by Kate Morris
John sees Reagan and extricates himself from the group, leaving them behind and greeting her with a warm grin, a typical expression on her handsome husband’s charming face.
“Hey there, beautiful,” he says and wraps her in a strong hug. Then John kisses her cheek. Then her neck.
She doesn’t say anything but pulls back instead. “Everything ok? What’s wrong?”
Reagan shrugs and says, “Nothing.”
“What is it? The baby?” he asks, his concern growing.
Reagan just begins walking toward the clinic again, anxious to be home on the farm. “Just wondering if we should’ve allowed Jay’s people to stay, some of them.”
“We only let a few stay on. Most of them left.”
“I don’t know if that was smart.”
John takes her hand in his and walks with her. “I haven’t heard anything negative about them. Have you?”
“Hm,” she answers noncommittally.
“They seem to be getting on all right around here. People have told me that they’re helpful.”
“I bet,” Reagan says, remembering the way the brunette was sizing up her husband. And why wouldn’t she? John is so good-looking, his dark blonde hair lighter from the sun’s natural highlighting, his blue eyes flashing with good humor at all times, his biceps huge and bulging under his dirty, white t-shirt from long hours of hard labor. He still makes her heart skip when she sees him. That woman had looked at John like he was a deer and she the wolf.
“Some have worked on the wall, too. That’s good. Any help we get on that is good. Less time we have to put in on it.”
“Super,” she says with sarcasm.
“Hey, babe, what is it? Do you not like them here? If you don’t, we’ll get rid of them. Tell me. If it’s some sort of women’s intuition thing, just say the word.”
“Ha!” Reagan scoffs. “I don’t need women’s intuition to see through some of them.”
His eyes darken and narrow. “What’s going on? Is one of them a threat?”
“To our town? No.” Reagan pauses and bites her lower lip. “To our marriage? I’m not so sure.”
“What?” John nearly shouts with surprise. “What the heck? What are you talking about, babe? Who is he?”
“Not a he! That woman. The one, you know. Jesus, John, she was all but humping you in the town square in front of everyone.”
“What?” he asks with confusion and turns to look at the crowd, which has mostly dispersed. “Who? What do you mean?”
“The one with the eyes, the flirty, come hither eyes. She was all but hanging on you. And you didn’t seem to mind, either.”
“Seriously? Are you crazy? Is this a hormone thing?” he asks tentatively.
“No!”
“I don’t even know who you mean, babe,” he says, his frustration growing as he rakes a hand through his hair.
Reagan gives a solid harrumph and crosses her arms. Then she gets even more pissed because her arms can only rest on the top of her disgustingly huge stomach.
“Are you serious right now? You’re picking a fight, acting jealous of some woman I don’t even know who you’re talking about? Reagan, honey, don’t do this. We’re in the middle of a worldwide apocalypse, and you’re mad because some woman was hitting on me, or so you say. I still don’t even know which one you mean.”
“Yeah, sure,” she says with childish anger. So her behavior is irrational, she doesn’t care. It seemed at the time that she saw something, perhaps a flicker of interest in John’s eyes.
“After what we’ve been through, you think I want someone else? Really? Babe, come on.”
She pokes her nose into the air another inch higher.
“You’re so cute. This jealous thing is kind of adorable actually,” he comments, making Reagan madder.
“I’m not adorable or cute or even attractive. I’m a fucking elephant right now!” she hisses angrily.
“You’re my elephant, and I wouldn’t trade you for ten flirty eyed women, whoever they might be. I like you just the way you are, big ol’ pregnant belly and all. And the bigger boobs are kinda’ nice, too.”
“You aren’t even allowed to touch them. They hurt all the damn time.”
“Sometimes you let me,” he reminds her, getting a grin from Reagan. “Not often. Not often enough, but sometimes.”
She rolls her eyes as John pulls her close again. He whispers something indecent in her ear, causing Reagan to chuckle at his wicked implication.
“Now, no more of this silly talk about other women. You’re my boss. That’s all the bosses I need.”
“Don’t forget it, either,” she warns, pointing her finger at him. John grabs it and bites gently. “Ouch. Idiot.”
“And I’m your idiot. The only one you need.”
“As if I needed you,” she says with a frown as John presses a plucky kiss to her mouth before she can continue.
“You know you did. Face it, woman, you’re stuck with me for the long haul.”
“Great,” she remarks with sarcasm. Then a grin splits her features when he nuzzles her neck, his five o’clock shadow abrading her tender skin there.
“Now, let’s get your big butt home so I can act out some of those things I just whispered,” he says, getting jabbed in the ribs from her for the comment about her derriere.
“Don’t be a jerk,” she warns.
“I like your new curves. All of ‘em.” He winks for good measure.
“Not me. I can’t wait to have my own body back, minus the alien invader.”
“Have you given any more thought to names? It’s getting closer, boss,” he reminds her as if she needs him to.
Reagan just groans. Then a cramp seizes her, causing her to groan in earnest. “Damn.”
“Babe?” John asks, his demeanor instantly changing to focused and concerned.
