“Dennis can work with me on the well tomorrow, and you can get the antenna up and running,” Jose said. “There may be Civil Air Patrol radios in operation as well. I think it's important that we make contact with others trying to get things fixed.”
“Water has to be our first priority, then food,” Rich said sternly. “We also need to go to that meeting in town. Tomorrow we should all be on either the fix-it crew or the moving crew.”
There were dozens of tasks to be done and they made their plans with equal amounts of excitement and trepidation. They spent another half hour talking quietly about supplies and carrying on with life.
“Let's take stock of what we have,” Emma said. “Rich, do you have a written list of your stores?”
“I do,” Rich said. “I'll go get it.”
“Not tonight—I was thinking that I have a pretty good idea of what's on my shelves, but not a good list,” Emma said. “Jared can help me take inventory by writing stuff down when we get a chance. I have a lot of food canned from the garden and also cases of food from the store that I bought to save money. I never intended to live solely on the food in my pantry. I would have stored differently had I known this was coming. I'm not sure I have a good idea what can be put together to make meals either.” She sighed, overwhelmed at the thought. “I guess we'll have to figure it out as we go.”
“I'll help you, Mama,” Kelly volunteered. “We'll see what we have, what we get, and what we can grow, then start making meal plans.”
“You both have large gardens and chickens,” Jess said. “Rich has rabbits, too.”
“Mom has about twenty head of cattle on the range,” Kelly said. “Most people these days wouldn't know where to look or how to herd them. They should be okay for a few more days.”
“They would have to have a gun to shoot 'em too,” offered Rich. “You're right though, we need to expand all of those food sources. Our food will be touch and go for some time. A year's supply for me will last the eight of us about....” Rich paused to calculate.
“A month and a half,” Jose said glumly.
Rich shot Emma an “Oh My God” glance as he realized the gravity of their situation.
“Yes, thanks, Mr. Engineer,” Dennis said, shocked.
Rich continued, “We can't just eat all the eggs or chickens either. We need to make sure that the hens are sitting on eggs so that we can grow the flock. The same is true of the cows and rabbits. For the next while, we need to hunt game for our protein. We can get jackrabbits and quail nearby. We'll have to go further from home, but can probably get mountain sheep and deer in the hills.”
“The food we picked up from the trucks and town will help,” Lynn said. The others nodded.
“It may look like a lot now, but just think about how many grocery bags we bring home every week. It's already looking like a lot less,” said Rich.
“Dad and I keep 'Torah kosher,'“ said Lynn. “That means that we follow the dietary law as given in the Bible. We don't follow the expanded dietary law from the Talmud, like orthodox Jews—things like keeping two sets of dishes for dairy and nondairy, or anything like that.”
“What does that mean exactly?” asked Kelly. “I've noticed you and your dad don't eat some things, especially meat, and they are usually the same ones.”
“We don't eat rabbit because they don't have hooves. We don't eat any animals that are shot. Animals must be slaughtered according to dietary law.”
“That makes it tough for hunting for protein then,” Rich said, staring at them slack-jawed.
“We can snare game birds and eat them if they are killed properly,” Dennis said. “Lynn and I will have to be very aggressive in our snaring. That will allow the rest of you to eat rabbits or other game.”
“I put my male and female rabbits together two days ago and reinforced all of the hutches,” Rich said. “It takes them a month to have their young 'uns and another eight weeks or so 'til those are big enough to get much meat. We can just eat the males for awhile if we want to build their numbers.”
“We need to expand the gardens as much as we can and make them produce longer,” Emma said. “We can make tunnels from the plastic sheeting to extend the winter growing season and use shade cloth to protect the crops during the summer. Of course, we will need to let some of the plants go to seed at the end of the season. That reminds me. We need to sprout some potatoes and onions from the cupboard before they all get eaten. Some have already started to sprout without refrigeration.”
“We can forage for plants, too,” Dennis offered. “Most greens are edible and I know we can get prickly pear and saguaro fruit.”
