Life After Z

Chapter 18 - Cooper

The rest of breakfast was a tense affair. I think we were all waiting for Ivy to declare that we were unworthy and walk away. At least that was what I was doing. After everyone finished eating, Lucas took Sebbie off into the trees to go to the bathroom and Jen decided to sulk within the trailer. I had a suspicion that a ranging hangover was partly responsible for her outburst.

Didn't make me any less pissed off at her actions or hurt by her words.

Ivy approached me with her pack in her hands and I held my breath. Was this it? Was this the last time that we saw this kind and brave woman? Was this when she asked us to leave because she didn't see us fitting into her community? I hadn't known that I wanted this. Wanted to stay in one place. But now that it might be slipping through my fingers, I felt gutted.

"Hey Cooper," Ivy said, sounding hesitant. Not a great sign. "I brought you some other things but I don't want to start any more drama. Can I just give them to you and you can decide what to do with them?"

Okay, not what I was expecting. Still unsure of what was going on here.

"Of course," I replied, curious about what else she could possibly want to give us. Never one to allow himself to be left out, Everett came over to investigate what we were doing.

Ivy pulled a large Tupperware bowl with a plastic lid out of her bag first, followed by a smaller canvas bag, and handed both to me. I opened the bowl first and found it was filled with lettuce. On closer inspection, I saw other vegetables mixed in too. Carrot. Cumber. Green onion. Radish. Snap peas.

A salad. Ivy was giving us a salad large enough to feed us all for lunch or dinner. Something that was an everyday thing before Z-day now was a precious gift. Ivy cultivated and carefully harvested each ingredient in this bowl. The fact that she was so easily handing it over said a great deal about her as a person and just how bountiful their safe haven was.

"Jesus fucking Christ. You are killing me here Darlin'. I think that might just be the prettiest thing I have ever seen. I always thought I was more of a carnivore and turned my nose up at eating my greens. Then I served time and after that, I had a new appreciation for fresh, crunchy veggies. This damn apocalypse has just made it worse. I would kill for a salad like that and here you are, looking biteable with those big old glasses and just handing over nirvana," Everett lamented and Ivy looked a little worried.

"You were in prison?" she asked as she handed me a bottle of Italian dressing. Ah shit. I bet he hadn't meant to let that little fact slip.

"Yeah, Darlin'. I did three years for aggravated assault. I beat the living shit out of my sister's boyfriend after he laid his hands on her. Nothing worse in this world than a coward that beats on a woman," Everett said with zero shame. I studied Ivy's face looking for any sign that knowing Everett had a felony record increased her fear of him.

Surprisingly it seemed to do the exact opposite. I saw tentative respect in Ivy's gaze.

I looked into the small canvas bag but didn't understand what I was looking at. There were several plants and a tiny jar that looked like chapstick. I raised an eyebrow at Ivy and she was quick to explain. "Eucalyptus and turmeric. For Sebbie. And I extracted some of the oils from the eucalyptus last night and mixed them with lip balm. Beeswax would have been better but I am allergic and only have one more EpiPen. I didn't want to risk it."

Lucas walked up just as Ivy started talking and now his face was a mask of disbelief and wonder. The moment that she finished talking, Lucas pulled her into his chest and wrapped his arms around her. Ivy's face aligned perfectly with the crook of his neck and his unruly red beard mixed with her silky brown locks. At first, Ivy locked up and I thought she might start to panic, but after only a few heartbeats she melted into Lucas' hold.

Sticky jealousy competed with a sense of rightness within me.

"We were meant to find you," Lucas breathed into Ivy's hair in a voice barely louder than a whisper. "You are meant to be a part of Sebbie's life. A part of our future. I just know it. Take this leap with us. You won't regret it. I swear it."

For a couple of seconds, Ivy closed her eyes and seemed to soak up the moment as much as Lucas was, but then all too quickly, she was pulling away. Extracting herself from his arms and I could have sworn I saw tears in her eyes before she hid behind the curtain of her hair. I exchanged a look with Everett and I could tell we were both confused by her actions.

When she didn't say anything for a long moment I decided to try to pull us back on target. "Thank you, Ivy. I feel like we keep repeating those words to you but know that we mean them. It means the world to us that you spent the time and energy doing this for Sebbie. We haven't felt this prepared to handle Sebbie's asthma since Z-day. Is there anything we can do for you in return?"

"Well, I do have an errand to run and I could use some company," Ivy hedged. She was really asking for backup and all three of us would give it to her, no questions asked.

"Is this an errand where the truck would be helpful?" I asked, thinking that we may want to find somewhere more secure to park tonight. The access to limitless water was nice and we could see anything coming at us because of the fields but we were also open to attack from all sides.

"No. You can't bring the truck. No roads where I need to go," Ivy replied, piquing my curiosity.

"Okay, Everett and I will go with you. Lucas and Jen can look after Sebbie here."

Ivy gave me a small smile but shook her head. "I am not going to take more than one of you. I already feel bad about asking after what Jen said about your safety. I would never forgive myself if they needed you here but you were with me unnecessarily."

This woman didn't have a selfless bone in her body. I had absolutely no idea how she had survived this long.

I shared a look with Everett and knew without him having to say anything that he was going with Ivy. If I tried to take his place he would simply follow us and wouldn't take no for an answer. Not after how worried he was after he allowed her to leave alone last night. So if I wanted to honor Ivy's wishes that only one of us go with her, then I was going to have to stay here.

Somehow being left behind felt like it meant more than simply not getting to spend the afternoon with Ivy.