EMP:The Storm: A Post Apocalyptic Survival Story (The Fall Book 2)

by Mark Mathews

  That outcry gave Garrett hope that she wouldn’t leave, even if Alice was being difficult. He was hoping she would stay around, at least until they could figure out what their feelings for each other were. He was picking up on things from her, and he hoped that it meant she felt something. He sure he did, but he didn’t quite know to what extent. Wren had been getting closer and closer to him the more she talked, and now that she was done ranting, she was a mere inch or so from his face. Suddenly, Wren put her hands up to either side of Garrett’s face, and pulled him the remaining inch to her face. She kissed him, hard, and Garrett felt himself kissing her back. His hands wound around her waist, and he ended up pulling her into his lap as they continued kissing. She pulled her head back slightly, looking up into his eyes with a shy smile.

  “I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time now.” Garrett couldn’t help but grin back. That definitely answered his question about how she felt.

  “To be honest, I’ve wanted you to want to do that for a long time.”

  Both of them were slightly breathless, and this time, it was Garrett who leaned in and kissed her again. She was still in his lap, with his arms around her, and she felt like she belonged there. Voices from inside were drawing closer, and Wren reluctantly moved back to her seat. Just in time, too, because Max and Alice were coming out to take over the watch. Max went straight over to Garrett for a mini-debriefing session, the way they always had done in the military. Alice moved toward Wren’s chair, and as Wren passed by her with a smile on her face, Alice stared after her with a suspicious look. Garrett caught the little exchange out of the corner of his eye, but he pretended not to see it. Maybe Alice would pick up on the fact that he didn’t want her in that way anymore. Hopefully she did it sooner rather than later, because he couldn’t get up the courage to say it outright, and he didn’t want her to get hurt. Unfortunately, he knew that at some point, she would be, but it didn’t have to be horrible. When he moved to follow Wren, he refused to meet Alice’s eyes, even though she even made the effort to dip her head a little, so as to be in his line of sight.

  When he got inside, Wren ambushed him in the darkness, kissing him breathless again in the dark. He didn’t pull away, and he didn’t want to stop. She took his hand, slowly walking backward to her bedroom, kissing him all the way. Once they got inside, she pushed him up against the wall, hungrily devouring his lips. Garrett found himself clinging to her, and trying to wrestle with his own mind. He had a small doubt that this was only because of the circumstances. He pulled back to voice his opinion, but she hushed him.

  “Don’t worry, we can keep us a secret. I just don’t want to stop doing this.”

  Rather than tell her he didn’t want her to stop either, he just kissed her again, pulling her up against him. It was already late, so the two of them moved slowly to the bed, kissing the whole way. As the last little bit of light died outside, and they were plunged into darkness, Wren put her hand under his shirt…

  In the morning, Garrett woke up slowly. He thought he’d had the most wonderful dream, where he and Wren were kissing while they were on watch, and it was telling him that he did want to be with her. He never would try taking Alice away from his girls, but his interest in her now was completely gone, at least in the way that she wanted him to be interested in her.

  When the light hit his face, he winced, turning away from it, and finally opening his eyes. What he saw made his heart skip a beat. Wren was in the bed next to him, and it all came rushing back. It wasn’t a dream at all. He smiled, looking at her tousled hair, and knowing that it was his fault that it looked as bad as it did. Then again, it didn’t look bad at all, just endearing. He knew he should get up, but he was enjoying the moment so much that he wanted to laser print it in his mind for the rest of his life. He lay there, watching her sleep for a little while, even just listening to her breathing. He could wake up to that face every day for the rest of his life. The thought crossed his mind, but now he didn’t even flinch at it, just wondered if it was possible.

  Garrett moved slowly, until his face was hovering just above the sensitive spot between her shoulder blades. Taking a deep breath, he let his lips graze over her warm skin, and she moaned before turning over to smile at him. The light that shone from her face kick-started his heart in a way that he thought it couldn’t be ever again. Suddenly, the door burst open, and Garrett leaped away from Wren.