“The fruits are hard to work with because of all the spines and need lots of sugar to make them edible,” said Emma.
“Mexicans have roasted prickly pear paddles for hundreds of years,” Jose added. “I love them.”
Lynn wrinkled up her nose.
“We can look through my native plants and herbs books for more ideas,” Emma said. “My bookshelves are full of that kind of thing, but I must admit I haven't tried much of it.”
“I wish we could fish from the creek,” Jess said.
“The fish in that creek are mostly the size of a stick of butter,” said Rich. “Next place to fish is ten-plus hard miles overland.”
“Oh, I don't know,” said Emma. “I've seen some decent fish come out of that stream, especially further down where it pools more.”
The conversation meandered on for a while longer, exploring more possibilities for living life without being able to go to the store. Kelly watched as Lynn became more and more sullen and withdrawn.
“Let's get to bed,” Emma said, picking up on Lynn's distress. “It's getting late. Everyone's got to be exhausted.”
Emma got a candle from the kitchen counter and handed it to Lynn. She took it, then gave her dad a tight hug and wished him a good night. Kelly got pain pills for Jared and a glass of water from the kitchen sink. The men, except Jared, took the lamp for their walk back to Rich's house. Dennis removed the glass from the hurricane lamp and Lynn lit her candle from its flame.
Emma gently woke Jared. “Wake up, sleepyhead.”
“Sorry,” Jared said, lifting his head and wiping his mouth with his good hand to see if he had drooled. He hadn't. “What did I miss?”
“Nothing,” said Emma. “You need your sleep and we'll fill you in on everything in the morning.”
Kelly and Emma helped Jared into the living room. Emma quickly straightened the bedding on the couch, then Kelly helped Jared lie down.
Sitting down next to the couch, Kelly handed Jared his pills. He smiled at her. Kelly thought about how Jared never smiled at Emma when she gave him his pills. She smiled back and then took the glass when he had finished with it.
Kelly stood and gave her mom a kiss on the cheek, “Night, Mama. I'll get up and do that dressing change tonight.”
“You don't need to,” said Emma. “I'll do it. You need your sleep.”
“No really, I'd like to. It won't take me long. The next one is due about 3 a.m., right?” Kelly asked. She already knew she was correct about the time, but Emma was very particular about the technique and the timing.
“Yes,” said Emma. “'Night, baby girl, sleep well.” She motioned to Lynn. “Come on, little one. Off to bed with you.” Lynn held the candle in the hallway long enough for Kelly to make it to her own room.
****
Emma and Lynn made their way to the bedroom they now shared. Lynn's bed was a small camp mattress next to Emma's bed. She got the nightshirt Emma had given her and went into the bathroom to change and wash her face, taking her backpack with her cosmetics and toothbrush in it.
By the time she returned, Emma was already snuggled in. She patted the bed next to her. “Come on up here. I think we should talk.”
Tears immediately welled in Lynn's eyes. She sat down, but kept her distance. She had a cell phone in her hands she was rubbing repetitively.
“What's
the matter, sweetie?” Emma asked. “I think I know, but I want to hear it from you.”
“The damn thing won't work,” Lynn said, motioning toward the phone. Tears and words started to flow. “I can't believe all of this has happened. Dad was talking at dinner about almost getting killed!” Her voice was one step below shrill. “How can he do that?”
“It's just something that happened. He didn't plan it that way.”
“I'm so scared. He's all I've got.”
“I know,” Emma said.
“I can't cry in front of Dad. We both developed this 'being strong for each other' thing after my mom died. He was silent, so I was too.”
“You can let it all out with me now, honey. It's okay to feel scared, mad, and cry if you want to. I think I'd give your dad another try too. He seems reasonable.”
“Reasonable about other people's problems, maybe, but not about my mom.” Lynn moved toward Emma and leaned into her shoulder. She started to sob uncontrollably.
