‘Well, cheers!’ Georgie toasted. ‘Here’s to the living.’ They all repeated the toast and took a drink.
‘… And to the not yet born…’ Jane added, quietly. Both women looked at her in amazement.
‘Yes, I’m pregnant,’ she said and gave them a weak smile.
‘Wow!’ said Sarah.
‘Bloody hell!’ added Georgie.
‘Well, congratulations to you both… if that’s appropriate to how you’re feeling,’ said Sarah, raising her eyebrows questioningly.
‘Well, to be honest,’ said Jane, ‘it was a complete shock as it certainly wasn’t planned. We thought we’d been careful.’
‘How far gone are you?’ asked Sarah.
‘I’m well over two weeks late, which is unheard of for me. It must have happened around the time we met you; so that’s, what, about five weeks? I’ve been down all week and struggling with it. I only told Jamie last night.’ She was silent for a few seconds and then added ‘I’m terrified!’ and burst into tears.
Georgie moved next to Jane and put her arms around her. ‘It’s okay, my love, you’ll be fine.’
‘But will I?’ said Jane through her tears. ‘How? I don’t know anything about pregnancy or childbirth, and there are no doctors or hospitals any more, or medical supplies…’
‘Well, it probably won’t be of any consolation to you at the moment,’ said Sarah, ‘but you must bear in mind, my dear, that women were having babies for hundreds of thousands of years before doctors or hospitals existed… and the human race survived and prospered! I completely understand your fear, though; I was terrified, too, when I fell pregnant with Lisa- and that was when we did have hospitals and doctors!’
Jane gave a snort and a small laugh, wiped her eyes and smiled at her. ‘Thank you, Sarah, that does make me feel a little better!’
‘And remember,’ Sarah added, ‘that I’ve had a child and your friend Emma has had two, also, so you won’t be entirely alone and without support or knowledge.’
Jane got up, went round the table to give Sarah a hug and thanked her. Georgie jumped up and said ‘Right- this calls for a celebration!’ She disappeared down into the cellar and came back up with a dusty bottle of expensive champagne.
‘We’ve had this for a few years,’ she said, ‘and were waiting for a suitable occasion to open it. To be honest, we’d sort of given up hope in there being one again, but this seems as good a time as any!’
She fetched four champagne flutes, corked the bottle and poured them all a glass, then raised a toast; ‘To the baby!’
‘To the baby!’ they repeated and drank a mouthful.
‘That’s lovely,’ said Jamie.
‘It could do with being rather colder,’ said Sarah, smiling, ‘but beggars can’t be choosers!’
‘Have you had a chance to think of any names yet?’ asked Georgie.
Jamie smiled and shook his head, but Jane said ‘Well, actually… During some of my long nights lying awake worrying about it all, I did think of a couple of names for if it ever happened! If it’s a boy I’d like Robbie, as my surname is Roberts- though he’d have Jamie’s surname, which is Parker. If it’s a girl I’d like Annie.’
She looked enquiringly at Jamie, who nodded and said ‘Fine with me.’ He then had a thought and smiled. ‘I hope it is a girl, as I always wanted a daughter. Also, when she’s older I’ll be able to say to her “Annie, get your gun!”’ They all burst into laughter and Georgie raised another toast to Robbie or Annie.
While the food cooked the sisters showed them around their property. It was a lovely place and a good size, without being unmanageable for them. Max followed them, sniffing at everything, but was well-behaved and didn’t bark or make a fuss when they came to the chickens and goats. They showed them the beehives, chicken coops and outbuildings, and pointed out the stream nearby where they got their water from. The vegetable field was well laid out and the small orchard was well-tended; all the trees had been trained to a small size to make harvesting easier.
Since the plague they had reduced the vegetable-growing to suit just their needs. Without the workers to tend the crops or the public to sell them to, there was no point growing more than they needed or could use. On a patch of lawn near the house was a raised mound of earth with a wooden cross on it, where they’d buried their father.