  “Hey, Wren, I was going to--“

  It was Brooke, coming to see her friend. Even though Garrett had leaped away, it was already too late. Brooke had seen them, and now was storming away. Garrett found his pants quicker than he ever had before in his life, then tore after her, leaving Wren to get dressed by herself.

  “Brooke! Wait!” She stopped and spun around to face him, and he could feel the anger radiating off of her.

  “Are you okay with what you just saw?” The question was out of his mouth before he could help it. She didn’t answer, and that made him want to explain himself.

  “It’s just really early in the relationship, so I was hoping I could count on you to keep it a secret for a little while?” His tone and his eyes were pleading, but it didn’t soften her glare at all.

  “You realize I’m pissed at you, right? You’re leading Mom on! Then I see you with Wren? What’s going on? Don’t you think you owe them both the truth? And I think I deserve an explanation.” She crossed her arms over her chest, waiting, and Garrett had to admit she was more mature right now than he would have given her credit for.

  “It’s hard to explain, and so convoluted I don’t even know where to start.”

  Wasn’t that the truth? He was stuck in a problem he hadn’t had time to examine, and thus had no idea what exactly he wanted the outcome to be. He sighed heavily, running his hand through his hair while he thought of a way to explain himself. Before he got a chance to do so, she threw up her hands, making him stem his flood of words before they even got started.

  “Save it! I don’t even want to know. I’ll keep your secret, but I’m not happy about it.”

  She spun on her heel and left. Garrett was left staring after her, realizing once again that he’d just lost his daughter’s trust. As much as he wanted to make everyone happy, he knew that if it really came down to it, he would have to choose Wren over Brooke’s unhappiness. To be fair, she’d been unhappy with him for most of her adult life, and it was something he had become used to. He could handle it. Hopefully, he’d be able to turn her back to his side given time, but right now, he thought he deserved a little happiness, and that was going to come with Wren. She’d dressed by the time he went back for his shirt, and the questioning look on her face asked him silently if everything was okay. He shook his head and reached for his shirt, which she’d brought out to him. She put a hand on his shoulder, trying to make him feel better, but he knew it wouldn’t. It was the same sympathetic gesture he’d offered Sheriff Ramsay, and it had the same lack of effect. It didn’t alleviate his guilt or bad feelings at all. He wanted to hug her, but he didn’t think that would be a good idea right now, seeing as how daughter knew what was going on now. Making it obvious for the rest of the house was something he wanted to hold off on until they were completely official. He went out to the backyard to do his therapy. It wasn’t really much therapy anymore as it was an excuse to get away from everybody else.

  He was starting to feel more and more like an outcast in his own home. Alice was trying to corner him every chance she got to get physical with him. Ben and Athena were starting to spend more and more time together, and Max was always on watch or sleeping, it seemed. Unless there was a job to be done, then he was up and ready to go. His girls had their own agendas, and until last night, he thought Wren hated him. Now he felt as though he was losing his grip on everything. If he’d ever had it to begin with that is.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  GARRETT HAD COME to terms with himself, and he knew what he had to do. He was going to tell Alice he didn’t have romantic feelings for
her anymore, and he knew he had better do it sooner rather than later. He liked to think he was a big, tough guy, but this was something that was going to render him weak. He couldn’t help it when women cried around him, or got emotional, and it stole his manhood every time. He felt so helpless. He went to find her, but a quick search of the upstairs told him she wasn’t there. He searched the downstairs, the backyard, and even went next door to Kayleigh’s house, but he couldn’t find her. Frustrated, he went out to the front porch, finding Max on watch.

  “Hey, you look like a big thundercloud. What’s wrong with you?” Max was never subtle, and that was something Garrett liked about him. He managed to give him a smile, then took the empty chair.

  “Something that can be fixed. Everything can be fixed. First things, first. Any activity out here that we should be worried about?”