Emma rocked back and forth, slowly holding the teen. “I remember holding Kelly like this when she broke up with her first boyfriend and when she wrecked her first car,” she murmured. Emma thought about how trivial that all seemed now compared to Lynn's losses—the changing of the world as everyone knew it.
“This is never going to get back to normal,” Lynn sobbed. “I won't be able to go to prom or graduate with my friends. Who knows, I might not even go to college. We could all end up starving to death.”
“Now, now, honey,” Emma said comfortingly, “things will never get that bad.” She hoped her reassuring words were true.
They talked late into the night. Nothing was “settled,” but emotions were given words.
Finally, after all of the tears had been spent, Emma said, “Goodnight, sweet girl,” and blew out the candle.
Chapter 8
Kelly's internal clock pulled her into consciousness. Was it 3 a.m.? She fumbled for a minute, searching for the book of matches on her bedside table, and lit the smallest stub of a candle. She put on the large bathrobe at the end of the bed and proceeded through the living room to the kitchen to get her supplies. The grandfather clock read 2:40 a.m.
Kelly passed Jared on the couch on her way to the kitchen. He was sleeping fitfully, his rest erratic now that he was sleeping through a good part of the day due to pain pills. She gathered her equipment in the kitchen and returned to Jared's side, setting the tray on the floor. Maybe she should light another candle. The one I'm holding is so small he'll barely see me, she thought. What if he woke up abruptly, startled, and couldn't tell who it was? Police officers were known to come up off the bed swinging—or was that soldiers? Maybe that was only in the movies.
Kneeling next to the couch, she laid her hand ever so gently on his shoulder, taking the chance. Jared didn't rouse. Again, she laid a hand on his shoulder and shook a little this time. Still no movement. For a split second, a thought erupted in Kelly's head. He's not dead, is he? She couldn't tell in this light. Looking down she saw, starting at the corners of his mouth, the slightest grin begin to creep across Jared's face. She leaned back and exhaled. “That wasn't funny, Mr. Wise Guy!”
“I'm sorry. I wanted to see what you would do.”
“I know what I should do,” Kelly said in a tone that could only be described as scolding.
“Please sit down. I'm sorry; it's not as funny as I had planned.” He shifted a bit, giving Kelly room to sit next to him.
Immediately, Kelly shifted into nurse mode. Speaking softly so as not to wake the others, she said, “I'm going to change your dressing.”
Jared reached up and took Kelly's hand. He raised it slowly to his lips and kissed it softly. She pulled her hand back, but did not take it out of Jared's grasp. She was used to attention from all of her injured Marines and had spent several years resisting their advances. During her training she was told how vulnerable these guys were, having been injured and away from wives and girlfriends. Other nurses Kelly had known had gotten into circumstances with patients that had cost them their reputation, respect, and in one case, the nurse's commission.
“What's the matter?” Jared asked. “Don't you like me?”
Kelly peeled the bandage from his shoulder, making him wince. “I think you know.”
“Then what is it, a boyfriend, a lover? Ow! that hurts. Be gentle, would you?”
“I'm being as gentle as I can, and no, nothing like that. I told you I wasn't attached. It's just that you're my patient and... “
Jared held her gaze until she finally looked away, uncomfortable under his scrutiny. The silence was palpable until he finally broke it.
“So what we have is purely professional?” He shook his head when she refused to answer. “I respect professionalism as much as the next guy. Cops, like me, and nurses, like you, well, we don't have much beyond our honor, but Kelly, you and I are in a unique situation. Right now, we don't know what rules apply in this new world.”
She stared at his leg as he spoke.
“I enjoyed our talks, and those didn't seem purely professional. Neither did our night in that cozy sleeping bag. Believe me, that night made this gunshot worth it.” Kelly's eyes darted up to meet his gaze briefly, then looked away. “I've seen the way you look at me throughout the day. I thought—hoped—that maybe there was something more there.”
“I would love for there to be more, but...”