“It’s nothing. Braxton Hicks,” she says as the contraction ends a few seconds later.
“Are they supposed to be that hard?”
“Are you circling back to the conversation you whispered?” she teases with a grin. John will have none of it, even though it was a funny reference. That’s what she gets for trying to joke with the best jokester on the farm. He’s always funnier.
“Babe, could this be…?”
“No,” she insists, cutting him off. “Nothing to worry about. We’re weeks away. You’ve got plenty of time to pack the bag, finish picking out a name, and gas up the car.”
John doesn’t smile. His beautiful face is still worried.
“Hey! That was funny this time!”
Finally, he cracks a smile and chuffs. “It was just mildly amusing.”
Reagan glares but can’t help the smile she tries to suppress from coming through.
“Shut it,” she warns.
John takes her hand and continues their walk. “You could’ve said something like checking our HMO, calling the midwife, and sharpening the knife.”
“Mine was way funnier,” she challenges with a smile, tucking her head into him as he wraps his arm around her.
“Yes, it was. It was a good one, boss,” he allows and squeezes her shoulders to bring her closer in an embrace.
She doesn’t let him know that during the ride home, another tightening of her abdominal muscles occurs. There’s no sense in worrying John. He has enough on his mind.
Chapter Sixteen
Paige
“Whoa, this looks a lot different than it did the last time we were here,” Cory remarks from behind the wheel. Luke is riding in the back seat with her and Derek. Doc is in the front passenger seat next to Cory. She has a blue bandana around her head holding back her hair, even though Cory teases her about wearing them.
“Really?” Paige asks him, thankful they hadn’t run into problems on the ride to the fort.
“Yeah,” Kelly agrees. “This place looks like some work progress has been moving right along.”
“With my father in charge now,” Luke states, “it won’t t
ake long to make this place into the bunker. He’s an excellent delegator and planner.”
“I guess so,” Derek concurs.
“Look at the fence. Repairs have been made. And the gardens? Geeze, they make us look like chumps,” Cory says.
“That’s a good thing, though, right?” Paige asks them.
“It means they’re making progress and thriving as a community,” Doc says. “That must be a good thing I would think.”
She offers a smile but reserves judgment on the matter. She knows how much most of the family dislikes Robert and his plans.
They are greeted by men who are in charge, a man named Parker, in particular, and are offered a tour of the grounds. They ride in the back of their truck with the others as Parker’s man drives them. Robert joins them halfway through their tour, and Lucas helps him up. In Paige’s opinion, he doesn’t look so hot. His color is pale and waxy, and he coughs a lot. The man, Parker, greeted Lucas with a handshake of familiarity, but Luke’s eyes fell to the ground between them as if he doesn’t find him likeable or desire further conversation. They obviously know each other, but if Paige were to guess, she’d think Luke dislikes him. His father greets Luke in the same manner and with just as little affection. She tries not to judge Robert so harshly, but he certainly doesn’t make it easy. He could’ve offered his son a hug, but instead, gave him a firm handshake. However, the look of hopefulness in Luke’s eyes reveals a lot about him. He wants his father’s attention and approval, even though he’s an adult. Paige doubts that he’s ever been able to live up to Robert’s standards and expectations.
She was surprised even to be allowed to go on this trip since Cory was also assigned to it. She has avoided him at all costs, barely speaks even in the company of the family at dinner time, and never goes anywhere alone with him. It’s been very hard, staying away from him, but it’s the right thing to do. She doesn’t want to further hurt her brother. What they did was wrong, and Paige feels horrible about it. She also feels bad because she knows how Herb feels about that particular subject. Pre-marital sex on his farm is like a slap in her host’s face, and she hadn’t wished for him or anyone else to find out about her relationship with Cory. Now it’s too late. Everyone knows, and she’s very embarrassed over the matter.
Robert shows them the rainwater barrels they have set up, the sewer system that had to be modified to manage so many people, the massive gardens that probably total three acres, the kitchens where food prep and storage is occurring, and the children’s school.
“This is a rather impressive amount of progress, Robert,” Herb says to his son.
“Yes, well, I know you’ll want to see the new medical center and research building.”
“Oh, yes. That would be wonderful.”
They drive there and get out of the truck again. They follow along, Derek on his crutches, which he’s using slightly less on the farm. Sometimes he uses just a cane, but she has heard the doctors and her brother discussing his case. This may be as well as he gets. She certainly hopes that’s not correct, but Paige doesn’t understand enough about medicine to know.
“We’re using the medical clinic they already had here and have shut down areas of it that we won’t need to conserve energy,” Parker tells them.
Paige is not crazy about this Parker guy. She knows from Simon and Cory that he seemed like a jerk when they met him, but she has her own reasons. Every time he looks at her, it’s as if he is undressing her with his eyes. She’d like to suggest a cold shower but doesn’t want to draw attention to it. Instead, she sticks by Cory’s side as they take their tour.
Robert shows them around a few more places like the housing and animal shelters.
“How many are living here now?” Derek asks.
“Nearly twelve hundred,” Parker answers.