  Garrett’s eyes scanned the streets, looking for any sign of movement, but no one seemed to be around. In the month since everything had happened, the streets were empty during the day, and at night it was most often too dark to see anything anyway. So, to be honest, Garrett didn’t even know how many of his old neighbors still were living in their houses. As far as he really was concerned, as long as they didn’t interfere with the way he was taking care of his family, then it didn’t really matter.

  “Nothing going on at all. As the saying goes, ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’.” Garrett tried not to laugh. That was his least favorite book from his high school English class, and Max and he had had a long discussion on the matter, since Max actually liked it.

  “Have you seen Alice? I mean, has she left the fort recently?” He thought he was being casual about it. Max’s face betrayed nothing.

  “No, she hasn’t left at all.”

  Panic set in, and Garrett almost fell as he got to his feet and stumbled back into the house. A cursory check of the usual areas rendered no new information, and now he really was starting to freak out. Then it hit him. The only place he hadn’t checked was the basement. Turning on his heel so fast he had to catch the wall for support, he made his way back down the stairs and to the basement. Tripping over his feet, he reached the basement and stopped dead in his tracks. Alice was on the ground, sweaty, with her face contorted in pain.

  “What happened? Are you hurt? Did you fall?”

  He rushed over and took her hand, trying to help her to her feet, but she couldn’t get up. He still was waiting to hear her answer, but she was wracked with pain and biting her lip, so she couldn’t tell him right away. He sat on the floor with her, holding on to her, and trying to help her get comfortable. It was obvious she was in too much pain to get to her feet.

  “The baby’s coming.” Those three words collapsed his world. He’d known it was going to happen, even had prepared for it. But now it was coming to him as a shock. He knew he shouldn’t let that happen, but he couldn’t help it.

  “Just hang on. We can get through this. I’m going to be right back, okay?” She nodded, biting down on her lip and letting out a little whimper. Garrett ran up the stairs like the hounds of hell were on his heels.

  “Girls! Where are you? I need you right now!”

  Brooke and Jenny came running from different corners of the house, but the panic in his voice was enough to bring them without question. As soon as he saw them, he started yelling out orders.

  “Go get some towels and lay them on the bed in the master bedroom. Then get some hot water and meet me in there.” They left immediately, and he started calling for help, to see who else was around. As he ran back to the stairs, Wren intercepted him. She took in the look on his face and instantly knew what was going on.

  “I’ll go find the doctor.”

  She disappeared, and Garrett ran back down the stairs. Alice hadn’t moved, and it took him a moment to slow his heartbeat. He didn’t want her to feel it racing when he picked her up, which would stress out even more. Putting his arms under her, he gently lifted her. Even though he had been as slow and soft as he could be, he saw from the look on her face that she was in extreme pain. Moving slowly, he took the stairs at a snail’s pace, getting her up to the bed that already was spread with copious amounts of towels, with buckets and bowls of steaming water on every available flat surface. Once she was settled, he brought her a blanket to cuddle, so she would feel safe in her own little nest.

  “How are you doing?” She put on a brave face and smiled at him and the girls, who eagerly were hanging on her every word.

  “I’m fine. I was just in the basement for a while, because I couldn’t call out loud enough for anyone to hear me.”

  Garrett felt sheepish for that. He never even had considered his basement was a place to get trapped. He’d thought of food, a bathroom, medicine, water, everything else, but he never had thought of getting stuck down here without help when you couldn’t move. She reached out for his hand, and he took it automatically. She squeezed it, and looked at the girls, and he knew what she meant.

  “Can you girls give us a minute?” They disappeared, without even an angry glance from Brooke over the Wren situation, and he only could feel relieved that he didn’t have to go through all that in front of Alice.

  “I’m scared. I’m only eight months along, and I’m scared. What if something goes wrong?”

