The Last Woman (All That Remains #1) (7 page)

“I assume those are generators
I hear?”

I nod. He’s fighting to keep
his eyes open. “I’ll let you sleep, but I’m right across the hall if you need
anything. Just yell for me.”

“Thank you for taking care of
me and my boy.”

“You’re more than welcome.”

I change clothes and go to the
bathroom to clean up and brush my teeth. When I return to my room, Airen is
sitting on my bed.

“So, he’s awake?”

“He was for a few minutes. I
think he’ll be all right,” I reply.

His hand runs through his hair,
a sure sign he’s stressed. What’s wrong with him? Why is he even awake?

“Airen, do you want to talk
about something? Is something wrong?”

He stares at me for a moment.
“No, I’m going back to bed,” he mutters and walks out before I can question him
further. I’m too tired to ponder the intricacies of Airen’s thought processes
tonight. My bed feels so good, I fall asleep almost instantly.

* * *
*

Most of my time is spent
taking care of Joseph over the next couple of days. Airen’s mood hasn’t
improved one iota. He’s so grouchy. I assume it’s because he’s getting stuck
with more of the household duties in my absence so I ask Jayla to take over the
cooking for a few days.

Joseph is well enough to stand
up for a few minutes at a time. His fever is gone, and the wound is healing,
but he’s still very weak. I’ve been filling him in on how we keep the house
warm, how we cook, and shower.

“Are you telling me you can
take a hot shower?” he asks, his eyes lighting up.

I giggle at his enthusiasm. “Yes,
so can you when you’re up to it.”

“Thank goodness, this dried
mud really itches,” he complains, scratching at a spotty red rash covering his
neck and chest.

“Look...” I hesitate. “I’ll
help you get a shower if you aren’t too embarrassed. I’m sure you don’t have
anything I haven’t seen before, or I can ask Airen to help you.”

“Are you sure? You’ve done
enough for us already, and I doubt Airen will like it.”

I glance at him in surprise.
“Why do you say that?”

“I wouldn’t like my girl
watching some other guy in the shower.”

He grins. Is he trying to be a
smart ass? He’s seen Airen, and he has to know that isn’t the case.

“Airen and I are just friends,
so don’t worry. I’ll go heat the water and get you some clean clothes.”

The kids are all in bed, and
Airen is reading in his room when I help Joseph out of bed and into the
bathroom where we’ve rigged up the camp shower.

“I don’t know how long I can
stay standing,” he admits.

“It’s okay.” I place a plastic
chair just out of the spray. “Get wet, and then you can sit down to get soaped
up.”

He nods and slips out of his
boxer briefs, avoiding my eyes. “I really owe you one after this.”

“I’ll ignore your red face if
you’ll ignore mine.” Mud runs off of him for the first minute while he stands
in the spray. After rinsing as much as he can, he flops into the chair.

“I just need a minute,” he
says apologetically.

I take the washcloth from him.
“Let me.”

His face is as red as a
stoplight, but he acquiesces. He’s weaker than either of us anticipated. I
quickly lather up the washcloth and wash down his back, arms, chest, and
stomach. “Can you stand and rinse for a second?” He complies, but his legs
start to shake. I turn the chair around, and he drops into it as if his body
weighs a ton. “Lean your head back into the water.” I work fast, washing his
hair and rinsing until the water runs clear. “Almost done.”

“Thanks,” he whispers. Kneeling,
I wash his legs and feet before wiping his face and neck with a clean cloth. I
don’t like how pale he’s becoming. He’s had enough.

“Here.” I hand him the cloth.
“Finish your...um...other parts, and you’re done.”

He quickly washes his private
areas before standing under the spray once more to rinse. I turn off the water,
and he puts his arm around my shoulders as I help him out of the shower. Throwing
a robe on him instead of the sweats I had ready, since he looks like he’s about
to collapse, I help him back to his room, dripping and shivering.

