Evelyn Ford adjusted Zoe’s knit hat. Since waking up, Zoe’s speech and walking had become much smoother. Seeing her bundled up like a little bear, Evelyn couldn’t resist lifting her up and tossing her gently into the air.
Zoe wasn’t scared at all. She seemed to love the game, and her laughter filled the entire cave.
"Auntie, I want to play again."
Quincy had explained the family relationships to her. He and Evelyn Ford were like brother and sister, and since he considered Zoe his daughter, that made Zoe Evelyn’s niece.
"Was that fun?"
"It was fun! I can fly." As she spoke, she stretched out her arms and mimicked a little bird flying.
Evelyn Ford smiled and pinched her cheek. "You’re planting vegetables with Wendy. Do you have your own patch?"
"I do! I’ll start digging now." She waved the small wooden shovel in her hand and squatted down to dig, but she lost her balance and tumbled head over heels. Wendy stared, dumbfounded.
"Zoe, you’re just like a little piglet."
Zoe giggled, thinking Wendy was praising her.
"I am a piglet."
Evelyn Ford’s mouth twitched. She went back to get a hoe and started digging up the adjacent plot of land with Wendy.
"Miss Ford, growing leafy vegetables should be fine without sunlight, but we definitely can’t grow pumpkins. Didn’t you say plants need photosynthesis to grow? Without light, the pumpkins won’t be able to flower."
Evelyn Ford gave her a thumbs-up. "Wendy, you have a great memory. But things are different now. This situation is just like when we were in the Safe Zone; the weather outside is bizarre. Maybe pumpkins can grow even without sunlight. Let’s give it a try. If it really doesn’t work, we can always go dig for tree roots."
"I want to dig for tree roots," Zoe repeated from the side.
"You’re so round, like a little piglet, you’d roll right down the mountain," Wendy said, gently patting Zoe’s head.
"Miss Ford, let’s plant more pumpkins then."
Wendy went back to get the seeds, while Evelyn Ford continued digging. She placed the stones she unearthed to the side to build a low retaining wall.
"Evelyn Ford, come quickly! Ethan Dawson is vomiting blood."
Hearing Quincy call for her, Evelyn Ford dropped her hoe and immediately headed for the large communal sleeping area.
"Are there any red threadworms?"
"Yes, a lot! They’re still alive and wriggling. It’s so disgusting."
Evelyn Ford glanced at Quincy. "You threw up a lot before, too. Have you forgotten?"
"No way. I only threw up blood, not worms, right?" Quincy refused to admit that he’d had worms in his stomach too.
"You’d be stubborn to the end," Evelyn Ford said, quickly checking on Ethan Dawson. When she saw clotted blood in his vomit, her brow twitched.
"What’s going on with him?"
"It’s probably from a previous internal injury. He’ll be fine once he’s purged everything. When he wakes up, give him some warm water and a little bit of gruel. His eyesight will probably be affected, just like yours was."
Quincy frowned at Ethan Dawson. "Won’t he die if he keeps vomiting like this?"
"He probably won’t die. I’m just worried the fever will damage his brain."
"That’s true. Our team can’t afford to support an invalid. He’d just be dead weight."
"You’re... the... idiot."
The voice from nearby came through gritted teeth. Evelyn Ford and Quincy exchanged a look and glanced over at Ethan Dawson. His eyelids twitched; he wasn’t fully awake, but he was conscious.
Quincy leaned closer to observe Ethan Dawson, then said, word by word, "Idiot. Dead weight. We’re going to leave you behind."
Evelyn Ford shot Quincy a look as if he were a complete moron, then went out to boil some water.
"Is he awake?" Officer Graham asked.
"Not yet."
The frosted wood produced a lot of smoke and dripped water when it burned. Evelyn Ford had Officer Graham bring some firewood over to dry by the back of the fire. Once the moisture evaporated, it would burn without the thick smoke.
Ronan Kendrick was sharpening knives nearby. They had worn down quite a few machetes on their journey and hadn’t had time to deal with them until now. Today, he had taken out all sorts of blades, preparing to re-hone them.
Evelyn Ford didn’t disturb him. She put the water on to boil, then went back to work in the vegetable patch. When Quincy called for her again, she ran back to check on Ethan Dawson’s condition.
That evening, Ethan Dawson’s condition improved slightly. He would occasionally regain consciousness for a few minutes at a time, but he had blood blisters in his throat and couldn’t speak. He was completely blind—a much more severe case than Quincy’s—and it would likely take over a week for his sight to return.
Evelyn Ford prepared a packet of Chinese herbal medicine for him. By noon the next day, after vomiting one last time, Ethan Dawson finally woke up for good.
"Why is he shaking so badly?"
"He’s been in a coma for almost a month. He has no strength right after waking up, so his limbs will be weak and shaky."
Quincy flexed his wrists. "I’ve never taken care of a man like this before."
"Mhm, thanks for your hard work," Evelyn Ford replied without much feeling.
"I even have to carry him to the toilet on my back! He’s at least six-foot-one, about four inches taller than me, and more muscular. Not just anyone can be a caregiver, you know. I’m going on strike."
Evelyn Ford gave him a dark, silent look.
Just then, Zoe came over and patted Quincy on the back. "You’ve worked hard, Daddy."
Hearing her call him "Daddy," Quincy’s eyes instantly welled up with tears.
"It’s no trouble at all. It’s what I’m supposed to do. You’re such a good girl, Zoe. Go on and plant your vegetables."
Zoe toddled away. Quincy looked at Ethan Dawson and snorted.
"You’ve been grumbling all day."
"I’ve been the one taking care of him for the past few days, so can’t I complain a little? Ethan Dawson just lies there like a lord waiting to be served. I’m like a nanny, bringing him drinks and cleaning up the blood he vomits. Even a nanny doesn’t have it this bad."
Ethan Dawson’s vacant eyes turned in Quincy’s direction. He then raised a hand and made a few gestures, which neither Evelyn Ford nor Ronan Kendrick understood.
"What’s he doing?"
"That’s sign language," Officer Graham translated. "He says that once he recovers, he’ll take over all your duties. He also says thank you." After hearing the translation, Quincy actually looked embarrassed.
"What’s there to thank me for? I didn’t do that much... But since you’re offering to take over my work, I guess I could allow it."
Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick exchanged a look, both pursing their lips in silent, mutual understanding.
’Sure enough, this family couldn’t do without Quincy. Life was so much more interesting with him around.’
While Ethan Dawson was recovering, Taylor Vance also woke up. He was older, and Evelyn Ford had been worried he wouldn’t make it, so she had given him a whole dose of her special medicine. The effect might have been too strong; he not only vomited blood but also had a severe nosebleed. After waking up, he was blind for two days. Once he recovered, however, his complexion was actually much better than before. Evelyn Ford checked his pulse and was surprised to find that some of Taylor Vance’s old internal injuries were slowly healing on their own.
"I can’t believe one cold front knocked us out for so long."
Quincy quickly corrected him. "Mr. Vance, it was two. There was a cold snap, too."
Taylor Vance looked at everyone, his heart filled with mixed emotions. Thinking of the many others in the communal sleeping area who still hadn’t woken up, he couldn’t help but worry.
"Being in a coma for this long... it won’t cause permanent damage, will it? Do they need to be cleaned? Do they lose control of their bowels and bladder?"