‘We plan to get a few horses soon,’ said Georgie. ‘There are many in the area, running wild in the fields now, with no one to ride them. They’ve got plenty to eat and seem to be looking after themselves. We can easily make a couple of stables in the outbuildings. We’re going to need them in the near-future, as the petrol and diesel that’s left becomes unusable.’
This was something that Jamie hadn’t given any thought to, and had no knowledge about, so he enquired further.
‘Well,’ answered Sarah, ‘Dad did some research early on while he was still able to, and found that there wasn’t really any hard data on the subject. Estimates varied hugely, but the general consensus seemed to be that fuel would become unusable within a year or so, probably. It’s something to do with the complex hydrocarbons breaking down, and air and water being mixed with the fuel also. Any fuel left unused in vehicles will go off quicker because the tanks are vented, which will let air in. The best way to prolong its life is in sealed containers, apparently, but even that won’t make it last forever.’
Jamie scratched his head, lost in thought. This was news to him- and rather worrying news, at that- and he mentally kicked himself for not thinking of it before. They went back to the house and the sisters got the meal ready. He forgot about fuel problems for a while, though, as Sarah and Georgie had prepared a fantastic rabbit and pheasant pie, with lots of vegetables to go with it and gravy. They finished with some homemade goat’s yoghurt and dried fruit with honey.
After eating they retired to the lounge with coffee and sat talking for a couple of hours, looking out at the garden and the fields beyond as the sun moved westward. Max lay stretched out in front of the fire, having eaten the rabbit remains. Jane was feeling slightly easier in her mind after talking to Sarah, though she was still very nervous. She felt relieved, however, that she would have the help and support of the two sisters in the future. It was now late afternoon and they made ready to take leave of their friends. Sarah and Georgie came out to the car with them and they hugged each other.
‘Remember,’ said Sarah, ‘we’re always here for you if you need any help or advice. Come round whenever you like.’ Jane was grateful and thanked them both.
‘I almost forgot;’ said Jamie, ‘Bill and Emma are coming to ours next Friday for lunch, and we were hoping you’d come, too. It would be great for you to meet each other. In fact,’ he added, ‘you’ve already met Bill before.’ He explained about Phil and Sophie going to their place for a course the previous year and both women remembered them, and Bill vaguely, as they’d only met him briefly. They said that would be great and promised to come.
Jane drove off down the track, stopping at the bottom for Jamie to open the gate and close it behind them, then turned left and drove back towards Sidley. They chatted as they went, but Jamie fell silent as they passed the turning to his brother’s house and hung his head; Jane took his hand and gripped it. They came back to the main road and turned left, over the roundabout and into the high street. Just as they passed Lidl they caught movement to their right and saw a figure come out of a small supermarket. They couldn’t believe their eyes and Jane braked to a halt immediately. Standing on the pavement was a young girl waving at them; she had a dirty face and matted, long blonde hair, but was wearing a pristine green dress.
Twenty
They got out of the car and, as a precaution, Jamie reached into the back seat, picked up the sawn-off and slung it over his shoulder by its strap. They crossed the road to where the girl was standing and Jane knelt down in front of her. She looked about ten or eleven, and was rather thin and under-nourished. Jamie stood a couple of feet away, looking aro
und and listening.
‘Hello, honey, my name’s Jane and this is my partner, Jamie. Are you okay?’
The girl nodded. ‘Kind of… but not really; I’m scared. Is it okay to be scared? Mummy and Daddy said I mustn’t be, but that was a long time ago.’
‘Oh, honey, of course it’s okay to be scared- I’m scared and so is Jamie. What’s your name?’
‘My name’s Megan.’
‘And how old are you, Megan?’
‘I’m twelve now. It was my birthday yesterday. I know because I’ve been looking at my diary every day. That’s why I’m wearing this dress. All my clothes were dirty and I wanted something nice to wear for my birthday. I found this dress in the charity shop down the road.’ Jane wanted to cry but she managed to remain composed.
