Darkness United

by KC Luck

  CHAPTER 39

  aura woke when she heard Shauna whimpering in her Lsleep. The little girl was nestled between Laura and Sam along with her brother Henry. So far, they slept with them every night. Laura knew it could not happen forever, but she understood the children were still adapting and had a lot of anxiety. Touching the girl gently on the cheek, Laura woke Shauna and was sad to find the skin wet with tears. Laura’s heart went out to her knowing she had seen a lot of scary things in her short life. Slowly, Shauna blinked her eyes open and looked at Laura. Relief filled them as she recognized her and realized she was safe. "Will you be my new mommy?" Shauna whispered. The question filled Laura with a surge of emotion. She grew attached to the little girl in such a short time. Her blonde hair and blue eyes were so like Laura’s she could easily imagine her as her own daughter. Even though she knew someday they might find the children’s parents, in the meantime, she would give both children all her love.

  “I will be for now,” Laura answered with a smile. “Will that be okay?”

  Shauna snuggled closer to Laura. "That will be okay," she answered with a sigh. With her heart full of love, Laura looked up and saw Sam watching her. There was a tender look in her eyes and Laura knew Sam felt as much emotion toward the children as she did. Henry and Shauna were a gift. Although their Uncle Billy thought of them as a burden, to Sam and Laura, they were exactly the opposite.

  "I love you," Sam whispered, and Laura was about to say the same when Henry turned over and opened his eyes.

  "I’m hungry," Henry stated in his matter-of-fact tone Laura had already learned was his way of dealing with the world. He was a good boy but acted far older than his years.

  Laura hoped there might come a time when she could help him go back to being just a little boy again, though, until he felt secure, she would let him act in whatever way made him feel safe.

  “Well, then let’s see about some breakfast,” Sam answered and pushed the covers away to sit up. “It’s going to be another full table this morning.”

  Laura laughed. So far, the few meals spent at the farmhouse with everyone were indeed quite an affair. Lexi’s dining room table had been crowded before and adding two more, even on Sam and Laura’s laps, made for quite the circus. An idea was playing in Laura’s mind, but she had not yet discussed it with Sam, almost afraid the woman she loved would tell her no. There seemed no better time to suggest what she was thinking.

  “Sam,” Laura started. “I think we may need a house of her own.”

  Sam raised her eyebrows. “And not live at the farmhouse with everyone?” she asked.

  Laura nodded. “It’s not that I don’t love the people here, but if we are going to be a little family, I think we need our own space,” she answered. “And it would be less of a burden on Lexi and the others.”

  "And you would feel safe somewhere else?" Sam asked, and Laura knew the question had to do with the tornado and the anxiety she felt for the last few months. Ironically, the previous week, as she and Sam traveled by horseback, the anxiety had lessened. She came to realize how resourceful she could be and knew Sam would never leave her.

  “Sam, I want us to live in Mary March’s little yellow house,” she explained. The words clearly caught Sam by surprise and Laura watched her pause to consider what she said. Biting her lip, Laura stayed quiet and let the woman

  process, but was relieved to see a smile bloom across Sam’s face.

  “Just you and me and Henry and Shauna?” she asked, reaching out to take Laura’s hand in hers. “A little unit there growing vegetables in the garden and hunting in the forest nearby?” The image was so beautiful, Laura felt tears spring to her eyes.

  “Yes,” she said. “Exactly that.”

  Sam grew serious for a moment. "We would be quite a distance from Astoria," she said, and Laura looked directly into Sam’s eyes.

  "I know," she answered. "We can make trips on the horses every month to go to the market and catch up with everyone. Lexi will let us stay the night, I know it. We will make it an event."

  Again, Sam stopped as she clearly considered what the future might hold for them. Then, Laura watched her glance down at the children before looking back. "I want nothing more than to do exactly that," she finally said. "And Henry and Shauna are blood relatives of Mary March, so they have every right to live in her home." She reached out and took Laura’s hand. It could not be more perfect.