We run into Airen in the
hallway, and he gapes at both of us. I’m nearly as soaked as Joseph, although
I’m wearing clothes at least. Joseph does his best to pull the robe closed. The
look of shock on Airen’s face turns to dismay, and then surprisingly, to anger.
What the hell? I didn’t bother him or ask him to help. He stalks into his room
and slams the door without a word.

“I told you he wouldn’t like
it,” Joseph says. “I’m sorry. The last thing I want to do is cause trouble for
you.”

“I’ll deal with him later.” I
manage to get him to a chair while I change his sheets and blankets and finally
get him into bed.

“I’m sorry,” he repeats. “I
guess I should’ve waited until I was stronger.”

I study him, all clean with
his hair ruffled and shining. He’s regained his color and his green eyes are
bright. He really does have amazing lips. He doesn’t have Airen’s imposing
beauty, but he’s very attractive. Sexy.

“Don’t be silly. Don’t you
feel better? You certainly look better without all the grime,” I tease.

“It feels wonderful, thank
you. I just don’t want to cause trouble for you with Airen. You’ve been so good
to us.” He nods toward Walker’s bed.

“Honestly, I don’t know what’s
bothering him. He’s never like this. I don’t want you to worry over it though,
we’ll work it out. Just focus on getting well.”

I’m appalled and embarrassed
by Airen’s behavior, and frankly, I’m pissed. Neither Joseph nor I have done
anything to deserve his attitude, and I promise myself I’m not going to put up
with it any longer.

“He’s jealous,” Joseph answers
as if it should be evident.

I give him a reproachful look.
“He’s not jealous. It’s not like that, obviously.”

“Sorry, but it sure looks like
it to me. He doesn’t like all the time you’re spending helping me...especially when
I’m naked.” Dimples grace his cheeks as he teases me.

“Stop. I know you’re trying to
be nice, but we both know that’s not true. Airen is so far out of my league
it’s amazing we can see each other. I don’t know what his issue is, but he
doesn’t want me like that. Now get some rest. I’m going to bed.”

I quickly leave the room
before he can answer, but not before I see the look of confusion on his face. Naturally,
I can’t sleep. All I can see is the look on Airen’s face when he saw us in the
hallway. I don’t know why he’s so pissed. Is he just being overprotective as
usual? Joseph is too weak to walk on his own so what does he possibly think he
could do to me? I’m annoyed because he’s made me feel like I’ve done something
wrong, disappointed him in some way. Honestly, why should I feel bad for
helping someone?

I thought I knew Airen pretty
well, but this is a new side of him. He can be difficult and brooding, but he’s
never been so hostile, sulking around the house and slamming doors. Screw it. I
turn over, adjust my pillows and hope when I wake up I’ll get the other Airen,
the slightly arrogant, smirking smart ass who tries his damndest not to show
his emotions. The overprotective, bullheaded sweetheart who worries over us
constantly, and is right there when we need him to be. A few hours before dawn
sleep finally takes me.

* * *
*

Airen won’t talk to me. It
seems he’s opted for the less mature option of giving me the silent treatment
and isolating himself in his room. I’m concerned, but I’m also busy caring for
Joseph and three kids. Joseph is off of the IV, his ankle is healing well, and
he’s able to walk unassisted, although with a limp. If things continue the way
they’re going with Airen then I’ll have to ask Joseph and Walker to leave when
he’s well. I can’t let them come between us after all we’ve been through
together, but it’s so unfair.

Since Airen won’t talk to me,
I haven’t been able to broach the subject. What really pisses me off is I like
Joseph. He’s a sweet, sensitive guy who smiles constantly, showing two adorable
dimples that make him look younger than twenty-eight. He’s smart, easy to talk
to, and he goes out of his way to help wherever he can. Carson and Jayla like
him, and they often include him in their board games and all day Rummy
marathons.

