by J. B. Craig
Jennifer laughed that throaty laugh that Greg loved so much. “OK, Cowboy. Your secret is safe with me. But you can negotiate Leilani’s silence. She’s a bad ass!”
Despite numerous protestations, Kim was soon walking Greg and Jennifer up Rock Harbor Drive, with each one leaning on her to take some weight off their wounded legs. Annie walked on the other side of Greg, holding his hand, and telling him stories about all the loud noises that she heard and the amazing fireworks she saw. She didn’t seem to care much about the bandages on her face, but Greg could see that she would be scarred for at least her childhood.
When the 4 got within sight of the community center, Esteban, with both hands heavily bandaged, ran out and took over for Kim, who was winded. He put an arm under each of theirs, and walked, almost carried, both Greg and Jennifer into the first aid area. Angel was directing the clean-up effort out by the berm. Greg directed Este over to Top in the community center. He was bleeding, burned, and generally not looking good. He was burned badly below the waist, and bleeding in several critical places, clearly in pain.
Greg looked at Doc and asked a question with his eyes. Doc looked down, then looked at Top and said “This old Goat keeps wanting more of our Opiates. It’s like they’re just Aspirin to him. You stay with him – I have more work to do on Ski.” Doc and Kim walked over to the table with Ski laid out on it.
“I hear you’re trying to hog all of our good drugs, Top. I guess you earned it.” Greg smiled a sad smile, as one of Top’s eyes opened. Sorry we don’t have any morphine, brother.
Top sighed, and his words croaked out. “Trying to fight the shock, Sir. Mission accomplished, enemy repelled. We have 5 wounded and 6 KIA, but we got all of the bad guys. All others present and accounted for. I’m counting you 2 love birds among the wounded, and me among the dead.” Top paused, then added. “Excellent defensive plan, Sir. It’s been an honor serving under you. PFC Newman and I are going to have a beer next.” He paused and took a rattling breath, some more blood bubbled out of his lips on the exhale. “I’ll give him your best.” Top then snapped to attention, while horizontal on the table. He raised his arm painfully, and saluted Greg. He held the salute, waiting on the return.
Greg snapped to attention, and returned the salute, with tears flowing down his face. Este walked over and loomed over all of them.
Top looked over Greg’s shoulder, and made eye contact with Esteban. Top smiled and said to Este, “Now you have to watch his back, big man – you can see how he clearly can’t take care of himself.” After another deep breath, a smile, “I’ve been in the revenge business for so long, now that it is over, I don’t know what to do with the rest of my life.” Top took one last shuddering breath, chuckled, and said, “Line ‘em up. This rounds on me, Private Newman.” Then he faded away, staring off into some afterlife that Greg wondered about. It gave him more faith to see the smile on Top’s face.
Este, with tears dripping down his face, shuddered and said, “I knew he watched the movie.” He reached around Greg’s shoulder and closed Top’s eyes.
Greg made his way over to Ski, who had several wounds, the worst of which appeared to be in his lung. “How’s he doing, Doc?”
Well, he’s strong, and we got the collapsed lung patched. He’s on Fish-Mox and painkillers. We don’t have x-ray’s or MRI’s, so all I can do is hope. I think, based on his physical condition, and sheer stubbornness, he’ll make it.”
“I’ll make it,” wheezed out Ski. “I’ve lived through worse.”
Doc was surprised that Ski was talking, but moved past it. Doc asked, “Can you tell me where it hurts, Ski?”
“The list of where it doesn’t hurt will be shorter, Doc. Heh, heh heh. My right knee has been bothering me for weeks. Today, it feels fine. Tell me the kid made it.”
“Sorry, Ski. You and PFC Newman did an amazing thing, taking out the heart of the land attack. Newman didn’t make it.” Doc broke the news by grabbing Ski’s hand.
“Some guys have all the luck,” grumbled Ski. “I avenged my brother. What’s there left to live for?”