‘Well, happy birthday for yesterday, Megan. Are you on your own, or do you have any family?’
Megan shook her head. ‘Mummy and Daddy died in February from the sickness. They’re in their bedroom. It started to smell bad a long time ago and there were lots of flies, so I had to put tape over the bottom of the door.’
‘Oh, Megan, I’m so sorry.’ Jane looked up at Jamie; his jaw was set and she could see that he was struggling to keep it together. ‘How did you manage to survive, Megan?’ she asked.
‘Mummy shut me in the cellar when they thought they might get sick. Daddy had filled it with lots of food and drink, and with candles, buckets and blankets. They said I mustn’t be afraid and I mustn’t come out until help came, but no one came. They got very sick and one day it went quiet. I waited for ages, but no one came. Is everyone dead?’
‘Nearly everyone, my love. How long were you down in the cellar?’
‘Three weeks and six days. I checked my diary, wondering when it would be safe to come out. When no one came after all that time I thought I should come out as it smelled really bad in the cellar because of the toilet buckets.’
‘You’re a very brave girl, Megan, and your mum and dad would be proud of you. What have you been doing since then?’
‘Well, I carried all the food and drink that was left up to the house and I’ve been sleeping on the sofa in the lounge. It was really cold and I had to put lots of blankets on it. I didn’t want to go upstairs because Mummy and Daddy were up there, but I had to. All my clothes were in my bedroom, so I took them all downstairs. The electricity and the water worked for a while and then it stopped and there was no television. I put lots of bowls and pans and plastic boxes out in the garden to collect rainwater.’
‘That was very good thinking, Megan; good for you! You’re a clever girl.’
‘But all my food ran out, so I’ve been going to the supermarkets and I’ve managed to find some food. Also, I’ve been getting food from the houses in the streets nearby where the doors were open, or climbing through windows. There are dead people in all of them and it’s been awful. Have you seen many dead people?’
‘Yes, my love, I’m afraid we’ve seen lots of dead people. It’s been awful for us, too, and we’ve been just as scared as you have.’ She looked up at Jamie with a silent question and he nodded without hesitation. She turned back to the girl.
‘Megan, would you like to come home and stay with us? We live a couple of miles away, by the sea. We could look after you now; would you like that?’
She gave Jane a big smile and said ‘Yes please, I’d love to,’ then burst into tears. Jane hugged her, fighting back tears herself. ‘Do you need to get anything first from your home?’
‘Well, I’d like to get a photo of Mummy and Daddy if that’s alright, and my grandma, too. And I’d like to get my teddy. I know I’m twelve now, but I still like my teddy; is that okay?’
‘Of course it is, Megan; you just show us where to go.’
They got back in the car and Jamie took the other shotgun off the back seat and put it in the front so Megan could sit down. They introduced her to Max, who promptly licked her face, making one clean patch on her left cheek, and she laughed for the first time in five months. Jane and Jamie looked at each other with heartbroken expressions on their faces. The girl’s laughter amidst the ruin that lay about them was something they had never expected to hear, and this felt like the best thing they’d done since the plague had begun. They drove up a side street under Megan’s direction and stopped outside her house. Jane asked her if she would like them to go in with her, but she declined.
‘It’s okay, thanks; I only need a few things and I won’t be long. What will I do about clothes? Only, all of mine are ruined and filthy and I don’t think I want to wear them any more.’
Jane smiled. ‘Don’t worry about that, honey; we’ll go shopping tomorrow and get you some new clothes.’ Megan thought for a second then nodded and went inside.
She came back out two minutes later clutching a couple of framed photos, her teddy bear, a diary and her favourite blanket. She put them on the back seat, climbed in and they drove off. They had to stop off on the way home at the latest locations where they had snares set, and picked up two rabbits, which was great news.
Jane looked at Jamie and winked, saying ‘Swings and roundabouts!’ He just smiled at her in return. Megan was amazed to see them and said how clever they were, then asked if they were going to eat them.
