by Reed, N. C.
-
Dee Talbot sat in the large military type vehicle in silence as it traveled back to the Sanders farm. She held her youngest daughter in her arms while her son sat beside her with his injured arm. Her oldest daughter sat on her other side, squeezed in as close to her mother as she could.
Dee was still cursing herself for her complacency where Charles Talbot was concerned. She had put up with his change in behavior, thinking that he would soon settle back down, but today had been the capstone of his erratic and changed attitude. His affair with his teaching assistant had changed him much for the worse. Apparently, the socialist drivel she had been screeching in his ear had taken root.
She regretted now not filing for divorce after his affair was revealed, but she had thought it more important to keep a stable life for her children than to simply have what she wanted. In hindsight that had been a miscalculation, but hindsight was always better, wasn't it?
“Mamma, where are we going?” Her oldest daughter, Diana asked quietly. Dee looked down to see her nine-year-old staring at the people around her.
“We're going to a new place, baby,” Dee told her. “One that will be better than home.”
“What about Daddy Charlie? Is he coming?” Diane asked. While she didn't remember her real father, she knew that Charlie wasn't him.
“No, honey, he's not,” Dee replied. “I'm afraid Daddy Charlie doesn't love us anymore,” she added sadly.
“Did we do something wrong?” the girl looked up at her.
“No, baby. It was Charlie that did wrong, not us,” Dee assured her. “All of you have been very good, but Daddy Charlie didn't care. He still did what he wanted to, regardless.” Dee had decided not to lie. Her children deserved the truth, and to know that none of this as in any way their fault.
“Why did he do that?” Diana asked.
“I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that one, Di,” Dee smiled just a little. “All I know is that he just didn't love us enough. And that's his fault, not yours, or mine, or your brother and sister. There's no one to blame for it but him.”
“Will we be happy where we're going?”
“I sure hope so baby,” Dee hugged Diana with one arm while holding her youngest daughter, Sharlene. “I sure hope so.”
Martina listened to the exchange without comment, appearing not to be listening at all rather than intrude. She was still a bit miffed at Jose for putting her on the Cougar instead of letting her ride back with him. While Jose wasn't bad about doing things without reason, she couldn't see any reason to have not wanted her to stay with him. It wasn't as if she was afraid of Talbot.
When they got home she was going to give him a piece of her mind.
-
Like everyone else, Gordy had disinfected his gear before getting a shower to clean the smell of dead bodies and putrefaction off of him. Now he was dressed in a fresh BDU and was on watch along the Jordan side of the ranch. With so many people off the farm, everyone was either on watch or on call. As he sat in the fighting position on the eastern side of the ranch beyond the Troy farmhouse, he felt rather than heard someone behind him and turned to see Samantha Walters duck-walking into the hole with him.
“Mind if I sit with you?” she asked, a faint smile on her lips.
“Well, as long as you leave before my girlfriend gets here it should be fine,” Gordy shrugged indifferently, fighting a grin. Samantha mock glared at him before kissing him lightly. She looked around her, taking in the foxhole.
“Love what you've done with the place,” she said dryly. “Early modern 'ugh'.”
“All the comforts of home,” he nodded. “You okay?” he asked more seriously.
“I'm alright,” she nodded. “It was a shock to the system to be sure, but I'm okay. I'm apparently a lot better than some of the others.”
“It's not weak to find something like that horrible,” Gordy said.
“You didn't?” Samantha asked.
“Sure, I did,” he said easily. “But after all we've been through here, it was just another rough day. I've seen much worse conditions than that. It was the smell that got to me the most, rather than what I saw.”
“Yeah,” she sighed. “I so hated to see any of the Webbs like that,” she told him, leaning against him.
“Me too,” he agreed. “But it wasn't our fault.”
“I wasn't talking about fault,” she shook her head. “Just how sad it was.”
“It could have been avoided,” Gordy reminded her. “All of it. The Webbs were much safer here than they were at home. They should have stayed here.”
