Nuclear Winter | Book 3 | Chain Breakers

by Jones, Nathan

  The moment Trev handed him the reins the older man immediately started putting things in order, and by the time Trev left he felt a bit better knowing he'd left Aspen Hill in good hands.

  Part of the guilt he felt, probably, was due to the fact that once he was free of the job it felt like a tremendous weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Trev finally had time to fully throw himself into all the projects his family was working on, the gardens and caring for livestock and bees. He helped his dad cut firewood for the coming winter, and helped him and Jim make furniture. He helped Jim build the second expansion to the house so his brother would have his own room to sleep in, then helped his dad build one for his parents. He also offered to help Linda build a room, but his sister seemed content to have the main room to herself now that everyone else was moving into their own.

  And Trev was finally able to fully throw himself into Lewis's reloading business and feel like he was a real partner making actual contributions. He and his cousin rented the town's truck a few times to pick up reloading tools and more supplies, and Trev was so used to taking night shifts guarding the town that he was happy to switch over to running the reloading shed from sundown to sunup.

  He helped the town with a charcoal burn, so they'd all have cleaner, more efficient fuel for the worst of the winter months. He helped chop down trees to season for building and for firewood, and to ship down to Mexico as a trade commodity.

  And, most important of all, he had much more time to spend with Deb on projects they could do together.

  His wife was taking it easy for the baby's sake, and while she'd helped Trev with paperwork and stuff she hadn't really been part of the new police department. Trev thought she'd been feeling like she wasn't pulling her weight, only doing whatever light chores were needed and spending the rest of her time resting or visiting friends.

  Her mood improved dramatically once he had time to join her for a lot of the mindless tasks, and to go socializing with her. She became more happy and energetic, which lifted Trev's heart to see. And it wasn't all one way.

  “You know, you've been a lot more cheerful since you quit,” she said, taking his hand as they walked back from visiting Rick and Alice. Their friends' baby was almost due, possibly even just days away, and Dr. Maggy had Alice on bed rest until the birth.

  Trev smiled and put his arm around her. “It's always nice to take a vacation.”

  She snorted at that, since in many ways he was working much harder now than he'd been while running the police department. Shorter hours, maybe, but more demanding physically. But it was work he knew how to do, or could figure out himself without needing to run it past some bureaucracy a dozen times until they deigned to tell him how to do it right.

  And it was work he was doing for himself and his family, not out of some obligation to the town. More than anything else that made all the difference.

  Although he and Deb both had a chance to get some rest, sort of, four days later when Alice finally went into labor. They both came around to offer their support and help to the family until the baby was born, which turned out to be longer than anyone expected since the childbirth wasn't an easy one.

  It lasted almost all day, and while Dr. Maggy didn't have any serious concerns the baby just didn't seem to want to come out. The OB/GYN said that such long labors weren't too out of the ordinary, and while no fun Alice just had to hang in there until the job was finished.

  Easier said than done. While Trev waited outside with Rick, Wes, Matt, and a few of their friends, Deb, Edna Watson, Mary, Sam, April, and a few other women stayed inside with Alice through most of the day. From what Deb told him the experience sounded like a pretty miserable one for the new mother, especially since Alice refused to believe that things really were just fine and kept insisting something was wrong.

  But finally, just when everyone started worrying that maybe something was wrong, the young mother finally delivered a healthy boy.

  Rick and Alice had decided to name the baby Peter if it was a boy. And while Alice practically passed out, relieved the ordeal was finally over, Rick proudly came out to show the newborn to the small group of gathered friends and family.

  Trev couldn't help but think, on first sight, that the boy looked more like a prune than a baby. Which was nothing unusual for newborns, he supposed. Even so soon after birth little Peter was fast asleep, likely as exhausted as his mother.

  The women all oohed and aahed over the infant, and were either blind or generous in their praise. Rick finally handed little Peter off to his mother, and while Edna cuddled the little boy the new father slumped in a chair at the table, looking pretty wrung out himself.

