up on the roof with ya. I’d save you though. I’d pelt him with Nerf balls from my RC helicopter.”

 

“My hero.” Ileana rolled her hand before each man shook her and Josh’s hands. Josh tilted his head thoughtfully each time his hand was shaken and then shook Ileana’s hand. She could only smile as she slid into the cab and tugged on Josh’s hand to urge him inside as well.

 

He resisted as best as he could and nearly pulled her out of the vehicle until Rafe and Hamilton pushed him back despite his bellows and struggles.

 

“It’s a good thing you got the private jet for them, John. That’d be one hell of an explanation she’d need to come up with.

 

Hesitantly, Josh lowered himself inside and jumped when Rafe slammed the door behind him. Ileana instructed the driver to take them to the airport and held Josh’s hand as he gripped the seatbelt tightly as though it would protect him from the quickly moving vehicle. “We’re okay. See? This is nice. It’s good and warm in here and keeps us safe from the snow. Just stick by me. You’re okay.”

 

Josh clung tight to her hand, huddling close to her, wondering how she could feel safe within the belly of a beast.

 

“Please behave on the plane. I know that this is alien to you and the plane will be even worse for you to tolerate but you are safe.” She rubbed his arm then his neck as she moved one hand to her chest so that he could feel her steady breathing and rhythmic heartbeat, hoping it would calm him. He locked eyes with her and slowly began to mimic her behavior.

 

It would not last.

 

The sound of the plane engines terrified him. He gripped on to Ileana with hollers that nearly pierced her eardrums. Out of fear of him coming fully in touch with his primal instinct for survival, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the tranquilizer.

 

“I’m sorry.” She jabbed the short needle into the side of his neck and waited for a moment until he collapsed in her arms. “Okay. That’s much better.”

She eased him back into his seat and watched him sleep.

 

He woke up just minutes before the plane landed and allowed her to hold his hands as he pulled his knees up to his chest, grunting while staring out the window. The plane touched down and he lowered his head until his brow rested on his knees.

 

“We’re safe. See? We’re okay. You did good for your first time.” She rubbed his arms and stood, smiling as he stood and followed her off the plane to the cab waiting for them. “We have to go pick up my truck and my dog and then we’ll be on our way back to your new home. Okay?”

 

He simply grunted in return as the cab flew through the city on a seeming race to Rafe’s apartment.

 

“Please, whatever you do. Don’t eat Moose. He’s all I’ve got besides you.”