Evan glanced around the room at the nervous, uneasy faces as the awkward silence lingered. Casilda stood by the doorway, leaning against the wall and fidgeting over the fabric of her pink dress. Esteban stood nearby, with an uncomfortable frown on his face, silent. After a couple seconds had passed in awkward silence, it had become clear to Evan nobody would respond immediately. "We're going to do everything possible to help, but I think we need to plan for every possibility. Just in case."
"We can't leave." Minoko declared with her slight Japanese accent, her right hand gripping Robert's left, as a worried look lingered on her face. The blue coat she had worn earlier was draped over the back of her chair. "Rob's in no condition to travel."
With a bit of a regretful tone for bringing it up, Evan replied. "Nobody is going to make anyone leave. But we need to
figure out what we can do in order to make sure we're all going to be as
safe as possible."
On the other side of the bed, Evelyn looked distraught, her wet eyes still puffy from the emotion of the last few hours. She wiped her face and sniffed loudly then looked up into Evan's eyes with a pleading look. "It's just a scrape." She said, as if unsure of that herself. "He's going to be okay."
Rob shifted uncomfortably in the bed, his pale face beading with tiny droplets of sweat. The thick rimmed glasses he had arrived with were placed on a small table beside the bed. Eyes half closed, he spoke. "I shouldn't be in here with you. I should go outside."
"Robert, no!" Evelyn looked up at him in shock. Her hands clasping at his right arm as her voice trembled.
Robert pulled his hand away and pushed himself upright. "I think it was a bite. And everyone bitten gets sick. You're not going to be safe around me for much longer."
"You don't know that!" Minoko added as she looked at Robert with a desperate frustration. "You have to stay here!"
"I agree, you're staying here, Rob. I won't let you leave." Evan approached the bedside, holding his hand out to halt Robert's movements. "Lay down and relax. Whether or not you were bitten, sending you out there isn't going to solve anything. The only thing it would do for sure is wind up killing you."
"I agree." Esteban added from close by. He had approached while Evan's attention had been focused on Robert. "It's too cold out there for someone sick to be walking around outside."
"I didn't really like that idea either." Robert let out a weary sigh, leaning against the wall where the simple frame butted up against the far side of the room. He took a deep inhale of air, closing his eyes. "But what did you have in mind?" He had a heavy exhaustion in his voice, as if he was about to fall asleep.
Evan had been wondering about that himself. Unfortunately, he had very few ideas for what would be best. Of course, any plan they came up with would only need to last until their rescue sometime the next day. Assuming of course that Robert survived for that long. "I'm not sure. I thought maybe we could use one of the office rooms or maybe make this room a little more secure."
"He wasn't bitten." Evelyn insisted, looking a bit upset.
"I didn't think I was at first." Robert replied without opening his eyes. "But I'm sick now, aren't I? I don't want to endanger either of you."
"You won't endanger us. Just focus on feeling better, okay Rob?" Minoko said, stroking a hand over his sweat covered, pale forehead. And encouraging him to lay down again. "Try and get some sleep, and let us worry about taking care of everything."
Evelyn quietly pulled the rumpled bedsheets up and over Rob's form as he tentatively relaxed on the bed.
Evan waited for a few moments for the ill man to get comfortable. "Rob, if we had something to tie you down onto the bed with, would that be safe enough to alleviate your worry?"
"I guess so." Rob replied without opening his eyes.
Evan nodded, motioning to the others to listen to him. He spoke in a respecting, quiet voice. "Well, if we had something to tie him down with, that would keep him and us safe. Just as long as we keep someone with him to make sure that he can get water and is as comfortable as we can make him."
Casilda spoke, almost with a whisper as if she didn't want to be a nuisance. "I- I think I might have something in my room that could help."
"Then go ahead and get it, we're going to need anything we can get." Evan idly glanced among the other people present. Since the only other building resident in the dorm was Esteban, it wasn't like they could search through a lot of rooms. "Do you have anything in here which might help? We might have to ask the other people in the building for help."
"Uh- No." Casilda added, while purposefully avoiding looking anyone in the eyes. "I mean, I have something that will definitely help. Handcuffs." She opened the door, her cheeks flush, and quickly departed.
