I didn't realize that I'd dozed off until the sound of the door opening startled me awake. I sat up quickly, and Shane put his hand on my back, keeping me from going over backwards into the blood on the cushion next to us.

My now dry, short hair floated around my face as I looked around to see Kyle coming back into the apartment. I tried to get up, but Shane held me in place. For someone who hadn't been able to walk a year ago, Shane was pretty strong. I couldn't decide if this irritated me or not.

Kyle didn't seem to mind and sat in the recliner looking at Shane, leaning forward slightly. Shane didn't let me get up, but I did manage to wiggle around so that I was facing Kyle too, hoping that my movements were causing Shane all sorts of havoc.

Okay, maybe a little irritated.

Kyle pursed his lips and said, "We might need to think about leaving sooner than I thought."

Shane sighed and said, "Why?"

Kyle took off a St. Louis ball cap, and pushed his hair back before replacing the hat. "I was keeping watch from the roof and I think maybe the shots from earlier might have attracted some attention. There's a lot of movement in the streets."

We both looked at Shane, waiting for his decision. I frowned and said, "If we go, I need better shoes."

We both jumped when Kyle stood up quickly. "I got you covered," he said before disappearing into the hall.

I raised an eyebrow at Shane, who just shrugged, resting his chin on my shoulder. I opened my mouth, not even sure what I was going to say, but then Kyle came back into the room. He handed me a pair of black, combat-style boots. They weren't military, but they looked sturdy.

"You're a size nine, right?" Kyle asked, handing me the shoes and a pair of clean socks.

I took them, surprised, and said, "Yeah. Thanks Kyle."

He just shrugged and looked at Shane. "So?"

Shane watched as I put on the boots and nodded. "Yeah. I don't want to get pinned down here. But where would we go?"

I knotted the laces, pleased and a little weirded out that Kyle had found a pair of shoes in my size. Shane looked at me and said, "What do you think?"

Frowning, I asked, "What?" 

I was confused about why they were asking me. They were the military guys. Shouldn't this kind of be their thing?

Shane clarified, "Is there anybody you want to try to head toward?"

When I shook my head, Shane raised an eyebrow, but didn't press for more details. All he said was, "Okay. We don't either."

Kyle frowned, but didn't contradict his brother. Still frowning, he said, "Well if we don't have a destination in mind, I think it's best to just keep moving. I don't think it's really all that smart to try and settle anywhere."

Shane nodded. "Okay. Do we need to go now, or—"

Kyle cut him off, shaking his head. "Come on, Shane. You know it's stupid to travel after dark when you don't know what might be out there waitin' for you."

Shane rolled his eyes. "Fine."

Kyle stood, seemingly pleased with this arrangement. "Okay. We'll leave at first light. I'm gonna go put the stuff I found together."

"Do you want help?" I asked, then glared when Shane made an irritated noise.

Kyle smirked and shook his head. "I'm good." Glancing at his brother he said, "About time, man."

Shane groaned and leaned his forehead on my shoulder as his brother walked out the door, still smirking.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, my eyebrows pulling together.

Shane looked up, and my stomach fluttered as his eyes went to my mouth. He shifted, then tugged me around so that I was straddling him, my hands on his shoulders. I huffed when he used some kind of Marine ninja move to strike at my elbow, making it collapse so that I was resting fully against his chest. My face was suddenly much, much closer to his.

Before I met Shane, I never knew it was possible for someone to be physically bossy.

"My oh-so-tactful brother is just pointing out that I've had kind of a thing for you." Shane's breath brushed against my cheek. I felt my heart jump again and was quiet, feeling the steady rhythm of his heart. Shane continued, fingers tracing up and down my back. "I didn't say anything before 'cause I know there were rules for you, being my doctor and all."

I sat back up, staring at him "And now?"

Shane shrugged, tugging lightly at my hair. "Now, there are no rules and, well..." He paused, seeming to think something over. "Would it make me a bad person to say I'm almost glad the world ended?"

I looked at where my hands rested on his chest, his breath going slowly in and out. I almost wanted to laugh. Here he was, steady heart, steady breath and all the while my heart felt like it was trying to break out of my rib cage. I couldn't be this lucky, could I?

Turns out, this was about the extent of my luck. I probably used it all up with Shane. Probably a fair trade though, right?

Looking back up, I said, "Would I be bad if I said no?"

Shane smiled and shook his head. His hand went back behind my neck, the other pulling my body closer. I closed my eyes and wondered if this was too fast, which now sounds ridiculously cliched.

I wondered if this was happening just because the world was gone and we both just wanted something to cling to and it just happened to be each other.

It didn't necessarily feel that way when Shane actually kissed me though, his hands sliding down my back to my thighs.

The way he kissed me was hard, almost demanding.

Like he knew what he wanted and it wasn't just because there were dead people walking around.

Shane's always known what he wanted.

My arms went around his shoulders, crushing myself into him as he deepened the kiss. He groaned low in his throat when my tongue brushed his lip, his hands tightening on my legs.

Needless to say, I was pretty shocked when he was the one to pull away. Shane had this look on his face that suggested he didn't know why he was stopping either. Shaking his head he said, "Look, I might be the stupidest SOB left in the world but... is this okay? I mean..." He paused and shook his head. "If it's too much or..."

When Shane trailed off again, I kissed him. "I've kind of had a thing for you too."

If I had expected that to be some kind of big revelation, I would have been more than a little disappointed. Shane just grinned and said, "Well, yeah. I mean, have you seen me?"

 My mouth opened in shock and amusement at his cocky tone, and I smacked my hand against his chest.

"What?" Shane laughed. "Obviously you haven't seen you either."

I rolled my eyes and said, "Wow. You sure know how to charm them."

Shane looked at me. "Not them. I'm afraid I'll sound too serious if I say I'm only really interested in charming you."

"You're just saying that because your choices are suddenly very limited." I teased.

I was a little astonished when Shane looked at me with something a little like anger. "No. I'm not."

He kissed me again, softer but no less demanding. I pulled away and sighed, "Okay. Maybe too serious," I allowed. "But," I kissed him again, "not unappreciated."

Shane smiled like he had known that I would say that all along, and I almost wanted to take it back so he wouldn't look so smug. But with the way he was watching me, I knew I couldn't.

So, I just decided I'd get the most out of it for myself as I could and wrapping my arms around his neck again, kissed him. I smiled a little against his mouth when he groaned, his body shifting under me.

Shane's hand slid under my shirt and I pressed into the contact, his skin warm and rough against mine.

I was just wondering what we could do that wouldn't jar his ankle too badly when Kyle came flying back into the apartment.

Both Shane and I looked up, Shane kind of pissed and me slightly embarrassed. All thoughts of what Shane and I might or might not have done flew from my mind at the look on Kyle's face.

"We gotta go," Kyle said and I stood up. He came over and pulled Shane to his feet. Before his brother could ask, Kyle said, "There's a fire. The wind is pushing it this way, it's been a really dry summer and the sound and light are drawing more attention. There are more coming this way."

Kyle looked at me then. "Raleigh, grab the med stuff. I'll get Shane to the truck."

I nodded and ran to Shane's room, grabbing my backpack. I dumped out my computer, tablet and patient files, knowing they were useless before running to the kitchen.

I tore the cabinet open and swept everything into my bag. I didn't take the time to separate out the useful stuff, thinking it could wait until later.

I thought I heard Kyle shouting for me, but hesitated, looking at the cabinets. Then I tore them open, shoving power bars and water bottles into my bag. I threw Shane's hoodie on and bolted down the stairs.