We talk a lot, and he’s
obviously been desperate for adult conversation. I can’t stop the tears from
filling my eyes when he tells me about his family and his life before the
plague. He was married for seven years to a man named Tim. He watches me
cautiously as he talks, fearful I might be homophobic, I assume. I smile and
encourage him to continue. They had fraternal twin boys by a surrogate, who
were four years old when the plague struck. One twin, Mason, died along with
Joseph’s husband.

“Walker is mine biologically,
and Mason wasn’t,” he explains, wiping his eyes. “The immunity must be
hereditary.”

Since my son also survived, I
tend to agree with him, but I’m confused. “Twins can have different fathers?”

“It’s rare, but it happens.
There have even been instances where a woman has slept with two men in one day,
and had twins of different races. Two different contributions, two different
eggs. Our surrogate was inseminated by both me and Tim, and we were lucky.”

“That’s amazing.”

“We thought so, too.”

Airen’s attitude doesn’t
extend to Walker. He brings him a bag of clothes and toys from the store, and
they spend hours building with Legos.

I decide to have a movie night
for the kids. Everyone is gathered in the living room...except Airen. The kids
are enjoying themselves, eating popcorn and watching a movie. When I glance
around the dimly lit room, I’m angrier at Airen than I’ve ever been.

Walker and Jayla are cuddled
together on the sofa, engrossed in the antics of Shrek and Donkey. Carson and
Joseph are throwing popcorn in the air and catching it in their mouths,
laughing when they miss and eating it anyway, from wherever it lands. Okay, not
the most hygienic of activities, but they’re guys so it’s to be expected.
Joseph and Walker fit in here. They belong here with us, it just seems right,
and asking them to leave now is going to break all our hearts...except Airen’s.

Tonight, I promise myself. I’m
going to confront Airen, and I’m not giving up until he tells me why he hates
Joseph, why he hated him on sight. If we’re going to lose two good people, the
only good people we’ve met since the plague, then I’m at least owed an
explanation. Will he be this way if more people come along? Is he determined to
keep things the same, just the four of us no matter the circumstances?

It’s late. The kids have been
asleep for hours and Joseph has just retreated to his room. He knows I’m going
to have it out with Airen.

“Don’t cause yourself any
trouble because of us, Abby,” he pleads before he shuts his door.

It only strengthens my resolve
and flames my anger against Airen. He should like this guy, damn it! When I
stop at Airen’s room and knock, he doesn’t answer, but I can see the strip of
light beneath his door so I know he’s awake. Fine, have it your way you big
baby. When I let myself in, he’s stretched out on the bed, reading. He’s so
sexy in pale blue lounge pants and a white T-shirt. Even with that wary,
brooding look on his face, he’s hot. Smoldering, actually. I can’t get
distracted.

“I didn’t say you could come
in,” he accuses, his jet black eyes flashing at me.

“Well, since you haven’t been
saying anything to me lately, I’m assuming that silence gives consent.”

He sighs as I stare at him. “What
do you want?”

“To talk.”

“So talk,” he replies
petulantly.

I perch on the far edge of his
bed. “Do you know that Joseph is an electrician? He knows a lot about solar
energy, and he thinks we could get some solar panels to provide power to the
house. You wouldn’t have to haul gas or fill generators in the cold.”

“My hero,” he drawls
sarcastically.

Okay, that’s it. “Airen, what
the fuck?” I snap, raising my voice. “Will you just tell me what the problem
is? If you want Joseph and Walker to leave, fine, but I don’t think an explanation
is too much to ask for!” His eyes widen in surprise as his jaw hardens. I’ve
never shouted at him. “So what is it? Give me one goddamn reason why you hate
him so much that you have to be this cruel.”

Now that I’m having my say,
I’m furious, and I don’t give him a chance to answer. “You’ve never been so
hateful to me, and I don’t fucking deserve it!”
Shit, I’m losing it
. I
take a deep breath and lower my voice before continuing more composed. “So
let’s hear it, Airen. What about him is so terrible that you’d behave this way?
Is it because he was married to a man? Do you have something against gay
people? Is that it?”

He looks at me, perplexed.
“He’s gay?”