“I know,” she nodded. “I've thought about that, too. I can understand Mister Webb's anger, but not his actions. He acted out of anger and not what was best for his family. It didn't make sense then and it doesn't make any sense now. I suppose he thought his family was strong enough on their own.”
“No one is strong enough on their own,” he told her flatly. “None of us. What's that saying? 'No man is an island' or something like that?”
“Something along those lines,” she nodded. “I suppose in these times that's even more true. Have you heard about the Jessups?” she changed the subject.
“No,” he admitted. “What happened now?”
“They both committed suicide sometime since yesterday afternoon,” she told him softly. “Nadine hung herself in their cabin and Harley apparently drank himself to death.”
“Are you serious?” he asked, almost angry. “With three small children they do that kind of shit?”
“I'm afraid so,” she sighed tiredly as she leaned her forehead against him. “Will it always be this bad, Gordy?” she asked him softly.
“I can't answer that, Sam,” he replied honestly. “I just don't know. I don't think it will get any better any time soon, at least overall. That doesn't mean things will stay bad for us around here. I think that depends on all of us as much as anything else.”
“We can't seem to work together at all,” Sam nodded her agreement. “Everyone seems to be at cross purposes with each other.”
“Some people don't seem to want to do what it takes to survive,” Gordy agreed. “They don't want to work unless it's something they want to do. A lot of people living here have yet to realize the risks we face nowadays.” At that Sam looked up at him, her hand moving to his face to trace the scars left there from his battle against wild dogs.
“Ruins my semi-good looks, huh?” he smiled sourly and she smacked him in the chest with her other hand.
“Stupid,” she almost growled. “There's nothing wrong with your looks.”
“No, stitches almost always improve your skin quality,” he snorted and she smacked him again, harder.
“Ow, woman,” he all but laughed.
“Stop putting yourself down,” she demanded. “I don't like it.”
“Yes ma'am,” he agreed gently and a dark flush crept up her face from her neck line.
“So, is it breaking the rules for me to stay here with you awhile?” she asked him.
“Probably, but then rules exist to be broken,” he chuckled.
“I'm pretty sure that's the direct opposite of what rules exist for,” she snorted delicately in amusement.
“Well, I am Leon Sanders' great-grandson, so. . ..”
“So, you are,” she nodded firmly. “Speaking of which, where. . .” she trailed off as he lifted his hand to silence her, head cocked to one side.
“Get down,” he said abruptly, his entire attitude changing in an instant. She sat down on the crate behind her, lowering her profile below the opening. Gordy's rifle was propped on the sill by then, watching down the road to Jordan to see where the engine sounds he had heard were coming from.
His breathing eased as the 'Phantom' Cougar came into view, followed by the Beast. He pulled his rifle in and settled back into the hole.
“It's the others,” he told her. “Leon's group is back. I wonder how their trip went?”
“Hopefully it was better than
ours.”
-
Dee Talbot took in the large operation around her without comment as she and her children dismounted from the Cougar, helped down by Titus Terry. She looked around her, impressed by the operation she was seeing. It was quite the place.
“Mrs. Talbot, if you’ll come with me, please?” Tandi Maseo had gotten down from the big truck called the Beast and was motioning her and her children toward the center of three huge buildings. “I need to warn you that the clinic if pretty full at the moment. Gunshot wounds and an assault victim. Please try not to let that bother you, okay?”
“Of course,” she promised. “Lead the way.” She took her younger children by the hand and told her son to follow them. Once inside the giant building with a '2' on the side, the medic led them to an enclosed area that had an air conditioner in the wall, slowly leaking water into a small canister that had a pipe running through the wall. He held the door open for her and the children to step through.
She didn't know what she had been expecting, but this wasn't it. While it might not be an actual hospital, it wasn't just a first aid station, either. She could see two men sleeping on beds in the far back corner while an older woman was lying on an actual hospital bed closer to the door. The woman had a bandage around her head and was being monitored by a bedside machine that kept a check on her vital signs. There were two younger women near the back of the large room, sitting together and talking quietly.