“Well, there’s us.” Greg stated flatly. “There will be more bad guys who want our shit. You’re welcome to stay here, and join the family, brother. Thanks for what you did. Top said that Newman made it to Heaven. They’re having a drink right now, and frankly, I’m a little jealous at their respite. Here, we have to patch the berm, re-plant some land mines, and be ready for whatever is next.”
“Well, count me among the ‘sick, lame, and lazy’ – at least for a while. I will heal, and plan on sticking around, Sir. With Top gone, you’re going to need another asshole to boss around the troops. I’m the man for the job.”
“I wish you people would stop calling me that – I’m an enlisted man! And I’m going to have to let you and Gunny argue about who’s in charge!”
“Fuck that, I concede, Sir. She scares the shit outta me. You’re not an enlisted man anymore. You repelled half of the invasion force, single handedly. We have a kill ratio of about 50 to 1. You’re in charge, whether or not you want to be.” Ski said as he laughed and fell back into unconsciousness.
“Talk to Jennifer, Les, Annie and Manuel about that ‘single handed’ talk, Ski.”, but Greg was talking to himself and Jennifer at that point, as Ski was passed out again. “They all paid for that defense.”
“You did, too, Baby. Let’s go lay down, I’m starting to feel a bit light headed.” Jennifer swooned, and Este caught her.
“Let’s take her back home, Jefe. You need to get back in bed, too. Your cheek is bleeding again.”
Jennifer
Doc gave Ski, Manuel, Marcy, Greg, Annie and Jennifer their prescribed dosage of antibiotics, and they went to their respective homes to rest, under “Doc’s orders”. Angel assigned Leilani and Este the task of keeping an eye on Greg and Jennifer, and playing with Annie. The mortar team, Hondurans and the remaining firefighters carried more than their load in the days after the battle, burying their dead friends and feeding bad guys to the crabs, while the wounded rested.
It seemed that everyone who was staying in the mansion had known of the “Plan C” to torch the place, so the houses on the circle had filled up with various groups. It was becoming a regular neighborhood again.
The more time passed, the more Jennifer was beating herself up for not being there when Annie got cut. She wondered if she had been in the bedroom with her daughter, would Annie be wounded now? The guilt and second-guessing about what she should have done differently were tearing her apart.
2 nights later, Greg leaned over and kissed Jennifer. He told her that her head felt hot. He asked her if she was OK, and her reply startled him. “I’m beating myself up, Greg. Looking death in the face really made me realize what Mike went through. I can’t believe that I just dragged you into bed with me. What about your wife?”
Greg looked a bit confused. “Well, you know my wife probably died in Atlanta, and she cheated on me. We’ll always have our years together, but I’m done with her. You didn’t drag me into bed, darlin’. I came of my own free will.” He smiled at the play on words.
“No, I’m serious. It feels like we rushed things, and I want to just take a little time. I need to think about this. The guilt has been killing me. What’s Annie going to think?”
“Annie is good with me. You know that. Where is this coming from? We love each other. Maybe it’s fast, but it’s real. Don’t you feel it?”
“Yes, I do, but every time I see Annie’s face, I blame you. I know that’s stupid, but it’s my immediate instinct. When I looked off that roof, and saw you about to die, I realized the danger of getting too close to anyone. Can I just have some time to sort through my feelings, please?
“You want time now? Well, sure “, Greg replied quietly. “I don’t want you to regret us, baby.”
Recriminations
Greg was floored when Jennifer told him that she wanted time. He was on the tail-end of an adrenaline-flooded survival encounter, and
his natural instinct was to be closer to her. Now she wanted to take time away from him? His confusion and hurt was clear, but he had no choice but to give her the space she asked for, so he nodded at her request, and a tear dripped down into his cut cheek.
“Thanks. I’m going to move back into Annie’s room for a while.” Jennifer got up, and limped next door, leaving Greg with his own layers of Guilt to work through. He got up, took his medicine, and went out to the chairs on the deck, looking out on the water. He asked himself “How did I fuck this up?”
