“Let’s take a break,” Jimmy said, leaning against the wall. They were roughly halfway around the perimeter in a rare open area under the canopy of pines. The sunshine felt good on his skin, and Jimmy fished out a cigarette and lit it up.
“Spring is right around the corner,” Julie said, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly. “I can’t wait until summer.”
“What happens then?”
“What do you mean? The days get longer and warmer. Do I have to spell it out for you?”
“No, I mean what happens to us? We’re getting pretty thin here. I’m worried what happens if we get attacked again. Ken can’t fight, Doc won’t, and Bill never could. I miss Jon and Burt. I’m also worried about Patty, especially now that Whiskers is dead. I’m tired of beef stew, and I’m almost out of cigarettes. Julie, I don’t know if I can do this.”
Julie’s face sank. She began to speak, but her lips curled into a frown as she slapped Jimmy hard across the face with a gloved hand.
Jimmy held his bare hand to his cheek. “What the hell was that for?”
“Don’t you start complaining to me,” Julie said, tears spilling down her cheeks. “I can’t take that from you, not now. We’re going to make it, and we have to believe that!”
“Hang on. You don’t have to act like this, Julie. I was just telling you what I was thinking. This isn’t going to be easy. That was all I was trying to say. Things just keep getting worse.”
“Oh, you have no idea,” Julie hissed, turning her back on Jimmy.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“It means that I’m pregnant. We’re going to have a baby!”
The words slammed into Jimmy with such force that he fell back into the wall. He felt his heart fall into the pit of his stomach, and he fought to come up with something to say.
“You don’t have to look so damn miserable about it. I thought you’d be happy.”
“I am happy,” lied Jimmy, forcing a smile on his face. “You just took me off guard, that’s all. Are you sure? That’s great news, sweetie!”
Julie held her hands to her face and stood there sobbing. “I’m sorry,” she muttered into her hands. “This baby is yours, Jimmy. I can feel it. Mars didn’t do this to me, you did. You have to believe that. We’ve done it dozens of times, and he only raped me the one time. I know what you’re thinking, but you just have to let it go. This baby is ours, Jimmy.”
Jimmy tossed his cigarette, took her into his arms and held her tight. “Don’t worry. I wasn’t thinking that at all. Everything is going to be fine,” he whispered. “I love you, honey. We can do this.”
“I love you, too,” Julie whispered, hugging him as tightly as she ever had.
Jimmy stared up into the bright blue sky and wondered how they would ever raise a child in these conditions. What type of world would this child inherit? Would they even live long enough to meet the child? “Have you told the others?”
“Not yet. I want to wait as long as possible. I don’t want to be grounded inside the house with Patty. Don’t you dare tell a soul.”
“I won’t say a word,” Jimmy said, honestly.
They stood like that for a while, and Julie led the way as they finished their fishing expedition. They hauled up half a dozen more rifles and a few more handguns. Jimmy felt as if his head would explode as they returned to the relative safety of their compound. Only one person alive knew that he’d had his vasectomy.
And her name was Paula.
The End
Thank you for reading this novel and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please watch for the next installment of this series, where I may decide to wrap things up.
Sincerely,
Nick
Desperate Times 2 Gun Control Page 31