  Trev moved over beside him. “Peter, huh?”

  His friend nodded and smiled wearily. “Pete could be a bit of a pain, especially at the end there, but he was still our friend. We both wanted to honor his memory.”

  Trev could get that. He still thought it was a bit generous given everything that had happened. “Congratulations, dad,” was all he said, clapping Rick on the shoulder. “Ready for things to change?”

  Rick groaned. “After the last 15 hours? I can't wait.” He pushed to his feet, patting Trev on the shoulder as he passed. “I'm going to check on Alice.”

  Considering what an ordeal the last day had been, everyone wasted no time leaving so the new family could have a chance to get some well deserved sleep. As they parted ways outside the door they discussed bringing meals around to give Alice a break, at least for the next few days.

  A lot of them were heading the same direction, but Trev could tell Deb was tired, so he set a slower pace and offered her a supporting shoulder. “How you feeling?” he asked her.

  His wife smiled and leaned against him, inviting him to put his arm around her. “You mean am I tired out just from watching that, or freaked out that I'll be doing it myself in about five months?”

  Trev pulled her closer and rubbed her arm. “Yes?”

  “Yes,” she answered back solemnly.

  He glanced up at the western ridge of the valley, which the sun had long since disappeared behind. There was still a bit of daylight left, those oddly long twilights you only saw in the mountains. “What do you say we turn in early?”

  Deb winced and knuckled the small of her back, which made the gentle swell of her belly stand out more prominently. “Deal. I'm more than ready to get off my feet somewhere dark and quiet. I could sleep for a week.”

  “Fine by me.” Trev leaned down and kissed her, resting a hand on her belly and their child inside. “I have nothing better to do at the moment.”

  * * * * *

  It happened four days later.

  It was Trev's turn on the rotation to care for the town's livestock. Deb had come along to keep him company, and they'd just finished bringing up the water and moving the fences and were resting in the shade of a nearby tree, watching the animals graze.

  There'd been a break-in yesterday, the first real crime Aspen Hill had experienced since the bandit attacks last winter. Someone had snuck into the house Ned Orban was building and had stolen a bunch of supplies like nails, screws, various tools, and most dear of all a power screwdriver and spare batteries.

  Trev felt a bit guilty about being able to look at the crime from a civilian perspective, rather than having to be the one to go try to solve it while people complained about what a bad job he was doing. He didn't envy Geoff that responsibility.

  At least Orban was being reasonable, and hadn't lost his mind over the theft and started raising a stink. Although even so Trev knew Matt would be worried about how the break-in would affect the town's overall feeling of safety and how willing prospective residents would be to move there. And if the isolated event was repeated, or even worse became a pattern, then that could be a real hassle.

  It made a decent topic of discussion while they watched sheep and goats graze while lambs and kids frolicked in the late summer sunshine. The weather had been almost hot for the last month, and oddly e
nough Trev was still enjoying the feeling of sweating in the heat, enjoying the stray breezes rather than shivering in them. He knew all too soon they'd be back to nuclear winter and snow up to his waist, if not higher, so he was determined to enjoy the warmth while it lasted.

  Deb abruptly made an exasperated noise, lifting her head from where it rested on his leg. “He's out again.”

  Trev nodded wearily. Blaze, one of the buck goats who'd been born last spring, was a natural escape artist. He always seemed to find his way out of the fences, either going under, through gaps, or a few times even over. No collar or rope seemed to survive being chewed off by him or the other goats, and while he never strayed far from the rest of the herd he caused enough mischief when he got out that you practically had to chase him. Which was nearly impossible for one person to do, unless you had some skill at roping livestock or some other way to deal with the little goat's infuriating nimbleness.

  “He's going to taste delicious this winter,” Trev muttered, pushing to his feet.

