M. Marshall - The End Is Nigh

“What do we do now?” Kate shook her head and forced a tiny smile.

“We wait, Lizzy.” I closed my eyes and moved so that I was sitting on the sofa with Rosa laid over my chest so that I could keep a close eye on her breathing. I wanted her close to me in case this stuff had an adverse effect. I had just given my child drugs recommended by a yoga instructor.

“Katie, where exactly did you get these and how did you know what she needed?”

“One of my private yoga clients has hyperthyroidism.” I had no clue what she was talking about and stared blankly back at her. “I got caught out in the rain just as I was finishing work on the polytunnels. As a result, I had a mild case of radiation poisoning. When I looked it up, it said that I needed to get potassium iodide. A medicine which is also commonly prescribed for people with an overactive thyroid.”

“You have the internet?” Kate gave me a look. “You said you looked it up?” She laughed at me. Shadow got up sensing my excitement.

“In a book Lizzy. I looked it up in a book. Remember those?” She pointed to the wall surrounding the fireplace which was covered end to end by bookshelves.

“So that’s where you went. To your client’s house?” feeling sheepish I needed to change the subject. Kate continued to sit on the arm of her chair and stare into the fire.

I hated it when she made me feel like her kid sister, which of course I was but that didn’t mean I had to like it. She was a yoga teacher, and I was a government minister for God’s sake! Well, I used to be. I suppose now both of us were out of a job.

It was the first chance I had to look at her properly since she had bounded in with the pills. Kate looked good considering what the rest of us had gone through. She was well fed and seemed to be perfectly healthy. But then, she always had glowed with health. Apparently, that’s what happens to you when you spend five hours a day sweating in a yoga studio. It was a bit annoying. I was reasonably sure that if I bothered to look in a mirror something resembling a bag of shit would be staring back at me.

“How is she?” Liam looked over at us from his spot on the floor by the fire. He hadn’t taken his eyes off Rosa since he had walked in.

“She seems much calmer and her temperature is coming down, but it’s hard to know if that was the paracetamol or the other stuff.” Shadow was still pacing the floor between the three of us. Unsure of where his place was. In a sort of strange show of loyalty, he had compromised by alternating between sitting at Liam’s feet and then walking over to lick the bottom of Rosa’s.

Liam got up off the floor and moved to sit beside me on the sofa, which pleased Shadow, who came to rest on the floor in between our legs.

“Good boy Shadow. Poor thing he must be exhausted after the last couple of days.” Liam scratched behind the dog’s ear. Shadow showing his gratitude rolled over to rest his head on Liam’s knee.

Kate walked out to the kitchen and reappeared holding a bottle of red wine and three glasses.

“Lizzy you look like you need a drink.” I laughed.

“You say the sweetest things.” I agreed and took a glass without a second thought. The three of us spent most of the evening talking about what had happened in the days after the bombings. We shared stories of the things we had seen that couldn’t be unseen. Spoke of the choices we had been forced to make to ensure our survival. Ones which we would carry with us for the rest of our lives.

Kate told us about an army which was forming up here in the northern counties. She had some connection to one of the officers in command and knew quite a bit about their operation. She told us that there had been a massive influx of people travelling up from the South in the first few weeks after the bombings.

Whole families who had managed to get out of the cities in the thirty-minute evacuation window had made their way up to the North of England and Scotland. Thinking probably that here the bombings would have been less severe. They’d been wrong. Every large city across the country had was devastated by the attacks. Because of the amount of farmland and livestock here in the lake district, the local people were keen to defend it. Until they quickly realised that those eating the crops were dying. Then they started rationing food from the stores, the supermarkets and barns which were full of produce. People who had been caught looting were hung from trees in Cumbria.

I shivered as I recalled the night in the supermarket. I had been so close to being caught stealing the box of Rosa’s formula. That could have been me hanging from a tree. I wondered how many babies might have depended on that baby formula I had taken.

“Where are the government? I don’t understand it. We were all briefed on the plans in place for this sort of thing. This radio silence, it doesn’t make any sense.” Liam looked at me confused.

“What do you mean we were briefed?” My sister jumped in before I could correct my mistake.

“Didn’t she tell you what she does? She’s a member of parliament! Sorry I mean, she was. Now she’s on sabbatical to have a baby. She was the shadow housing minister for the Labour Party.”

“Is she joking?” He sounded angry. His eyes bore a hole into the side of my head. I turned my head slowly and looked at him. “After everything I’ve told you, and you couldn’t tell me that? What else don’t I know?” I was surprised that he sounded so hurt.

“You can hardly blame me for keeping it quiet; you’re the one who told me to. Remember you said that anyone with a useful profession would be used as currency in the capital.”

“Well yes, but I didn’t think you…” Kate interrupted him.

“Ah no you didn’t think she would be useful, did you? This late thirties washed up stay at home mum, carting a baby around the country. She couldn’t be worth anything. Showing your true colours now!” The wine was going to Kate’s head.

“Oi, watch your mouth.” I threw a cushion at her head and just narrowly missed her wine glass. Shame. “Less of the late thirties thank you.”

“Lizzy, 37 is late.”

“I’m 36 you cow, and it is most definitely mid.” Liam opened his mouth to speak, but I held up my hand in a warning. “Don’t you say a word.” He motioned zipping his mouth shut and just looked at me. His stare lasted longer than was comfortable and I had to look away. I was beginning to think he might be drunk.

Maybe he would be making plans to leave us tomorrow once he knew that Rosa would be alright. I was starting to believe that she was on the mend. It had been nearly six hours since giving her the first dose of potassium iodide and her fever hadn’t returned. I had given her a second syringe four hours later. I was planning to provide her with another treatment for the night just to be on the safe side.

“Kate can I make up a bed for Rosa and I down here? I need to give her another dose in two hours and I don’t want to leave her.” Kate shook her head and bent down to haul me up off the floor. I had forgotten how strong she was.

“No. Come on, let me stay with Rosa. I’ve still got the stamina to stay up all night. You guys go and get some sleep. You both look like you’re about to collapse. The spare room hasn’t been touched since you were last here Liz so just go ahead and use that. You remember how to pull out the sofa bed right?” It felt so good to have an entirely regular conversation.

“Yes. Thank you so much, Kate. No more wine!” She held up her hand in a girl guide’s salute and hugged me.

Shadow walked over to lie on the floor under the sofa where Rosa lay sleeping peacefully. I went over to check her pulse it had finally returned to normal. I bent down to stroke Shadow’s head and kissed Rosa on the forehead.