  IN GRACE’S OPINION, Anna Scott was probably the nicest person she had ever met. Not only was she a fantastic nurse practitioner, but she was a compassionate human being. If things were different, Grace was sure they would have been good friends. But now I have nothing to offer her, Grace thought struggling with feeling sorry for herself. The night had been long and she hardly slept even with the help of a painkiller. Everything seemed dark and futile. Even though Colonel Armstrong was reassuring, she doubted she would ever be of service to the military again. Her career was

  over, and she did not have any idea what she would do next.

  Clearly sensing something was not right, Anna rested her hand on Grace’s shoulder and looked into her eyes. "Talk to me," Anna said. "What is going on in your head?"

  Grace considered lying and telling her nothing was wrong other than her injury, but the sincere concern in the woman’s brown eyes made Grace want to tell her what was troubling her soul.

  “What am I going to do now?” Grace asked. “What will become of me?”

  Anna tilted her head. "You will recover," she answered.

  "You will either stay in the military and continue serving your country, or you will find something meaningful to do elsewhere. It’s really up to you, Grace, and unless you let it, you do not have to be limited, even with a disability."

  Grace looked away. She knew Anna was right, but still, she was struggling today. And I know why that is, she thought. It’s because I miss Meg. Because I turned away the one person who ever made me feel something special. The one person I think might have stood beside me in the dark days ahead.

  With a sigh, Grace nodded. “I know you’re right,” she said. “I’m just feeling sorry for myself.”

  Anna gave her shoulder a squeeze before stepping away.

  “We all go through that at times,” she said. “But if it goes on for more than a few days, I need you to tell me. Do you promise to do that?”

  Without looking at her, Grace nodded. “I promise.”

  “And in the meantime, I will see about getting you some breakfast,” Anna said as she walked to the door and opened it. “Any requests?”

  Grace was not hungry, but she knew Anna meant well.

  "Anything is fine," she answered. Still not looking away from the wall, she heard the door close behind Anna and tried her best not to sink deeper into despair. She felt so alone, and

  when there was a light tap at the door a few minutes later, she wanted to tell the assistant bringing her breakfast to go away. Then, she thought of Anna’s words and knew for her new friend’s sake, she should at least try to eat something.

  "Come in," Grace said not bothering to look.

  "Don’t you want to see what I have served up for you?" a woman’s voice said.

  Grace’s eyes widened. She whipped her head around and saw Meg standing there with the tray in her hands. Grace was never happier to see someone. It was Meg. The woman who should have left her, but for some reason stood in her room smiling. Grace watched Meg cross to the bed and set the tray down on the nightstand.

  "You know I’m going to make you eat every bite, don’t you?" Meg asked.

  Grace could only smile. “You think so?” she asked and Meg laughed as she pulled up a chair.

  “Oh, I do,” she said. “Although you may be the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met, you don’t seem to realize that I’m just as stubborn as you are.”

  “Which is why you’re still here?” Grace whispered. “But what about the Wind Dancer? And your crew?” She paused to gather up her courage to make a co
nfession. “I asked and Taylor said you left.”

  Meg shrugged and picked up the spoon to get Grace a bite of orange Jell-O.

  “The ship left,” she explained. “Jimmy’s going to take her out for a month, and then come back to pick us up.”

  “Pick us up?” Grace said, not sure she understood. She still wants me to come with her even if I’m in a wheelchair?

  she wondered, her emotions soaring with the prospect. She could still explore and have new adventures. And a future with a beautiful, exciting woman.

  “Yes, Grace, us,” Meg answered. “Did I not just mention I am stubborn? You might as well get used to it.” Grace suddenly realized her life was anything but over.