“Over here, please,” she heard the medic say, and followed him to a table that had a thin mattress on it and was covered by the same paper 'sheet' that most doctor's offices used.
“Up you go, buddy,” Tandi boosted her son, Jimi, onto the table. Just then a tall woman with graying hair pulled a curtain around the sleeping men and walked their way.
“Who's this, Tandi?” she asked, smiling at the children.
“Patricia this is Dee Talbot, her son Jimi, and her daughters Diana and Charlene,” Tandi introduced. “They're going to be joining us here. Jimi got burned when their house got caught in the forest fire. I'm pretty sure it's alright other than painful, but I'd like you to take a look at it. There is one spot that might be a minor sign of infection, or it could just be a small area that was burned worse than the rest.”
“Okay,” Patricia nodded. “I'm Patricia Sanders,” she introduced herself fully to Dee. “Does he have any allergies you're aware of?”
“No,” Dee shook her head. “They've all had chicken pox, but otherwise that's it.”
“Let’s see what we've got here,” Patricia carefully peeled away the bandage that Tandi had placed on the boy's arm. “Wow, you're really brave not to show any pain, Jimi,” she bragged and the boy blushed. “But I need you to tell me when it hurts, okay? I have to know so I can make it better.”
“Yes ma'am,” the boy said politely.
“Now, let’s take a look.”
-
“New people?” Gordon asked Jose. He and Angela were on their way to talk to Jasmine and Daisy Webb when the small convoy had come in.
“A woman and three kids,” Jose nodded. “She's an animal husbandry professor of some kind. Or something like that,” he shrugged. “Leon offered her a spot here to help with the animals. And she grew up on a farm. Says she can do most anything other than mechanic work.”
“Well, that sounds good,” Gordon nodded. “What about her husband?”
“He decided not to make the trip,” Jose shrugged. “Actually, he pissed your father off and Leon revoked his invitation. The wife got mad at him, made her own agreement with Leon, and left him behind. Turns out he wasn't the father, but the step-father. Their actual father was a Ranger and died just after their youngest child was born.”
“Poor baby,” Angela sighed. “Are they okay?”
“Malnourished and disheveled,” Jose told her. “Boy got burned on his arm when their house got caught in the fire. Tandi took them to have them checked out in the clinic.”
“Well, we’ll be able to meet them then,” Gordon said. “We're on our way to talk to Daisy and Jasmine. By the way, while you were out we found the Jessups dead,” he added softly. Jose's eyes widened at that and he asked what had happened.
“Suicide, both of them,” Gordon said sadly. “Nadine by hanging, Harley by alcohol poisoning. We're trying to work out how to care for their children now.”
“Man, has it been a rough patch or what?” Jose shook his head. “I would say we can help, but honestly, we can't. We don't have the room or the people available.”
“That's why we're going to see the Webb girls,” Angela nodded. “We're going to see if they feel up to it.”
“Maybe they will.”
-
Samantha had stayed with Gordy only a few more minutes before walking toward the pad to see what the convoy had returned with. She had seen the woman and three children walking with Tandi but hadn't recognized her. She encountered Gordy's grandparents on their way to the clinic and decided to go with them. As soon as she walked inside the first person she saw was Dee Talbot.
“Professor Talbot?” she sounded stunned.
“Miss Walters,” Dee smiled tiredly. “I heard you were here. I'm glad to see you well.” She hugged the smaller woman only briefly, conscious of the state of her hygiene.
“Are you going to stay with us here?” Samantha asked.
“I am indeed,” Dee informed her. “Mister Sanders has offered my children and I a place here in exchange for my working on his farm.”
“Great!” Samantha exclaimed quietly, trying not to bother the patients in the clinic. “There is so much that needs doing!”
