Oh goodness. Where to begin?

I just woke up and remember the most jumbled series of events ever. As I think about it, I know there is definitely a gap in my memory so I guess I’ll write down what I can remember if it clarifies it in my mind. Hey, maybe I’ll actually remember some of the things I’d forgotten. I’d wish for a Remeberal but that wouldn’t help. I know I’ve forgotten something. Oh well.

Anyway, I was at the hospital working actually. What a surprise really. Every time I seem to try and leave the hospital to do something else, someone else shows up. But I’m all ready getting off track.

That’s when Guin one of the other nurses came in while I was treating a friend named Alita. She’d torn her stitches again after takin on more infected. Oh well, can’t make someone take care of themselves.

Guin, on the other hand,  she had…well…a more amusing wound. She had been out an about hunting and dealing with the infected. Well, after taking out one of them, she had fallen and…well…cut her ass. I kid you not. It wasn’t a small cut either. Not like it was a huge gash or anything but she’d really gotten herself in a pickle with that one. I was surprised it wasn’t bleeding more than that considering the area.

Anyway, while I was lookin at it, I figured it needed stitches to patch it up.  So, when I told her and started to get the stuff ready, she dropped the other shoe…she doesn’t like pain. Or rather, she isn’t good with pain. Well, we aren’t supposed to give pain pills just for stitches unless the wound is pretty severe. But she came up with her own version of meds. A joint of weed.

I wouldn’t have recommended it. But I knew from past experience with it that she wouldn’t care about the pain or the stitches while under their effect. So, I let her have at it. At first it was pretty amusing the way she rambled on while laying there on the table in just her shirt and underwear. I worked on her stitches and she was completely oblivious to everything.

Eventually, I was able to finish up my work and let her know she was done and could get dressed. But by this point I was starting to feel like shit…literally. The symptoms had been going on and off for a few days and I simply didn’t have the resources to take care of it. Well, I did but I was so wanting to save it all for my crossbow.

Anyway, Guin apparently had other plans in mind other than getting dressed. She tore out of the examination room leaving her bag, shoes, and yes her pants behind.

I forgot about how sick I was for that moment, grabbed up her things, told Steph I was clockin out and took off after her.

I raced up the stairs following the sound of her bare feet smacking on the floor. Having lived in the forest for the better part of the two years since the infected took over everything had it’s advantages. Eventually, I was able to corner her in one of the third floor offices. However, now that I had stopped running, I felt worse than ever. I slumped against the door and it kept me standing as I tried to convince her again to get dressed again.

However, she still wouldn’t cooperate. Instead, she offered me a deal. If I took one of the joints and lit up with her, then she’d get dressed. Well…by this point I was bout ready to at least forget I was sick even if I stayed that way. Lord knows what a regular doc would have said about me lightin’ up a joint to feel better when you’ve spent your time nearly wantin to puke.

In any case, I was just fed up so I took up the offer of the joint. She tried at first to help me light it only to catch one of the office chairs on fire. She put it out before it got worse but there was a permanent burn mark on the chair now. I took the lighter from her since I didn’t want her to set fire to anything else including myself in the process.

The familiar taste came back to me reminding me of a party I once attended in college where I smoked my first joint and got laughed at as a sputtered. Now though, I was used to it and didn’t choke on the smoke like Guin had when she had smoked hers. I felt the drug taking it’s affect slowly and Guin was still immovable.

So, I came up with my own plan. Since she had resorted to crawling under the desk and I now had a joint, I was gonna take it elsewhere and relax. I told her as much and she actually came after me.

I know we ended up making it to the second floor where the patient’s beds are. What happened next…I have no idea still. The only reason I know we made it there is because that’s where I woke up. Guin was passed out in the bed next to me and oddly enough, the bed I was in was littered with crumbs and half eaten dog biscuits. Even now I grimace at the thought that I actually ate them and probably liked it. I was still dressed in my scrubs which were covered in crumbs.

Afterwards, I stumbled back to the staff beds and curled up for a nap. Thankfully, I was feeling better from the illness that had been churning in my stomach. When I woke the second time, I felt myself again at least.

Anyway, now that I got my wild times out of the way…which I noticed I had apparently tried to write about but failed miserably. Time for the new stuff.

I did end up working the next day…that being today.

But at first I was about to head out to scavenge and maybe hunt when a person came in with the same sort of illness I had. They didn’t want it getting out so I will leave their name out of this in case someone comes across this later. So, I got them the pills they needed. The price was steep as always but if your sick there’s not much choice.

