Chapter Two
“You really think that will work?” Layne asked.
She was sitting outside on the porch with Sam, Tobi’s girlfriend, and their puppy Gilly. The two of them had been secretly meeting to discuss possible cures for the virus. Most people had given up already, but now that Layne was pregnant it had inspired both of them to return back to the drawing board. Layne hadn’t told Jax about their plan yet. It would only worry him or get his hopes up needlessly. Worse, it might show her that he didn’t have confidence or faith in her ability to achieve the impossible. It just seemed better not to bring it up, either to Jax or to Tobi.
“I think it just might be what we need, but the problem is getting the supplies. If we had met each other sooner, maybe…”
Sam’s dark eyebrows furrowed against her coffee colored skin and she looked suddenly vulnerable, as if she were about to cry. Layne hugged Sam’s shoulders. She knew exactly how Sam felt.
“Hey, I’m not going to have to worry about this, am I?” Tobi asked, popping her head out the doorway. Sam looked up at her, smiling and shaking her head, though her eyes were glittering with tears.
“Whoa, I was just kidding,” Tobi said, rushing to Sam’s side. “I don’t think Layne has a gay bone in her body. We’ve heard her with Jax. What’s wrong?”
“I’m just a little bit frustrated, that’s all,” Sam said, quickly closing the notebook that had been spread open on her lap just moments before. “I wish we could do more for the babies about to be born.”
“Yeah,” Tobi said solemnly. “I know.”
Layne glanced down at the notebook, wishing that Tobi hadn’t interrupted. She needed to know what her options were. If she could just look over the data for a few minutes… But the book was closed. It was full of medicinal information and notes Sam had been scribbling about the potential vaccine. Tobi seemed clueless about the intention of their conversation and hugged Sam, not pushing the subject any further.
Layne sighed. So neither of them had wanted to get their partner’s hopes up. Or hear their doubts. It was a secret project they were dealing with together. But it was one she would dedicate her everything to. Her baby’s life was at risk.
“You guys up for a walk or something?” Tobi asked. “I’m getting restless.”
“You know Jax likes it if we stick around here,” Layne said. “He’s worried something will happen or someone will see us.”
She couldn’t help but let a little bit of bitterness slip into her voice and she quickly closed her mouth. It seemed like Sam had picked up on it though and turned to Layne, eyeing her swollen abdomen critically.
“And I agree with him most of the time,” Sam said. “It’s better to stay put.”
“I just feel like a sitting duck all the time,” Tobi sighed, voicing Layne’s own thoughts. “I’m not used to being all cooped up like this.”
“Well, I’m kind of relieved, you know?” Sam said. “I like being where I can keep my books and notes safe. I don’t want anything to happen to them.”
“It’s important, yeah,” Tobi sighed. “Anyway, I guess I’m just gonna go weed the garden or something. I’m anxious. I don’t know why but I have a bad feeling. I probably just need to get some exercise or something.”
“Okay.”
Layne and Sam watched Tobi bound to the back of the garden and exchanged looks.
“All the weeds have already died, haven’t they?” Layne asked in a low voice.
“Yeah, but let her hack away at something,” Sam said with a smile playing her lips. “She needs that.”
“Well anyway, tell me more about what you figured out,” Layne pressed. She was thrilled by the prospect of being able to really do something to cement the future of her child. No matter what it would take.
“We really shouldn’t keep talking about this over here,” Sam said, her eyes fixed on Tobi as she slammed a hoe into the frozen earth. “I don’t know what Tobi would do if she knew what we were thinking. She’d probably say I’m crazy. Maybe it is crazy. I probably just got ahead of myself.”
“The flower you found though,” Layne said, looking into Sam’s caramel colored eyes. “You said it’s a good omen.”
“In my family it was,” Sam said, wringing her hands nervously as she stared out at Tobi, whose wild golden hair was all they could see behind tall stalks of corn. “But we would have to do something pretty dangerous to make this a possibility.”
“But it’s a possibility?” Layne asked, perking up. Sam didn’t seem to realize how serious she was. Anything she could do to make this terrifying and dangerous world a better place, she would risk anything for. Everything. Maybe even Jax.
“Yeah, that’s what I came out here to tell you. After thinking over the idea you had last week I was able to take it a step further. Now that I think I know what we need to do, we’re going to need supplies.”
Layne’s heart thudded painfully in her chest as Sam nervously opened the notebook and pointed out a sentence.
“No way,” Layne breathed.
“Way,” Sam whispered. “And I think I know exactly where we need to go.”