“So, I hear,” Dee was trying to keep up with what Samantha said while Patricia finished with Jimi. Samantha realized that and begged off for the time being, promising to catch up later. As she started to leave, she saw Gordon and Angela approaching the Webb widows, and hoped they were able to help.
-
“Daisy, Jasmine,” Angela said as she sat down with the girls. “I hope you're doing better.”
“It's a day-to-day thing,” Daisy shrugged. Jasmine said nothing but did nod.
“I need to talk to you girls about something,” Angela told Daisy. “Did you hear about the Jessups?”
“Hard to keep anything quiet around here,” Daisy nodded. “Hated to hear it.”
“It's a terrible thing, especially for their three surviving children,” Angela sighed. “They're going to need someone to care for them, and it's going to be especially important in the first few weeks. They still hadn't recovered from the loss of their older brother, and now both parents are gone. Poor dears.”
“You want us to do it,” Daisy said. It was a statement rather than a question.
“Well, I don't know,” Angela hid her surprise. “I wanted to discuss it with you. You may not be up to it. I wanted to tell you what's happening and let you decide. And also tell you why I thought of you two.”
“Why then?”
“I know the two of you are going to have a difficult time around others at least for a while,” Angela said softly. “And I doubt that the two of you are going to be able to do any serious physical labor in the immediate future, though I'd not try and make that determination over Patricia, mind you. My point was that this might be a good match. Those children need a stable home now worse than ever, and the two of you need something like that to concentrate on. While raising children is certainly work, it's not as physically demanding as other jobs, and all three of the Jessup children are in school. You would have that time during the day for yourself, at least until you felt up to doing something else. Perhaps work in the garden, for instance.”
Daisy had seemed about to give an off the cuff reply, but suddenly stopped, clearly considering what Angela had said.
“What are their names?” Jasmine asked suddenly and everyone present turned to look at her, mostly in shock. Jasmine noted their attention and blushed uncomfortably but didn't withdraw. She'd barely spoken at all since
arriving here.
“Jesse is the oldest at eleven,” Angela replied. “Brook is nine and Ryan is seven. They're good children as far as I've ever heard. Dixie says they're well behaved in school and no one in the cabin area has had any trouble out of them at all that they've mentioned.”
“I remember them,” Daisy nodded. “I didn't know their ages but when I heard you call their names I can remember them. We really didn't have a lot to do with the Jessups, or at least I didn't, but I remember the kids running and playing around the square.” Jasmine nodded her agreement, and for once there seemed to be some life in her eyes.
“I know it's a lot to ask, or even suggest,” Angela said. “And there's no need for you to feel obligated to do it, either, in case that wasn't clear. It was just a thought I had. That maybe it would be good for the two of you, and for them.”
“If Sammy and Lucas get moved out of here, someone has to take care of them until they're back on their feet,” Daisy mentioned. “I had assumed that would be us. Are you planning on the kids living with all of us? Because as I recall, there isn't a single place up there large enough for that.”
“That is true,” Angela frowned. “And no, I hadn't thought it that far through,” she admitted. “I had thought perhaps the two of you would live with the children in the Jessup cabin. That presents a new set of problems, doesn't it?” she sighed.
“Maybe, maybe not,” Daisy surprised her, clearly working the problem over in her head. “John, Seth and Lila can help Sammy and Lucas just as well as we can, and possibly better. If they need help getting up or down, Seth and John would be much better able to help than either of us,” she motioned to Jasmine.
“While the kids are at school, though, we can help,” Jasmine shocked everyone again. “We can help clean, do their laundry, that sort of thing. Let Seth or John one stay with us to help and we can care for both households. Once Sam and Luke are on their feet then they won't need us. Meantime, we're there for the children at night. And we can take turns being in or near the house with Seth or maybe John, and the other can help work the garden or something along those lines so we aren't a burden on the others.” It was the most anyone had heard Jasmine speak since she had arrived. She was more animated than anyone could recall as well.