His to Save

by Selina Coffey

  Greg wore a denim, button-up shirt and a pair of jeans that he must have had for years, they looked so soft and well-worn. He was handsome, she’d give him that, and he could sing a song that could tear her heart apart, but he didn’t hold a candle to her mate. She smiled, some of the amazement blunted now. Not because she didn’t like him, but because she realized he was just a regular guy with a wonderful talent.

  “Why did you come here?” Ann asked the question she always asked newcomers when she met them.

  “I heard civilization was coming back. The guys I holed up with, they stayed back in Wyoming, but I thought I’d come out here, see what was happening.” He stroked his left hand at his back, and Ann knew it was the tracker that bothered him. It was half an inch long and the size of the tube in a ballpoint pen, but you knew it was there, even if you couldn’t feel it, or touch it. “It’s been good so far.”

  “We’re glad to have you. And thanks for putting on this little break for us all. Everybody has worked so hard, and the winter has already been long, even if it’s only barely started. It will make a lot of people smile. We appreciate that.” Rager held his hand out to the man, and they all stood up.

  “It’s my pleasure, Overlord.” Greg looked Rager dead in the eye and gave him a friendly wink. “I like what you’re doing here, and I plan to stick around for a while, so if there’s anything else I can do just let me know.”

  “We will. This is enough for right now. I hope it’s as fun for you as it will be for us.” Rager eyed the man’s hat for a moment and then he took Ann’s hand.

  “It was great to meet you, Greg. Thanks again.” Ann waved as they left the room to head out to the front of the stage. There was a cordoned area just for them, and Rager headed for that spot with her in tow.

  “He’s a nice guy,” Rager mused, and then looked at Ann. “Do you think I need a hat like that?”

  “A cowboy hat? Whatever for? You don’t ride horses.” Ann’s soft laugh made him smile.

  “He doesn’t either, but I thought it might help me to blend in.” He tried that playful act on her again, and she could have melted into a puddle.

  “You’re going to kill me with how awesome you are, you know?” She made a face at him and then turned away. “Besides, between your height and your eyes, darling, you will never be able to blend in. Even among your own people.”

  She meant it offhand, but when she glanced over at him, she knew her words cut him to the bone. He would always be different, and normally that didn’t bother him. Lately, however, he’d wanted to find some kind of acceptance from her people as more than just the leader of the known world. She patted at his back and slid her arm around his waist.

  “It’s not a bad thing, babe. I love looking at you, you know?” It was as close as she could get to ‘I love you’ without saying it.

  “I suppose so.” He guided her to a chair that had obviously been brought from someone’s home, it was a recliner after all, and settled down. It was patched in places, but she didn’t care, she was off her feet and comfortable.

  “There’s water and snacks in that cooler there.” Rager pointed at a blue plastic box with a white lid. “And Jake’s bringing us a meal later.”

  “That’s awfully kind of him,” Ann said and settled deeper into the recliner by pulling the foot panel up.

  The concert started then, with the leader of the village on the stage to welcome them all. It wasn’t in Ann’s father’s sector, and she wasn’t sure who this man was.

  She brushed down the ankle-length, emerald green, empire-waisted knit material of her dress, readjusted the long, cream-colored wool coat she wore, and wiggled her toes in long, black leather boots with flat soles. It was the prettiest outfit she could come up with for a concert that was staged in the evening. It was probably too cold for the event, but people were already arriving, and like her, they’d brought blankets with them.

  Skye showed up, and then Meg, and they took the seats that were placed around for friends and family of the highest-ranking couple in the land. Ann’s parents came as did Rex’s parents, and they took seats in the small area in front of the stage with the rest. Everybody had brought their own drinks and snacks, and they all shared bites and sips of their drinks.

  The people had all started to blend their own fruit juices and drink concoctions. Ann, Mary, and Amanda had been working on wine for a while and Mary had brought two bottles of their first batches. It had taken a lot of reading, practicing, and a lot of patience, but they’d finally managed to get a crystal-clear liquid from a brand of grapes that almost resembled Concord grapes. It was a sweet wine, best for desserts, but they were all proud of what they’d created. Ann had only tasted a spoonful so far, but she liked the taste.

  The night wore on, people came and took their seats, and Greg kept everybody entertained with his songs. He’d managed to put a small band together, and they all played well together. Ann remembered most of Greg’s songs, and some that he’d borrowed from other performers, and she was able to happily sing along with him.

  The night grew colder and she pulled two blankets over her body to stay warm. The songs continued after a short break and Greg sang a song that had the entire crowd singing along with him. Ann smiled and snuggled quietly there, at peace with the world. It was a lovely moment, and one that Rager and his people had given to them, whether it was stated bluntly or not.

  If they hadn’t come, the number of people that were there now would have dwindled eventually, until there were none left. Ann was well aware of that fact. She knew they could have survived several more years in the bunker, and others might have survived even longer, but without the aliens, the Earth wouldn’t have warmed up. Life wouldn’t have sprouted back into existence once the ice melted. This wouldn’t have happened.

