A Different Virus - Laura's Story

Chapter 28

After an hour of tag Diane decided that we needed a hot shower since our pant legs were soaked with the water from the melted snow. I quickly agreed, all of my running may have kept me fairly warm, but my legs were getting cold and my socks were so wet that they squelched when I walked.

Diane passed me some dry clothing from her backpack. It never failed to amaze me what she could pull out of that backpack. I had seen everything from knives and arrowheads pulled out that pack to wrenches and what looked like a coil of speaker wire. I had watched her dig through it once when searching for something and she had emptied probably half of it onto the bed.

I suspected that her backpack was actually a bottomless pit. There was no way that all of that stuff should have been able to fit in there even if the backpack had been empty. I had tried to lift it once and I think it was heavier than I was. I didn't dare open it in case my snooping upset her. I always wondered what kinds of things were hidden in it that only she knew about.

We decided to visit with the nurses until lunch. We entered the nursing area and the blonde-haired lady greeted us with a smile, "Hello, how are you doing?"

We often visited here and this lady was always at this desk. People rarely got hurt in the Fort, so the nurses enjoyed company when it was slow. Nancy was always kind and we had visited often enough that I wasn't shy around her. Oddly enough, Diane always seemed to like visiting with the nurses and I knew that she stopped by here to visit occasionally during the night as well.

Diane returned her smile, "Just came by for a visit if you have time."

Nancy smiled, "Of course, if you want to sit down I will be right over."

We sat down in the waiting chairs and Nancy quickly came over with a tray of veggies and jerky. She blinked at the table, "Oh, I forgot the water. I will be right back." She went into the back of the nursing area through a side door.

Diane glanced at the main entry door. I turned my head as I started to hear footsteps approaching. Nancy walked through the doorway. I was glad that Rick had taught me to keep a straight face, or else my eyes would have been as big as saucers. I knew from my tour that the back of the nursing area did not connect with the main hallway. How had she gotten out there?

She smiled at Diane, "Hi Diane, did you swing by for a visit?"

I looked at Diane and noticed that her eyes didn't have their usual bit of brightness. She was being cautious and had also likely noticed that Nancy didn't have the water she said she was going to bring. Nancy's hair was over her badge so I couldn't read it, but I could see hints of pink shining through her hair. I wondered if it was one of those fake badges Diane had warned me about.

Diane nodded, "Yes, we just got here. Care to sit down for a visit?"

I watched Diane's hands for any signals, but her hands were relaxed and she gave none. I sat quietly and tried to play along. This person looked and sounded exactly like Nancy. Nancy smiled, "Sure, thank you."

A few moments later the side door opened and the first Nancy came out with the pitcher of water. Both Nancys paused at the sight of each other. I noticed that Diane was watching them very closely. She slowly reached out to the Nancy in front of us and brushed her hair away from her name tag. The pink badge proudly proclaimed the name Nancine.

The Nancy with the water chuckled, "I wondered how long it would take before someone else found out."

Diane relaxed a bit and raised an eyebrow in amusement, "Twins?" I blinked. It hadn't even crossed my mind that they could be twins. I did recall that two people in Diane's Foraging group were twins though.

Nancy came and sat down, "Yes."

I looked at Diane with wide eyes, there were two of them?! I thought that one over-energetic nurse was more than enough. Diane was finding this quite humorous, "Well that explains why the 'Nancy' at night was always so much more laid back than the 'Nancy' who was here during the day. I was beginning to wonder if you ever slept!"

The other two started laughing. Nancy smiled and replied, "That was what we were trying to pull off. The guys who like to show off never bother me since they think I am actually Nancy. I am usually on night shift and I always wear my hair over one shoulder to cover my badge. People only see me in an emergency or during a casual visit and they have already met Nancy so they think I am her."

Diane nodded slowly with brighter eyes, "Now that I think back on it, your hair always did cover up part of your name tag. The two names are so close that they don't stand out at a casual glance even if a few letters did show."

Nancy and Nancine both smiled and nodded at the same time. They looked uncanny similar and the fact that they also had the same mannerisms was startling.

Diane was curious, "Did your parents actually give you those names or did you change them?"

The two sisters burst out laughing. Nancine wiped at her eyes while still chuckling, "Yes, our parents thought it was an immense joke."

We all settled down to visit. I slowly relaxed as I realized that I actually knew both of these ladies, I just hadn't realized it before. Diane grinned at me, "We will have to keep their secret. They have been nice to us."

I smiled and nodded. It sounded like only a handful of people outside of the nursing area knew about the twins. Nancine was the more relaxed night owl that we met in the evenings and that Diane spoke to at night. Nancy was the energizer bunny who blasted around full tilt all day.

If they both hid their badges, I wouldn't be able to tell them apart without watching them for a while. After a while we left the twins and headed off for lunch.

During lunch Rick and Ace sat at the other end of the table. Rick lightly elbowed Nathan in the ribs, "Save those loving looks for when I am not eating."

Nathan tore his gaze reluctantly from Trish, "Where is the fun in that? We only live once you know."

I noticed Diane's eyes brighten and narrow slightly at Nathan's statement, although I wasn't sure why. She had never been bothered by Trish and Nathan's relationship before. Rick chuckled, "Perhaps, but save it for later when I don't have to see it while eating."

Nathan grinned, but concentrated on his food while humoring the trainer. Rick smiled in triumph before turning to me, "Laura, Ace and I have some time after supper if you want to do some joint training with Diane."

"Yes please!" I was so excited. Not only did I get to train with Diane, but from Ace's presence, I suspected that I would be joining their training rather than Diane joining my training. I couldn't wait.

Diane grinned at my enthusiasm. I had emptied my plate and grabbed Diane's dirty one before I walked with Rick to put them in the dish tray. Rick had a wide grin and he chuckled about something as he walked beside me. I looked at him, "What is so funny?"

We were putting dirty dishes away. I failed to see why he found it so humorous. He was pretty down to earth and wasn't the kind of person to laugh at just anything. He grinned at me, "I can't wait to see how much damage Diane inflicts on Ace later tonight."

I looked at him in confusion. He chuckled before explaining, "Diane has been getting much better with the fighting practice. She often fights against four people at once without doing too badly. She is really protective of you and with you on the training floor she will have much more incentive. I think Ace is in for more than he bargained for considering this group usually trains full out. They don't slow down like we often did with you."

I blinked in realization, I knew that Diane was protective, it was the whole reason she took me with her during the day, in case those men came back to the classroom. If I was joining their fighting practice, I wasn't sure how she would react if someone tried to get close to me with a weapon. I had never seen real fighting practice before. This could get interesting. And possibly scary.