  His wife lightly slapped his leg, then held out a hand for him to help her up. “I'll get behind him, you herd him my way.”

  Trev nodded, and together they moved in the familiar routine to get the little jailbreaker back in his pen. Deb eased around behind Blaze, always stopping when he looked her way to avoid spooking him, while Trev moved the other way, doing his best to hold the buck goat's attention without spooking him either. Soon the little goat was tense and quivering, the telltale that he was about to bolt if either of them came any closer. Trev stopped, glanced in another direction as if intent on it, and nodded once to his wife. From the corner of his eye he saw her nod back.

  In an explosion of motion he dove for Blaze, arms held out wide to prevent the little goat from getting around him. Blaze pranced in place and wheeled to bolt in the opposite direction, directly into Deb's waiting arms as she crouched and lunged.

  The goat danced aside at the last second, and Deb said a very unladylike word as her fingers barely brushed his yellow-white coat. Blaze bolted past her like a shot, stopping about twenty yards away and bleating almost smugly as she furiously whirled around to glare at him.

  “Do we a have to wait until winter?” Deb groused, flushed and out of breath.

  Trev noticed her condition with some worry, wondering if she should really be chasing goats. Especially considering the bursts of speed needed to close the final few feet and catch the little villain. “How about we take it a bit slower this time, and you walk him towards me?” he offered.

  His wife nodded her agreement, and they split up and circled around to either side of the goat again. They were almost in range to make their second attempt when Trev noticed she was moving gingerly, even at a walking pace.

  He slowed. “Deb?”

  “Just winded,” she snapped, although she'd hunched over slightly and was clutching at her belly. With alarm he saw that her face was pale, and much more sweat streamed down it than the day's heat and light exertion could explain.

  He forgot the chase and made for his wife, reaching her just as she stumbled to a halt, panting. “I don't think so,” he said. “What's wrong?”

  “It's-” she cut off with a gasp, gritting her teeth. Then she doubled over with a cry of pain.

  Trev cried out as well and lunged forward, catching Deb before she could fall to the ground and lifting her up into his arms. She convulsed in his grip so forcefully he almost dropped her, but in spite of her precarious position her clutching hands never left her stomach.

  Then he felt wetness seeping through the cloth of Deb's pants, onto his hand holding beneath her legs. He shifted his grip slightly to get a look, stomach curdling with dread at what he would see, and felt sick when his fears were confirmed by the dark crimson staining his fingers.

  He was barely aware of breaking into a stumbling run for the town, clutching Deb to him as gently as he could while screaming for help, for someone to get Dr. Maggy.

  No. No no no no! No, this wasn't happening. Not again. Not when they'd been so hopeful.

  In his arms Deb moaned through gritted teeth, somehow even paler than she had been. Tears leaked from eyes tightly screwed shut in pain, and she barely seemed aware of him screaming only inches from her ears.

  The next few minutes were a blur of disjointed events. Neighbors came running before he reached town, helping him carry Deb the rest of the way home and cursing at the blood. So much blood.

  Dr. Maggy met him at the door to his and Deb's room, barking terse instructions as they carried Deb the rest of the way to the bed. Then the doctor ushered everyone out, even Trev when he tried to protest.

  For a moment he resisted, half out of his mind with fear and desperate to stay at his wife's side. Then his dad was there, grabbing him by the shoulders and gently but firmly pulling him away, speaking quiet reassurances as Dr. Maggy slammed the door in his face.

  He wasn't sure how much time passed. It could've been anywhere from an hour to an eternity. All he knew was that each moment dragged on like the worst imaginable nightmare. Through the door Trev could hear the frightened, agonized noises Deb made, her frantic questions, and the OB/GYN's quiet voice as she did her best to sooth her.

  The doctor's voice was joined after a few minutes by Sam and April as they arrived to help however they could. The two women had been working with Dr. Maggy as well as Terry and Dr. Langstrom, and Trev was glad they were there now for Deb.