Leilani was approaching the deck with Annie, who appeared to be recovering quicker and better than anyone else in the house. “Hey, you watch your mouth, Bruddah. Little babies have big ears.” She set Annie down, who ran over, kissed Greg on the non-wounded cheek, then ran down the stairs to play on the dock. She cast the ultra-light rod with the spinning reel like a pro. Leilani had been busy with Annie.
“Leilani. I need your wisdom and perspective. Did Jennifer and I rush into this? What if my wife is alive? She wants some time to think about things…” Greg broke down, as some tears, manly ones, of course, rolled down his face.
“Greg, I don’t know about your life or times. You said Atlanta was nuked. People come together in times of grief. Sometimes they just need someone to hold. I know the first time Esteban held me, I started to feel better.”
Greg sputtered, then smiled. “That is so great! I like seeing you two together.”
“Yes, we are good together, but I have to fix his ideas of breakfast. I mean, it’s good, but who has burritos for breakfast? And I can’t grow Poi or Breadfruit here.”
Greg laughed, relieved at the change of topic. “If that’s your biggest problem, you’ve got it made!”
“Well, our biggest problem is the queen bed next door. I think we need to scavenge for a California King!”
Greg laughed out loud again, and said, “Thank you, Leilani. I needed that. Can you go check on Jennifer? She seemed sweaty and doesn’t want to talk to me right now.”
Leilani went into the house and came out about 5 minutes later. “Greg, I need to go get Doc. Her leg doesn’t look so good.”
Doc came over, and told Greg that Jennifer wasn’t responding to the fish-antibiotics. The community medicine chest didn’t have anything stronger, so it was going to be up to her own immune system to win the battle, or not.
September
A long, slow painful week later, Greg went to visit Este and Leilani. “Hey, can you guys keep an eye on Annie and Jennifer?” Jennifer hasn’t really been lucid at all, she’s calling me ‘Mike’, and keeps crying. I need some time alone. It’s an incoming high tide, and with the rain and the moon, it might be a huge one. I’m going to try to catch some of Jennifer’s favorite – Rockfish. Maybe she’ll eat something.” Jennifer got even thinner, and was one hot looking, if skinny woman, but there would be no hanky panky for a while.
His neighbors, and best friends outside of the girls in his own house smiled, and Annie ran to them. Este picked her up in one lightly wrapped mitt, and flew her around the room, while Leilani smiled and told Greg “We got her, Bruddah. Get some good I’a.” saying the Hawaiian word for fish.
OK. I’m going to get my stuff together. High tide is about midnight, so don’t wait up. Greg went back into the house to check on Jennifer. She was still on the fish antibiotics, but her fever was so high for so many days now. She was sweaty and thrashing in the bed. Greg stripped her naked, wiped her down with a washcloth, and put his favorite Army T-shirt on her. She calmed down, and smiled when he bundled her back up in a quilt. She was out for the night. He kissed her on the forehead, which was hot.
He couldn’t watch her die, but that’s where he was afraid she was headed. Kim had gently prepared him for this possibility. Jennifer, when lucid, had said she wanted to have time away from him, so he was going to give it to her. He felt like she was punishing herself for her, or his perceived infidelity, or being with him when Annie got hurt by the exploding window. He’d never understand women on some days, but loved them on others.
Just before she fell asleep, Jen tapped him on the arm, and said, “Greg, why do you do it?”
“Do what, beautiful?” He kissed her on her head, which was still a little sweaty, but seemed a little cooler.
“How do you carry that load? Everyone asking you what to do?” Jennifer was semi-lucid, but at that moment wanted a real answer.
“I just make it up and hope I’m right, darling. Just get some sleep, we can talk it out later.” He massaged her breast and kissed her on the lips. “Know that I love you, baby, and I do it for you and Annie, now. I pray you get to meet my kids. They would love you both. Other than that, I do it because someone has to. When people look around, and stuff’s going down, somebody has to say, ‘I got this!’” They don’t have to be right, but they have to be confident.”