Then, I tried to head out again and ANOTHER person showed up. This time, it was some new guy. Had to go through all the hoops. So, while Bruce, one of the security staff, made sure he wasn’t carrying any weapons, I rushed back in to change into my scrubs. When I came back, I followed the rules and made sure he filled out this paperwork and all before his exam. Even Bruce pitched in and gave him some of his own food and water since none of the shelter staff was around to do it. Very nice of him.

So then, I convinced the nervous man to go back and get his exam. Of course, we ask people to strip down so we can check and see if they have any bites from the infected. He took off his jacket and shirt but wouldn’t do the same for his lower half. I know that it’s been a while for anyone to go to a doctor or anything and we don’t have those little gowns for people to put on. But it was still part of my job.

I calmly talked to him and tried to convince him nicely about what the exam was like. However, he was havin none of it. Told me in no uncertain terms that the only way anyone was makin him take off his pants is if he was gonna have sex with a woman.

It hit me then and there that no matter what I said, this guy wasn’t gonna go through with it. So I have Steph call Bruce back in who had gone outside to stand guard with Jasper. I told him the situation and that the guy would need to leave. Bruce seemed hesitant about that and tried to talk the man into it.

To me it was an utterly lost cause but kudos for trying.

No matter what I or Bruce said could convince the man otherwise. So Bruce left it up to me to decide what to do. I looked at the man and knew this is just the way things were. Everyone had to go through it and there was nothin to do about it. If he had been in my shoes he’d have accepted nothin less. So, I told the man to leave and wished him luck with whatever he decided to do.

Eventually, I was able to head out and do my own thing. I felt like I needed a friend around. That made me think of Guin who had told me where she lived. The Eights. She had invited me over at one time so I headed that way. Luckily, she was there and I told her why I had come and about my day. Then, she mentioned about some people called the Halsey’s or somethin that had broken into the Eights that she had to stand up to. Sounded tense but she was thankfully fine.

We were planning on hanging out there till I found out that technically the place was on lock down and unless I lived and worked there, I couldn’t be there. So, while she went and got a friend of hers, I went outside to wait on her. That’s when I ran into another guy who was wounded pretty good. I tried to help him but he wouldn’t hear of it and he seemed to live there at the Eights.

When Guin and her friend Ein showed up, the dude was on his ass on the ground still bleeding. What is it with men not accepting help from people? Geeze. Anyway, he accepted Ein’s help and he got him back inside to get medical help. Leaving Guin and I to our own devices again.

We headed out to somewhere Guin was leading me when this wolf came out of the forest and growled at us rather menacingly. Eventually, though, by kindness and patience and a scrap of meat. The wolf warmed up to us. Well, I say us I meant myself when it licked my face.

Anyway, we moved on from the wolf heading into town to a place I’d never been in before. Mostly cause I’m broke till I get paid the first time. That’s when we found out that the wolf had actually followed us all the way there. Maybe it was thinkin it had found a meal and we might give it another one.

While Guin chatted with the guy workin there, I went through the small bags that the wolf seemed to be wearing oddly. Inside was a lot of different things but the most telling was the collar with the name Diablo on it. At least we had a name to call the wolf now. Anyway, Guin got us some water which went down like a fine wine. The guy there didn’t take too kindly to Diablo because of the way he smelled. So we trooped out of there slowly. Mostly cause I had twisted my ankle yet again dealing with one of the infected who came at us while we were in town.

Seein as they didn’t have any food, the three of us, dog included who was happy enough to be led along by the leash it was carrying around, went off to the forest to see what wild game there was to eat.

Guin was the one with all the ammo, so I settled on the ground to let my ankle rest while Diablo apparently considered me his new human and leaned up against my back to give me somethin to lean on. Thankfully, the game was plenty along with the infected but Guin is a great shot. Also, she had a first aid kit on her and was able to bandage up my sprain which helped with the pain. Nothin else to do for it anyway ‘cept rest it.

Then, it came the task of getting Diablo a bath. The wolf was quite dirty and while it didn’t like the idea, it let me convince it into the water of a shallow pool. It took ages to get all the junk off that wolf. Then, we found out…it wasn’t a wolf at all but a dog. He was a mixed breed that was for sure but sorta colored like a german shepherd.

In any case, I think I have myself a new four legged friend. I never had a dog when the world was good and safe…well for the most part. I guess now life’s making up for it by givin me one now. Either way, I see at the very least an interesting relationship with my new pooch.