‘Yes, honey,’ said Jane, ‘we’re going to cook you a lovely rabbit casserole tonight and you can eat as much as you like.’
‘Oh, good,’ Megan declared, ‘because I’ve been starving lately and I’m sick of cold, tinned food! Mummy cooked us rabbit once last year and I thought it tasted like chicken.’ Then she went quiet, looked down and picked up her teddy to cuddle it.
They arrived home and Jane parked the BMW in her garage then they went into the bungalow and through to the kitchen. The range was still warm from their cooking that morning and there were plenty of hot embers left, so Jamie raked them up and added more fuel to get it going again. Max curled up on his bed and Megan sat down on the floor and stroked him. Jane went over to her and ruffled her hair.
‘Well, missy, I think the first thing we should do is take you down to the sea for a good wash. Would you like that?’
‘Yes I would!’ she replied. ‘I haven’t been in the sea since last summer and it’ll be nice to be clean again.’
Jane fetched a couple of towels and the bottle of travel wash then they headed off down the garden holding hands. As they went she showed Megan all the vegetables they were growing. She said ‘Cool!’ and then said again how clever they were. She also thought it was cool that they had their own private steps to the beach and she ran off down to the sea. Jane went after her, a tearful smile on her face. Megan undressed quickly before Jane caught up and dashed in, shrieking and laughing. Jane followed and they were soon splashing each other: she was grateful for all the water in her eyes as it hid her tears. She couldn’t imagine what this poor girl had been through in all those months on her own and it made her feel so good to see her laughing and having fun.
Jane fetched the travel wash and Megan hesitated for a second but let her soap her hair and help to untangle the matted curls. Jane then handed her the bottle and moved away a few yards to let her wash herself. Megan smiled shyly in gratitude, then turned her back and washed the rest of her body.
After they’d washed, Jane said ‘Wow! It’s hard to believe there’s a pretty girl underneath all that dirt,’ and Megan smiled. Jane went back to the beach to get Megan’s underwear and socks and washed them.
‘Don’t worry about putting these back on;’ she told Megan, ‘we’ll dry them by the stove for tonight. Tomorrow we’ll go to the shops and get you some new things.’
‘Okay,’ she replied.
Jane got out first, dried herself and got dressed, then told Megan to follow when she was ready and walked back up the beach. Megan came out and dried herself, then got dressed and followed Jane back to the steps, where Max was waiting for them at the top, wagging his tail. When they got back to the kitchen they found it warming up nicely and Jamie
was busy preparing the evening meal. Jane hung the towels and Megan’s clothing up to dry by the range then showed her the third bedroom, where she would be sleeping.
‘It will be so nice to sleep in a proper bed again,’ she said to Jane. ‘That camp-bed in the cellar was really uncomfortable and the sofa wasn’t much better. I won’t miss them at all!’ Her face clouded over for a few seconds and she looked down, but Jane stroked her hair and smiled, then showed her where she and Jamie would be sleeping.
‘We’ll be nearby, so if you need anything or you’re scared at night you just have to come and knock on our door.’
She then showed Megan the toilet and gave her a tour of the house before going back to the kitchen. Jamie had the meal underway and had just put a casserole in the oven. They all went to sit in the conservatory while the food cooked and they let Megan have the sofa, telling Max to jump up with her to keep her company. She sat there stroking him while they sat on the chairs opposite and they chatted until the meal was ready.
They kept the conversation away from Megan’s time on her own and her parents’ deaths; instead telling her about the things they had done, and about fishing, growing vegetables and trapping rabbits. They told her about meeting their new friends Bill and Emma, and Sarah and Georgie, and how Bill and Emma had a daughter of about her age. Megan said she would like to meet her and Jane said that she would do in a week’s time when they came for lunch, which pleased her.
Megan, inevitably, asked them about the plague and why everyone had died. They answered her questions as best they could, but were honest with her and said that they didn’t know what had happened and didn’t have any answers.
The Hoffmann Plague Page 18