“But what?” Jared said strongly. “Here we are living in the same house and it looks like we might be together for quite some time.,” Jared spoke through his clenched teeth in a tone just more than a whisper. His voice softened a bit. “Besides,” he murmured, taking Kelly's chin between his thumb and forefinger, he turned her head so that she was looking straight at him. “Besides, I think you are the most beautiful, smart and caring person in the world. I'm not going to be discharged in a few days and you are not being paid to take care of me. You didn't have to stop for me on the road.”
Pulling her chin from between his fingers, she said, “I had no choice.”
“I know. I think nurses and police officers are cut from the same cloth. I wouldn't have expected you to pass me by, and you wouldn't have expected me to pass you by, if you had been in my shoes. I have been watching you around the house. I love the way you help your mom and talk with Lynn, the way you teach her about nursing and cooking. I'm getting stronger each day. Today, I walked the hundred yards to the canyon road by myself. Granted, I had to sit a few times to rest, but I made it. I'd love if you went with me sometime, sometime soon, but not as my nurse. We can say your mom is my nurse if that makes you feel better.”
Kelly smiled. She raised their joined hands to her lips and kissed his hand softly. “Yeah, okay, I'd like that.” She looked calmly into Jared's eyes. “I just need you to know that I have issues I can't talk about yet.”
“You mean about the fire?”
“No, about men, relationships.”
“What, Kel?”
“Don't push me just yet, okay Jared? I'll have to tell you when I'm ready.”
“I'll understand; just tell me now.”
Kelly looked across the room at the lifeless wood stove, avoiding eye contact. She could feel tears start to well in her lower lids. “I can't, just know, I can't.”
“I didn't mean to upset you, really. Come here,” Jared said as he scooted further toward the back of the sofa, turning on his side to make room for her. “For old times' sake,” he said as he lifted his blanket, inviting her in.
“I'll have to think about it. If I lie there I may never get up, and I'd never get your dressing done.”
“I wouldn't mind,” Jared said with a devilish grin. “You could do the dressing first, then lie down with me.”
Kelly squinted slightly, thinking the proposal over. “What would Mom and Lynn say if they found us together?”
“We're grown adults. Surely your mom doesn't think that you've remained a chaste young thing throughout your military career?”
Jared didn't push any further. “I don't know what your issues are, but I will respect them. And Kel, I will respect you and your mom too.”
Kelly smiled and finished changing the dressing, then sat holding his hand a little while longer. “You're tempting, Mr. Malloy, but tomorrow will be another busy day and it's late. She took her leave reluctantly. Jared watched her disappear into a soft pool of light down the hallway.
****
Rich, Dennis, and Jose got up with the sun to start work on the windmill. They had a quick breakfast of oatmeal and coffee on Rich's little camp stove. They ate on the front porch and then started up the canyon. Jose carried a large tarp and a Sharpie marker. Rich had a large box of well parts. The dew made the quaking aspen leaves shine like gold coins in the light breeze of morning. The grass was damp and fragrant. The men walked side by side up the well-worn path through the little canyon to the West. Dennis thought how lucky they all were to have come together in this place. Rich pointed out Emma's healing herbs and a separate garden for seasoning herbs, as well as the rabbit hutch and chicken coop. Further up they passed a small barn and one of the corrals on their way to the windmill.
The windmill stood at the mouth of the box canyon where it received the wind as it was forced through the narrow channel. Fifty feet higher than Rich's house and seventy-five feet higher than Emma's, the well gravity fed both houses.
“With a day as nice as today, you would almost think the world wasn't falling apart,” Jose said. The men stood for a few moments to drink in the serenity and beauty of the spot.
“You must be worried about your wife,” Rich said. “I'm sure she's fine with her family.”
“I can't worry too much about that right now,” Jose said simply. When both men stared at him, he shook his head, the fear he tried to hide threatening to overtake him. He cleared his throat. “I really can't do anything about it. I need to be strong for Jess.”
Post Grid: An Arizona EMP Adventure Page 13