After Jenner finished extracting all the blood he needed, he handed me a Snickers bar and a boxed juice to replenish my spent blood and avoid lightheadedness.
He then hurriedly escorted me out of the lab. "Now off you go, I have the world to save," he said before he returned inside and closed the blast door behind him.
I stood in my place in silence, a bit dumbfounded by the doctor.
I looked at the snacks Jenner stuffed in my hands, then shrugged and devoured them quickly before I went ahead to the kitchen for the real course.
Once I had a proper meal in my system, I went back to my room.
I sneaked out the PlayStation 3s I got before the apocalypse hit, alongside an assortment of games and a couple of monitors.
I carefully wrapped them up in thick bubble wrap before putting them deep in my closet.
"I'll introduce them later to the group," I muttered to myself.
I stood back up and stretched my back.
Wish I could rest now but I can't, there's a lot of work left to do so I couldn't just laze around yet.
I went back outside and joined the others to help finish up today's portion of the work.
First, we got to work returning the meeting room back to what it was.
Now that Jenner had his permanent lab, we retrieved the extra table and chairs from the kitchen, as well as the rest of the tables and chairs from storage, and put everything back in its original place.
"Help me with that, Glenn," I said, lifting the last heavy wooden table to place back in the meeting room.
"Man, my back is killing me," Glenn groaned, but he still lifted his side anyway and helped me carry it into the meeting room.
After that, we started reorganizing the rooms in the main house and furnishing the new lodging house.
We carried over the rest of the beds we retrieved from the CDC, along with other scavenged beds, dressers, and gear, setting up the rooms so everyone finally had a proper place to sleep.
We chose the bunk bed style as to make use of the entire space efficiently.
"This is a hell of a lot better than our previous sleeping arrangements," T-Dog said, dropping a thick mattress onto one of the newly built wooden bed frames in the bunkhouse.
"Yeah," Shawn agreed, adjusting a dresser against the wall. "Everyone's going to sleep a lot easier tonight and won't wake up with a bruised back."
The guys chuckled at that.
Once the new house was set, we turned our attention to the containers that we brought back from Inman Rail Yard.
Then we began transferring the loot from the shipping containers down into the root cellar.
We started with the food containers first.
Crate after crate, we hauled the heavy crates of food, water, and drinks first, stacking them neatly in the far back of the cellar.
Then the lighter boxes followed next, stacking them on the deep wooden shelves we had built, then the small boxes.
We made sure to put the supplies that had closer expiration dates in front so they get used first.
"Although I knew we had brought tons of supplies, you really can't put it into perspective until you see everything yourself," Morgan said, gawking at the mountain of food we had just finished stacking.
The rest of the guys nodded in agreement, faring no better than him.
"Yeah," I said, sliding a moderately heavy box onto the bottom shelf. "Let's hope we're still here to eat them."
Then we continued on to the medical side.
Boxes upon boxes of all types of medicine found their places in their designated section of the cellar.
These were relatively easier to haul due to their lighter weight.
We made quick use of them before we continued on to the equipment containers.
These, some were sent to workshops, the rest was stored here.
By the time we finished moving the last of the supplies, my arms were dead tired, but the work was done.
But as I was heading back toward the main house to finally get that cup of coffee, I saw Hershel standing by the porch railing, looking out over the fields.
My stomach did a quick flip.
I had been delaying this talk for weeks. First it was the supply runs, then the digging, then the building, but really it was just a slight dread of having the "Maggie" talk with the old man.
I couldn't keep dodging him forever, and with the work finally winding down, there were no more excuses.
And I guess the old man finally couldn't wait anymore.
I took a breath and walked up the porch steps. "Afternoon, Hershel," I said, leaning against the wooden railing next to him.
Hershel didn't look at me right away.
He kept his eyes on the horizon, his wrinkled, calloused hands resting heavily on the wooden rails. "It's quiet today. You boys did a fine job with the new bunkhouse. It's solid."
"Thanks," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "Listen, Hershel... we haven't really had a chance to sit down and talk about Maggie."
Hershel turned his head slowly, his blue eyes drilling right into me.
The silence stretched between us for a second, making my skin itch.
"I wondered when you were going to bring that up," Hershel said, his voice calm but firm.
"I've seen the way she looks at you, like you're her new world. And I know she's been staying in your room."
I nodded, keeping my voice steady. "I care about her, Hershel. A lot. I know things are messy right now and the world has gone to shit, but my intentions with her are real. I'm not just passing through, and I'm not looking to play games with your daughter."
Hershel looked back out at the fields, sighing softly. "Maggie is a grown woman, Zephyr. She makes her own choices. But she is and will always be my little girl, no matter how old she grows. In the old world, a young man would have come to my porch, shaken my hand, and asked for my permission before any of this. Today we don't have those luxuries, but we still have our values."
"I know," I said honestly.
"And I'm sorry I took so long to come to you. Truth is, we had so much coming up with the construction and... well, I was a bit dreaded about how you'd take it."
A faint, dry smile touched the corner of Hershel's mouth. "A man who isn't a little afraid of his girl's father is a man I don't trust. But you've shown you can protect her. You've shown you can protect all of us. Just remember, she's stronger than you think, but she carries a lot of weight on those shoulders. Don't add to it."
"I won't," I said, feeling a massive weight lift off my own shoulders. "I'll do right by her, Hershel. You have my word."
Hershel nodded once, a final approving gesture. "Go on inside, son. Get yourself some rest. You've earned it."
"Thanks, Hershel," I said.
And with that, I turned and went back to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee and relax for the rest of the day.
(To be continued...)