  Greg finished the song to a long round of applause and sat back on the stool he perched on as the crowd stood up and began to cheer. “Now, let me tell y’all. I was born into a poor family, I used to sing at county fairs and on local bars until a fella decided to make a star out of me one day. I’ve sung a lot of songs, but that one is special. With that said, I hope you think this one is too.”

  He began to strum at his guitar and played a rather complex little introduction that had them all silent as they watched the man play. Rager, right beside Ann, took her hand and held it as the song’s introduction ended and Greg began to sing. It was a song about the cataclysm, a ballad really, about all the people lost, but as Greg sang, and the song’s pace picked up, he sang about hope, the new possibilities, and it became a ballad about how the people that remained would rise to face the challenges.

  It was a breathtaking song, long, but full of hope that ended the night on a positive note. It stirred the audience to their feet for a second time and whistles and cheers rang out around the small former parking lot that was now a meeting place. Ann would have waddled up to her feet to clap along with everyone else if Rager hadn’t stopped her with pressure on her hand.

  “You need to stay off your feet, Ann. Skye says you’re too close to be standing on your feet for too long,” Rager reminded her gently.

  “I know,” she said softly. “I just can’t get comfortable, and Greg’s song made me forget, for just a little while, how uncomfortable I am.”

  They made their goodbyes and Rager took them home. “Everybody talked about how nice it was to have live music.”

  “I heard that a time or two.” She nodded as she spoke, and thought about how there’d even been dancing. “Maybe the next time we have a little concert like that we’ll be able to dance along with everybody else. I’m too big to dance now, but I would have loved it.”

  “Next time, Ann. You’ll be able to dance the entire night away then. For now, it was nice just to have a moment of fun.”

  “I didn’t think that would ever happen again, you know? At least not for a long time. A concert, by a very famous artist from the past. It was just… heaven, really.” She grimaced at her own star-st
ruck sentimentality. “Silly of me, of us all, but it was nice to have a night like that. It almost felt like some kind of normality had returned.”

  “But hasn’t it, Ann? People go off to work, make their way home, celebrate their days together, deal with bureaucracy, and are building families. There were three new babies this week alone. Life goes on, wasn’t that a song from your past?”

  “More than one song, I guess, when you think about it.” She had to agree. “And I guess it’s true. Life goes on. We had a lot of help from your people, but yeah. Life goes on.”

  “We’ll make the best of it then.” Rager’s pride in his part in the renewal of life on Earth was evident in his voice. They’d managed to melt the ice, encourage plants and animals to come back to life, and even worked to decrease the time it took for plants to bear fruit. Animals were also treated for a while to become adults much faster than they were used to.

  Now, there were fields to the south, where it was still warm, and vegetables grew with plentiful joy. Animals could also be seen along the countryside, grazing on the grass as the days grew colder. Cows were there for milk, deer, pigs, and chickens were raised on farms run by the sectors. Everything was proportioned, accounted for, so that the families in each sector had enough food, and a variety of choices in food.

  People were still eating some of the canned and dried goods that weren’t toxic looking, but for the most part, everything was being renewed. Things from the old world that could be useful were brought back to life, while others were repurposed for other things. People made do, learned new skills, and relearned old ways in order to bring prosperity to the sectors.

  Ann’s life was far richer than she’d thought it could be when she’d first entered the bunker all those years ago. As Rager drove them home, she felt hope that her child, secure in her belly, would grow up in a world worth living in. If only they could keep it going in the right direction.

  14

  “I’m sorry, ladies, I’m not able to do much walking around today, or standing,” Ann said from her place on the couch. It was another social gathering of the female mates of the sector’s leaders. Today wasn’t the best day for it, though.

  Ann was experiencing some stretching, tearing sensations in her hips and lower back. This created pain that left her wincing, and more than one of the women present looked at her with concern.

  “Just the stretching,” she assured them all with a grimace of a smile. It was the day after the concert, but 24 hours closer to her due date. Whenever that was. “Meg’s going to be presenting us with a, um, presentation on the clinic, ladies. An update, if you will, on how it’s progressing.”

  “Thank you, Ann.” Meg stood up, a small woman that hated to be in the spotlight, she went to stand in front of the women by a small chalkboard on a tripod that she’d brought in with her earlier. “If you’ll look here…”

  The women all turned, and Meg started to write numbers on the board. “We’ve treated this many people this week. An increase from last week, and a clear sign that more people are coming to trust the care we can give them. We’re certainly not up to the standards of specialists or hospitals, but we’re gaining knowledge every day and showing progress.”

  Meg gulped, but she kept talking, despite the way her voice trembled as she looked around. She looked like the last chicken, trapped in a room by a horde of starving dogs.

  The women weren’t that brutal, Ann thought with a silent laugh. She kept her face straight and gave her attention back to Meg.

  “Now, we want to start screening for psychological problems that some of our people might have to deal with. A psychologist came in with the last group of newcomers, and he’s offered his services to the sector.”

  The women tried not to show it, but they were all interested in this. Each of them had their own problems, and most had learned to adapt to their new lives, but it had been a brutal life since the cataclysm. They could probably all take a turn on the doctor’s couch.

