Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

Per our last meeting, all I've heard from them was they were still in the process of recovery though most of them were already past the hardest part of withdrawal. I could only imagine the shit they were going through because even though I have partaken or was given psychedelics accidentally or deliberately, it was only in very~ small amounts and I didn't need to be confined in the hospital for it.

In any case, aside from Mimi and Dr. Nichols, the first person I saw waiting for me was Camille—Casey's sister—who lived in the hospital halls and bedding areas instead of the lodging we provided for her.

For the whole time they were here, she was watching over her sister's recovery aside from the other family members who were also present and doing almost the same thing. I said that because she was the only one Casey got while the others were switching people or had times where they were letting the nurses and doctors do their jobs as they settled into this place.

While it was true that like George from Subic, they opted to choose the same place as their permanent address, these people still wanted to help however they could because we were taking care of their own. Of course, Camille was being either Mimi's or Dr. Nichols' assistant—even Chloe's helper at times—and the three chose to hire her help instead of her doing odd jobs here and there.

I applaud her actions to somehow "repay" Casey's medical bills and even though it was perfectly fine for me to have her work in Micah's place, it'd just look bad at the moment and she was desperate.

Again, there was a time and a place for such things and let's just say the work Mimi and Dr. Nichols were making her do was just things to have her keep her mind off Casey even for a little bit.

But yeah, I was a little startled when she came in for a tight hug before bursting into tears and thanking me over and over.

"Umm… I— What did I do?"

Camille couldn't say proper words so Mimi answered for her with a smile:

"It's Casey, she's cleared by Dr. Nichols today and they're about to move into Woodlands. Sir Damian offered his free rooms in exchange for cleaning services and some assistance when he goes on morning walks. His cane could only do so much now…"

"Casey's fine and all then?"

Dr. Nichols answered, "Well, it'd be best if Camille watches over her for a few days, observe her for a bit and see… But with all the tests we conducted, she's totally fine. Aside from the you-know-what, of course…"

'Ah… The baby…'

Camille finally let go of me but she took my hands and shook them many, many times as tears were still streaming down her face, "T-Thank you again— T-The past days were— Oh god, it was terrible— Terrible! I thought she wasn't gonna make—"

I lightly chuckled, "I did jack shit— Thank Mimi and Dr. Nichols instead—"

The two chortled at the same time, "She did, she definitely did…"

"Ah~ I see… Well, I'm still glad to hear it. I'd hate to bring this up now but do come to my place and find Rin for other work and see where you could fit in much better. Don't worry about Casey's contribution as much since she needs more time to rest and recover."

Camille shook his head, "D-Don't *sniffs* w-worry about that, s-sir… I'll— I'll take care of her s-share of the burden too… Ack!"

I chuckled after flicking her forehead, "No the fuck you're not. Overworking's a thing too, you wouldn't want to be on the other side of things and have Casey take care of you, right? So yeah, just do what you can and leave at least an hour or two for yourself and your sister. That's a fucking order."

"Ah— O-Okay, I guess…"

"And fucking shower, not that you reek or anything but Americans would fucking invade your hair and face for how oily they are— OW! MIMI! WHA— DR. NICH— STOP!"

"YOU— DON'T TALK ABOUT HER LIKE THAT!/ SHE'S WORKING HARD, ALRIGHT?! THAT'S SO UNNECESSARY!"

"HAHAHAHAHA!!!"

To the two's surprise, Camille started laughing her ass out while clutching her stomach and it was at the exact moment Casey was wheeled out by another nurse. Obviously, her laughter was cut short and the first thing she did was hug her sister, and the nurse who wheeled Casey in just gave us a short greeting before we sent her on her way.

Though obviously enough, Casey still didn't know how to react and she still looked ashamed—which was also understandable—but as any responsible adult would, I offered them a ride to get to Damian's place though they promptly declined.

"The fuck?"

"We can't impose on you anymore a-and the others w–wanted to see you—"

"Nonsense, they could wait for all I care! It's barely seven! I wanna speak to Damian for a bit too, catch up with that old coot."

"I-If you say so, I guess we could—"

Casey rolled her eyes, "Ohmygod, sis! Eugh! You're even blushing! I'm hungry! Can't we eat first before you flirt with the boss man?!"

"CASEY! I'M NOT— AGH! S-SHUT UP! I'M NOT FLIRTING!"

In any case, after one awkward drive to Damian's place in Woodlands, I saw the old coot wearing glasses and reading this old book with several creased pages. He didn't even see us coming in—as he thought we were just his other tenants—but I was happy to see he still got his reflexes when I released a bit of killing intent directed towards him.

It was because he quickly reached for his cane-sword and drew it halfway before turning around and facing us:

"Wha— You don't do shit like that, kid! What the fu— Wh— You're gonna give an old man a heart attack!"

I chuckled, "I knew you still kept that sword sharp… your senses too."

"Hmph."

"Anyway, I'm supposed to drop these two for ya."

Damian's eyes scanned over the two before his dimming lightbulb lit up, "Ah! I remember now, hmm… you can take the 2nd room upstairs to the right— You'll find everything you need over there… I'm a little tired now, I apologize but this place isn't that big and I'm not that messy of a person so… I just need someone to help me in my morning walks…"

Camille nodded with a smile, "I'll be sure to help you, Mister Damian… Is there any particular time you'd like to be woken up?"

"Gods, no… I wake up in the middle of the night and just walk around… Just let me sleep when I can and if I croak, you can have the house though that kid will definitely take my sword."

Camille and Casey couldn't believe their eyes, "Wha— Don't say it like that!/ Y-Yeah! W-We're just here for—"

I cut Casey off, "I'll definitely take that cane sword."

Damian chortled, "SEE! He took some of my collection with him and had that hot blondie wave one of them around but fuck it, it's better than collecting dust, I guess…"

In any case, aside from these two taking care of Damian's needs, they were also here to make him take his medicine. Even if he was the same age as the old man, his body wasn't that forgiving and he couldn't move as well as them.

He'd need the exercise, proper nutrition, and his meds to be taken on the regular though I've heard that he was in talks with Marisha to take care of his "problem", being old, to extreme measures.

While it was his decision to make, he still needs proper counseling and this old fogey didn't look like he wanted to take that route and was only open to talking about it to get an idea.

Assisting someone down that road was never easy—and since it was done here a few times and I've done it personally with Earnest and Earl's grandmother—I had a few things to say about it but if you're still alive and kicking well, still eager to learn new things or read new books, and the like, going down that road should never be an option.

Then again, it was still the person's choice and all we could do was give them counseling and decide from there.

So yeah, after 15 minutes or so of fucking around with Damian, I went back to the hospital with my car and I've personally talked to the families watching over our junkies like Diesel and some other skinny kid.

Like Camille, they were all very thankful to me and very eager to give back with some form of help or service though again, like Camille, I asked them to not overdo it and focus on taking care of their family.

But yeah, it was another story for Dax and Sheepy.

'I almost forgot about these two…'