Patient Zero

4.

That night, as Grace lay in my arms, we talked about things. We were both naked. The beer, untouched, sat on the floor amid a tangle of clothes. Some of the clothes were ripped. Mine and hers.

“So, you’re staying with us?” she asked. I knew she meant the DMS, but as usual she’d implied a bunch of other meanings.

“Sure. Rudy signed on. Jerry, too.” I paused and flexed my fingers, which were intertwined with hers. “I think I’ve found a home here.”

Grace was silent for a long, long time.

“Me, too,” she said.

I closed my eyes and pulled her closer to me.