  “That sounds like a very good idea, Meg,” Ann volunteered. “I think we should make sure we start this new world on the right foot. There should be no shame in mental or physical ailments that might limit some of our fellow citizens.”

  Ann was no speechmaker, but she hoped that worked. That should help to eliminate any stigma from the old world. She hoped.

  “Now, I’d like to do a little presentation on wellness checks.”

  Ann’s back decided to start a rather vigorous impersonation of a boa constrictor and started to shrink around her spine at that moment. That’s what it felt like anyway, she thought as she sucked in a lungful of air.

  “Put a pillow behind your back, dear.” An older woman with a kindly face handed Ann a pillow. She was on the other end of the couch and had noticed the way Ann flinched. “I had this with both of my girls, awful back pains that everybody just ignored. It’s like people forget how miserable you can be when you’re this pregnant.”

  “It’s not exactly flowers and hearts, is it, this pregnancy business?” Both Ann and the other women kept their voices down as Meg continued to speak.

  “I’m lucky to be past that business, and still married to my husband after 38 years. It’s not exactly flowers and hearts, no, but it can bring so much joy when you have the baby with you.” She was a kindly looking woman with white hair and soft gray eyes.

  Ann smiled and shoved the small throw pillow in her back. It helped a little, enough to make sitting there for another hour bearable. The women eventually all filed out and Meg checked on Ann.

  “I saw you struggling. It’s a shame we can’t give you pain medicine, but we don’t really have any. Only that stuff Rager keeps bringing down for us, and I’m not sure how addictive that stuff is.”

  “But it doesn’t get you high,” Ann protested, but not with anger. She was just resigned to being in pain at this point.

  “I don’t mean it like that. I guess I should say how quickly we build up a tolerance to it. We want to make sure it works really well when you go into labor. Or need it for some other type of pain.”

  “I understand.” Ann wanted to whine, but she wasn’t a whiner. She just took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and pretended the pain was slowly ebbing away.

  “Just keep breathing, my love,” Meg said and patted Ann’s arm before she left.

  Ann pushed herself up awkwardly, but managed to get up. She was going to bed. She might not be a whiner, but this was painful. She asked the woman that kept the house clean, Jean, to bring her a bottle of hot water wrapped in a towel, and made her way up the steps. It took her longer than she thought it would and wondered if it was time to move to a bedroom downstairs.

  Katy, asleep in the pocket of her loose hoodie, protested with a whine, but Ann patted at the small dog and carried on her climb. By the time she got to the top, she was ready to collapse on the floor, but she managed to make it to the bedroom. She’d been in so much pain earlier, she’d slipped on black jogging pants and a black hoodie instead of dressing properly.

  “That’s good enough to call jammies, isn’t it, Katy?” Ann asked out loud, but the dog just crawled out of her pocket, pushed her snout into the hair at the nape of Ann’s neck against the pillow and collapsed back into sleep.

  “You’re not even pregnant, what’s your problem?” Ann didn’t get an answer to that either, and she soon fell asleep.

  She woke up later to find the sun had gone down, and Rager wasn’t home. He’d sent her a message on her communicator to say he would be very late, and not to wait up. She buzzed down to the kitchen and asked them to bring up dinner, and when they did, she thanked the servants profusely. They’d saved her a walk down that long flight of stairs.

  She ate in bed, her music on, which was probably why she didn’t hear someone outside. She didn’t notice anything at all until a hand slammed against one of the glass panes of the double doors. Ann shrieked, which surprised even her, and scrambled out of the bed.

  “Ann!” a strangled voice
called.

  Ann knew that voice, recognized it immediately, and ran from the bed.

  “Skye! What’s happened?” She opened the door and got down on the floor to cradle her friend’s head in her lap. “Jeffrey? Are you there? Call Meg, quickly. Tell her Skye is hurt and to bring one of the medical kits we put together.”

  Her communicator had automatically dialed the butler when she said his name with her mouth close to the device. The man, tall, slim, and always officious, assured Ann that he would.

  Ann looked over Skye and couldn’t make anything out. There was blood all over, so much blood, and every part of her face was swollen, marked with purple and red bruises that look painfully sore. Skye’s eyes were almost swollen shut, her lips were busted in several places, and Ann was certain some of her facial bones were broken. Even her nose looked skewed.

  “Are you hurt anywhere besides your face?” Ann tried to examine the other woman lower down the body, but was afraid to let her head go. She pulled up the woman’s shirt, as far as she could go, and could see what might be stab wounds, with fresh blood oozing from the thin lines.

  Ann wanted to turn Skye over, but was afraid that it might cause further injury. “We need a neck brace, something to stabilize your neck, and a backboard. Fuck, where is Meg at?”

  Ann had started to read up on emergency medicine when she became bored with reading maternity books. She’d realized, as she read the books, that medicine might be her calling. She wasn’t ready to commit to anything yet, not until after she was used to being a mommy, but maybe she’d have a try after the baby was a couple of years old. In the meantime, studying books was free.