  The tears in her eyes, and the vulnerability on her face, made him want to hold her and let her cry on his shoulder the way she used to do when they were married. Yet, he couldn’t lead her on anymore, and now his speech would have to wait until he knew that she was safe, and her baby was healthy.

  “Everything is going to be just fine. Wren went to get the doctor, and they should be back soon. Everything is going to work out just fine.” He was stroking her hand, doing his best to calm her down.

  “I’m so glad it’s you by my side, not Austin. I don’t think he would be able to handle it.”

  Garrett quickly looked at the bedroom door, dreading that Brooke might still be there, but he was lucky. She was gone, but that didn’t stop him from feeling overwhelmed by guilt. Before he could say anything, there was a knock on the door, and Wren walked in with the doctor, Brooke and Jenny trailing behind them. The doctor smiled at her, and tried putting her at ease.

  “Well, let’s take a look at what we’re working with.” He pulled off the sweat pants that Alice was wearing and quickly examined her, trying to block out her nether regions from the rest of the room.

  “Everything seems to be just fine here. But, I think everyone but the father needs to clear out so we can get started.” Wren left the room, not even bothering to look at Garrett, and it cut him deeply, but he knew he would need to stay to help Alice. She would need the support, and he’d been there for the other two births, so it wasn’t anything he hadn’t seen.

  “Take these.” He dug around in his pocket for a pill bottle, and gave her some pain medication.

  “Unfortunately, I won’t be able to give you an epidural, but these should help a little.” Garrett sat down on the bed again, putting his hand in hers so she could squeeze it when the pain got to be too bad.

  “Let’s try to start pushing, okay?” Alice nodded, doing her best to bear down.

  Garrett flinched as her scream rent the air. She was still in agony, and it seemed the pain killers weren’t doing anything to help her at all. He wanted to cry out once or twice himself, since she was crushing his hand in ways he’d never even thought possible.

  “It hurts! The pills aren’t helping at all!”

  She was gritting her teeth and trying her best not to scream out again. Garrett was wracking his brain, since didn’t know what he could do to help her. It tore him apart that there was nothing he could do to take away her pain. If he could trade places with her, he would do so in a heartbeat. She’d already been through enough.

  “I read somewhere that vocalization can help with pain. Maybe if you talk to me, it will help a little?”

  He looked helplessly at the doctor, and saw that he was nodding. Alice loo
ked between the two of them, then closed her eyes and tried focusing on her breathing. A second or two later, she started singing under her breath. It started off quietly, then rose in volume and strength as the pain increased. With a jolt, Garrett recognized the song as the one that had played during their first dance. It did something to him, and he started cursing himself for beginning to fall for Wren. How could he when he had a family right here? His head started pounding, and he tried pushing it all out of his mind until he had the alone time to think about and deal with it all. How much time passed, Garrett didn’t know, but he snapped out of his reverie when the doctor announced they had a little boy.

  “He looks very healthy, but just to be safe, I’ll come back in a few hours to give him a checkup.”

  Garrett shook the doctor’s hand and thanked him, then wrapped up the little boy in a blanket and handed him to Alice. She smiled down at the little face that stared up at her curiously, and tears fell from her eyes. No matter what kind of hell the world fell into, Garrett knew that Seth would be the center of it for Alice. That wasn’t to say that she wouldn’t love Brooke and Jenny as much, it was more that Seth needed her, whereas the girls were independent. The doctor shut the door behind him, and Garrett sat down again.

  “I want him to know you as his father.” Garrett didn’t know what to say, but he was saved from an answer when Alice continued.

  “Thank you for staying here with me. I know you just could have told the doctor that he wasn’t yours, so you didn’t need to stay, but it meant a lot to me that you did.” Garrett couldn’t find any words to say anything to any of this, and before he even could recover, she showed him the little bundle.

  “His name is Seth.” Garrett’s eyes watered now, because that was the name they had picked out together if they ever were to have a little boy. Pain went through him on such a raw and emotional level that he couldn’t describe it.