Free The Last Woman (All That Remains #1) by S. M. Shade

sitting quietly in the corner, watching us
with disapproval written large all over his face.
    “Will you make up the other
bed?” I request. If he’s going to stalk me he may as well be of some use.
“We’ll put Walker in here with him tonight so he won’t panic if he wakes and
doesn’t know where he is. You could make something to eat, too.”
    “All right,” he agrees,
frowning, and silently puts sheets on the spare bed.
    “Thank you. Hey!” I call as
he’s leaving the room. “Don’t worry about us, we’ll be fine,” I say softly. Looking
less than convinced, he doesn’t argue before disappearing.
    The wound looks much better
after we clean and bandage it. His fever has dropped to one hundred one degrees,
a definite improvement. Airen has taken over admirably with Walker, keeping him
entertained, making sure he eats, and giving him a bath. The poor kid is
exhausted. He carries him to bed and covers him with a heavy blanket.
    “Are you going to bed?” he
asks.
    “Not yet, he may wake up
soon.” Not disguising his frustration, he walks out, returning with a plate of spaghetti
and a bottle of water.
    “You need to eat dinner at
least,” he insists, handing me the food. What am I going to do with him? Sweet
and stubborn all rolled into one.
    “Thank you.” I peek at his
sullen face as he sits beside me. “You don’t have to worry about me, or Jayla.
He’s got an infection, an injured foot, and he’s dehydrated. If he wakes he’ll
be too weak to even get out of bed.”
    “And what are we going to do
if he does recover?”
    “I don’t know. You’re right,
we have no idea what kind of person he is, but I don’t want to be scared of
every new person we meet because of what one awful man did. Plus, there’s
Walker to consider. He can’t be more than seven. Surely, you don’t want to put
them out while his father is sick?”
    He sighs. “No, not while he’s
sick, and Walker is five years old,” he says, making it clear he’ll have no
problem kicking them out after Joseph’s well. I decide not to dwell on the what
ifs, since this isn’t a situation where we can plan ahead.
    “Let’s just try to get him
well, and then we can decide what comes next.”
    “Fine, I’m going to bed. Call
me if you need me.” He’s so stiff and reserved. I understand he’s being
cautious, but this is the first person we’ve seen in months. Why is he so
positive it’s a bad thing? Why isn’t he the least bit thrilled there are two
more people in our small world? Sometimes I can’t figure out what goes on in
that beautiful head.
    I lean back in my chair and
doze lightly, fading in and out of dreams where Airen is yelling at Joseph to
get the fuck out of his house. “What is your problem?” I ask over and over
again. “What the hell is your problem?” A moan brings me out of my dream, and I
come to fast. He’s awake.
    “Walker,” he mumbles.
    “He’s in bed beside you.”
    His face relaxes in relief. “Where
are we?”
    “You passed out, and we found
you in our yard. You’re sick. The cut on your foot is infected.”
    “I know. I caught it on a barb
wire fence, and I was searching for a pharmacy, but I think we got lost. I was
confused.”
    “You had a high fever. I’m
Abby.”
    “Joseph.”
    “Nice to meet you.” He chuckles,
and I smile at him. It’s the first time I’ve really looked at him. He’s thin
with tumbles of curly blond hair, pale skin, and sea green eyes. His thick red
lips make him look as if he’s wearing lipstick, but I suppose that’s from the
fever. He’s cute, even as pitiful as he is at the moment. “Well, Joe, I’m
giving you antibiotics and ibuprofen. You were dehydrated as well, so you have
an IV.”
    “Call me Joseph, please. My
dad was Joe. Were you a nurse?”
    “No, I’ve had a lot of time to
read. Plus, my daughter is a medical prodigy.” I laugh and tell him about
Jayla, Carson, and Airen.
    “Walker isn’t sick?”
    “No, but he was exhausted.