The community was safe under the watchful eye of Angel and Gunny, with Ski giving orders as he recovered from his hospital bed in the community center. Gunny took the orders, even though she outranked him, because they were smart, solid orders. Greg didn’t think there would be any problems there, as they got along well, and his leadership style of Socratic discussions was catching on with the formerly ‘top-town’ veterans. Greg figured tonight would be a good night for “fishing” alone.
After burning a bunch of energy rowing, Greg found himself in the main channel of the Nomini river. This rowing was a real workout, as he had to clear the sand bar, then row deep up the Nomini River, with help from the incoming tide. He rarely went this far, because of the distance rowing, but he needed to burn off some stress. He had been laid up for a week or so, and while his face still hurt, his leg healed better than the thought it would. It was a through-and-through knife wound that didn’t hit any major blood vessels. After taking a few breaths, it was time to get down to the business of the night. His head was all twisted up, thinking about his missing daughter, likely-dead wife and son, and probably-dying Jennifer. He couldn’t lose another woman. It would wreck him. Maybe he was being selfish, but after several swigs of the bourbon he brought with him, it was making more sense. He hadn’t had a drink for weeks, and the Pappy Van Winkle bourbon was going straight to his head.
Greg changed the bottle in his lips to something else. He laughed out loud around the barrel of the 9mm revolver in his mouth. He thought that his last joke on the planet was pretty good, given the circumstances. “What’s was the last thing to go through Greg’s head on the day he died? A 9mm hollow point!” Greg laughed again at the original spin around the old joke about the last thing to go through a mosquito’s head as it heads for a windshield – Its asshole. He pulled the barrel out of his mouth and took another swig of the bourbon – It was the last bottle on the peninsula, possibly the world, and what a bottle it was. He cracked it open on the day that Les lost his wife and had not touched it since. The Pappy Van Winkle Reserve – found tucked deep into the back of one of the bars of an abandoned house when he was scavenging months ago. He hadn’t had a drink of alcohol in weeks, because almost all of it had already been looted and drunk, but what better way to leave the planet than with the Pappy he stashed away for a “special occasion”? He had showed more discipline than he thought he had, as he kept the bottle to toast his son and daughter’s arrival, but they never showed up at the family sanctuary. Their fate was unknown to him, and he finally got to the point where he couldn’t live another day without his “girls”, especially with Jennifer going quickly, too. He briefly worried about Annie, but knew that Este and Leilani would take care of her, like any Hawaiian Ohana, or family, would.
Another body – probably another “floater” from Dahlgren, based on the uniform, squished against the aluminum hull of the row boat he was in. This one was pretty swollen, and Greg needed to do his duty. He was indeed clergy, and had married friends of his – to each other, at their request. He’d also given last rites, and buried too many brothers, sisters and great friends in the last ye
ar. These people he didn’t even know a year ago, but adversity and hardship forge quick friendships. He took this as a sign from God that he needed to give last rites to someone else one more time. He un-tied the para cord noose from his ankle. It was tied to the large Hawaiian Lava stone secured with a bungee cord to the back corner of the rowboat. He went to the front of the boat, where he always kept a small supply of bricks with foot-long para-cord nooses tied to them. This trick he learned from Samuel, as Sam also had to use about one set per day to keep the harbor clear of bodies. He used a boat hook to pull the drifting corpse back toward him. He looped the noose around the ankle of the bloated stranger, and lifted the rock to the lip of the boat.
“I’m shorry for whatever you went through, you poor bashtard.” He slurred. “Your pain ish done, and now you’ll feed the Maryland Blue Crabs that have fed us for so long. May your spirit, or at least your protein move through the great circle of life. Hakuna Matata, my brother.” Then Reverend Greg pushed the bricks off the boat, shifting the center of gravity enough that he fell against the other side, hit his head on the edge, and spilled what was left of the Pappy all over the bottom of the boat. The body was pulled to the bottom of the river, trailing a few bubbles after it. Greg would be joining the body shortly.