  IT WAS ALMOST A YEAR since Taylor was called to an army headquarters’ tent. As she walked through the city park past the temporary bivouac set up by the military, she was filled with a sense of nostalgia. Twenty years of her life had been spent doing exactly what Colonel Armstrong’s troops were doing but in other countries. Taylor found the fact it was happening in the United States a little surreal, but it was slowly sinking in. Months passed since the blackout, but America rallied. She could not be prouder, but she also wondered how America’s allies were doing. She had fond memories of working side-by-side with officers and enlisted from the military in those great countries. Here’s hoping they found their way as well, Taylor thought as she neared the colonel’s HQ tent. She paused and for a moment wondered what her life would have been like had she still been in the military when the solar storm struck. What country would I have been trapped in? she wondered and knew she would never have ended up in Astoria or made such amazing friends—close friends who were more like family. And I would not have met Jackie. That was the most important of all. Her life felt complete and she thanked the universe or whoever was in charge for putting her on the path to be right where she was in that moment.

  “Is that you waiting around outside my door, Taylor Barnes?” she heard Colonel Armstrong ask. He sounded playful, as always, but also all business, which Taylor knew was the sign of a great leader. Compassionate, but powerful.

  “Sorry, sir,” Taylor said as she stepped inside, stopped and saluted.

  “You still do that pretty well for a civilian,” the colonel said. “I don’t suppose you want to change that?”

  Taylor dropped her hand and furrowed her brow. “What do you mean, sir?” she asked. The colonel leaned back in

  his chair and folded his arms over his chest as he looked hard at Taylor.

  “Well, First Sergeant,” he started. “The Presidential Recall Order is in effect because this is a state of emergency. I have yet to exercise it, considering I would rather people want to come back to active duty willingly. Which is what I’m asking you.” Taylor took a deep breath and held it, not sure how to react. “So, can I appoint you back to active duty?” the colonel continued. “Put you in charge of Astoria?”

  Taylor did not know how to respond. She never considered what he was proposing as an option, but then, it made total sense. Of course, they would be calling people back to active duty in the middle of all this, she thought.

  The colonel is only being gracious by making it sound more like a request than an order. “Sir,” she said standing up straighter. “It would be an honor.”

  CHAPTER 40

  n Jackie’s life before the catastrophic blackout, she had Ibeen an influential figure in the design industry in Seattle and around the world. She coordinated big events and took part in the whirlwind around shows which would be covered by her magazine. The last two weeks in Astoria, however, had been equally crazy. Once word spread supplies would be coming over the railroad to build houses for the homeless, people flew into action. Even after Colonel Armstrong and a majority of his company moved on, the momentum did not stop. Taylor took over the military personnel who remained behind and Jackie could not be prouder of the woman she loved. Even though Taylor stepped up as the chief of police, she seemed even more inspired to help Astoria when she put on the US Army uniform again. Not to mention she looks extremely hot in it, Jackie thought with a sexy smile looking over at Taylor who was inspecting the progress around them.

  Working with Greg and Jackie, Taylor organized an effort for Astoria’s residents to begin clearing the home lots in the neighborhood damaged by fire. All the debris was sorted so any usable items were set to one side and the trash removed to make room for the rebuilding. The first load of lumber arrived yesterday, and as Taylor and Jackie walked through the neighborhood, the first few houses were already being constructed. They would be simple homes, but they were far better than tents and everyone was excited to see Astoria starting to rebuild.

  Jackie could hear the sounds of hand saws cutting through boards and hammers pounding nails as

  construction moved forward. “This is impressive,” Jackie said as they paused to look at the framing of a single room home. There were more town’s people skilled in construction in Astoria than she hoped.

  “People constantly amaze me,” Taylor agreed. “To think, just a couple weeks ago we were standing on the edge of a mob ready to tear Astoria part.”

  Jackie nodded. “But those were good people who were nothing but scared,” she said. “Luckily they came to their senses before anything happened.” She slipped her arm through Taylor’s “And you were able to shut down Greg before he could do any real damage.”

  Taylor smiled. “True,” she said. “But honestly, it is the core of Astoria which makes all the difference. The people here are honest and hardworking with big hearts.”