“Whoa,” Cory remarks. “How’d the numbers jump so fast?”
Parker levels a stare directly at Cory as if he finds him displeasing in some way. Knowing Cory as she does, they probably had words the last time he was here. Nonetheless, the other man says, “I told you. We can build a community quickly. We’ve been sending out messages, scanning towns nearby looking for anyone who wants a fresh start in a safe place. We even had a small community from Cincinnati show up the other day. They brought over fifty people with them.”
“It’s very fast,” Herb notes. “Can you handle the growth that this will bring?”
“Yes,” his son answers. “That and more. With the community working as a team, we can handle ten thousand if it comes to that. We have the housing, as you’ve seen. We have a medical facility, a school…”
“But how do you feed this many people?” Derek questions. “You said before that you will run this place in a similar fashion as the bunker with people working as a group to survive instead of each family looking out for themselves like we do in our town.”
“Yes, but we find that it helps doing it our way,” Parker answers for his boss. “More hands towing the line, so to speak.”
“And the food?” Derek repeats.
Parker takes the lead again, “We’ve formed a hunting party, a fishing crew, butchers and food prep. We’ve got this down to a science.”
“And when people want to make their own way? What about then?” Cory asks.
Parker hits him with a sardonic smile that has little to no genuine feeling behind it, “They won’t. Why would they? This will become a utopia to many.”
Paige glances at Luke for clarification, who avoids eye contact and stares at something in the distance.
“That sounds a lot like communism. You’re controlling the food, the rations, the supplies?” Derek prompts.
“It works best this way. It’s less complicated,” Parker says with less patience.
“But people will eventually want their own land, to own a piece of land,” Herb says. “It’s what man has always done. Community living is going to be fine for the time being, but what will happen when men want work for pay and want to live outside the gates and tend their own farms?”
Parker is about to retort a response and not a very pleasant one by the reddening of his face when Herb’s son butts in.
“We’ll take the trucks to the clinic,” Robert tells them as they come to the end of the street. “We can discuss the city later after dinner. Let’s not take up time debating this in the street and waste daylight.”
Paige believes he is being evasive, but she’ll reserve judgment until she knows more. They drive through the growing community, which is thriving and flourishing well. The people don’t seem oppressed, and that must be a good sign.
Two young men jog up to them and call out Luke’s name. The truck stops, and he jumps over the side of the bed. He must know them from the bunker because he greets them with smiles and even hugs one. Then he excuses himself to go with his friends. Paige is happy for him that there are some people here that he knows and apparently likes. She can’t, so far, say the same, especially about Robert’s right-hand man. She hears one of Luke’s friends ask about Gretchen as they drive away from him and his friends.
At the end of the street, she can see the clinic coming into view, which used to be called something-ELAND ARMY COMMU__TY HOSP_TAL. She isn’t sure of the exact name since some of the letters have fallen to their final resting place, likely in the overgrown shrubbery that used to be landscaping. The building looks like it housed three to four floors before the fall, but some of the windows on the top floor are broken, and it appears that a fire scourged the place at one time because black soot crawls down from the roof to about the second floor.
The men are discussing the medical facility, but all Paige is thinking about is the viability of the big building.
Reading her expression of doubt, Parker remarks, “Don’t worry, miss. The building is sound. We inspected it. The sprinkler system must’ve put out whatever fire hit the place years ago.”
“Hm, ok. Good,” she tells her new stalker. The guy gives her the creeps. He’s si
tting right next to her in the bed of the pick-up truck, which isn’t helping improve his newly appointed stalker status.
Her eyes flit to Cory’s, but he seems preoccupied with something the soldier beside him is explaining. Of all the ridiculous times for him to not be allowed by her brother to be around her, this is it.
“Just stick close by,” Parker continues. “I’ll keep you safe.”
“I’ve got my own security detail,” she informs him by displaying the .38 on her hip.
“Smart. I like an independent woman who is capable with a weapon.”
Her eyes widen, and she turns away to stare off into the distance. Yuck. She’s got to shake him somehow, or it’s going to be a miserable day. They are supposed to head straight back to the farm tomorrow, though. Thank God. Unless, of course, Herb decides they need to stay for some reason. She wonders if two hours into their visit to his son’s camp is too soon to suggest vacating it. Damn. Probably so.
When the truck comes to a stop near the entrance, Paige hops over the side of the bed for fear that Parker will attempt to help her down from the tailgate. That would mean touching his hand. No thanks.
“Careful, Red,” Cory says as he passes by her.
He goes right back to his conversation with the other soldier as they enter the medical building. As usual, she’d like to pick up one of the fallen letters from the sign and throw it at the back of his head.
“To our right is triage,” Robert points. “Beyond those doors are our patient rooms. We have quite a few more than at your practice in town, Dad.”
“Good, with this many people living here now, you’ll need the rooms,” Herb answers.
“And to the left is our new research facility. Our doctors from the bunker who came and another who recently joined our group are working tirelessly day and night in there setting up and preparing the unit for their research. Two of the doctors are from the CDC.”