The Immune

35. Intertwining

Hand in hand, we walk out of the city, past the fields, and out to the open fields in the west area of the compound.

"I've never been out this way," Isaac says, taking a seat under a skeletal tree. It's a decently warm day, but the ground is still cold and hard. Thankfully, I remembered to grab a blanket on the way out.

"Really? Why not?" I ask, sitting down on the soft material.

"Never really had the time." He shrugs and holds out his hand. I take it, and with a pained groan, he sits down beside me. Rubbing his leg, he pants. "Between work and chores, I was too tired to explore."

I nod in understanding, crossing my legs in front of me. Isaac leans on my shoulder. His breathing evens out after a few minutes of silence. Sheep wander in the pasture ahead of us, oblivious to our presence. An unbroken blue sky stretches out above, stopped only by The Wall.

"I see you and Mandy aren't getting along much better," Isaac finally says, putting his head on my shoulder.

"I doubt we ever will."

"You two are a lot alike, you know."

I scrunch up my nose. "How?"

"Other than looking alike?" Isaac laughs. "Passionate. Strong. Brave. I mean, you stood up to Hartley without even blinking."

"Hardly! I was terrified."

He sits up and grabs my knees. In one movement, he twists me so that I'm facing him, knees pressing against his leg. "And you stood up to him anyway. As far as I'm concerned, that's true bravery— being scared but doing it anyway. You'd have been stupid not to be scared."

I run a hand through my hair, bracing myself. It's time to have the conversation I've been dreading. "I am so sorry, Isaac," I whisper, letting my chin drop to my chest.

"Sorry? For what?"

"Leaving you in that room with Hartley. I should have pulled you in with me or attacked him or—"

"Jaelyn." His hands cradle my cheek. "Look at me."

I don't move. "Don't tell me it's okay. Don't forgive me that easy. I made a mistake, and I've been regretting it ever since. I was so wrong."

"It's not okay," he whispers, "but it wasn't wrong."

I look up in shock. "How was it not wrong? I nearly got you killed."

"So? Even if I had died, you still saved thousands of people by destroying the second strand. I'm just one person. What happened in that room was unfortunate, but it was so necessary."

"If you had died, I don't know how I would have lived with myself."

"The same way you have been the past two months," he says with a smile. "One day at a time until you inevitably forget me."

"I could never forget you! I—" The words stick in my throat. Isaac's eyebrows furrow.

"You what?"

"Nothing." Heat creeps into my cheeks.

"Oh... kay," he says with a shrug. "Either way, you didn't kill me; you saved tons of lives. Everything worked out. Stop throwing yourself a pity party and get over it."

I gape at him. He's not trying to be rude or mean, but his honesty does sting. Why hasn't anyone else told me to stop whining? Or have they and I've been too caught up in my own complaining to hear them?

"Tell me what you've been doing while I was recovering," he says, laying back with his hands behind his head. I lay down beside him.

"I started working in the fields," I say, smiling.