  “I love seeing how everyone is pulling together,” Jackie agreed. “And today is one to celebrate it.” She turned Taylor’s wrist and looked at her watch. “In fact, we better hurry if we’re going to make the gathering at the Christmas tree.”

  Taylor checked the time as well. “Wow, later than I realized,” she said, putting two fingers in her mouth to let out a loud whistle. As people stopped and turned to look.

  “Wrap it up,” she ordered wearing a big grin. “Ladies and gentleman, time to call it a day. It’s Christmas Eve and I want to see all of you at the center of town. Got it?” Jackie watched smiles cross everyone’s face as the men and women started to put away their tools. She knew everyone was looking forward to the big event. It was time to celebrate all that was good again in Astoria.

  LEANING CASUALLY ON the handle of Grace’s wheelchair, Meg took in the scene before her and smiled broadly. A

  giant, festively decorated Christmas tree stood in the center of the town’s square. Children played in the space around it while groups of adults stood nearby and visited. This is about perfect, she thought glancing at the woman cuddled under a blanket in the wheelchair beside her—the woman she had come to care for more than anyone in the world in just a few weeks. Grace’s recovery was slow but steady, and Meg was proud of her. There were a couple more weeks before the Wind Dancer came back up the Columbia River for them, and she knew Grace’s progress would continue to grow. Thinking of her ship, Meg was ready to stand on her deck again, and she knew Grace was eager too. Adventure awaited them.

  For a while, they stayed with Taylor and Jackie not far from the hospital and fell into a well-oiled routine. Every day, Meg helped Grace start her day by assisting her with the wheelchair and pushing her to the hospital where they worked together on her rehabilitation. At first, Grace was reluctant explaining she felt like a burden. Meg quickly squashed that line of conversation. “I am here because I want to be,” Meg said. “I care about you, Grace, more than I think you want to believe. And I will be here for you every step of the way.” Tears filled Grace’s eyes at the statement and afterward, there was no more resistance.

  They slept together in the queen-size bed in the guest bedroom every night. It was there Meg saw the softer side of Grace. As the light faded from the sky, the woman seemed to become more vulnerable. “Can I hold you?” Meg asked the first night, and after a pause so long Meg was sure she would refus
e, Grace reached for her. Every night since, Grace slept in Meg’s arms. The quiet time also gave them a chance to get to know each other. They talked a lot about their pasts, which were so different, yet somehow similar. They both worked their way up from the bottom to become leaders in their own right. They also talked about the future, and Meg promised Grace there was much to look

  forward to in the days ahead. It was after just such a conversation Meg was brave enough to kiss Grace again.

  She intended it to be tender, but the taste of Grace’s mouth on hers sent fire through her. To Meg’s surprise, Grace had returned the embrace with a wanting Meg felt to her core.

  As they finally broke apart, Grace took Meg’s face in her hands.

  “I look forward to more of that especially,” she whispered. Since then, their relationship only continued to grow stronger and more intimate. To Meg, the future was bright.

  As she relished these thoughts, Sam returned with Laura, each of them carrying extra cups of hot cider. They handed them around to Grace and Meg as well as Lexi and Anna who stood nearby. "I thought you could use a little something to warm up," Sam said with a friendly smile. "It’s a little chilly out here today." Meg smiled back. She’d come to know all the friends of Taylor and Jackie over the last couple weeks and they were a wonderful group. She understood why these few women were so crucial in Astoria.

  They are nothing short of heroes, each of them, she thought. Strong, smart, and caring. Not to mention brave as hell in the face of the catastrophe which still gripped the world.

  A part of Meg knew she would miss them when she and Grace sailed away. But we can always come back, she thought as Taylor and Jackie arrived to join the group. “Well, it’s about time, little sister,” Meg heard Lexi say in a playful tone.

  “Fashionably late,” Jackie shot back, but with a twinkle in her eyes. “Besides, it doesn’t look like anything has started yet.”