  He desperately wanted to help too, anything he could do, anything at all. But he was forced to wait in the main room with the rest of his family, who'd all crowded around him in a sort of comforting huddle. Although their pale, worried faces and uncertain reassurances weren't much of a comfort.

  Deb abruptly went silent. Trev heard the doctor's voice, still trying to keep calm, become more urgent as she directed Sam and April. His heart shot into his throat and he wanted to pound on the door and demand to know what was going on, but he was terrified of distracting them at the worst possible time.

  Minutes passed with excruciating slowness, and although Trev wanted to plug his ears, to not have to hear the muted conversation from the other room with no idea what they were saying, he kept listening in tense silence. His mom, dad, and siblings all shared his silence, as each minute dragged on and his nerves frayed to ragged edges. He was barely aware of when he began crying or when he stopped, with no more tears to shed.

  But finally, finally the quiet voices in the other room raised slightly, sounding calm and confident in what sounded like farewells. Trev heard the sound of the outside door opening, then shutting. Then the door into the main room creaked open and Dr. Maggy came out alone, shutting the door behind her.

  Trev shot to his feet, his family clustered around him as they waited fearfully to hear the news. The doctor's face was drawn and pale, and she showed no sign of her energetic bustle. She'd wiped her hands, but he could still see streaks of cracked dried blood on them in the hard to reach places.

  He avoided looking at her hands. “What's going on?” he demanded.

  The older woman looked away. “I'm sorry, Trev,” she said quietly. “Deb lost the baby.”

  Trev sucked in a sharp breath. He'd been fearing the news, almost certain he'd hear the words, but they still drove a sharp lance of grief through his heart. His mom wrapped her arms around him, fresh tears streaming from her eyes, and his dad rested a comforting hand on his shoulder. Behind them Linda and Jim looked at him with pale, anxious faces.

  For all their presence Trev felt alone. “How is Deb?” he asked, almost pleading.

  Dr. Maggy still refused to meet his eyes. “She passed out a while ago, although she seems to be sleeping peacefully now. The bleeding's stopped, but . . .” The older woman finally looked at him. “This was a bad one, Trev. Almost life-threatening.”

  Cold, churning dread joined his grief. He gently freed himself from his mom's hug and stepped closer to the door to his room, fighting the urge to rush in and personally check his wife.
“She's going to be okay though, right?”

  “The worst is over, I think.” The OB/GYN rested a hand on his arm, shoulders sagging wearily.

  He could tell Dr. Maggy wanted to get out of there, but he had to ask first. “Was this, was it because she was chasing goats?” he asked. “It wasn't that strenuous, and she's been doing work like that without any problem. Is that, did I . . .” He trailed off miserably.

  She patted his arm gently. “It's hard to say. It's possible, I suppose. Or it could be her condition was so delicate any similar event could've caused this. Or it could be the timing was a coincidence, and it would've happened even if she'd been in bed resting. Whatever the cause, don't beat yourselves up over it. It won't change anything.”

  Trev looked away. That was impossible advice to follow.

  Dr. Maggy probably guessed that. She stepped away, tone becoming brisk. “I've done what I can for now. But send for me if there's new complications, especially if Deb starts bleeding again. And-” she took a steadying breath. “And let me know once she wakes up and is physically and mentally ready to talk. We need to discuss the situation and what it means for the future.”

  He nodded numbly, but he couldn't see a future. Not right now. He could guess what the doctor wanted to talk about, and it would only be more bad news. The hammer blow that would dash their last hope of having a child.

  His family closed in around him as the Dr. Maggy left, offering what comfort they could, but Trev didn't want to feel it. He disentangled himself as politely as he could manage and eased his bedroom door open.

  It was dim inside, only a bit of fading daylight spilling in through the window curtains. From the looks of things Dr. Maggy, Sam, and April had cleaned up as best they could, and when the two women left they'd taken the soiled cloths and everything with them.